"I don't know what the word for it is. But it blows me away how the two groups went through these trippy parallel experiments. Or tests, trials, whatever they were. I mean, if they're testing our responses, I guess it makes sense that we were put through the same thing. Weird, though."
Right when Thomas stopped speaking the girl in the distance let out a shriek even louder than her now-regular cries of pain and he felt a fresh rush of horror.
"I think I know," Aris said, so quietly Thomas wasn't sure he'd heard him correctly.
"Huh?"
"I think I know. Why there were two groups. Are two groups."
Thomas looked over at him, could barely see the surprising look of calm on his face. "You do? What then?"
Aris still didn't seem very winded. "Well, actually I have two ideas. One is I think these people―WICKED, whoever they are―are trying to weed out the best of both groups to use us somehow. Maybe even breed us or something like that."
"What?" Thomas was so surprised he almost forgot about the screaming. He couldn't believe anyone would be so sick. "Breed us? Come on."
"After going through the Maze and what we just saw happen in that tunnel, you think breeding is far-fetched? Give me a break."
"Good that." Thomas had to admit that the kid had a point. "Okay, so what was your other theory?" As he asked it Thomas could feel the weariness brought on by the run settling in; his throat felt like someone had poured a glassful of sand down his gullet.
"Kind of the opposite," Aris responded. "That instead of wanting survivors from both groups, they only want one group to live through to the end. So they're either weeding out people from the guys and the girls, or an entire group altogether. Either way, it's the only explanation I can think of."
Thomas thought about what he'd said for quite some time before responding. "But what about the stuff the Rat Man said? That they're testing our responses, building some kind of blueprint? Maybe it's an experiment. Maybe they don't plan for any of us to survive. Maybe they're studying our brains and our reactions and our genes and everything else. When it's all done, we'll be dead and they'll have lots of reports to read."
"Hmm," Aris grunted, considering. "Possibly. I keep trying to figure out why they had one member of the opposite sex in each group."
"Maybe to see what kind of fights or problems it would cause. Study people's reactions―it's kind of a unique situation." Thomas almost wanted to laugh. "I love how we're talking about this―like we're deciding when we need to stop for a klunk."
Aris actually did laugh, a dry chuckle that made Thomas feel better―actually made him like the new kid even more. "Man, don't say that. I've had to go for at least an hour."
It was Thomas's turn to snicker, and right on cue, like he'd heard Aris calling for it, Minho yelled out for everyone to stop.
"Potty break," he said with his hands on his hips as he caught his breath. "Bury your klunk and don't do it too close. We'll rest for fifteen, then we'll just walk awhile. I know you shanks can't keep up with Runners like me and Thomas."
Thomas tuned out―he didn't need directions on how to use the bathroom―and turned to get a look at where they'd stopped. He took a deep, full breath, and when he relaxed his eyes caught on something. A dark shadow of a shape a few hundred yards in front of them, but not directly in the path of their journey. A square of darkness against the faint glow of the town up ahead. It stood out so distinctly he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it until now.
"Hey!" he yelled, pointing toward it. "Looks like a little building up there, just a few minutes away, to the right some. You guys see it?"
"Yeah, I see it," Minho responded, walking up to stand next to him. "Wonder what it is."
Before Thomas could respond, two things happened almost simultaneously.
First, the haunted screams of the mystery girl stopped, instantly, cut short as if a door had closed on her. Then, stepping out from behind the dark building up ahead, the figure of a girl appeared, long hair flowing from her shadowed head like black silk.
CHAPTER 20
Thomas couldn't help it. His first instinct was to hope it was her, call out to her. To hope that against all odds she was there, just a few hundred yards away, waiting for him.
Teresa?
Nothing.
Teresa? Teresa!
Nothing. The abscess left when she disappeared was still in his head―like an empty pool. But ... it could be her. Might be her. Maybe something had happened to their ability to communicate.
Once the girl had stepped out from behind the building, or more likely from inside the building, she just stood there. Despite being obscured completely by shadow, something about her stance made it obvious she was facing them, staring at them with arms folded.
"You think that's Teresa?" Newt asked, as if he'd read Thomas's mind.
Thomas nodded before he knew what he was doing. He quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Didn't seem so. "No clue," he finally said.
"You think she was the one screaming?" Frypan asked. "It stopped right when she walked out."
Minho grunted. "Better bet is she was the one torturing somebody. Probably killed her and put her out of her misery when she saw us coming." Then for some reason he clapped his hands once. "Okay, then, who wants to go meet this nice young lady?"
How Minho could be so lighthearted at times like this just baffled Thomas. "I'll do it," he said, way too loudly. He didn't want to make it obvious that he hoped it was Teresa.
"I was just kidding, shuck-face," Minho said. "Let's all go over there. She could have an army of psycho girl ninjas hiding in that shack of hers."
"Psycho girl ninjas?" Newt repeated, his voice showing he was surprised, if not annoyed, by Minho's attitude.
"Yeah. Let's go." Minho started walking forward.Thomas acted on a sudden and unexpected instinct. "No!" He lowered his voice. "No. You guys stay here―I'll go talk to her. Maybe it's a trap or something. We'd be idiots to all go over there and fall right into it."
"And you're not an idiot for going by yourself?" Minho asked.
"Well, we can't just walk on by without checking it out. I'll go. If something happens or gets suspicious, I'll call for help."
Minho paused for a long moment. "All right. Go. Our brave little shank." He whacked Thomas on the back with his open palm and it stung.
"This is bloody stupid," Newt interrupted, stepping forward. "I'll go with him."
"No!" Thomas snapped. "Just ... let me do this. Something tells me we need to be careful. If I cry like a baby, come save me." And before anyone could argue, he took off at a fast walk toward the girl and her building.
