Walking. That's what we did for hours and hours. We didn't talk, we didn't laugh, nobody even touched each other for comfort. All we did was walk at different paces, the heat cascading down our bodies like the warm showers we had taken a few days ago.

The water was starting to run out. We had no food. Nothing. Each of us were becoming more frustrated as the minutes ticked by, the mountains seeming to become further and further away from us the more we walked.

I couldn't even feel my legs anymore. Every part of my body was aching as we strode across the hard land, the sand having disappeared long ago. The beige color was even brought up into the air, the dust somewhat blurring our vision of the distant rocky hills. I had Newt's scarf tied around my neck and over my nose—he handed it to me about an hour ago when the dust started to become thicker.

My breathing hadn't been a problem today, only the ache in my legs. I couldn't imagine how Newt was feeling as he staggered behind me, staring at the ground and his slow steps. Feeling my heart sink at his demeanor, I slowed my steps down and walked beside him, earning a small smile to be thrown at me from the boy. I nodded towards him and lowered my chin to that I was now also staring at the cracked land, wondering how bad the sun flares must've been.

Thinking back to when we had solved the Maze and beaten the Grievers, the woman had said something about the sun scorching our world. Thomas had informed me that she was still alive, which made me think that she was some kind of weird witch or something. Maybe she brought herself back from the dead. But that would be crazy...it only showed how far the technology of the world had become while people were suffering. They didn't even use it to save lives. They used it to hurt them. Innocent kids. At the thought, my blood began to boil.

The rest of the day was the same. Walking, staying quiet...letting our thoughts eat at the holes in our chests. Mourning the death of Winston still. The only sounds that I heard was the crunching of the grains of sand beneath us, and the hardened rocks that Minho and I occasionally kicked in front of us to pass time. We didn't talk like we normally would, or laugh either. But instead, when he decided to kick it to the side, ending the game suddenly, I didn't say a word.

He reached for the water bottle in his backpack and unscrewed the cap, bringing it up to his lips. When nothing seemed to come out, he squinted and peered through the small hole in the top, bringing it up to his mouth again. He stared at the metal in amazement, a million thoughts probably running through his mind. With a frustrated grunt, he chucked the bottle into the air, disregarding it. I pursed my lips and stared at the boy as he ran a hand through his spiky-hair. clenching my jaw, I placed a hand on his back, patting his shoulder with the little amount of comfort I had in me. The boy turned his head toward me, and sighed, nodding.

When night began to fall and the sun set, Tommy suddenly stopped, dropping his bag on the hard floor.

"We can stop here for the night." He mumbled, zipping up his jacket as the others sighed in relief.

I made my way over to the boy, "Shouldn't we find somewhere with shelter? You know...not be out in the open?"

He let out a breath and looked around, "There's nowhere to go, Mae. Let's just stay here for the night and we can...figure something out in the morning."

I nodded, not in the mood to argue with him. Turning around, I saw that everyone was already starting to lay down, using their backpacks as pillows and jackets as blankets. I had to admit, the sun was brutal during the day, but during the night, I wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in a warm comforter.

I did the same, taking the spot between Newt and Minho. Everyone else seemed to curl up into a ball, while Minho spread himself out on his back. Newt grunted and laid on his side, and like usual, his hands were underneath his head as he looked up at me, his eyes beginning to shut with the exhaustion that flooded through his body. I sighed and plopped myself down in the cramped spot next to him, bringing my knees up to my chest and being careful not to kick Minho. I was semi-sandwiched between the two as Newt wrapped his arm around my waist lazily, pulling me closer.

Shutting my eyes, I immediately drifted off into a strange dream. One that was new to me, but that sparked so many rising questions as well.

I was in a room. One with a single window, allowing the sun to shine onto the wooden floor and table that I was sitting at. The burgundy rug beneath the furniture was littered with gold patters on it, but it was the least of my worries.

In front of me, someone was sitting on the other side of the table. Not speaking, not moving. The only thing I could make out was the distinct silhouette of a woman's body. Her hair flowed down her shoulders, and her fingers were intertwined with each other as she stared at my body.

