SOJOURNER (III): tmr gally

19: I should stop this

Michelle 19

It is almost as sweaty underground as it is above ground. Blood stains to my clothing, which, despite the heat, is struggling to dry in the absence of light. I thought it would be cooler, but now I am so close to all the other bodies that the room is a furnace. Maybe the blood is dry, and instead I'm sweating profusely.

I really hate the dark. Like, I'm not afraid of it or anything; it's just unbearable. I'd much rather see what is around the corner, but that's just me. How does anybody know that there aren't more decapitation spheres down here, waiting to take us out? I certainly have got no clue.

We've only been walking for an hour, and as far as I am concerned, we have no sense of direction. Are we walking further into the Scorch? Or are we walking home? I'd rather we actually survive than walk aimlessly, but that's just me.

I hear a groan behind me, and I roll my eyes. Teresa chuckles beside me.

"You'd think they'd get used to moving if they'd want to live," she has a faint grin.

Right? Some of these shanks annoy the klunk out of me. Always complaining and moaning about moving. If they are so content to gripe, they should just stay here and wait for the Flare to kill them.

I look over Teresa, before sighing. "You know, when I voted against you, I was voting to get it over with. I knew Leo wouldn't budge."

Teresa nods, looking forward. I don't think she respects my answer, but I guess I wouldn't if I were her either. See, I am not the biggest fan of Ella. To this day she makes me nervous. Keeping her around, however, is less of a pain then listening to Leo and Dawn whine about her. I guess now, just Leo.

"Leo's a bit of a problem," Teresa offers, looking over. "Somehow more than Dawn."

I'm surprised that I agree. Dawn has hated Teresa pretty much from day one, but up until yesterday (shuck, it was only yesterday), Leo was fine. Now, she's been pretty distraught. Obviously, Ella matters a lot to her, as annoying as it is.

"Hopefully now that she lost Dawn, she'll have learnt her lesson." Teresa offers.

"Which is?" I ask, since there could be a million answers.

Teresa looks over at me, with her dark eyes. In the dim lighting, it looks like they are only one colour. The glance is unnerving.

"That she isn't right all the time," Teresa offers, sighing. "Would you check on her?"

I nod. Teresa offers me a faint smile in return, moving forward. I stand still, letting a few girls walk around me so I can move further back. Leo is near the rear of the pack, with Harriet.

"Hey," a girl asks beside me.

It's Sonya. She's never gone out of her way to talk to me before. Maybe we haven't even spoken at all. She gestures for me to move with her. I glance up at Teresa, noticing her distraction, before continuing next to Sonya.

"Your friend, who hit me," her voice is a quiet whisper. "He was really nice."

It's a hint.

It's hard to read her, in this dim lighting. It strikes me that she is trying to save my friend's image, for some reason. I don't know that I would do the same, given the colour of her bruise. It's still fresh and purple, since she was only hit yesterday.