fragmentary → scorch trials | newt

chapter fourteen

The sun had come up once again, it felt like an eternity since the day before and the group wasn't really ready to continue their trek to the city.

The night before, they reached a small abandoned building and made it their shelter for the rest of the night.

Their shelter was only a half mile away from the city, it was clearly in view. All of the broken glass, scattered large bits of concrete and rundown buildings.

No one was really in the mood but nonetheless they had some food, courtesy of Jorge, and walked.

Elodie's ankle got worse overnight, it had swollen to the size of  a small rock but the pain couldn't compare to anything she had felt before, it was constantly burning and aching at the same time. She still continued to walk on it though, with a little limp.

She didn't mind though, she felt a little like Newt in a way and knew how he felt whenever he walked.

"Elodie, your ankle doesn't look good." Luke bent down and rolled her green cargo pants up to reveal her purple ankle.

"Hermano, we have to get you some help." Jorge looked at it concerned.

"Doesn't it hurt Elodie?" Newt's hand held her shoulder, as if she was about to fall.

"Guys it doesn't hurt, let's just keep going, we can fix this later." Elodie lied again, she shook everyone's interest off herself.

Newt looked at the girl again and definitely didn't believe her but didn't want to press on the matter and continued  to worry about his missing friends.

Thomas, Mel, Brenda and Jack were still missing, Jorge kept saying that they would meet at their destination but no one really had too much hope for it.

The group reached the place; it was a club for people who were on their last days.

Everyone was baffled as to why they would come to this place but no one questioned Jorge.

It smelled of rotting flesh and foul substances that made Elodie's stomach churn unpleasantly.

"Everyone listen very closely; there is a high chance that your friends,and Brenda are here or very close, so make sure you look for them and bring them upstairs, do not drink anything and try to blend in, loose some layers." Jorge instructed, he quickly made his way inside, presumably doing his own mission and everyone scrambled to get ready and made their own way inside.

Elodie and Newt decided to stick together, since they both had injuries and would be travelling a little slow. Elodie took off her scarf and Newt took off his jacket and they both stuffed it inside Elodie's rucksack.

"Ready to go in?" Newt asked, unsure of what to expect.

"Let's go," Elodie took a deep breath in and they both headed through the doors.

The inside was packed with people who were definitely not human anymore and turning into one of the 'cranks'.

"They're all going through the changing." Newt discreetly explained to her.

"Why are they here? Shouldn't they be wallowing around or trying to get help."

"I don't think there's any help for these people." They looked around at the faces of the soon to be cranks, "They want to enjoy their last few days. I know I would." He snickered.

They made their way around looking for their friends and avoiding any contact with anyone.

"Hey could I interest you two in some drinks." A waiter, no doubt going through the changing approached the two. They exchanged a wary look.

"We're good thanks." Newt gives him a smile and grabs Elodie's hand to lead them away from the dodgy man.

Words of insisting on drinking something echoed around the room, almost becoming tempting for them to try a sip of something but the two resisted.

"I don't like this place at all." Elodie said to Newt, they stared at the new attraction; two cranks chained up and trying to escape the captivity they were kept in, it was almost cruel.

"You and me both." Newt agreed, once again leading her away to a less active corner.

They decided to watch from a distance and look for their friends, not wanting to engage in any more contact with these beings.

As the time grew longer, their patience and hope wore shorter. They were beginning to doubt Jorge's instincts.

"How much longer?!" Elodie grunted in impatience, Newt swiftly took her hand and reassured her.

"They'll be here soon, we just have to keep hoping."

As if on cue, a shout echoed from the stairs.

"Elodie? Newt?" The two saw Aris run up to them, heavily breathing.

"Aris? What's wrong?" Newt asked the boy, who still gasped for breath.

"Thomas... they found Thomas..." He managed to let out. "Teresa found him.."

****

Elodie and Newt followed him up into a large room above the club. It was only lit from light coming through rips in fabric that covered windows, dust covered all the furniture and rubbish cluttered the floor.

The main thing that caught their attention was a dingy man tied tightly to a chair in the middle of the room being beat up by Jorge.

"Thomas!" Elodie heard newt say, she followed him to Thomas' lifeless body on the bed. There was a rush of relief that flooded through the pair. 

Thomas's eyes fluttered open and wondered around the room, confusion apparent on his face. 

"Hey, hey, hey... Hi." Teresa immediately reassured him. "We have to stop meeting like this." 

"Welcome back shank." Minho smiled gently. Thomas's breaths started to slow. 

"Hey buddy, good to see you." Newt approached Thomas gently as he sat up, happy to see his friends after days of worrying that he was gone. Elodie smiled at him as a greeting. His face squirmed into a grimace.

"We lost Mel and Jack..." Thomas managed to say, his voice croaky from the unknown substance he downed. "They disappeared in the raid back at the shelter."

Luke let out a whimper and buried his head in his hands, pacing slowly around the room. Elodie's face went pale as she sat down on the couch in disbelief, she had just gotten them back and now they were gone again. Newt instinctively comforted her by rubbing her back gently. 

Elodie blocked out the noise going on in the background and hadn't listened to any of the information being beaten out of the man by Jorge. She just sat in silent misery, a feeling that was all too familiar.

------

GUYS IM BACK

idk if people still have this book saved but I'm back again for like the fifth time, but hopefully I still have time to finish this series and my city of stars series that I'm not sure I'll continue or not.

im still getting into the gist of writing as well so point out any mistakes and any suggestions for what you want to happen!

-ivy x