She had a young face. One that looked as though she was a few years older than me. My mind was swimming as she sat there, not uttering a word. She was beautiful. Dark hair, dark eyes...she looked like an older version of me. As she looked at me, I didn't feel scared or threatened. I felt comforted. Like I had known this woman all my life. I didn't want to run from her or to punch her in the face. I...I wanted her to hug me.

The sun continued to beat down on the two of us, being the only light in the room. It felt weird—not like a normal dream, but like I was in the reality right before you woke up. Strangely, I could still feel the cold breeze and the hard floor beneath me from where Thomas had decided to stop, but I could also feel the sun on my face.

Just as I was about to speak, to ask why I was here or who this woman was, she beat me to it. She uttered one single sentence that sent chills over every part of my body.

"I'll see you soon, my love."

"Come on, let's go," Thomas' voice made it's way into my dream as I felt something kick the back of my thigh, probably unintentionally. My mind was foggy as my eyes drooped open, watching everyone stand to their feet around me.

"Mae, let's go. I see something..." Thomas called to me directly, only then did I stumble to my feet, holding onto Newt's arm for support as he asked Tommy what it was. The boy pointed to something in the distance, and I had to squint my blurred eyes to see what it was.

"You see that?" He asked us, already breathing heavily. I turned my vision to Thomas and watched him as he looked at everyone, trying to get his point across to the rest of us, "It's lights."

Newt gripped my hand and squeezed, "We made it."

Just as I was about to respond, the cracking of thunder came from the air above me, and I flinched, my hands impulsively reaching for my head. We all looked above us, and only then did I take in my surroundings. The thick, heavy clouds loomed over us like a warning signal as to what was going to come. They lit up with the lightning that was shooting from above, almost creating a show for us to watch. It was beautiful, but it was dangerous. The air around us began to become thicker, signaling that a nasty storm was coming.

Just as I thought, a bolt of lightning struck the ground in the distance. It wasn't enough to hit us or cause any damage to me and my friends, but it was enough for us to get moving.

Told you we should've found shelter, I thought to myself as I looked at Thomas. He pat Newt's shoulder, "Let's go. We gotta go."

"Yeah." He agreed as I bent down and threw my backpack over my shoulders, wiping the sleep out of my eyes. I turned to Minho, who threw his head back and did the same as me, only taking a few moments longer.

It started off as a jog, but when more strikes of electricity started to rain down, even closer than the one before, I picked up my pace, running beside Thomas as he yelled for the others to hurry. Soon enough, we were full on sprinting to the lights in the distance, which was now turning from a blob to some kind of warehouse. The wind blew through my hair as the sky groaned and cracked.

"Keep moving!" Thomas yelled as the lightning struck right behind us. I struggled to inhale breaths, but I ran like my life depended on it. Something that I had been doing too many times in the past week.

As another crack was heard, I let out a small yelp and covered my head with my arms, protecting my limbs. Newt looked behind us as Thomas sowed his pace to the back, pushing a tired Teresa along.

"Go, go, go! Get inside!" He yelled as we passed an abandoned car. Minho yelled something incoherent as I looked up at the sky, not meaning to slow down, but I did. The entrance to the building was now only a few meters away, but the lightning seemed a lot closer as it struck only a few feet behind me, shaking the ground that I ran on and bringing heat to my cheeks.

"Woah..." I mumbled to myself, looking back at my friends and noticing how Newt was in the front with Frypan, only a few feet away from the door now. Thomas was in front of me, still yelling encouraging words as I cautiously became more aware of my surroundings. I could literally feel the ground shake as I ran past another car, picking up my speed.

But speed was no match for Mother Nature. Suddenly, I felt myself being propelled backwards and thrown into the air by a strong force.

