Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Negotiation and Deal

Thomas could feel Jorge following him down the dark corridor.There was a strong musty smell everywhere.Drops of water fell from the ceiling and fell to the floor with an eerie echo. For some reason, Thomas thought of blood when he heard the sound. "Keep going," said Jorge behind his back. "There's a room with chairs down the hall. Walk softly, or everyone dies." Thomas really wanted to turn around and yell at the guy behind him: "I'm not a fool! Shut up!" But he held back and kept walking forward. The lunatic responded with a contemptuous smile. After walking quietly for a few minutes, Thomas finally touched the handle on the wooden door.To show Jorge that he still has dignity, he turned the handle and opened the door without hesitation.After entering, he didn't know what to do, it was really pitch black inside!

He felt Jorge moving near him, and there was a crash, like a heavy cloth waving in the air.A hot, blinding light appeared, and Thomas immediately shielded his eyes with his forearm.At first he could only squint his eyes, and slowly he could see everything in front of him clearly.It turned out that Jorge tore off a large piece of canvas that had been covering the window, and an intact window appeared in front of them. Except for the sunlight, there was a concrete building outside the window. "Sit down." Jorge's tone was less rude than Thomas thought.Thomas hoped it was because the demented man had finally realized that he had come to talk rationally and calmly about his predicament.

Maybe some results can be negotiated, which will benefit everyone who currently lives in this dilapidated building.Of course, the guy across from him was a lunatic, so Thomas didn't know how he'd react. There was no furniture in the room save for two small wooden chairs and a table between them, and Thomas pulled out the chair next to him and sat down.Jorge also sat down across the table, leaned forward and put his elbows on the table, interlocking his fingers.His face was expressionless, his eyes fixed on Thomas. "Say it." Thomas wished he had time to sift through all the ideas that had just crossed his mind in that big room, but he knew there was no time.

"Okay." Thomas hesitated, and just popped out such a word.That's not good.He took a deep breath and continued: "Look, I heard you talking about WICKED just now, we all know these guys, it would be great if you could talk about their situation." Jorge didn't budge. "You're the one who should be talking now, not me." He insisted on his original meaning. "Yeah, I know." Thomas moved the chair back to the table, then pushed it back, crossing his legs.He needed to calm himself down and speak calmly. "But it's hard, and I don't know what you know, so I guess I'll just have to pretend you're ignorant about the whole thing."

"I strongly recommend that you never use the word 'ignorant' to describe me again." Thomas swallowed, trying to get rid of his fear. "It's just a description." "Go on." Thomas took another deep breath. "We used to have about fifty people, and... there was a girl." When he said this, his heart was stung, "We only have eleven people now, I don't know all the details, But I'm sure WICKED is some kind of organization that did all this nasty stuff to us for some reason. We started off in a place called Glade, which was inside a stone maze , and there are creatures called ghost fire beasts all around."

He paused, trying to catch Jorge's facial reaction to the strange information, but the demented man showed neither confusion nor understanding, either. So then Thomas told him everything—what it was like inside the maze; how they escaped; how they felt safe; and how it all ended up being another step in WICKED's plan.He also told of the Ratmen, and the mission he had given them: to travel a hundred miles north as far as they could, to what he called a safe haven.He also told how they went down a long tunnel and were attacked by flying mercury balls. He told Jorge all that had happened to them, and the more he talked, the more he thought he was crazy, how could he tell him that!But he kept on talking because he didn't know what else to do now but tell what had happened to him.Of course he also hoped that WICKED was his common enemy with these demented people.

Thomas doesn't mention Teresa, which is the only one he hasn't mentioned so far. "There must be something special about us." Thomas said, trying to straighten things out, "It's impossible for them to do those things to us just because they are mean. What is the reason?" "Say your point," Jorge responded slowly, for the first time in at least ten minutes. "What do you think it is?" Thomas waited, yes, he waited for this moment, this was his only chance. "What do you think?" Jorge forced him to speak. Thomas said, "If you... could help us... I mean, if you, or some of you, could walk with us and help us get to a safe haven..."

"and then?" "Then maybe you'll be safe too..." This was the plan Thomas had been figuring out, and it had always been based on the little hope the Ratman had given them, which kept them going. "They told us we had the Flare. If we could get to a safe haven, we'd be cured. They said they had a cure. If you could help us get there, maybe you'd be healed too." Thomas Stopped and looked at Ruore sincerely. When the lunatic listened to Thomas' last words, his expression changed subtly, and Thomas knew he had succeeded.There was hope on Jorge's face, although soon, he changed into a careless expression.But Thomas saw it all.

