❝ 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦 ❞
▬▬ Chapter 06
• . ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳₊·͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͞͞͞͞͞➳💧

Madison groaned as she was pulled from a deep sleep by Evie's voice. "Should we wake them?"

"Ugh," Madison grumbled, rolling over to squint up at Evie, Thomas, and Newt standing above her like some kind of annoying squadron. "You all know the definition of 'sleeping in,' right?"

Evie raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Oh, we know. Looks like someone had a very restful night."

Madison's eyes snapped to Minho, who was still lying beside her, his arm slung across her waist and hers tangled in his. She quickly shoved herself upright, her face burning as she tried to untangle herself from him without making a scene.

"Good morning!" Thomas's light chuckle did nothing to ease the awkwardness. "We figured you two could use some extra rest after yesterday."

Newt grinned, looking between them with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Seems like you both got plenty of rest already."

Madison's face went redder. "It's not what it looks like," she snapped, glancing at Minho, who was still snoozing, unaware of the awkward moment unfolding.

Evie raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Thomas and Newt, their silent teasing enough to make Madison wish she could crawl under a rock and die.

"Sure, sure," Evie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We totally believe you."

"Yeah, I'm sure it's totally innocent," Newt added, winking.

Madison huffed, standing up quickly and trying to brush off the embarrassment as Minho slowly stirred awake.

"Sleep well?" Newt asked, clearly relishing the awkward tension.

"Surprisingly, yeah," Minho muttered, stretching his arms above his head. "Not sure why, though."

Madison's mind raced, but she kept her thoughts to herself as they all started moving again, trudging through the Scorch under the relentless sun. Sweat trickled down her back, the heat burning her skin with every step.

She glanced over at Minho, his face set in determination, as if nothing in the world could shake his resolve. She couldn't help but feel a little tension between them—an electric current just beneath the surface. Every time she caught him looking at her, it was like he knew exactly what she was thinking, and it was messing with her head.

"Get up, guys! Get up!" Thomas's voice jerked her from her thoughts.

"Do you see that? The lights!" Thomas exclaimed as Madison rubbed her eyes.

"We made it," Newt added, his grin wide.

Then, a loud thunderclap echoed through the air, followed by a lightning bolt striking the ground nearby.

"Let's go! We gotta move!" Thomas urged, his tone urgent.

The group scrambled, gathering their things as they ran toward the lights, the storm roaring in pursuit. The sound of each thunderclap seemed to chase them, pushing them to move faster.

"Keep moving!" Thomas yelled over the storm as they ran.

Just as they reached the door, a bolt of lightning hit Minho. Madison screamed as he was knocked to the ground, the shock of it stealing the air from her lungs.

Everything went eerily quiet for a moment, and Madison could only stare in shock.

Evie was by her side, helping her up, and together they rushed over to Minho, who had fallen unconscious.

"Minho!" Thomas shouted as they carried him inside.

Frypan flicked on a flashlight, its beam cutting through the darkness and landing on Minho's still form.

"Minho!" Thomas said again, shaking him by the shoulder.

Madison sucked in a breath, panic bubbling in her chest as Minho slowly stirred, his eyes fluttering open.

"What happened?" he muttered, looking down at his hands, clearly disoriented.

"You got struck by lightning," Madison stated flatly.

"Oh," Minho said, smirking like he hadn't just almost died. Madison snorted, the tension in the air momentarily breaking.

Minho pushed himself up, but as he stood, Madison quickly turned on her flashlight and scanned the area, trying to find something—anything—she could focus on. But her nerves were still buzzing from the adrenaline.

Out of nowhere, a Crank came running at her, causing Madison to squeal and stumble backward. Evie caught her just in time, but it was clear the Cranks weren't done with them.

The Cranks started running toward them, but before Madison could even react, chains clanked as they stopped in their tracks, restrained by some kind of collar.

"I see you've met our guard dogs," a voice said from the doorway.

The group turned to see a girl sauntering in confidently, weaving through the Cranks as if they were nothing more than pests. "Come on," she said with an amused smile. "Follow me."

The group exchanged uneasy glances, but they followed her up some stairs, their steps heavy with suspicion.

"Jorge wants to meet you," the girl said over her shoulder.

"Who's Jorge?" Thomas asked, eyes narrowing.

