Burning; TST ➵ Thomas

T W E N T Y - F I V E

"We suffered for two weeks. We let our members die, sacrificed sleep and get injured all for a fucking stick?" Amelia growled. It could be seen from millions of miles away that the girl's blood was boiling.

"It isn't so bad if you think about it," Minho said. "More than half of us made it here. Looks like even more of the girlie group."

Thomas stared at the orange ribbon, growing as angry as Amelia. This was their Safe Haven? Not a building or a shelter? Something?

"We still have over an hour left," Minho informed. "We made it in the time they gave us. Now we just wait until the clock ticks down and something'll happen."

He turned over to Teresa and Aris. "I don't want to hear a word from any of you," he said then walked away, angrier than Thomas had ever seen him. Teresa was visibly taken aback. Amelia shrugged.

Thomas turned and quickly walked away. He spotted Newt sitting next to Frypan on the ground. Minho was there too. They all looked as if they were waiting for the end of the world... Technically, it was already the end of the world.

"Lizard Boy. Frying pan," Amelia greeted with a curt nod before sitting down next to them. Newt and Frypan snapped their heads towards her.

"You haven't called us that since the Maze," Frypan commented, raising a brow.

"And you said that you weren't our Amelia," Newt added on.

"A longer story than Thomas'," she told them. Thomas joined the group. He sat down next to Amelia and wrapped his hands around his knees. "And more complicated. But it's nice to remember again."

"Hey, Tommy," Newt greeted. Two simple words with nothing behind them. It was as if Thomas had just gone for a leisurely walk instead of being kidnapped, dragged and almost murdered.

"So more story times. Talk," Minho demanded. He leaned closer to the couple. Amelia coughed and turned to Thomas to start his story. He hesitated at first. He sucked in a deep breath and explained. After his story, then Amelia's.

If the trio's reactions weren't considered "shocked", then Thomas didn't want to know what was considered. Newt shook his head and turned to Amelia.

"You're saying that your memories were wiped again and you were used as bait?" He almost shouted.

"That's a vague way to say it," Amelia snorted.

"And you forgive that witch?" Minho asked. His eyes were wide. Amelia choked on her saliva. Thomas sighed.

Before he could even open his mouth to answer the Runner's question, Minho pointed at something behind Thomas. The terror on his face was unmistakable. Everyone turned to where he pointed.

A few metres away from the group was a large section of the desert ground that was... opening. The sound of groaning, twisting steel pierced the air. It was louder than the roaring wind. A perfect square pivoted on a diagonal axis as the dirt-packed side slowly spun away from them.

Thomas stood up. So did the rest of the group.

The rotating square had fully flipped, and where once had been desert ground now laid a section of black material with an odd object sitting on it. It was oblong, white with rounded edges.

It triggered something inside of Thomas. He had seen it before. Several of it. After they had escaped the Maze and entered the huge chamber where the Grievers had come from, they'd seen several of these coffin-like containers. He assumed that it was where the Grievers... slept? Do Grievers even sleep?

Before anybody had time to react, more sections of the desert floor started to rotate open like dark, gaping jaws. It surrounded their group in a large circle. Dozens of it.

On instinct, Amelia covered her ears from the loud screeching noise. Everyone did the same. The scream of metal rubbing against metal stopped. Nobody spoke.

Tom, Teresa called out. You remember those, right?

Yeah, he answered.

You think Grievers are inside?

Thomas realised that was exactly what he thought. He reasoned it out for a second before he answered. I don't know. Grievers had really moist bodies - it'd be hard on them out of here.

"If those things have bloody Grievers in 'em, we best start gettin' ready to fight the shuck buggers," Newt spoke up, almost as if he could read Thomas' and Teresa's telepathic conversation.

"What're you guys talking about?" Harriet and Sonya appeared behind them. Brenda was with them too, with Jorge by her side.

"I'm assuming you saw those pods back in your WICKED chamber too. They had to be where Grievers charged up or whatever it is they did," Harriet told them. Amelia opened her mouth to speak but before she could get a word out, a sharp hiss sliced the air from all directions. The sound pierced their eardrums and everybody covered their ears again.

The Gladers and Group B slowly moved together, forming a tighter knot. Soon, they were a coiled pack of bodies encircled by the thirty or so rounded white containers.

The lids of them continued to move until they'd all swung open and dropped to the ground. Inside of it was something bulky. From where Thomas stood, he wasn't able to see anything that resembled the odd appendages of the Grievers.

"Shuck this, I'm checking it out," Amelia mumbled under her breath. She was right beside him. She proceeded to move towards one of the pods but Thomas grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to face him.

"Are you crazy? Has the Flare actually taken over you already?" Thomas hissed. Something unrecognisable in her eyes flashed but disappeared quickly.

"Someone's gotta do it, T," she pointed out. From behind her, Minho appeared.

"Then it's him, Newt and I. You really think we're gonna let you pull a shuck stunt like that?" She opened her mouth to speak but Minho silenced her with a hand. She rolled her eyes. Thomas let go of her wrist.

He was about to move closer to one of the pods when a collective gasp escape those closest to him. Something moved inside all the pods.

Thomas' brown eyes focused on the nearest to him. A misshapen arm hung over the edge and its hand dangled a few centimetres off the ground. The monster started to emerge. A leg flopped out, its entire foot was a fleshy mess.

"What is that thing?" Alec yelled over the noise. Thomas had completely forgotten that he was here too. Nobody answered his question.

Similar beasts emerged from the other pods. The monster got to its feet, swayed a bit as it balanced. Then it turned to face the group of humans. All of the other beasts did the same.

In unison, the creatures raised their arms until they pointed towards the sky. All at once, thin blades shot out of the tips of their stubby fingers, out of their toes and shoulders. The flashes of lightning in the sky glittered off their surface, sharp and gleaming silver. Though there was no sign of any kind of mouth, a deathly, creepy moan emanated from their bodies.

Minho turned quickly and faced the crowd. "There's about one for each of us! Grab whatever you got for a weapon!"

Almost as if they'd heard the challenge, the light-bulb creatures started moving, walking forward. They came closer with every step.