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Minho was the last to take a seat, right next to Brenda "Okay, tell us about your adventures with the aliens in their big bad spaceship"

"You sure about this?" Thoet over those mountains, to the safe haven?"

"Five days, dude But you knoe can’t go tra to protect us You’re gonna talk, then we’re gonna sleep, then we’re all gonna bust our huht Get on it"

"Good that," Tho while he ay, but realizing it didn’t matter all that much "Save all your questions till the end, children" When not a single person laughed, or even shed and hurried on "It was WICKED that ca out, but they took me to so soun had been a factor they hadn’t expected The bullet set off a nasty infection in ly that it wasn’t time for me to die"

Blank faces stared back at him

Thomas kneould be hard for them to accept―even after he’d told the whole story "Just telling you what I heard"

He went on to explain more Every detail of what he could remember, and about the odd bedside conversation he’d listened in on Things about killzone patterns and Candidates More about the Variables None of it had made much sense the first time around, and it made even less now as he tried to recall it word for word The Gladers―plus Jorge and Brenda―looked as frustrated as he felt

"Well, that really cleared things up," Minho finally said "Must have sons about you in the city"

Thoed "Glad to know you’re so happy to see me alive"

"Hey, if you wanna be the leader, no skin off my back I am happy to see you alive"

"No thanks You keep it"

Minho didn’t respond Thohed heavily on him―what did it really mean that WICKED wanted hiot to his feet, his face in a deep scowl of concentration "So we’re all potential candidates for soin’ klunk we’ve been through is to weed out those who don’t qualify But for so wasn’t part of thenoronna croak and die, it wasn’t supposed to come from a bloody infection"

Thoreat su us," Minho said "Just like they did in the Maze Has anyone seen a beetle blade running around anywhere?"

Several Gladers shook their heads

"What the hell’s a beetle blade?" Jorge asked

Thos that spied on us with cae rolled his eyes "Of course Sorry I asked"

"The Maze was definitely some kind of indoor facility," Aris said "But there’s just no e’re inside so-range cae cleared his throat "What is it about Thons in the city about hi his butt when he got all sicky-sicky" He looked at Tho to be mean, muchacho―I’m just curious What makes you better than the rest of your buddies?"

"I’ so He just didn’t knohat "You heard what they said We have lots of ways to die out here, but that gun shouldn’t be one of theotten shot It wasn’t about e replied with a smirk "I think I’ll stay close to you from here on"

A few more discussions broke out, but Minho didn’t let the He insisted that they all needed sleep if they were planning on ht Thorownin that hot air on that hot ground Maybe it was his body healing, maybe just the heat Either way, sleep called to him

They didn’t have blankets or pillows, so Thoround in the very spot where he’d been sitting, resting his head on his folded arh she didn’t say anything, and she certainly didn’t touch hiure her out

He sucked in a long, slow breath, closed his eyes, then welco of slu him into its depths The sounds around him seemed to fade away, the air to thicken A cal in the sky when a voice sounded in his irl’s voice

Teresa

After days and days of utter silence, Teresa started talking to him telepathically, all at once, a rush of words

To terrible is going to happen to you toonna be hurt and you’re gonna be scared But you have to trust me No matter what happens, no matter what you see, no matter what you hear, no matter what you think You have to trust me I won’t be able to talk to you

She paused, but Tho so hard to understand what she’d said―et a word in before she started up again

I have to go You won’t hear from me for a while

Another pause

Not until we’re back together

He fu to say, but her voice and her presence slipped away, leaving hi tiain

He had no doubt it had been Teresa None at all Just like before when they’d spoken to each other, he’d felt her presence, sensed her emotions She’d been with him, even if it had been for such a short ti up that vast void within all over again As if during the days since her disappearance a thick liquid had slowly seeped in and filled that chaain when she ca aas going to happen to him, but he needed to trust her? He couldn’t wrap his h for it to hts kept drifting to the last part, about the of false hope? Or did itand end up okay? Reunited with her? Possibilities raced through hisdead end

The day only got hotter and hotter as he tossed and turned, haunted by his thoughts He’d alone, which made him sick to his stomach ToBrenda beco so close to her

Ironically, his first instinct was to reach out and wake Brenda, talk to her about it Was that wrong? He felt so frustrated and stupid he wanted to screa to fall back asleep in the ed halfway to the horizon before he finally did