The Scorch Trials

Chapter 8

'Chancellor Paige- Are you ready?

Mack- as ready as I'll ever be

Paige- okay, let's go to the operation quarters to get it installed. When you wake up, you'll be in the maze, with no memory of anything.

Mack- I know.

Paige- Good luck. Your going to change the world.

Mack- just cause I've been injected with syrums doesn't mean I'll be any better than everyone else.

Paige- we'll find out now won't we. Now come on, follow me.

Mack- okay.'

I woke up to someone shaking me and talking,
"Hey, hey are you alright? Wake up."
I slowly opened my eyes, Thomas was shaking me, I lifted my head off my backpack and rubbed my eyes.

"Yea I'm alright, what happened?"
He was sitting criss-cross, I had my knees pulled up to my face, my arms wrapped around them.
"You were tossing and turning, and mumbling stuff. Bad dream?"
I shrugged,
"No, another Memory."
He looked at me,
"Oh, what about?"

"It was right before I was going into an operation room."
He nodded,
"Ah right before you got the chip, or the memory swipe."
That made sense, she did say I would be in the maze when I woke up, only I wasn't, I was in the box.
"How long has it been?"

"A little over a hour, should we just go ahead and get on the road, well...sand."
I shrugged, as I stood up. I picked up my backpack and threw it over my shoulder.
"Let's go then. There's no time to lose."
I looked around, everyone was sitting on the ground. Teresa and Liz, were sitting and chatting, Anna, Minho, and Nick, Marie and Ella, and...Newt and Candy. They were talking, I couldn't read their lips. Newt wasn't smiling but Candy was, And she was twirling her hair, her eyes fluttering. My heart skipped a beat, I breathed hard, My eyes narrowed.

"Um Mack, are you okay?"
Thomas said putting his hand on my shoulder, I dropped my stare.
"Oh, yea yea. Im...peachy."
He folded his arms,
"Doesn't look like it, what's wrong?"
I looked back at Candy and Newt, I frowned. My head was pounding, my heart throbbing, my veins boiled.
"I don't know, let's just get out of here."
I honestly didn't know what was wrong with me, I wasn't like this when Teresa talked to him, not even Anna, I didn't know why, all I know it needs to stop right now, I can feel my temper boiling inside me.

"Everyone, let's go! Our break has been cut short, let's move it."
Everyone glanced at me, probably cause my voice was stern and angry. Candy looked at me, her finger in the middle of twirling a Piece of her gold hair, Newt turned his head, he smiled at me. I folded my arms and scrunched up my nose, his smile faded into a confused look, I hope he got the message, I didn't want to be smiled at. Everyone got up, I noticed Newt get up and Candy reached out her hand, and Newt kinda glanced at me then pulled her up. I growled between my grinding teeth, I didn't mean too but I did,

"Yea something is definitely wrong with you. But we have to get moving, so it can wait."
I didn't wait for everyone else to get up, I just turned and walked, my backpack over my right shoulder.
I heard behind me,
"Um Mack, aren't you going to wait on us?"
Thomas yelled, I turned as I kept walking,
"Nope! You'll catch up!"
I wanted to be alone right now, so I can let my boiling blood cool.

---

My feet ached from walking so fast, every time someone, mainly Thomas, got with even 10 feet of me I would take off jogging to get away. My eyebrows hurt from being narrowed, I pulled the water bottle out of my bag and took a quick sip, we had to preserve our resources. The once cool, now warm water gave relief to my dry tounge, I took another sip and screwed the lid on when something tapped my shoulder! I dropped my water bottle and elbowed them in the stomach! They fell, it was just Thomas, I helped him up as he coughed,
"Sorry, I didn't know who it was."
He coughed and I patted his back as we kept walking,
"Oh my god, I think I swallowed some sand." He said coughing into his arm, I couldn't help but Laugh,
"Sorry bout that, i just want to get out of here."
He stood up straight, and took one final cough.
"We all do, but I'm getting the feeling that's not why your face is red."
I rolled my eyes,
"I got burned with metal idiot."
He laughed,
"No, your cheeks are red. Your mad, your cheeks turn red when your mad or embarrassed."
He remembers that? I didn't even know that.
"Oh, if you want the truth, I don't know why I'm mad. Honestly I don't, believe me, if I knew I would tell you."
He nodded,
"I believe you. Why do you think your mad."
I think I know, but I don't want to admit it. It's not the reason, I know it's not. So I just made something up to satisfy his curiousity.
"I think it's cause of what Ella did, i mean, she killed Val. She claims she didn't have control of herself, but how could she not?"
Thomas put his hand on my shoulder,
"Mack, the chip. WICKED can control you through that, it could happen to any of you."
My eyes widened, one cause he actually believed me, two...
"Wait, they can control us? They can control...me?"
He sighed,
"Unfortunately yes."
My lip quivered,
"But, I thought I was different. I can't be controlled."
I said alittle louder, he threw his arm over my shoulder, which made me tense up.
"You are different, I know you. Your special, you can do anything you put your mind too, I can't. That's what's great about you."
My cheeks flushed, I tried too cover up the redness by wiping my face. He didn't take his arm off my shoulders,
"Look! The city is closer! We'll get there in about 2 days I'm guessing."
He said pointing front of me, I smiled,
"That great! It's getting dark tough, are we going to walk in the dark?"
I couldn't see his facial expression cause I didn't want to look at him, I didn't want him to see my red cheeks. I wasn't that much shorter than him, maybe an two or 3 inches, so If I looked at him we would be staring right at each other. Which would be awkward.

"I think we should, after all, I don't know if they altered the scorch. There could be Man eating monsters that come too kill us in the night."
I nodded, it was very possible.
I felt very conflicted at the moment, why was I nervous around him? I wasn't back when we talked in the maze. Probably cause we weren't even making physical contact, he finally removed his arm from my shoulders, but I found myself not wanting him too.
I felt this way when I saw Newt limping behind us, I wanted to go back there with him. I wanted to be with him, I wanted to be with Thomas too. I needed to talk to someone about this, someone who knew Thomas and Newt, who was a girl. Teresa.