"The antidote." Jorge repeated. "Yes, the antidote." Thomas made up his mind to spare words from now on.He has done his best. Jorge leaned back in the chair.The chair creaked and seemed to be falling apart.He folded his arms and lowered his eyebrows in thought. "What's your name?" Thomas was very surprised by Jorge's question, because he was sure he had given him his name, at least in the conversation just now, but the plot didn't go the way everyone knew. "What's your name?" Jorge asked again. "I guess you have a name, man."

"Oh, sorry, my name is Thomas." Another expression flashed across Jorge's face, this time it seemed that he knew him and was a little surprised. "Thomas, ha! Is your name Tommy, or is it Tom?" The last sentence made Thomas' heart ache, and he remembered the dream about Teresa. "No," Thomas replied quickly, "it's... Thomas." "Okay, Thomas, I have something to ask you. Does your stupid brain know what the Flare can do to a person? Do you think I look like someone with some horrible disease?" No matter how you answer this question, it seems that you will be beaten, but Thomas used the safest answer: "No."

"No? Is this an answer to two questions?" "Yes, I said no. I mean... yes, the answer to both questions is no." Jorge smiled, even though the right corner of his mouth was slightly raised, Thomas could still guess that Jorge should be enjoying the current communication. "Dude, the flare is a phase. Everyone in this city has it, so I'm not surprised you and your sissy mates have it too. Like me, it's just the beginning of the flare." stage, a veritable lunatic. I just had it a few weeks ago and tested positive at a quarantine check point. What's the use of a fucking government trying to keep those who have it from those who aren't? My life is Caught in a ravine, sent here to fight a bunch of newcomers for the building." Hearing Jorge's words, Thomas couldn't breathe a little, his throat seemed to be stuffed with a cloud of dust, and many memories of the glade flooded his mind. "My friends, the guys out there with weapons, were in the same boat as me. If you go out and walk around town, you'll know what's going on during this time. You'll find every What happened in the stage, you will find out what the past was like. Of course, these memories you will quickly forget, and we don’t even have anesthesia. Things that bring people happiness, no.” "Who brought you here?" Thomas asked, suppressing his intense curiosity about the anesthetic Jorge had mentioned. "It's WICKED, like yours, but our experience is not as unique as yours. WICKED was founded by government personnel who survived the disease, and they claimed that the city had something to do with it, that's all I know. " Thomas was surprised and puzzled, hoping that Jorge could give him an answer: "Then who is WICKED? What exactly is WICKED?" Jorge looked as puzzled as Thomas: "I told you everything I know, why are you asking me? I think the point is that you guys are special to them, and what you've been through is what they've been through." People are behind it." "Look, what I just said is the truth. We're in their pocket, but we don't know much about them. They haven't revealed any details. It seems that they are testing us, see Can we survive a blow like this without knowing anything about how things are going?" "Then how do you know they have an antidote?" Thomas tried not to sound trembling in his voice, trying to remember everything he had heard from the Rat Man. "It's the man in the white coat I told you about just now, and he told us that getting the antidote is why we must get to the safe haven." "Hmm...huh..." Jorge said vaguely, several voices sounded plausible, "How on earth are you sure they will let us follow you to find the antidote?" Thomas could only continue to pretend to be calm: "Obviously I'm not sure, but why not give it a try? If you help us get there, you'll have a chance; if you kill us, you'll have no chance , only a fool would choose the second option." Jorge gave that sympathetic smile again, followed by a burst of laughter. "You know what, Thomas, just a few minutes ago I wanted to poke your friend in the eyeball, and then the rest of you. But if you hadn't convinced me a little, I'd have to." Thomas shrugged, trying to maintain a calm expression. "All I care about is living one more day. I just want to survive in this city, and I'll think about the rest later, you know?" He tensed his body to make himself look tougher. "Know what?" Jorge asked, raising his eyes. "If poking your eyes blind can make me live until tomorrow, then I am willing to do that now. But now I need you, we all need you!" Although he said this, Thomas was not sure if he was real Dare to do that. Thomas' words actually worked. The lunatic stared at Thomas for a moment, then stretched his hand across the table and said, "Man, I think we've got a deal for a number of reasons." Thomas reached out to shake his hand.Though Thomas was relieved, he tried hard not to let Jorge see it. But if it is hot, the plot will take a sudden turn for the worse. "But there is one request, that little bastard who pushed me to the ground, I heard you call him Minho?" "What's wrong?" Thomas replied in such a low voice that his heart was pounding in his throat. "He's dead."