15-(minho)

"Who the shuck are you?" I said walking up to the strange boy. "Who are you?" he said defensively instead of answering my question.

"I wouldn't be asking questions when you're the one that none of us knows. Where's Teresa?" I said staring down the skinny boy who seemed to shrink under my stare.

"I don't know who this Teresa you're talking about, but my name is Aris. I just came from the maze-"

"The what?" Thomas said.

"The maze. I was with a group of girls. I was the only boy...." Aris said and then all of a sudden Thomas quickly backed away from the boy.

"Minho...he can do it too." Thomas said with terror.

"Do what?"

"Like how Teresa and I talk in our heads...he can do it too." Thomas said and I looked at the boy shocked. NOt only for his similar ability as Thomas, but the fact that he came from the maze as we had. Everyone decided to go back into the rooms, and that's when we all saw everyone's tattoo on their necks. I was the leader, whatever that meant.

Time passed and we met Rat Man. After eating and waiting for the man to give us the instructions for what he called phase two. Everyone was tired and agitated after getting the instructions from the Rat Man. We thought we were just rescued, but I guess that was just all a part of their plan to trick us once again. At least I knew there was a possibility that Ji-ho could still be alive.

"Do you think she's still out there?" I heard Newt asking from beside me, as everyone decided to sleep on the floor together.

"I don't know..." I said thinking about how I watched her be taken from me. "Just get some sleep." I said turning away from him and closed my eyes.

It was finally time that we had to leave this place. As I stepped through the doors, it was again pitch black. Seriously, I wonder how I haven't died yet when bad things always happen in the dark. The others were finally pouring in. "Watch your steps! Can't see a shucking thing." I shouted so the others could hear me.

"She's still alive." I heard Thomas's voice speak from behind me. I stiffen...did he mean Ji-ho was still alive? How would he know?

"I tried talking to her and she responded back. Terersa's still alive." he said. I rolled my eyes for even trying to get my hopes up.

Swish! Something quickly passed by me, it felt like a blast of air. Then I heard screaming. "What's happening?!" I shouted. "He's gone! He was just talking to me and then all of a sudden this glob covered his face and sliced off his head!" a glader yelled in fear.

That was when everything started to become chaotic. Others were being attacked by this silver ball, and I had finally found a way out. The light had blinded us at first, but we had to escape, for we couldn't lose another glader. I could give less of a shuck about those stinkin cranks although they were pretty creepy.

Those of us that were still alive, ran out into the desert after we had covered ourselves with whatever cloth we had. Even so, the sun still shone through brightly, and the cloth was like another layer of our skin, ready to be burned off. What was this place? There was nothing. It just seemed like sand for miles and miles.

"Rat man said we had to head 100 miles north to safe haven." Frypan said walking beside me as I nodded and stared out at the dry wasteland.

"Wait what's that?" Frypan shouted and pointed to two figures that were headed our way.

"Everyone stay together! We fight if we have to!" I instructed as everyone now had their weapons ready to use. The figures were approaching fast, and finally they were close enough for us to see. It was a man and woman.

"Who are you?" I said harshly as they were catching their breath.

"We're cranks." the woman said. My guard up higher than ever now.

"We came to see if you all were cranks to...how did you even get to the scorch anyways?" the man asked harshly.

I cautiously looked over to meet Thomas and Newt's eyes. "What should we say?" I said to them quietly. "The truth?" Thomas suggested. Are you serious? Out of all things this shank want to tell them the truth, was that all he could think of.

"It wouldn't hurt." Newt said watching the two cranks. I sighed at this idea, but we were stuck out in the middle of this wasteland and they seemed to know more about this place than us so we decided to tell them the truth.

After talking to them, they had told us about the other group, which were the girls that Aris had been with in the maze. We knew they were eventually going to come and get Thomas because his tattoo said he would be killed by their group. So we continued our long journey 100 miles north and was coming closer to the city full of abandoned buildings that were deteriorating.

Half way through, we decided to take a rest and eat whatever food that we had packed before leaving the dorms at the base. "You know what that screaming girl reminds me of?" I said to Thomas and Newt and they nodded. We all knew that those who have been stung had similar screams from whatever pain they were going through.

"Minho...I should have told you earlier, but Ji-ho said something." Thomas said as he finished his food. I looked up surprised and dropped the food from my hand onto my lap.

"All I heard her say was sorry and I never heard her voice in my head again...I thought I was just hearing things for the first time since I didn't know that I was able to communicate with Teresa in my head." he said looking at me.

