No. I kind of accepted it, in a way. That saving you was worth losing what we might've had.
Thomas had no clue how to respond to that.
Not that they could've talked much more even if he wanted to. With the wind howling and the dust and debris flying through the air and the clouds churning and blackening and the distance to the others getting shorter ...
There just wasn't time.
And so they kept running.
The two groups ahead of them eventually met up in the distance. More interesting to Thomas, though, was that it didn't appear to be an accident at all. The girls of Group B had reached a point and stopped; then Minho―Thomas could make him out now and was relieved to see him alive and well―and the Gladers had changed direction to go east to meet them.
And now, just a half-mile away, they all stood around something Thomas couldn't see, packing in a tight circle to look at whatever it was.
What's going on up there? Teresa asked Thomas in his mind.
Don't know, he answered.
The two of them, along with Aris, picked up the pace.
It only took another few minutes across the dusty wind-whipped plain before they reached Groups A and B.
Minho had stepped away from the larger pack of people and stood facing them when they finally made it. His arms were folded, his clothes filthy, his hair greasy, his face still showing signs of his burns. But somehow he was smiling. Thomas couldn't believe how good it felt to see that smirky grin again.
"It's about time you slowpokes caught up with us!" Minho yelled at them.
Thomas stopped right in front of him and doubled over to catch his breath for a few seconds, then straightened. "I thought you'd be fightin' tooth and nail with these girls after what they did to us. To me, anyway."
Minho looked back at the now-mingling group of boys and girls, then returned his gaze to Thomas. "Well, first of all, they have nastier weapons, not to mention bows and arrows. Plus, some chick named Harriet explained everything. We're the ones who should be surprised―that you're still with them." He gave a nasty glare to Teresa, then Aris. "Never trusted either one of those shuck traitors."
Thomas tried to hide his mixed emotions. "They're on our side. Trust me." And in a twisted, backward way he really was starting to believe it. As sick as it made him feel.
Minho laughed bitterly. "Figured you'd say something like that. Let me guess, it's a long story?"
"Yeah, very long story," Thomas answered, then changed the subject. "Why'd you all stop here? What's everybody looking at?"
Minho stepped to the side, sweeping his arm behind him. "Have a peeky-peek yourself." Then he yelled to the two groups, "You guys make a path!"
Several Gladers and girls looked back, then slowly shuffled to the side until a narrow break in the crowd formed. Thomas immediately saw that the object that held everyone's attention was a simple stick poking out of the arid ground. An orange strip of ribbon hung from the top, whipping in the wind. Letters were printed on the thin banner.
Thomas and Teresa exchanged a look; then Thomas pushed ahead for a closer inspection. Even before he got there, he could read the words printed on the ribbon, black on orange.
THE SAFE HAVEN
CHAPTER 57
Despite the wind and the hubbub of people, the world quieted around Thomas for a minute, as if his ears had been stuffed with cotton. He fell to his knees and numbly reached out to touch the flapping orange ribbon. This was the safe haven? Not a building, a shelter, something?
Then, as quickly as it had disappeared, sound rushed back in, snapping him back to reality. Mostly the rush of wind and the chatter of conversation.
He turned back to Teresa and Minho, who stood side by side, Aris behind them peeking over their shoulders.
Thomas glanced at his watch. "We have over an hour left. Our safe haven is a stick in the ground?" Confusion muddled his mind―he wasn't quite sure what to think or say.
"Wasn't so bad, when you think about it," Minho said. "More than half of us made it here. Looks like even more of the girlie group."
Thomas stood up, trying to control his anger. "The Flare turn you crazy already? Yeah, we got here. Safe and sound. To a stick."
Minho scoffed at him. "Dude, they wouldn't send us here for no reason. We made it in the time they gave us. Now we just wait until the clock ticks down and something'll happen."
"That's what worries me," Thomas said.
"Hate to say it," Teresa added, "but I agree with Thomas. After everything they've done to us, it'd be way too easy to have a little sign here, and then they come get us in a nice helicopter as a reward. Something bad's gonna happen."
"Whatever you say, traitor," Minho said, his face hiding none of the hatred he felt for Teresa. "I don't want to hear another word from you." He walked away, angrier than Thomas had ever seen him.
Thomas looked at Teresa, who was visibly taken aback. "You shouldn't be surprised."
She just shrugged. "I'm sick of apologizing. I did what I had to do."
Thomas couldn't believe she was serious. "Whatever. I need to find Newt. I want―"
Before he could finish, Brenda appeared out of the crowd, glancing back and forth between him and Teresa. The wind tore through her long hair, whipping it frenziedly so that she kept pushing it behind her ears only to have it fly out again.
"Brenda," he said. For some reason he felt guilty.
"Hey there," Brenda said, walking up to stand right in front of him and Teresa. "This the girl you were tellin' me about? When you and I were snuggling in that truck?"
"Yeah." The word popped out of Thomas's mouth before he could stop it. "No. I mean ... yeah."