fragmentary → scorch trials | newt

chapter eight

The sandstorm came quickly, the sand scratching their eyes and skin. Elodie felt the small grains pierce small scratches into her exposed shoulders and arms. She held up a thin scarf to her face as protection, the last thing she needed was to be blind.

"We need to find shelter!" Thomas shouted over the roaring whistle of the strong winds.

"Over there!" Elodie yelled at the top of her lungs to the others, scratching at her raw throat. She pointed to the small wall formed by a tall stone and fenced off by piles of junk.

Everyone followed Elodie in and she put herself in the outermost position to make sure no one else would be touched by the sand. Everyone settled down.

Then she waited, she didn't care that the sand mildly touched her and she just hoped for the storm to stop.

****

When the storm passed, the sky returned to its normal blue colour and the winds slowed slightly. Elodie sat beside Newt and just looked at Winston as his chest rose up and down quickly, the boy obviously trying to find oxygen but struggled greatly.

"Here." Newt held out a full water bottle to Elodie, she snapped out of her daze and nodded gratefully. Her throat had screamed with pain and the water felt heavenly as it trickled down her throat, she only let herself have a few sips not wanting to hog their water supply. She put it down and stared into the open, not knowing what will happen next or where they would be going.

She watched as Teresa went over to Thomas, who stood out and looked towards the mountains. Newt stood up and leaned on the wall watching the two carefully.

"How's it lookin'?" Newt shouted to the two, making them both look back.

"A little further!" Thomas took a while to give them an answer.

Newt turned his head back to Elodie and Minho with a raised eyebrow.

"That wasn't very convincin'." Newt sat back down and played with his hands a little.

As Elodie watched Teresa and Thomas, she felt a longing feeling, as if something was missing. At first she thought it was just her being desperate for a partner and the chemistry the two had, but as she thought longer, she realised it was the gaping hole that she felt for the person she loved before she was even in the maze, a hole that not even Link was able to fill.

"Those two are meant for each other, I swear." Newt spoke from beside her, she looked at him and then smiled.

"Love is almost impossible in this world." Elodie turned her smile into a frown as she thought of the harsh conditions and bad situation they were in.

"Nah, I don't think so, I think it's what we need in this world." He looked out at the mountains now, Elodie did the same.

"Do you think we're ever gonna make it to those mountains?"

"We better make it to them bloody mountains or this was all for nothing!" Newt laughed nervously, she joined him as she felt herself relax a bit. She crossed her legs and made pictures in the sand with her finger. "What's that supposed to be?"

"I dunno, just something meaningless." She shrugged her shoulder and looked down at the weird squiggles.

"Well they're better than anything I can draw."

"I bet not."

"Well then, both of us have to draw trees in 3 2 1..."

Elodie giggles as she mindlessly drew some kind of bushy thing with a stick coming out the bottom. She added a sun and some birds for an 'artistic effect'