I was in shock. "When did she say it?" I asked picking up the food from my lap. "The day they took her back." Thomas said.

Why would she say sorry...sorry for leaving me? Sorry for what? I quickly finished the rest of my food and took small sips of water. "Thanks." I said and changed the subject towards Aris about the maze he had come from. Which was similar to all the ways in how we had escaped the maze.

Night fell upon the sky and we all were camping together within a building. The screams of the girl kept on going throughout the night. It would have been hard to sleep, but we all needed rest and somehow go the rest we needed. As morning came the next day, we continued our walk and soon came across another building that which the screaming girl's figure could be seen from afar. It stopped as it saw us, and Thomas ran off on his own to check. He came back crying and telling us that it was Teresa, but she wasn't herself and acted like Gally who was being controlled by WICKED.

We took another break, as I and a few other watch guard as some slept. The hell was WICKED thinking when they put our lives at risk to see our responses to whatever blueprint they were trying to make. As I thought about WICKED, Ji-ho popped into my mind. Was she alright? If only I had that stupid ability that Thomas had with Teresa and Avis.

My knuckles turned white as I was tightening my fist while thinking about JI-ho, and how I should have never put her into the box and rather she stay with us. I had so much to say to her and she wasn't anywhere. I couldn't hold her in my arms. I wasn't able to give her kisses, or even just see her face.

"It's been almost four hours we should start heading out." I heard Newt say as he sat down beside me.

"What would you do if you were in my shoes...what would you have done with Suzy?" I asked staring out into the dead world.

"I would have done what you did. You made the choice of helping everyone live a little bit longer, so that we had the time to figure out how to escape. If you didn't than we all would have probably been dead and you would never be able to see Suzy again." he said giving me a small smile.

"How are you so sure that I'll be able to see her again?" I said trying not to get my hopes up. "I don't know. I just know that you'll see her." Newt said and got up dusting off the sand.

"Everyone get up! We got to start moving!" I shouted and watched as the boys slowly got up one by one and we continued our journey to whatever safe haven we were instructed to go to.

Soon the sky was turning cloudy and darker. The wind was picking up and it was harder to walk against the rough winds hitting our faces. I saw an old man standing in the middle of the path we were walking. "Hey mister! Do you hear me?!" I shouted as I got closer. I heard him mumble something, but couldn't understand anything.

"Excuse me mister! Hello! Can you talk?!" Thomas shouted and approached the man. He has got to start being more careful, who knew if that was a crazy crank that wanted to kill us. Then suddenly the man was grabbing Thomas and was shouting something about a storm. Just then rain started to pour down heavily and lightening was striking.

"Run!!!" I shouted, but I could barely hear myself over the storm that we were caught up in.

The boys ran. Some fell and got back up. Everyone was trying to avoid getting hit by the lightning that seemed to burn the ground everytime it hit the earth. Jack was hit by one and his leg was completely burned off. I saw THomas try to help, but right now I didn't need anymore of us dying than we already had.

"We got to keep going!" I shouted to Thomas who then continued to run after me. As horrible as I felt for leaving the boy Jack in the storm. We gladers knew that we had to keep going on. I was running with all my might to try and get into the nearest building that wasn't too far but was still taking forever to reach.

Then I went down. Lighting had struck me, but luckily I had only caught on fire rather than my body burning to a crisp like others had. Thomas was helping me put out the fire as I rolled around trying to kill it as well. I felt my chest burning as Thomas helped me into the building and leaned me against the wall.

"How many?" I asked as I grimaced in pain from the burn and blisters that came from the lighting.

"Eleven left." Newt answered.

Damn it. We lost some more gladers. "How are we supposed to go into the city with only eleven people. We might get killed." I said in pain. It was hard to breath for it meant my burnt chest was moving.

"Are you serious?! People are missing and that's all you can think about? You're suppose to be our leader." Newt said frustrated.

"Woah! Calm down now. I didn't ask to be leader. Plus, a leader is suppose to continue on and do what's best for everyone." I said irritated.

"Sorry. I don't know what...sorry." Newt said looking away.

"No. I'm sorry for not seeming like I care much about their death, but I do." I said and grunted as I tried to move to sit in a better position.

"Well well well. Look at what we have here." a voice said from above. The ceiling have been broken and I could see a figure jumping down from the highest level. He landed perfectly and smirked as he looked upon our group.

"Who are you?" Thomas said as the rest of the group got ready to defend if anything were to happen.

"I am Jorge. A crank who rules this palace."