A5 // The Scorch Trials

Chapter 17

* Hello guys. Happy Halloween! I wanted to say thank you all for being patient with me since its been taking me a while to write but also I thank everyone who is dedicated to me and this book. The votes as soon as I post and the kind comments make me the happiest person and I can't thank you guys enough! *

Sonya led them to a cluster of tanks and trucks, all supporting soldiers with high tech weapons. She called out something to them—something (Y/N) missed—and they let their guarded exteriors down, meaning nobody had a gun aimed at them anymore.

They were brought to the second and third cars of the day although these were equipped with weapons instead of the plush comforters that littered Marcus's van. They hopped inside in a similar seating to the first trip and drove off to the Right Arm.

During the trip, Newt conversed excitedly with Sonya, warming the hearts of all the people around them knowing that the siblings had found each other, a luxury many people nowadays didn't get. (Y/N) sat just beside Newt and on the other side of her was Brenda. She tried to listen to Newt and Sonya but her mind drifted off as her head fell on Brenda's shoulder.

"Hey," Brenda whispered so that nobody else in the car (especially the man driving) would hear her. "You have to hold on, alright? I'm sure someone here can help you but they can't if you give up."

The bite was slowly destroying her just like it had destroyed Aris but they had hope this time. They knew Aris couldn't get any kind of help before it was too late but (Y/N) had a chance, no matter how slim it was. She sat her head up higher, ignoring the spinning of her head and the watering of her eyes. She had to fight, for Newt.

The pair of cars stopped just at the top of a hill that overlooked the entire camp. To (Y/N) it resembled the Glade with its makeshift homes and buildings, but this time they were made out of tents instead of wood. The people who inhabited the camp seemed to work in two fashions: they mosied around like they were simply taking a walk or they ran around to finish some errand or task. This prediction seemed to work except for one man.

He walked with confidence to the group, a small crowd of people following behind. The man introduced himself as Vince, the leader of this camp and a savior to all immune kids. Despite how egotistical it sounded, this is exactly what the Gladers needed.

"Who are they?" He spoke directly to Harriet (the Gladers wondered if she was a leader of some sort).

"Immunes. Found them on the mountain."

Vince eyed the group before continuing, "Did you check them?"

Assuming he meant for any signs of infection, Brenda glanced over at (Y/N). The girl didn't look okay anymore. Before, she could hide the bite and nobody would know the difference but now, her pale cheeks and stained lips were a clear sign something was wrong. Brenda could only hope that they would make it another few minutes and (Y/N) could get the help she needed.

"This is my brother," Sonya answered instead of Harriet. "I trust him. I don't think he would take an infected through the desert."

As Vince mentioned something about the group needing to be checked, (Y/N) caught a man's eye. He walked closer towards her, breaking up the group as he did, and pointed his finger in her face. "Boss?"

Before anyone else could react, (Y/N) gasped and fell forward, collapsing face first on the ground. Newt was the first person at her side to lift her off the dirt and into his lap. Calling her name a few times, he realized she was too out of it to even hear that he was talking to her. Through half lidded eyes, she was just barely able to make out his face. "Newt," she croaked and he in response, he cupped her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"What's going on?" Vince questioned Newt but even the boy didn't know the answer. His love had suddenly collapsed in the sand without any warning whatsoever. Had he missed something after meeting Sonya? Did something happen with—

"Crank!" While Newt wasn't looking, Vince had pulled up her jeans to reveal the nasty and infected crank bite the girl had on her leg. He whipped out a gun and aimed it at (Y/N) while calling for Newt to get out of the way.

"NO! No, stop! Get away from her!" Newt screamed back and used his body as a shield to cover her. The other Gladers could only stare at the image in front of them; (Y/N) was bit by a crank just like Aris and soon, she'd die.

It was Brenda who ran forward to block Vince from shooting her. "Wait! Wait, stop! She was just bitten! Just this morning!" Newt looked down at (Y/N), his heart sinking to know his girl had been dealing with this bite all day and yet, she never found the time to tell him. "I told her you could help her."

Vince slowly set the gun down with a sigh. "I can. I can put her out of her misery." With a swift nod of his head, two of the Right Arm's men grabbed Newt and pulled him away from (Y/N). Without his body there, she fell onto the sand and continued to choke for breath.

"NO! Let go of me! Stop! Let me bloody go!" Newt thrashed around in the arms as he watched Vince's gun aim directly at (Y/N).

"Vince! That's enough!" A woman's voice stopped Vince in his tracks. A black haired woman came from somewhere in the camp and ordered Vince to let Newt go, which he reluctantly did. The Brit dashed to the floor to lift (Y/N) back onto his lap, this time hugging her to his chest from the sheer panic of almost losing her.

"She's infected. There's nothing we can do for her," Vince tried reasoning and despite the woman's orders, he had yet to put his gun away.

"No, but he can." Her eyes were trained on Thomas and it wasn't until she explained who she was and how she knew Thomas that everyone calmed down. As an ex-doctor for WICKED, the woman would be able to use Thomas's blood to make a temporary cure for the virus. "Let's get her up and into the tent."

Newt lifted (Y/N) off the ground until she was sitting comfortably in his arms, though she was too out of it to even truly realize she was off the ground. The Gladers—minus Thomas—stayed behind while (Y/N) was taken away where they would finally be introduced to the Right Arm by Vince.