SOJOURNER (III): tmr gally

22: I shouldn't have trusted her

Dawn 22

Minho kicks the door open, running in. Knives in both hands, he charges through the crowd. I follow him, a blade identical to his, charging into the room. Minho's job is to go downstairs and find Thomas, so I leave him to it. The rest of us are supposed to control the Cranks up here here.

The men and women in the room freeze. They stare at us blankly. No one moves. The air is still, and I remain silent.

One is off his feet, charging forward. He collides with Jorge, who with a quick kick sends him flying backwards. Another picks himself off the ground, charging for Newt.

I step in front of the boy, stabbing the Crank. He flinches around the knife, freezing in his path, before falling to the ground. Newt turns and stares at me, and I shrug. It's rough, yeah, which is why I wasn't going to make Newt do it. I've had my fair share of run ins with Cranks already, and I've prepared myself to kill one.

It was hard, but not as hard as I imagined. I pull the knife out.

Jorge slices through a Crank using his machete, and Fry does the same. Aris, with his practically non-existent body-strength, stands frozen.

People are screaming. Bodies start scrambling around. Someone comes running for me, shoving past me. I stumble into Newt, taking him to the ground with me. There is a hand on my collar, lifting me off the ground. A Crank shoves my back against the wall, screaming into my face. I start shouting, clawing at his cheeks with my hands, which have lost the knife.

Fry rips him off me, stabbing the Crank. Newt is already off the ground, moving deeper into the room. I grab my knife off the ground, following him. People still shove past me though, scrambling for the exit. A man darts forward, grabbing my neck with his fist. I stab him with the knife. Blood spouts out, dotting my face. He lets go, and begins to choke on his own blood. I keep the knife wielded this time, ready to swing it when I need to. Eventually, the room stills.

No one else comes for us. There are a few men and women still here. A couple bodies, but mostly people sleeping, or clinging on to each other.

Shucking Cranks. I can't imagine what their lives must be like. At the end of this, I will have the cure, so thankfully I won't end up like him.

"We don't want trouble," Jorge says. "We just don't want to fight, alright muchahoes?"

Everyone stands still. Jorge, Newt and Aris begin circling the group. I'm in charge of watching the door, in case anything bad happens. I move back there, coughing. There are a few others stationed outside, since they are our first line of defense. In a nearby tower, we have another couple shanks watching us. This sting operation proved easier than anticipated with the fifteen of us.

I am finally catching my breath. It's hard and requires my full attention. My throat feels like it is constricting against itself and swallowing me whole. Fry hits my back, and hits it kindly, for good measure.

"Where have you guys been?" I look up to see Thomas and Minho, walking down the stairs. Brenda is up a few steps behind them both.

"Look at the shank," Fry laughs, standing next to me at the door. "Ugly mug still, at least its intact."

Thomas nods, walking over towards Newt, I storm through the crowd, making my way over to him, despite Fry's attempt to stop me. Quickly, I throw my knife in a pocket in my jacket.

"Can I have a second?" I ask, glancing to Minho.

Minho seems confused. Since Thomas disappeared, I haven't brought up Teresa's allegations. I was planning on doing it in private, but I feel like I'm about to explode. It's been what, a week? I still don't know the truth, and I need to.