𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫 {𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐭 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫}

thirty one: the lightning shock

To say the days dragged on was an understatement. With Winston's passing still in tow, an emotional feeling spread across the group, in turn making everyone much more miserable.

We would find shelter under dishevelled objects in the desert most nights, as the weather continued to be unpredictable. One day it would be unbearably warm, the sun piercing our skin like an electric bolt; others it would be freezing, as we would have to huddle together for warmth.

Even as we walked, no one said anything. They all stayed quiet, as a comfortable silence hung in the air. There wasn't really much to say, we have a goal, an objective, so we continued on, and we are going to do so until we complete said goal.

It was getting difficult though, as food and water became sparse, therefore our basic necessities were given out sparingly. It was getting concerning; if we didn't reach the mountains in time, we might starve before we had even a hint of freedom.

I hate to even think it, but Janson may have been right. The idea that a group of teenagers could survive conditions such as these was insane; but with the increased adrenaline and the thought of possible demise, we chose the option we thought had the best outcome.

So far, it's looking as if a different route may have been the safer choice.

But hey, the damage was done, and there was no going back now. At least that's what I told myself as I laid shaking (from I'm not even sure what), holding my knees up to my chest in hopes to calm my senses down. It was dark, however, surprisingly lit as I could see practically everything around me.

It wasn't what I thought darkness looked like, as it appeared differently in the Glade. However, I pushed the thoughts away as I desperately shut my eyes, wishing that sleep would wash over me so I could regain even an ounce of energy; but alas my wish dispersed as I laid on my back, and just stared up at the sky.

I'm sure I wasn't like that for very long, as I heard something similar to confused mumbling. My brows furrowed as I carefully picked my head up off of the floor to inspect, as I saw Thomas gasping for air.

He looked so disorientated and confused, but as I felt the same, I was unsure of what to do. So, I just sat and looked at him for a few moments, before he finally picked himself off the floor and scrambled to his feet.

He was yet to notice my presence as I watched him shake Aris awake, spluttering something back and forth. "Get up." He said quickly as he woke the others, them too seeming dazed and confused.

"I see something." He stared into the distance as slowly, the others began to pull themselves upwards. I did the same as I tried to lock my eyes on what Thomas had seen. He was right. There was something, something we hadn't seen before. A refuge. A building. In the mountains.

We had made it.

If it weren't for the overwhelming exhaustion, my reaction would be much happier, however, as I stand here with little to know sleep and barely any food in my system, I struggled to show my excitement.

The others however, visibly showed their relief as they stood around with large smiles on their faces. Sadly, that was short lived as an earth-shattering thunder erupted from the sky. It prompted us all to spin on our heels to focus our attention on the lightning as my face dropped. It was so close to us. Scarily close.

One thing I had learned about the Scorch is that everything can change in a matter of seconds. And the thing that changed most was the weather.

"We gotta go." Newt said as he grabbed his bag from the ground. Everybody followed in suit as we took one last look at the looming sky and began to run. It took me a second to realise, but as we ran, the weather moved with us.

The one bolt of lightning multiplied into five, missing us by mere inches as it seemed like it was aiming for us. "Hurry!" Thomas yelled back to us as we darted towards the large building. It was filled with lights and bright features as we ran towards it, almost like we were moths attracted to a flame.

As we ran, I realised how far we actually were, as the looming lightning and thunder made it more daunting. But finally, we ran across to large objects, as I made my decision that they were just some old cars, and sprinted towards the doors.

That was until I heard the loudest noise, I think I have ever experienced. It felt as if it was right next to me, and as I flew into the air and landed on the ground again, I realised it was much closer than I had first thought. The adrenaline flooding through my veins prevented any actual pain dispersing from my side as I fell to the floor, landing on my arm to break my fall.

A ringing appeared in my ears, as everything else seemed to go silent. I groggily pulled my head off the ground as I peered at my surroundings. Everything looked as if it was moving in slow motion, not like real time was passing at all.

Newt emerged from the silence as he ran towards me, looking totally overcome with fright as he scanned me for any injuries. I couldn't hear a thing he was saying, as the ringing was still so prominent and it didn't help that everything still seemed to be moving so slow.

For me, hours seemed to have passed, but it must have only been a few seconds as Newt knelt down and pulled me off the ground, tugging me along the floor with him to the doors. I looked over my shoulder as I saw Minho and Thomas struggling behind us. Minho seemed to be completely unconscious.

And almost as if a switch had been turned on, the sound came back into my ears and the feeling reappeared in my body. I fully put my feet down as I helped Newt to pull me into the building as finally, we all managed to clamber in and shut the door behind us.

And, just like so many times before, we were all met with the familiar feeling of darkness. 

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A/N: Thank you guys so much for all the reads and favourites. It honestly means so much to me that some of you like reading what I've written. And i hope that i can keep it up as i really like the next couple of chapters, as i can't wait for you all to read them :)