I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner]

[32: The Infection]

Once they were sure the helicopters had disappeared, the Gladers kept walking down the main street. It was a harder trek than they expected because of the ruins, and they had to climb several broken buildings because the remains blocked the street. While Elle knew that these obstacles made it a more strenuous journey for them, she was grateful for the shade they provided. The sun scorched their skin and burned even in the shade, and she couldn't imagine what it would be like to walk the Scorch without any cover.

"Everyone good?" Thomas, who led the group, asked as they climbed a particularly steep ruin.

Straining and trying not to show how difficult walking was for him, Winston replied, "Yeah." Everyone was breathing heavily, not used to the stamina climbing uphill required, but Winston looked like he was on the verge of fainting. He coughed, and his skin was looking greyer than usual.

"Earlier when you were patching Winston up, what did the wound look like?" Elle asked Teresa when they had a private moment. She often found that Teresa had honest eyes, so when her blue irises widened a fraction before she turned her head to avoid eye contact, Elle knew something was wrong. "How bad is it? Be honest."

"It was already infected and I can see that he bled through the bandage within minutes," Teresa confessed quietly.

"Shit," Elle cursed. She didn't want the others to overhear and panic, especially Winston. Feeling like your body was off was one thing, but hearing someone tell you something was wrong made things real and could worsen his symptoms. "You don't think--" Elle cut herself off.

The thought was too terrifying to voice, but Teresa had considered it as well. "I don't want it to be true but..." Teresa trailed off.

Winston was exhibiting clear signs of infection, and not just any old bacterial infection from an untreated wound. If Elle and Teresa didn't know better, they'd think he had the Flare. Keeping an eye on Winston, Elle lingered at the back of the group in case his health worsened in any way. Teresa remained in the middle of the group, often settling beside Frypan or Aris as Thomas and Minho walked at the front. Regardless of their assumption, Winston managed to keep up with the group until they reached the city's edge. The only thing between them and the view of their future was a large sand dune, which they scaled together.

"A little further, guys," Thomas encouraged everyone, nearly breaching the dune crest.

Now that they were out of the cover of the city, Elle felt how hot the sun was. There were barely any clouds in the sky, and there were no shadows or shade to speak of. She was grateful for the zip-up hoodie WICKED had provided for her, but the black material was attracting too much heat, and Elle paused to take it off before reaching the peak of the sand dune. Ignoring the sting of the skin on her arms burning in the sun, Elle wrapped her hoodie around her waist and followed the Gladers to the top of the dune.

When everyone reached the top, they squinted and gaped at the view ahead of them. There were more ruins up ahead, fewer skyscrapers and more buried beneath the sand. A destroyed suspension bridge was visible in the distance, and even further beyond that were mountains.

Thomas pointed at them. "Those mountains, that's gotta be it. That's where we're going."

Catching his breath, Newt stared at his friend with squinted eyes. "That's a long way off," he pointed out.

"Then we better get moving," Thomas replied.

Glancing at Winston beside her, Elle watched him take off his bag and struggle to breathe. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder when it looked like he was going to fall over. "Do you need more water, I have some in my--" Winson collapsed, falling forwards and sliding down the dune. "Winston!" Elle raced after him. The Gladers followed closely behind.