The Maze Runner Brothers

Love and Comfort

Edward watched helplessly as the soldiers surrounded and seized his brother and Newt. "No! Tom! Tom!"

He tried to sprint down but Jorge who had joined them held him back. "No Hermano. It's no use. It's no use,"

But Edward wouldn't stop fighting back. He couldn't lose his brother but Jorge's strength overcame him. His eyes were locked on Thomas being pulled into the cargo plane. The doors closed. He saw Thomas's face disappearing. Then he heard a scream out, "Edward!" Thomas was crying out to him, begging him to save him.

"Thomas!" Edward screamed. He sat up hyperventilating. He saw his tent still standing around him, Aris, Brenda, Chuck, and Harriet sleeping on some mattresses. The Right Arm had camped for the night in the shadows of some mountains. Jorge stood guard outside their tent. His breathing slowed though his heart rate remained rapid. He turned his head and he saw a brown jacket hanging on a chair. He reached off and took it cradling it. It was his brother's. He stood up and walked out of the tent by the left side so Jorge wouldn't see him.

He walked away from the campsite and sat on the desert stand staring out in the moonlight. It was a cold night. He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling the warmth of the jacket engulfing him as if he was being held in his brother's arms. A tear fell down his face. He wiped it away. Another fell. He didn't bother. Dark invisible clouds of despair had been raining on his head for days because he couldn't rid himself of the awful memory which had long plagued his thoughts.

"You okay?" a kind voice uttered.

Edward turned his head and saw Brenda standing right near him. He watched as she came closer and sat down next.

"You don't have to talk about it," she consoled. "I already know what you're thinking,"

Edward sighed. "I just really thought all those days ago we were finally free from WICKED. But our friends are probably being tortured. Including my brother. And it's all my fault,"

"Hey," Brenda touched her shoulder. "This isn't your fault. You didn't cause this to happen. If there's anyone who's to blame, it's that darn girl Teresa. She's the one who betrayed us. She's the one who's caused everyone to be treated like lab rats,"

"Yeah but...if I had known better than to trust her in the first place....we wouldn't be in this whole mess. I can't believe she lied to us all this time, how foolish I was," Edward swallowed a lump in his throat just thinking of her. The thought of the traitor whose telepathic connection he shared made him sick. He spent many hours every day, ensuring he couldn't feel Teresa trying to read his mind or speak to him. He had felt nothing from her for weeks. But whilst he tried to distance himself from her, he remembered every confrontation they had, every moment when it seemed like she was hiding something but he ignored that gut feeling. Because of that, he felt he had carelessly allowed Teresa to betray everyone.

"We all trusted her Ed. You can't blame yourself for her treachery," Seeing that her words weren't doing much to make him feel better, Brenda shuffled closer and gave him a warm side hug.

It didn't lift his mood but he held her close, feeling warm compassion. "Thank you, Brenda,"

They stayed in that position for the next few hours. Brenda fell asleep and he allowed her to lie her head on his lap. He then pulled off one of his jackets and pulled it over her like a warm blanket. Tenderly touching her shoulders, he looked out into the night scar and saw silent stars. A star shot by. He closed his eyes and made a silent wish that they would save their friends and finally reach the Safe Haven where they could live together in freedom forever. He opened his eyes and once again saw only the silent air.

"I don't know how long it will take Tom...but we will find you. I promise," a tear fell off his puffy cheek. Tiredness took over Edward and he fell asleep on the sand, Brenda's body lounged next to him.