Pieces of the Sun

Chapter Three

"What do they want?"

I paced back and forth for the hundredth time.  "How does keeping us locked in the room for a month have anything to do with the Trials?"

"I have no bloody idea."  Newt closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the bed post.  "But what I do know is that you're going to wear a hole in the floor from pacing across it so many times."

I halted and turned around.  "Well at least it's better than what Minho is doing."

Newt opened his eyes and peered around the edge of the bunk where Minho was dangling upside down from the top bed.  "Listen," he defended himself, voice garbled from hanging upside down, "I think I read once that hanging upside down increases your brain activity and helps you think better."

"Interesting theory, Minho."  I folded my arms.  "I wasn't aware you usually thought about things."

Minho flipped me off and pulled himself up.  His hair was standing on end more than usual. 

I ran a hand across my face.  "This is going to drive me crazy.  I don't know how much longer I can stand to be trapped in here."

"Well fortunately, Ari, you won't have to wait much longer."

I whirled around.  A man was standing in the doorway flanked by two guards.  Minho jumped down from the top bunk and stepped up beside me, Newt close behind. 

"Who are you?"  Teresa was the first to voice the question. 

"I am Assistant Director Janson."  His face was pointed and full of harsh angles that only seemed to offset his beady black eyes.  "And it's time for you to move onto the next stage of the Trials."

"Next stage?"  Thomas asked.  "What's the next stage?"

"A race against time and death."  Janson's eyes focused on me and I felt like he was piercing my soul.  "You're going out into the Scorch."  A beat of silence.

"You're sending us out there?"  Newt asked incredulously.  "With the Cranks?"

"Yes, Newt, with the Cranks.  Your objective will be to reach our second safe house in the North in the span of two weeks."

"And what's at this safe house?"  Teresa asked.

Janson glanced at her.  "Safety.  And your freedom from WCKD."

"You'll let us go?" Minho's voice was shocked.

"Of course, Minho.  That's your prize.  But only if you reach the safe house first."

"Wait, what?"  I held up a hand.  "What do you mean first?"

"Did I forget to mention there's another group?"  Janson bared his teeth in a smile.

"Yeah, you did forget to mention it."  Minho spat.

Janson shrugged and then stepped to the side.  "These packs are for you. Inside is what you'll need to survive."  Guards entered, each carrying a backpack and set them on the floor.  "You leave in 20 minutes."

"Hang on a minute,"  Teresa stepped forward.  "What about the Cranks?  What if we get... bitten or infected?"

"We're immune, Teresa."  Clint said.  "That's why WCKD wanted us in the first place, to see why we're immune."

"Actually, that's a very good point, Teresa.  Not all of you are immune." 

My mind reeled.  We weren't all immune?  Then why had we all been put in the Maze in the first place?  I glanced around at my friends, the reality sinking in.  "If you send us all out there, the non-immunes are going to die."  My voice hardened.  "You're basically killing us!"

"Another part of the Trials, I'm afraid."  Janson stared me down. 

"Who is it?"  Newt asked quietly.  "Which of us are non-immune?"

"That I cannot tell you."  He turned around and headed for the door, pausing to call over his shoulder; "Good luck.  You're going to need it."

The first thing they did blindfold us.  The world went dark as we were forced up a ramp of some kind.  I was pushed into a hard seat.  A while later the blindfold was ripped away.  I blinked as the sudden light filtered into my vision.  Then I was stumbling along as two guards were gripping my arms.  I jerked, trying to free myself as they pushed me towards an opening in whatever kind of vehicle we were on. 

"Ari!"  I twisted around and saw Minho being held back by more guards. 

"Face forward."  The guard to my left growled.  I was shoved closer to the opened and then I saw the outside world.

For as far as I could see the red sand stretched out before me.  The sky was pure blue, not a single cloud in the sky.  The sun burned brightly over the charred landscape, causing me to squint.  I glanced down and saw we were hovering a few feet above the ground.  WCKD must've been unwilling to land completely on the sandy ground. 

"Wait-wait-"  I started but the guard gave me a harsh shove and I was falling.  My stomach dropped and then I hit the earth with a hard thump that forced the air from my lungs.  I groaned and rolled onto my back. 

There was a thud as someone else landed next to me.  "Shit."  Minho said brushing sand from his face.

"I'd say that."  I muttered pulling myself into a sitting position just in time to see the huge flying thing above us move away. 

"What the bloody hell?"  Newt said climbing to his feet.  He shaded his eyes.  "We're in the middle of no where!"

"Not no where."  Chuck countered coming to stand beside him.  "Look."

I turned to where he was pointing and saw a dark smudge in the distance.  From here there was no way to tell exactly what it was but I'd guess it was a city of some sort.

Minho stood up from the ground and pulled me up after him.  The heat was intense and as far as I could see there was nothing around us save for that dark smudge in the distance. 

"So what now?"  Teresa asked squinting her eyes against the harsh light.

"Now we walk."  Thomas answered.  "Until we reach whatever that is," he jerked his head at the smudge.

"I'm guessing a city of some sort."  Minho said and I nodded.  "That's what I was thinking."  I glanced around.  Everyone was here with their packs on their shoulders. 

"Well, lets go then."  Newt started walking and the others fell in line.

Minho started beside me, lowering his voice so the others couldn't here.  "I've got a bad feeling about this."

I swallowed around a dry throat.  "Me too."