The Huntress Descent

The Storm: Chapter Eleven

Maya returned several hours later gasping for air. She hunched over and took four deep breaths until it levelled off. Maggie passed her a cannister of water and she gladly took it. She gulped down three mouthfuls than gave it back.

It was at this point she registered my presence.

"Clarke, where'd you come from?" she said in shock. She held up her hand before I could reply. "Wait, I can hear that in a sec. The girls have moved on. I overheard what they said and they think there is still a way to go till the clear the Pass.

"Also, there's a boy with that group. Not sure of the dynamic, but I think he's their prisoner." She shrugged her shoulders and plonked herself down by Maggie.

"A boy?" I questioned. "What did the boy look like?

"I dunno, like all boys do," she sarcastically replied. "It was dark, couldn't see much."

"Did you get a name?" I pressed her.

"Why are you so concerned about this one boy? Is it Newt?"

"No!" I immediately snapped. "I mean ... no ... sorry. I was just curious."

Maya remained silent at my sudden outburst. "Alright, well to feed your curiosity, one of the girls called him Thomas. Happy?"

"Thanks," I mumbled, now a little embarrassed at the outburst.

"Anyway," Maggie interrupted, stirring the conversation away from the talk of Thomas. "How long do you think we have left until the checkpoint?"

"Not sure," Maya answered her. "We must be nearing the end now. The old man said to travel north in so many days and we had done that."

"We should get moving then," Lottie added. She had been sleeping the whole time we were waiting for Maya to return. Poe fed her every now and again, and made sure she was getting enough fluids. But you could see that whatever was happening inside of her was having an effect. She was slowly crumbling away and there was nothing we could do apart from getting her to WICKED as fast as we could.

Maggie helped me up, making sure not to place too much pressure on my chest area. We had only managed to get the coughing under control. Even then it was temperamental. For the sake of Maggie and the others, I had tried to contain it best I could. There was more to worry about then my struggling to breath. Lottie was in far worst state.

Maya clasped the strap of my pack and hauled it onto her shoulder. "You want help walking?"

I shook my head. "I'm gonna see how long I last."

"Fair." Maya strode beside me and matched my slow pace. We were ahead of Lottie and Poe, leading the way through the Pass.

"So," Maya begun. "This must be second time you've died."

"Third," I corrected her. "Died in the Maze as well."

"Oh." She nodded her head. "Wanna share you latest death with me?"

I filled Maya in on what happened on the ledge with Leo and Georgie. She stayed quiet through my retelling of the story. When it came to explaining the one night I was absent from them, I omitted the details about finding the Gladers.

"You just walked your way up here like that?" Maya motioned with her arms to my body. "Wow, you're some superhuman."

"I wish."

"I would have to see your death with my own eyes to believe that your actually dead. It's getting to that point now." She winked at me. I didn't return a reply, or even a smile.

It took longer than we thought to reach the other side of the Pass. We kept our distance from the girls. Maya and Maggie making sure of that. According to Maya, they had agreed between them that one would take turns in tracking them ahead. When they stopped, so did we further back. Every few hours, the girls would switch positions to let the other rest.