The Scorch Trials Rewrite

Part 5

I walked cautiously through the halls, my eyes and ears straining for anything that might jump out at us. I still wasn't completely sure what Cranks were, but if they were anything like what happened to Ben in the Maze, I was perfectly fine with avoiding them.

Minho and Thomas raised a metal door that looked like a storage unit but larger. The room was filled with all kinds of junk, but it also seemed like someone had lived here at some point. Fry found a lantern and turned it on, allowing us more light to see the room. I sheathed my knife into its holster, feeling unthreatened by the clothes and supplies strewn around the place.

There was a group of flashlights sitting on a table covered in dust, so I tossed one out to a few people and grabbed one for myself. As I turned it on, the bright LED light inside shone straight into my eyes and I blinked away from it. "Shit!" All movement halted suddenly, heads turning to me.

"You okay?" Thomas asked.

"I'm fine. It was just bright. Sorry, guys." Minho shook his head at me and I made a face at him. We all continued our search of the room. There was a pallet of blankets and sleeping bags and pillows on the floor, and Minho picked up a jacket from there.

I went deeper into the room, and Thomas called, "Hey, don't go too far." Obviously, I ignored him. The room I stepped into looked like the main one. There were actual beds in here and even more clothes. In fact, there was a large bin piled high with clothes. I smiled and dug through them, trying to find something a little more flattering and suitable for the Scorch conditions.

I found a pair of black fitted cargo pants. They were in a style I'd never seen before, but oddly enough, I liked it and they looked like they would fit perfectly. The boots I found were a worn leather brown and they went up to my calves. Sensible, I thought, for this kind of environment. As I was dressing myself behind a small partition, I looked over to see Thomas and Fry staring at me. Newt used two fingers to turn Fry's eyes away from me and I smiled lightly at his kindness as I turned my back to Thomas, throwing on a dark grey tank top.

I secured the thigh holster that I still had from the Maze around my waist and right leg, the sharp blade still sheathed inside. Laying over the back of a chair was a hooded brown leather jacket. It had that worn leather look that matched my boots and I picked it up, shaking off the dust then slid it onto my body. It was mine now. A pair of fingerless brown gloves, also leather, was sticking out of the pocket, so I left them in there. I was sure they'd come in handy later. I knew that in this kind of weather, a hood was going to be the most useful thing to me. I was so thankful to have clothes that actually fit me, not to mention the fact that they made me look great everywhere. The people who stayed here before really know how to shop. Or steal.

"Looks like people lived here," Minho said, shaking out the jacket he found. I didn't feel bad about taking these clothes since the others were doing the same.

"Well, where are they now?" Newt asked.

Thomas slid on a new jacket. "Let's pack some of this stuff up. Anything you think you might need."

"Let's split up. See what else we can find," I said, joining them. "Minho, you're with me."

"Actually, Minho, stay here with them. I'll go with you," Thomas said.

"Uh... Alright?" I shrugged, slightly annoyed at Thomas' back and forth. "We meet back here."

"Wait, guys." Newt tossed Thomas a flashlight since he didn't get one, and Thomas caught it smoothly, flicking it on.

"Okay, let's go."

We walked quietly but efficiently, trying to figure out more about this place. I had to admit the tension between us made it awkward. The hall exited into a room that looked like it could be the center of a mall if it wasn't so demolished. It was a huge space and I got a little excited thinking about exploring it.