Everything was white. My whole body tingled as I tried to scream out in pain, but I couldn't move. The only thing that I could relate it to was the faint memory of sticking a finger into a light socket as a kid. Only the feeling was multiplied by about a thousand. The world moved in slow motion as I hit the ground, my head smacking hard against the hard floor. My eyes shut, and all I saw was black.

It just stopped—the world. Like I was frozen in time, only able to feel the tingling across my limbs as I fell unconscious. The bubble around me blocked out everything. Sight, hearing, my sense of movement... I was numb. Dead weight. I couldn't even think. All my body could do was see the black that surrounded me, and hope that my friends cared enough to pick my body up from the floor.

My head spun as I suddenly felt the warm heat of something pointing at my face. As quickly as the excruciating tingling had started, it stopped, and all I felt was like I had been punched in the face. With every second that passed, my body started to regain it's consciousness. I was no longer trapped in that bubble of white light, but instead, a glowing one that seemed like it was right above me. I felt pressure on my chest, and only then did I realize that I was okay.

I let out a loud groan of the aching pain that still pulsated through me. Slowly opening my eyes, I heard sighs of relief from everyone above me as someone shook the jacket around my shoulders again, "Come on, Mae."

That was Thomas, my brain told me, almost like it was thinking for itself. The tingling in my fingers was still there, feeling like they had been singed off. I brought my hands into my line of vision, seeing that my fingers looked completely normal. A rush of confusion rained through me, like I had no idea what came over me and why everyone was standing above my body like I had died and then came back to life.

"You okay?" Tommy asked once more as I furrowed my eyebrows, lifting my head and looking at the three heads huddled together. I recognized them as Thomas, Newt, and Minho all looming over me like they were about to start crying.

"What happened?" I croaked, feeling like my body was on autopilot. I remembered that time where Newt and I got drunk the night that Thomas had first arrived. That's how I felt right now. Like I had no control over my actions and that I just wanted to lay down and sleep.

Minho looked at Thomas and Newt, then back down to me, answering the question with a sigh, "You...You got struck by lightning."

I immediately furrowed my eyebrows and looked at all three of them skeptically, almost as though I didn't believe what Minho had said, and one of them actually punched me in the face. But when their eyes only showed truth, I blinked, "Oh."

Newt choked on a laugh at my reaction, and Minho ran his hands over his face in stress, "Okay, let's get you up."

I nodded and felt Minho and Thomas place a gentle hand on my back, muttering words of encouragement and helping me sit up. Newt Moved my numb legs so that I was now curled into a ball, and the three helped me stand to my feet as I began to feel more like myself with every moment that passed.

Still feeling buzzed, I gave my friends a lazy smile, making Minho pinch my cheeks, "Awe look at that... she's smiling."

"Thanks guys." I breathed as Newt wrapped me into his arms. He placed one hand on the back of my head, and the other around my shoulders, hugging me so tight that I could hardly breathe. I lazily moved my arms around his waist, attempting to hug him back.

"Mae, I swear, I'm going to wrap you in bubble wrap." He whispered into my ear as he hugged me tighter. I stifled a laugh, remembering the conversation that he pulled the phrase from so well right now. The boy moved his hands to the sides of my face and pressed his lips to my forehead only for a moment before looking back into my glazed eyes. I sent him another smile, and he just shook his head at my reaction.

"Can I have another one of those?" I slurred.

Everyone chuckled as Minho threw his hands up in the air and pointed at me, "You shank! She just got struck by lightning and she's already using sarcasm?"

I breathed a laugh, "Sarcasm is my only defense, Min."

He sent me a mocking face, but pat my shoulder as Newt let go of my cheeks. The boys hesitantly released my body, seeing if I could stand on my own. I swung back and forth for only a moment before my tingling legs caught my balance. Smiling again, I stood without any help, but still feeling like I was drunk.

Thomas looked back at Teresa, who was reaching for the flashlight in her pocket, "Hey," She caught all of our attention, "What's that smell?"

The grin on my face disappeared and I squinted my eyes at the darkness in front of her. The girl clicked on her light, revealing the haunting figure of another zombie-like creature running towards us. She screamed and stumbled backwards into us as we all jumped, startled.

