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Brenda turned back around in the front seat of the cramped metal tin box they called a car, wobbling and jumping about to get just comfortable enough with her arm looped around the back head of it she locked eyes with Thomas who still looked so stock-scared.
She could only shake her head at him. What in the world had they been thinking was all that kept passing through her mind.
That in the sneaking sense of betrayal the young teen still wasn't sure she was entitled to feel. Weren't they friends too? Brenda knew well she couldn't call them anything more than that, a few kisses turn polite make-outs and a couple of evenings spent cuddling on the roof didn't qualify them to be anything more when they hadn't talked about it.
Jorge was laughing, "I'm impressed! You nearly lasted a whole day", well trust him to find the humour in all this. Deep down he would be just as worried, he had been at the hideout when Brenda realised the three's disappearing act.
Where Newt fixated himself on the quickly passing senary outside, Frypan had it in him to look apologetic well Thomas huffed and scoffed. "I'm sorry!" he conceded his eye switching up between Brenda and Jorge.
Newt glanced over with a raised eyebrow, "I didn't want to bring you guys into this", she could see the sparkle in Newt's eyes that he must have been given the same treatment last night. Brenda bit at her lower lip trying to keep any sharp words to herself looking away from him with frustration buring.
"Hey!" Frypan jumped forward pushing his way between Thomas and Newt squeezing into the tight space of the cabin. The blonde conceeded leaning out of the way and back to the view outside. "I think what he's trying to say, is thanks for saving us" Frypan put on his widest smile brightening up the dullness of the tin box.
The brunette slowly turned her head back to face the boys again. At least Thomas had it in him to look a bit sheepish. A pleading look was in his eyes that crept into her chest giving her those fuzzy feelings again. "You're welcome" She flashed a tentative smirk at them, seeing his eyes light up once more.
Jorge butt in tapping at her arm, "Hey don't get those hops up, okay?" he spun around for quick minute eyes completely off the road thank god Brenda's remained there. "That checkpoint" he was saying as he spun back around the truck only wobbling a fraction, "That was the city's last defence. With that overrun? Chances are the city is too." Jorge shrugged shifting his eyes over to her as Brenda sunk herself into the seat.
"Yeahhh" Newt's voice echoed as he seemed to lean out of the car "Unless they figured out some other way to keep the Cranks out" he was half out the window as everyone's attention dawned in the same direction. Jorge slammed on the brakes suddening the truck into wobble as it skidded to stop over the dirt-covered old highway.
With the sight of the city still standing. The rest of the day's events seemed to float away from them.
They parked the truck near but not close enough to be found, as soon as the camps around the walls came into view Jorge knew well what sorts of people would be living here as he covered the truck up in hopes it'd still be here for the quick getaway.
Brenda pulled her hood up as they navigated the narrow streets of the desolate part of the city. The people here were little different to any other barren depleted town they had visited in their travels. It brought back scathing memories of the escape from the compound she and Jorge had called home, the search for Marcas that only left the scars on her leg burning and itching. Suddenly her chest tightened, strange sense of paranoia came over her.
"Brenda?" she jumped at the cold touch of Thomas's hand against hers, she hadn't even realised she'd stopped walking. None of the others had noticed thankfully as the teenager mentally kicked herself picking up her pace to get back with them. "Brenda" his voice had more urgency now as he grabbed her hand. Not so tight that she could pull away if she wanted. That alone caused her to slow again glancing up at him from under the hood.
He gave her hand a soft squeeze, "You, okay?" he tentatively asked in the lowest of whispers the words would've been lost in the loud noise of everything around them if she wasn't reading his lips at the same time. "Yeah," Brenda replied short and sharp. Completely okay.
His eyes betrayed him unconvinced but he let the subject die there joining up with the rest of them. Still, her fingers would wrap around his that brought little warmth back pushing the sickly feeling from before away.
Jorge's large arm suddenly appeared at her side grabbing at her jacket to pull her forward. Closer to him, "This place has really gone to hell" he grumbled looking around them. Settling his eyes on Thomas who'd taken the lead of them something had caught his eye. "We just gotta stay together" Thomas shrugged with false confidence.
We are the voice!
A large truck overfilled with people dressed in all sorts of mismatched armour, dawned with gas masks and guns appeared the crowed making way.
They hide behind their walls!
One on the roof of the driver's side with a megaphone. Waving his hands and yelling through the machine in a gravelling sort of voice that grated at her ears.
Well, they watch the rest of us wither and rot!
Thomas's arm came behind him just barely touching at her arm, he slowly backed into her. Brenda bit at the inside of her cheek about to shove him forward as a lesson. She didn't need protecting. But Jorge was on her other side squeezing onto the cloth of her hoodie there was a genuine sense of unease about him she wasn't used to.
