The New Horizon ~ A Maze Runner Story

- 29 -

Thomas strolled back to the room, thoughts alight with the girl he hoped he could save from the Flare, but also full with the aching desire to see his friends. He guessed they were probably worried sick about him, probably called the hospital to ask how he was only to be told he left hours ago and seemingly disappeared.
When Brenda swung the door open, eyes wide with relief, he knew he was right.
"Where were you?" She hugged him, then socked him on the shoulder, smirking. "We've been waiting for you."
"You shuck-face." That was Minho. He was next at the door. "What took you so long?"
"Glad to know you're happy to see me alive."

"We are, don't get all Thomas the Martyr on us." Minho slapped Thomas on the shoulder. "Now, let's go eat at the cafe and you can explain what took so long. This is our last night of free food."
Thomas furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean last night?
"Thomas, we're only given one week to get our klunk together at this place and then we have to leave, remember? The week's up tomorrow. You were in that shucking coma so I guess I can't blame you for not remembering what day it is."
Thomas was a mix of bewilderment. "Wait, what day is it?"
"Wednesday."

"So, if we're leaving tomorrow, where are we going?" Ironically, even though Thomas had slept for three days straight while comatose, he couldn't deny how fatigued he really was. And his head was beginning to throb. He needed some real sustenance, not just fluid from those forsaken IVs.
Brenda took his arm, softening her glare from earlier. "Come on, that's why we're going to dinner. We have lots to discuss."

                                                                                             ***

The cafe was bustling with the typical dinner rush. In fact, half of those from Paradise congregated in the cafe, filling the multitude of seats. Thomas recognized a lot of faces, most from the Beach. Several adults from the Mountains. He even spotted Gally, who gave him a courteously bland smile, brushing past him with a few other boys. Thomas guessed they had already eaten and was glad for missing them.
Jorge and Frypan met up with Thomas and his friends. And they all sat, squeezed into a circular table in the far corner of the cafe, picking at their plates of steaming hot food.
"So, Thomas, tell us what happened once you were let go from the hospital." Minho said through a mouth-full of pulled pork.

"Why were you in the hospital, hermano?" Jorge asked. Frypan looked just as curious, and Thomas bit down on his lip, wishing he could tell Minho how lousy he was; no one was supposed to know about the vaccine, including the coma it had induced.
"Oh, uh, I--"
"He sliced himself on the leg. Got ten stitches." Minho covered for him. He flashed Thomas a quick look that seemed to say something apologetic.
"Yep," Thomas lied, "it's kind of a stupid story. I just . . . tripped."
"Ten stitches sounds painful. Must've been a nasty fall." Jorge said, thankfully somewhat uninterested, stabbing at his salad.

"Sure was." Thomas cleared his throat. "Anyway, when I was walking out from the hopsital, these guards came rushing past me, running to the far end of the property at the east wall. Somehow people--Cranks--from the outside of that wall started breaking in through the Entrance Doors."
"They really broke in?" Brenda asked, shocked herself.
Thomas shook his head. "No. Well, except for this one girl."
"A girl broke in?" Minho asked, doubtful. 

Thomas nodded. "I defended her, actually. Turns out AFA is letting her stay inside. They're giving her the--" he suddenly froze, realizing he couldn't give the vaccine away with Jorge and Frypan listening --"RBI surgery."
Minho shook his head, munching loudly on his bread roll. "I can't believe it. You really saved this girl?"
Thomas shrugged, hiding any pride in the matter; he couldn't give away any sort of interest in May. "Yeah. That's what took so long, sorry. I tried to leave, but I was just so curious."
Somehow Thomas could feel that Minho knew there was more to the story that he was leaving out, but didn't pry. "Once again, Thomas, you're the world's savior."

"It's all I could do . . . What about that plan you were talking about, Minho?"
Minho clapped his hands together, seeming happy to lay out the agenda. "While you were in your--" he stopped, nearly having slipped the second time that night --"own world, Brenda and I mingled with some others who plan on leaving tomorrow, too. They all mentioned this chain of hostels outside AFA called City Sanctuary. They're darn popular and free. It's just a place to live at until you start working, earning your own money to move out."
"What's a hostel?" Frypan asked. Thomas was wondering the same.
"It's like a hotel, I guess, but everyone sleeps together in the same room, obviously on different beds."

The overall idea of this so-called City Sanctuary seemed like a halfway decent plan, but Thomas guessed that in comparison to AFA's pristine rooms and cleanliness, nothing else deemed free could compare.
"Sounds nice," Thomas replied, though he could hear the falsity in his voice. But that was their only option after all. "When are we leaving?"
"As early as possible. With Commander Minho here that shouldn't be a problem." Brenda said, jabbing a thumb at Minho beside her. She turned to Jorge, then Frypan. "You guys should come with us."

Jorge nodded and Frypan seemed just as interested, weighing the plan internally. They still had one more day until their time at AFA expired, but the sooner the better, so they said. Though Thomas suddenly didn't think so.
May. The vaccine, he contemplated. He had temporarily forgotten those priorities, as ridiculously unforgettable both of those subjects were. He silently swore to himself that nothing would and could get in the way of finding out the prognosis of his cure. Selfishly, nothing had ever been more important than his friends, but this cure was. Nothing would stop that. Thomas would stay behind. In his heart, he knew he had to. And he couldn't bring himself to tell his friends--at least not yet.