|The secret side of me, I never let you see

|Song: Monster, Skillet

|||

Dawn's P.O.V.

A crash came from down the hall, making me jump up and drop my can. The sound was horribly loud, the ground and the building cracked. Fog settled in the dark space.

'Lisa!' I screamed.

'Hurry this way!' Jorge yelled from behind me.

'No! Thomas and Lisa are back there!' I screamed back, fear rising in my chest.

Suddenly huge massive rocks started to fall down from the ceiling, shaking the ground as they made impact with the floor.

'Dawn, come on!' Newt screamed.

I didn't answer him and started to move forwards. Dust settled in my hair and I started coughing but still I kept going, pushing away stones. With only thought burning in the back of my mind. I had to get to Lisa.

Then someone took me by the hand and pulled me away from the falling rocks. I screamed but the person pulled me along, taking me up a few stairs, right back into the sunlight.

I squinted, shielding my eyes with my arm. I then noticed it was Minho who came back and pulled me along. 'Let me go!' I yelled.

'Why?' He yelled back, his voice frustraded. 'Do you want to get yourself shucking killed?'

'Lisa and Thomas were back there! You idiot!' I yelled even louder.

Minho stopped running, making me stumble. He turned back to me, his face pale. 'What?' He whispered.

I didn't reply just stared at him. For a tiny second I thought he was going to run back into the tunnel.

'Guys come on!' Jorge said.

The moment was over, he shook his head, took my arm in a firm grip and pulled me with him.

I bit my lip and threw a look over my shoulder. Dust was rising out of the entrance towards the underground. Going back there would probably get me killed, my mind knew it but it was as if my body refused to listen.

Lisa and Thomas were back there, I couldn't just run away!

But Minho's grip was too strong and we were inside another building before I could free myself.

My eyes finally adjusted to the light and I could see our surroundings. We had ran up some stairs, into an alley and inside a building. 'We have to go back,' I said, my voice firm.

'No we can't!' Jorge replied, an angry frown on his face. 'Brenda knows the way, she'll find us.'

A scream cut through the air, inhuman, like the girl we heard a few days ago. My eyes widened and Jorge quickly shut the door.

There was no way I could follow them now. Frustraded I sat down on the ground, rubbing my temples. My eyes wondered around and saw all the Gladers, except for Thomas and Lisa.

'Those were probably the Cranks who tried to kill us,' Jorge said, staring out of the window.

'You gotta promise me something, slint-head,' Minho said, anger sounding through his voice.

Jorge turned around, his eyebrows raised. 'What's a-' 'You better be telling the truth when you say Brenda knows the way!' Minho screamed, pointing his finger at Jorge and standing dangerously close to him.

Jorge groaned and held up his hands in defeat. 'I promise, if that makes you feel better, hermano.'

Minho narrowed, staring a few more seconds at Jorge. 'Fine, but if I find you've been lying...'

I knew there was no need for him to finish that sentence. We all knew what would happen.

'So, what do we do now?' Newt asked, rubbing the dust out of his eyes.

'Find supplies, more weapons, and try to reach the mountains,' Jorge said. 'I can lead you through the city but it ain't gonna be pretty.'

'Well, if "pretty" means killing Cranks then I am ready,' I said, crossing my arms.

Jorge grinned and pointed his finger at me. 'You...I like you, hermano.'

I raised my eyebrows. 'What's a hermano anyway?'

He shrugged. 'You guys don't tell me what a shank is, I don't tell you what a hermano is.'

A sigh escaped my lips and I stood up. 'Fair enough. Let's just get moving already.' I could feel everyone's eyes on me and I knew I was acting cold but right now it didn't matter. We had to reach those mountains as fast as possible, it was most likely we would meet Lisa and Thomas there.

'Good that,' Minho said.

Jorge just shrugged before he gestured for us to follow him out of the building and onto the streets, into the danger and away from Lisa...

