Promise Me ➵ Newt [3]

FOUR | the last city

▬"I'm impressed," Jorge called out from the driver's seat. "You guys almost lasted the whole day."

Brenda turned around in her seat to face us, shaking her head with an expression that said 'You guys are such idiots'.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to bring you guys into this," Thomas said.

Brenda rolled her eyes while Jorge raised his eyebrows at us from his frontview mirror.

"Ay, I think-" Frypan peeked out from behind Thomas' shoulder- "what he's tryna say is thanks for saving us."

"You're welcome," Brenda smirked.

"Hey, don't get your hopes up," Jorge said. "That checkpoint back there? That was the city's last defence. That's where they check people entering into the city if they're immune or not. If that was overrun, the chances are the city is too."

"Yeah..." Newt said skeptically, squinting out the window. "Unless they've figured out some way to keep the Cranks out."

We glanced over to where he was staring at and I slammed against the seats as Jorge braked suddenly. The truck slowed to a grinding halt, kicking up a plume of dust, and we got out of the truck, staring over the hills below us, where a city loomed in the distance.

The Last City was huge, and it was the most modern, most luxurious place I had ever seen standing in the Scorch so far. All the other buildings I'd seen were worn-down, ancient, or abandoned, but The Last City was clean and chaos-free, its magnificent skyscrapers glinting in the blinding sunlight. But what had really caught my attention were the high stone walls surrounding the perimeter of the city, no doubt built to keep any unwanted intruders out.

"Funny," Newt said dryly. "Two years we spent trying to break out, and now we wanna break back in."

"Yeah, it's hilarious," Frypan snorted.

"Jorge, how do we get in?" Thomas asked.

"Don't look at me, hermano. Like I've said, I haven't been in there in a long time. Those walls weren't here the last time I visited."