But there are more of us!
As the truck carried on Brenda could see Thomas's interest spike in whatever was going on. How unsurprising he was. It was like he didn't have the usual human sense of danger, and fear. Maybe a bit of self-preservation. None of that existed with him.
When he was caught on something, he just kept moving forward to it. Then they were swept up with the crowd. Brenda tucked in closer to Jorge as they followed the movement like it was a tidal wave forcing them closer to shore.
Not that the towering stark walls, with miles of barren space in front of it, perched with blasters at its peak looked like any shore she'd want to float onto.
Newt pushed into the group of them, "Look guys we have got to go. Now!" he was grabbing at them pulling them back. This was where Newt was fantastic, he always had a sense of impending doom. "Look, now" he spun around through the waves of people surrounding them and despite her lack of height compared with the others if Brenda stood to her toes she could see the same masked men of the truck approaching them.
A booming echo of a horn struck her into her bones settling an uneasy silence over everyone. Her eyes stayed transfixed on the wall ahead of them, but the sounds of feet and screaming didn't escape her. "Thomas.." she said very quickly at that curious cat-like face that nearly went to take another step forward.
"Thomas, let's go" Frypad was pulling at his jacket anxiously as he went back with Newt. "We go, Now! Now, now, now" Jorge pushed her back, snatching ahold of Thomas's arm and yanking him back into reality as the first blast hit.
The adrenalin that hits her following, the rush of the escape and the dirt in her eyes are rather a blur. At one point she's thrown into a wall, he's right there with her. Then there is a gas-masked man who grabs the pair of them throwing them inside the van. Distantly Jorge's voice screaming her name is heard.
It's them sitting against the back doors of the van stared down by three masked men with guns. Thomas rocks his head back and forth glancing between each one of them silently. "Right so, who the fuck are you?" Brenda cuts the silence leveling the middle one with a stare that could kill.
Vaguely can she feel the boy next to her shift, the feel of his jacket on her arm and maybe the brush of his thigh against hers. His eyes burned a hole in the side of her head. There is a thought at the back of her mind that goes, well you always do stupid things like this Thomas so you can't judge . But the words don't leave her.
None of the three in front of them dignify her with a response that only grates her gears a little more. "Not even bag over our heads. Amateurs" She rolls her eyes turning around in show of looking out the dusty dirty back window of the van.
Light went to dark, and then banging on the door had her flinch. Thomas reached out quickly grabbing onto her knee as the back door opened on them. Both meet the other's eyes, quiet hidden conversation passing by as they slipped out. Thomas stuck close to her eyeing the masked rebels about them. It was like a snowball rolling down the hillside as more and more kept building.
Jorge fussed over her when they were finally alone. They'd been 'gifted' a room, but only one with a few shotty mattresses placed on the floor for each of them. He'd fussed enough for her patience in one day, batting him off and stating the desperate need to sleep.
She hadn't gone. Into the city with them.
No one had told her anything about this Gally character. Frypan and Thomas had both opened up about others from the maze, she'd heard other names that came up like Alby, Winston, and Ben.
In one quiet moment on the roof, she'd heard the story of Chuck.
Newt didn't talk about anyone, she didn't press.
Gally wasn't a name that had come up between any of them.
Weight settled slowly almost unsure onto the bed dipping the old rotten mattress to the side of her. "Sorry" Brenda leaned overly slowly looking up at the voice owner. Thomas nerviously laid down beside her - With a respectable distance between themselves - Brenda rolled the whole way over onto her other side. Past him the others too had filtered in, wrapped themselves up under the paper-thin sheets being called blankets.
Really she had been willing to forgive everything as she always had. "I realised no one told you about Gally" he murmured fixing his eyes to the roof. Brenda shrugged one shoulder in response, "You didn't tell me about your midnight adventure to the city either" she replied. Maybe bit sharp, but that one hurt fraction more then some random boy from his time at the maze.
The teen before her slowly turned his head looking sheepish and young as he murmured his apology, "I am sorry Brenda. Don't think I didn't trust you. I just" he fumbled his hands as if trying to gesture the words he was looking for into existence. Well Brenda herself remained quiet, waiting for him to blurt it out.
"Don't want to see you hurt again." he finally said defeated dropping his gaze. There were a couple beats of silence as she held onto those words, as foolish as the sentiment was when she'd been out there helping them survive. Helping take out WCKD supplies and kids. "All of you. I didn't tell Newt and Frypan too" he tried to cover up, the spike in his voice she knew this is where he'd start rambling a bit without response.
" Idiot " she breathed smile breaking out on her face "You said it yourself. Stay together.", his eyes shifted back up to meet her. Halfway over the rotten smelly mattress, his cool fingers brush up against hers.