He closed the distance quickly. His shoes crunched against the gritty dirt and rocks, breaking the silence. He sniffed the raw smells of the desert mixed with a distant scent of something burning, and as he stared at the silhouette of the girl next to the building, he suddenly knew for sure. Maybe it was the shape of her head or body. Maybe it was her stance, the way she held her folded arms crooked to one side, her hip jutting the other direction. But he knew.
It was her.
It was Teresa.
When he reached a point just a few feet from her, right before the faint light would finally reveal her face, she turned around and went through an open door, disappearing inside the small building. It was a rectangle, a slightly tilted roof tenting in the middle, longways. As far as he could tell, it had no windows. Large black cubes were hanging from the corners―speakers, perhaps. Maybe the sound had been broadcast, been a fake. That would explain why they could hear it from so far away.
The door, a big slab of wood, stood all the way open and rested against the wall. It was even darker inside than out.
Thomas moved. He walked through the door, realizing even as he did so how reckless and stupid it might be. But it was her. No matter what had happened, no matter the explanation for her disappearance and refusal to speak with him through their thoughts, he knew she wouldn't hurt him. No way.
The air was noticeably cooler inside, almost moist. It felt wonderful. Three steps in, he stopped and listened in the complete darkness. He could hear her breathing.
"Teresa?" he asked aloud, pushing away the temptation to ask for her in his mind again. "Teresa, what's going on?"
She didn't respond, but he heard a short intake of breath, followed by a halting sniff, as if she were crying but trying to hide it from him.
"Teresa, please. I don't know what's happened or what they did to you, but I'm here now. This is crazy. Just talk to―"
He cut off when a light blazed to life with a quick flare that then dulled to a small flame. His eyes naturally went straight to it, to the hand holding a match. He watched as it dropped, slowly, carefully, to light a candle resting on a small table. When it caught, and the hand flicked the match until it went out, Thomas finally looked up and saw her. Saw that he'd been right after all. But the short and almost overpowering thrill of seeing Teresa alive was soon cut short, replaced by confusion and pain.
She was clean, every part of her. He'd expected her to be filthy like he must be after all this time in the dusty desert. He'd expected her clothes to be ratty and torn. He'd expected greasy hair and a smudged and sunburned face. But instead she wore fresh clothes; her clean hair cascaded to her shoulders. Nothing marred the pale skin of her face or arms. She was more beautiful than he'd ever seen her in the Maze, than any memories he could pull from the murky goop of what he'd recovered after the Changing.
But her eyes sparkled with tears; her lower lip trembled with fear; her hands shook at her sides. He saw recognition in her eyes, saw that she hadn't forgotten him again, but behind that there was pure and absolute terror.
"Teresa," he whispered, knotting up inside. "What's wrong?"
She didn't respond, but her eyes flickered to the side, then back to him. A couple of tears trickled out, slipping down her cheeks, then falling to the floor. Her lips trembled even more, and her chest lurched with what could only be a stifled sob.
Thomas stepped forward, put his hands out to her.
"No!" she screamed. "Get away from me!"
Thomas stopped―it was like something massive had just slammed him in the gut. He held his hands up. "Okay, okay. Teresa, what ..." He didn't know what to say or ask. Didn't know what to do. But that terrible feeling of something breaking inside him intensified, threatened to choke him as it swelled in his throat.
He stilled, scared to set her off again. All he could do was lock eyes with her, try to communicate how he felt, beg her to tell him something. Anything.
A very long moment passed in silence. The way her body shook, the way she almost seemed to struggle against something unseen ... it reminded him of ...
It reminded him of how Gally had been acting, right after they'd escaped from the Glade and he'd entered the room with the woman in the white shirt. Right before everything had gone crazy. Right before he'd killed Chuck.
Thomas had to speak or he'd burst. "Teresa, I've thought about you every second since they took you away. You―"
She didn't let him finish. Rushing forward, she was in front of him in two long strides and reaching out, grabbing his shoulders and pulling herself close to him. Shocked, Thomas wrapped his arms around her and squeezed, embracing her so tightly he suddenly worried she couldn't breathe. Her hands found the back of his head, then the sides of his face, making him look at her.
And then they were kissing. Something exploded within his chest, burning away the tension and confusion and fear. Burning away the hurt of seconds earlier. For a moment it felt like nothing mattered anymore. Like nothing would matter ever again.
But then she pulled away. She stumbled backward until she hit the wall. The terror returned to her face, possessed it like a demon. And then she spoke, her voice a whisper but laced with urgency.
"Get away from me, Tom," she said. "All of you need to get ... away ... from me. Don't argue. Just leave. Run." Her neck tensed with the effort to get those last few words out.
Thomas had never hurt so badly. But he shocked himself by what he did next.
He knew her now, remembered her. And he knew that she was telling the truth―something wasn't right here. Something was terribly wrong―far worse than he'd first imagined. Staying, arguing with her, trying to force her to come with him would be a slap in the face to the incredible amount of willpower it must've taken her to break away and warn him. He had to do what she said.
"Teresa," he said. "I'll find you." Tears now welling in his own eyes, he turned from her and ran from the building.
CHAPTER 21
Thomas stumbled away from the now-dark building, squinting through tear-blurred eyes. He went back to the Gladers and refused to answer their questions. Told them they had to go, run, get away as fast as possible. That he'd explain later. That their lives were in danger.
He didn't wait for them. He didn't offer to take the pack from Aris. He just started toward the town, sprinting till he finally had to slow down to a manageable pace, blocking the others out, blocking the whole world out. Running away from her was the hardest thing he'd ever done, he had no doubt of it. Showing up at the Glade with his memories wiped, adapting to life there, being trapped in the Maze, fighting Grievers, watching Chuck die―none of it matched what he felt now.
She was there. She'd been in his arms. They'd been together again.