The Death Cure

The Last City/Denver

Newts P.O.V

Penelope was put in the bed of the car and Frypan sat with her, I sat with Tommy in the backseat and Jorge and Brenda drove and rode shotgun.
"I'm impressed. You almost lasted a whole day." Jorge says sarcastically. I keep glancing back at Penelope and Tommy catches on.
"You ok?"
"Yeah." I reply, I can sense he doesn't believe me. But Brenda interrupts further questioning by turning around and shaking her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't wanna bring you guys into this." Tommy excuses. Frypan cuts in

"I think what he's tryin to say is, thanks for saving us."

"Your welcome" says Brenda, and she turns back around.

"Don't get your hopes up. That checkpoint back there, that was the city's last defense. If that was overrun, chances are the city is, too." Jorge says dejectedly.
I look out the window and see something, that might change there minds, I'd decide to voice it.
"Yeah, unless they found another way to keep the Cranks out."
All my friends look out the window and Jorge stops the car. Everyone gets out and stares, looking at the view.
Denver is definitely still standing, but there is a massive stone wall all around it. And the city beyond is dry and crumbling.

"Funny...we spent two years trapped behind walls, and now we wanna break back in." I say

"Yeah. It's hilarious" Says Frypan sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Jorge, how do we get in." Thomas asks quickly

"Don't look at me, hermano. Those walls are new. I guess that's WICKED's answer for everything."

"Well we ain't gonna figure it out from up here. Let's go." Brenda says. She begins to walk back to the car but stops short about three feet away.
"Ummm, guys what the hell happened to her?"
I immediately turn around and jog to the truck bed. Penelope lay there pale with sunken eyes. Her arm was giving off more blood and Frypans wrap wasn't doing anything.
"She cut her arm, badly and as we were trying to escape, she passed out." Explains Thomas.

"Ok but why is she doing...that?" Brenda points to the unconscious girl. Penelope's chest rises and falls quickly and she twitches. After having helped her get through intense nightmares for five months I know she's having one and when she wakes up she's gonna be afraid.

"Give us, a minute will ya?" I ask, The others either wander away from us or get back inside the car. Penelope's gray eyes fly open and she sits up gasping for air. She tries to put pressure on her arm but was met with pain.

"Wh-what happened?" I can see the fear and panic in her eyes. I climb up into the jeep bed and sit next to the girl. I put my arms around her and she leans into me.

"Your ok, we escaped the tunnels and were safe right now. You passed out from a cut on your arm. And by the looks of it you had another nightmare."
Penelope's breathing slows to a normal pace and so does her heartbeat. I stroke her hair and lean back to where we look at each other.
"You ok now?" She nods and looks out at the city.
"Wow." She breathes. Penelope carefully hops out of the truck bed and walks closer to the cliff. She stares out at the view, with something like wonder in her eyes.
"It's beautiful. I mean it's terrible, but...the view from here is beautiful."
She looks at it a while longer, but eventually I can see her stamina waning. I walk up to her and help her get back to the truck.
Our friends check on her one by one, Jorge attends to the cut on her arm, re-wrapping it tighter. And he holds the stone and is breathing normally, it makes me feel ok with leaving her for a moment.
I get out of the truck and go talk with Thomas. He's still standing looking at the city with an introspective look.
"You really think he's in there?" I ask