REMEDY

3: Mountain People

-J A D E-

It was day 97 of searching for her brother, plus surviving the Scorch. Jade had been searching for younger brother since he had gone missing at the Right Arm, she had left her people to search every inch of the Scorch for him. She couldn't live with herself if she didn't try. 

A sand storm had blown in, causing the girl to delay her search and seek shelter at an abandoned mall covered with sand. Jade had been staying there for two days, until the storm was over, then she would continue her search. She was camped in an small store, which had no signs of Cranks inside, and slept behind the counter in a sleeping bag. Before leaving the Right Arm, they had made sure to give her supplies she would need for her survival: a gun, torch, food, water, medical supplies.

Jade blew the sand off a little picture in her pocket of her and her brother before the world had become a waste-land. She looked at it sadly, before...

CRASH!!
Jade placed the picture in her bag quickly, before taking out her gun and loading it. She was used to the Cranks, Jade had killed multiple every day... though she had to be safe.

She placed her rucksack on her back, pulled up her scarf over her nose and mouth, and crept outside into the dark mall. She hid behind a pillar, watching as shadows moved and voices whispered in the distance- these weren't Cranks. She watched them from a distance, as they packed their bags with abandoned clothes and food.

Jade took a breath, before storming towards them with a loaded gun. She ordered quietly, "Put it down."

"Whoa, okay." A blonde boy spoke calmly, as him and his three friends put down the supplies they were holding.

Jade looked at a brunette girl, her eyes travelled towards her hand which was slowly reaching towards her pocket. Jade aimed the gun at her, "Put it down!"

The boy looked at the brunette girl beside him, before muttering, "Just put the gun away, Piper."

"Pass me your bags." Jade insisted, keeping her gun pointed at the four of them.

One of the girls, Piper, kicked her bag sassily towards her, before the rest of the teenagers passed their two bags over. Jade insisted, "What are you doing here?"

"The better question is, what are you doing here?" Piper retorted.

"Last time I checked, I'm the one holding a gun, Princess." Jade pulled down her scarf which revealed her mouth, "Now, tell me who you are and what you're doing here, or I'll just shoot you and let the Cranks eat what remains."

"We just escaped WCKD." The blonde boy informed quickly, "I'm Newt, this is Frypan, Teresa, and Piper."

"Property of WCKD." Jade repeated, "Is there any others here?"

"Four others." Newt explained, "Look, we're just here to get supplies. We're looking for, uh, the Mountain people."

"The mountain people?" Jade smirked.

"What's so funny?" Piper snapped, "Have you seen them or not?"

"Seen them? Kid, I am one of 'em." Jade shot back.

"Well, can you take us to them?" Frypan questioned curiously, "We don't know where we're going."

"I can tell." Jade lowered her gun hesitantly, before kicking the bags back to the teenagers, "And, I'm not going back to the Right Arm until I find something."