SONDER (IV): tmr thomas

29: I should stroke ice

Leo 29

Thomas and I are waiting at the exit of the Berg when the door lands. I walk outside into the fresh air. We are surrounded by the stumps of trees, and the tiny replanting of them as well. They look sad. Deflated.

As I wait with Thomas, I realize how close we are standing to each other. I rest my head on his shoulder, breathing him in. Slowly, he puts an arm around me.

"We'll get him," he tells me.

When I nod, I break away. Soon Minho barrels down the ramp on to the ground with us. He casts back a glance at Thomas and me but doesn't look long. He turns away from us. I can hear his voice breaking. "Dawn still can't figure out how to get out of the lock, so we are leaving her."

It doesn't bother me much. Eventually, Jorge and Brenda walk down the ramp and join us. It's the crew of "gladers" on their way to save the day, except not really. The only Glader here is Minho.

And Newt.

There are two guards a ways up. They each hold a launcher in our general direction. One is pointed at me and hopefully not anyone else. Actually, that's not quite fair. I don't want to die. I want to trade places with someone, anyone. Newt and Dawn need to live.

Why does this mission already feel failed?

"What's your business here?" One of them asks.

Jorge steps forward. "We work for WICKED. Two of our scientists have accidentally gotten taken into the Palace. We've come to retrieve them."

The guard scoffs. He leans into the other one, the one with the handlebar mustache, and nudges him. "Some uppity scientists coming to the Crank Palace? Good luck in there, especially because of the recent events. Make sure to keep your arms and legs as close to your body as possible at all times."

"Have you seen a blonde guy named Newt, brought here two days ago?" Minho barks. He taps his foot on the ground, glaring over at Jorge. I don't get his rush. It could take me three years to get in there and it would still be too soon.

The guy leans in to the other one. "Maybe we have. Maybe we haven't. A couple dollars might jog our memories."

I look down at the ground, shuffling my foot in the dirt. There is no shucking way I am listening to this guy haggle us for cash. Instead, I tune out as him and Jorge make a deal, and Jorge transfers him money. Thomas moves closer to me, but I shake my head. Carefully, I point at Minho, and gesture for Thomas to go with him.

Thomas's eyes linger on me, but he moves over to Minho as we walk in the Crank Palace.

As we go deeper and deeper, I listen to the guard drone on as he explains the origins of this place. It's a series of rings, with Cranks getting crazier and crazier close to the centre. The Central Zone is where things get to wild.

As we walk, I keep my eyes on the ground. I can hear someone screaming a block away, but I don't look. The houses creak and groan, probably from their flimsy foundations. The only thing which catches my eye are the broken windows. I keep peaking inside of them, waiting to catch a glimpse of anything that moves. Even if I don't want to.

Thomas keeps asking the guards questions. Why don't they shut this place down? Where do the bodies of dead Cranks go? Where do Cranks go that are too far past the gone? I try to avoid listening to the answers. It isn't pleasant to think about this place, where Newt has been trapped for far too long.