"Behind you!" She yelled, and Thomas spun around, shining his own light on the zombie that had launched towards him. Soon enough, we were all in a tight huddle facing outwards, looking at the many creatures that were somehow chained up to crates, barely being held back enough to not touch us. I was in the middle of the circle, being pushed into Newt's back as he placed a protective arm around my waist. Minho was behind me, doing the same, but not quite touching me as he pointed his light at the creature that was dangerously close to him.

They were thrashing, trying to break out of the confines and get their hands on fresh flesh...us. The inhumanly screams echoed throughout the room, and I looked up at Thomas, wondering why the hell a resistance would have these things waiting by their front door.

My heart raced with the thought of going the same way Winston did. Having these things claw into us when we didn't even know who was immune and who wasn't. The cried taunted us, reminding us that if we took one step too far, we could be ripped form the group and basically eaten alive. All I wanted was to sit back down and go to sleep, but I had a strong feeling that wouldn't happen.

Suddenly, another crash was heard, and a high pitched voice echoed over the sounds of the cries from the monsters, "I see you've met our guard dogs."

We at froze at the words. Our flashlights flew to the direction the voice came from, and a dim light was turned on behind the figure of a person, making them look like a silhouette in the light. Her shadow grew with every step she took towards us, weaving through the monsters like she wasn't afraid of them at all. They grabbed at her, reaching out as far as they could and snapping their teeth as if they would get a bite of her flesh. They stopped only inches from her head, and yet, the girl didn't flinch. Not even one blink. I raised my eyebrows, impressed, yet suspicious.

"Stay back, stay back!" Thomas ordered. The girl stopped a few feet away form us, not even wincing as Thomas shined the light right in her eyes. Her hair was cut so short that she was almost bald, and the dark circles under her eyes showed that we had either awoken her from a deep sleep as well, or she hadn't slept in a long time. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black. She had defined collarbones, showing how thin she really was. Her red shirt wasn't even really a shirt anymore. Instead, it was just a piece of ripped fabric that covered the top of her body. I stuck my head in between Thomas and Newt, trying to get a better look at her as she studied us as well.

"You guys look like shit," She shook her head and sighed. I met eyes with her, and she cocked an eyebrow, looking at my body. I clenched my jaw at the girl and pushed Newt's arm out of the way, only to hold onto his hand, still needing a bit of support at the whole standing thing. She smirked and shook her head once more before turning around.

"Come on. Follow me." I looked around, and took a cautious step forward before Thomas stuck his arm out in front of my body. The girl caught this and closed her eyes, exhaling as though she were impatient, "Unless you wanna stay here with them."

I elbowed Thomas in the ribs gently and cocked my head towards the girl, removing his arm from in front of my body and releasing my hand from Newt's. I took a step forward, and she smirked at me. As she started walking out of the room, I turned back to my friends and cocked my head forwards. Tommy looked around as though he was waiting for another person to jump out of nowhere, or even worse, WICKED to show up. But when he realized that nobody else was coming, and that we truly were going to have to stay in here with these creatures, he took a step forward and began to follow.

A hand gripped my elbow, and Thomas had to weave himself around me as I leaned back to hear Minho's voice in my ear, "Who's that?" He asked.

I shrugged, "How should I know? I lost my memories too."

"I don't know. She just seemed like she knew you," The boy let go of my arm, finally following the rest of the group as Minho, Newt and I followed behind everyone.

The girl led us up a flight of stairs, and I had to have a death grip on the railing as my still buzzed mind attempted to climb the steps. Minho had to stifle back laughs as I almost face planted, but eventually I made it to the landing were the others were waiting patiently. The new girl was messing with her fingernails, looking completely unfazed as she leant against a doorframe.

When I finally reached the top, she raised both of her eyebrows at me, "What happened to you?" She asked in a sassy tone.

I furrowed my eyebrows at her and squinted, "I got struck by lightning...shuck face. What happened to you?"