The sun was burning down on us, there was barely any shadow and I felt myself growing more annoyed by the second. We had been walking through the empty streets of the destroyed city for almost two hours, hiding in buildings and sneaking around corners. We hadn't seen much cranks only a few people walking around like zombies, mumbling to themselves.

And bodies.

Everywhere you looked you saw them, rotten, burned and bloody.
The smell of death, rotten flesh and scorched buildings was getting on my nerves but what other choice did we have? We had to get to the mountains and could only hope Brenda knew the way down in the tunnels.

While sneaking through the streets my mind constantly wondered back to Wicked. Were they really trying to safe the world? Help to rebuild a city like this? In the last few weeks I had started to question their motives more than ever but if there was even one thing I could do to stop the world from turning into a monsterous land like this. I would, without any doubt, help to rebuild it, but I just wasn't sure what was the right way anymore.

'Dawn?'

I blinked and looked up from the ground. Minho was waving his hand before my eyes. 'Earth to Dawn. This is Minho speaking.'

I groaned and pushed his hand away. A smirk appeared on his face and he handed me a can with beans. 'Your lunch, gorgeous.'

I gave him a tired glare before taking the can. It was noon, we were taking a small break before searching for a place to sleep. We were sitting in the shadow of a large building, hiding against the wall.

'It's been a long time since you called me that,' I said, taking a bite from the cold and nasty beans. It was better than nothing but I still prefered Frypan's beacon.

Minho shrugged, throwing away his empty can. 'Figured you could use something old.'

I frowned and looked up from the food. 'How so?'

He gave me a glare. 'You've been silence and grumpy the whole day.'

I rolled my eyes. 'I guess you've never been in love then.'

Minho grinned. 'I'm smoking hot, I bet I've kissed lots of girls.'

I snickered, making myself almost choke on the beans. Minho grinned and hit me on the back. 'That's not love, idiot,' I said once I was finally done coughing.

Minho shrugged but frowned then. 'So it's about Newt?'

I took a deep breath and my eyes searched for the blond boy. He was standing next to Jorge, keeping watch over the group. He caught me staring, making my insides boil. Quickly I looked away.

'So what about him?' Minho asked, licking the sauce of his fingers.

I sighed. 'Nothing, it's just-' I cut myself off and shook my head. 'Nevermind.'

Minho raised his eyebrows. 'Fine, don't say, keep on being grumpy.'

Feeling slightly annoyed I put my empty can down next to me. 'You wouldn't understand.'

'Try me,' he said while folding his arms.

I stared at him for a couple of seconds, then looked down, played with my fingers while answering him. 'I just feel like he's turned into a whole new person. One I don't even recognize.'

Minho bit his lip while staring into the distance.

'Maybe you should just talk to him,' a voice interrupted.

I looked up and saw Leon sitting for before us, his legs folded under him.

'Since when are you a love expert, klunk head?' Minho snorted.

'Since I have a boyfriend slinthead,' Leon said.

I raised my eyebrows at him. 'Who?' I asked curiously.

The former keeper of the Slobbers gestured at Clint, sitting a few feet away from us, eating his canned food.

'No way,' Minho said, 'so he meant you when he told me he was crushing on somebody.'

Leon's cheeks colored a bright pink before he nodded. 'Turns out to be the case, yeah.'

I grinned. 'Congrats, so you said talking's the key?'

He nodded at me. 'That's right, just talk to each other and you'll see things will work out just fine.'

Nodding I put my food down, his words echoing through my mind as I considered it. It wasn't bad advice, at all, I just had to built up the courage to do so.

'Hey! Chat hour is over, hermanos! We need to find a place for the night,' Jorge called, breaking the silence.

I took a deep breath and stood up.

'Let's hope Minho doesn't attack him for playing leader,' Leon mumbled so softly only I could hear.

A smile spread on my face and for just a tiny second I wasn't afraid of what the next day might bring.