"You'll see. Nobody's come out of the Scorch in a long time. You've got them curious. And me too."

Madison kept close to Evie, her senses on high alert. The moment she caught a few of the men leering at her, she held her head high, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing her flinch.

Newt, clearly not feeling good about the situation, muttered, "Why do I feel like this place is way more trouble than it's worth?"

Thomas looked over at him. "Let's just hear them out first. See what they have to say."

Madison rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like this is going to end well," she muttered under her breath.

They were led into another room where a man was sitting, fiddling with a radio. The girl announced their arrival, and he turned, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Do you ever get the feeling the world's just trying to crush you?" Jorge asked, looking over the group with an unreadable expression.

Madison shot Evie a look—she knew exactly what that felt like.

"Three questions," Jorge said, standing and stepping toward them. "Where did you come from? Where are you going? And how can I profit?"

"Don't all answer at once," he added, and Madison couldn't help the dry chuckle that escaped her.

"We're headed to the mountains," Thomas said. "We're looking for the Right Arm."

Jorge's face cracked into a smile. "You mean ghosts?" he asked, laughing. "Well, that's a new one."

"Where did you come from?" Jorge asked again, clearly getting impatient.

Madison gave Thomas a side glance, silently daring him to answer. She couldn't stand being in the dark about their next move. "That's our business," she said, cutting off Thomas before he could say anything more.

Jorge shrugged, his amusement never fading. But before anything else could be said, one of his men grabbed Madison and yanked her back roughly.

"Hey!" Thomas shouted, lunging forward, but the girl from earlier had already grabbed him and shoved him down.

"Calm down, baby," she sneered, holding a weapon against Thomas's neck. "You're fine."

"What's going on?" Thomas demanded.

Jorge, who had been watching the whole interaction with interest, stepped forward and pulled something from the girl's hand.

"Sorry, hermano, but you've been tagged. You came from WICKED," Jorge said, putting on a pair of glasses. "That means you're very valuable."

The men surrounding the group began to close in, smirking at Madison in a way that made her skin crawl. She shot them a look—cold, sharp, and full of defiance—and moved away.

The group was soon forced into a room, tied up, and hung upside down like some kind of twisted carnival attraction.

"Great plan, Thomas," Minho called out sarcastically. "Really killing it, aren't you?"

"Shut up, Minho," Thomas snapped, his voice tense. "Maybe I can reach the rope," he said, clearly thinking fast.

Jorge walked in again, grinning. "Enjoying the view?" he asked casually.

Madison's eyes burned with fury. "What the hell do you want?"

Jorge's smile widened. "That's the real question. My men, they just want to sell you back to WICKED. But me? I'm not like that."

Minho quirked an eyebrow. "Is the blood rushing to my head, or is this guy really making no sense?"

"Tell me what you know about the Right Arm," Jorge demanded.

"I thought you said they were ghosts," Newt shot back.

"I happen to believe in ghosts," Jorge replied cryptically, his finger pressing down on a lever.

Madison winced as her head tilted further toward the floor. The pressure in her skull was unbearable.

"We don't know much," Thomas said, finally cracking. "They're hiding in the mountains. They attacked WICKED. They freed a bunch of kids. That's all we know."

Jorge nodded, clearly satisfied for the moment. "Good enough for me."

Then, he turned and signaled for someone else to come in. "Asher," Jorge called.

"What's going on?" Asher asked, stepping forward.

Jorge just grinned. "Me and my friends were just having a little chat." He shot a glance back at the group. "Don't worry. We'll get you back to where you belong."

Madison rolled her eyes as they were left to hang there. Great. This is going to be a long day.

AUTHORS NOTE;

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed the tension and awkward moments between Madison, Minho, and the rest of the crew. Things are really heating up, and it looks like the gang is in for a lot more than they bargained for.

I'm loving the dynamic between these characters – there's so much to unpack with Madison's defiant attitude, her relationship with Minho, and how they're all trying to survive in this chaotic world. And of course, the introduction of Jorge and his crew is just the beginning of some serious challenges ahead.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to drop a comment! Do you think Madison and Minho will ever escape this weird mess? What's Jorge's endgame? Let me know what you're thinking – I always love hearing from you!

Thanks again for reading, and stay tuned for more!