Erratic // Thomas+Female OC & Newt+Male OC

Chapter Forty : Rotting in The Shadows

THE SEWERS

DAY 5 BACK IN THE SCORCH

06:48 HOURS

Buck

It smelt horrible down here. Like the regular old musty death stench that I was used to except about ten times worse. Sewage water splashed at our feet as we walked through the dank empty tunnel, Brenda leading the way with her dim flashlight illuminating the tunnel. Water dripped down the graffiti covered concrete walls and I felt this uneasy feeling in my stomach, so I kept my hands close to my scythes, ready for anything to happen.

As Brenda continued forward, me and Thomas followed silently behind her, an overwhelming tension between us that I couldn't understand. Over and over again I could feel Thomas's eyes on me as if he wanted to make sure I was still standing next to him. I tried to ignore it, but at some point, I just couldn't.

"Stop that." I said and Thomas was now completely looking at me. "Stop looking at me."

"Sorry." He responded flatly and again there was this nasty silence between the two of us until I caught him looking over at me again.

"Stop!" I yelled at him silently but Thomas glared back at me.

"You know, I'm having a hard time understanding." Thomas told me, stealing away my attention. "Am I not allowed to be mad at you?"

"Excuse me?" I asked with flames in my tone, but he didn't back down. "Why the hell should you be mad?"

"God Buck, I really like you, like a lot, but this is so infuriating!" Thomas told me and I noticed Brenda look back to the two of us. I gave the girl a nod and she understood, walking around the corner of the tunnel so that me and Thomas could have some privacy.

"What are you going on about Thomas?" I asked and he took a deep breath, letting go of his anger.

"You disappeared on me." He told me and I looked at him confused. "When you walked off to wherever you were in there, it scared me Buck."

"I don't need you to protect me Thomas." I told him but he gritted his teeth, clearly trying not to raise his voice at me.

"Buck, I understand why you won't tell the others about you and your past, I really do. But me?" He said and the way he said it gave me this pain in my chest. I think it was guilt. "I don't need you to tell me your life story, but when you're going to run off like you did in the warehouse, you've gotta tell me."

"Thomas..."

"I was terrified, Buck." He told me and I felt my expression soften. "You were gone, we were captured, everything was going to shit, and I thought that something terrible had happened to you."

"I..."

"I can only assume that not everyone in the Scorch is your biggest fan." Thomas continued, cutting me off. "What if someone here noticed you and snatched you away from us and killed you? I would lose my mind if that happened!"

"I didn't mean to..."

"I know you don't need me, and I know I'm not as strong or as brave as you are, but I rely on you Buck. I wouldn't have made it this far without you! I'm just this scrawny idiot when your not around to guide me." He told me and I know it took a lot in him to say this. "Your my rock. I can't do this without you, but I also can't do this if we aren't on the same page."

I knew the boy was very embarrassed for admitting all of this to me, but in a way it made me admire him more. He wasn't afraid to be vulnerable like I was. He trusted me enough to tell me what he was thinking and what he was feeling. He also got mad at me. He was the only person who would yell at me about things that I did that bothered him. He was probably the only person who didn't get scared when I looked in his direction.