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They finished up and were getting ready to leave, but Brenda re outside for a few minutes?" she asked Her look e and Minho
"Excuse me?" Minho responded, his tone exasperated "More secrets?"
"No Nothing like that I pro"
Thoo," he said, addressing Minho "You knoon’t keep anything frorue, and the two of them stood out on the sidewalk near the closestMinho flashed Tho it obvious he wasn’t exactly happy Thomas waved back, then focused on Brenda
"So? What’s this all about?" he asked
"I knoe need to hurry, so I’ll be really quick We haven’t had time to be alone, and I just want to make sure you know that what happened in the Scorch wasn’t an act I was there on a job, I was there to help things play out, but I did grow close to you and it did change s I think you deserve to know About e, about--"
Thomas held his hand up to cut her off "Please just stop"
She pulled back, a look of surprise on her face "What? Why?"
"I don’t want to know anything Not oneto do from here out, not stuff aboutAnd we need to move"
"But--"
"No, Brenda I oal and that’s all we need to focus on No , then looked down at her hands resting on the table "Then all I’ll say is I know you’re doing the right thing, going in the right direction And I’ll keep helping as best I can"
Thos, but he h she was obviously itching to tell hi As he searched for a response, his eyes wandered back to the oddThoainst the crook of his right elbow He closed his eyes in a long blink, looking a little dazed when they opened again His head slowly drifted backward until it rested on the
The red-shirted Flare tester stepped into the café and Thoet a better look Red Shirt walked toward the bench where the drugged-outnext to the tester, whispering into his ear and fidgeting nervously
"Thoer to his lips, then nodded toward the potential confrontation She turned in her seat to see as going on
Red Shirt kicked the toe of the guy on the bench, who flinched and looked up Thewords, but Tho over the bustle and buzz of the crowded coffee shop Thethere suddenly looked scared
Brenda turned back to Thoet out of here Now"
"Why?" The air seeoing to happen
Brenda was already standing "Just come on!"
She turned and walked briskly toward the exit, and Thomas finally moved to follow her He’d just risen froun and pointed it at thedevice on the man’s face But thethe tester Thoun skittered away and disappeared under a counter The two men crashed into a table and sla; his voice sounded al his ot an infected! Everyone evacuate the building!"
The place turned into pande the air as everyone fled toward the only exit
CHAPTER 30
Thomas wished he hadn’t hesitated He should’ve run when he’d had the chance A pack of bodies pressed forward, blocking the door Brenda wouldn’t have been able to come back even if she’d tried Tho in stunned silence as the twoto gain the advantage
Thoet hurt by the fleeing crowd, he really had nothing to worry about He was immune The rest of the people in the shop had freaked out knowing the virus was so close And understandably--odds were at least one of the as he could stay out of the way of the coht where he was
Someone pounded on theand Thoe on the sidewalk--she was et out But Tho
Red Shirt had finally pinned the round "It’s over! They’re already on their way," he shouted, again in that creepy , burst into lurching sobs It was then that Thomas realized the crowd had fully evacuated and the coffee shop was empty except for the two men and Tholanced at hiot a death wish?" The onna stick around, un" He turned his attention back to the man he’d restrained
Thomas felt like he was in a dream He’d seen a lot of violence, but this was different soun from under the counter where it had disappeared "I’ot down on his knees and reached, straining until his fingers found the cool un out and walked over to Red Shirt
The un and ju the weapon at the infecteded out on the Bliss"
"So it was the Bliss," Thomas murmured
"You knew?" Red Shirt asked
"Well, he’s looked weird ever since I got here"
"And you didn’t say anything?" The skin around the guard’swith you?"
Thoer "I … I’ on"