Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Strange Connections

An eerie silence fell over the glade, as if a ghostly wind had blown through it, taking away all sound.Newt read the note aloud for those who couldn't see it.However, this did not lead to chaos and noise, and everyone was dumbfounded. Thomas expected to hear shouts, to hear countless questions and arguments.However, no one spoke, and all eyes were on the girl.She lay there as if asleep, her chest heaving and falling, and she was breathing shallowly.Contrary to what everyone initially thought, she was still alive. Newt stood up, and Thomas wanted an explanation, a voice of reason, a gesture of reassurance.However, he just rolled up the note and squeezed it into a ball, the blood vessels on the skin burst out, Thomas' heart sank, and for some reason, this situation made him feel extremely disturbed.

Alby put her hands around her mouth: "Medical workers!" Thomas doesn't understand what he's talking about, but he's heard the word before, and he's suddenly knocked aside.Two older boys squeezed through the crowd, one tall, with a crew cut, and a nose the size of a large lemon;Thomas could only hope they had a way to explain it all. "What are we going to do with her?" asked the tall man, his voice louder than Thomas had expected. "How do I know?" said Alby. "You two Shenks are the paramedics—something." Medical workers, Thomas repeated these words in his heart, and suddenly realized that they must be similar to doctors here.The short man had knelt down beside the girl, felt for the pulse, and bent over to listen to her heartbeat.

"Who said Clint could touch her first?" someone yelled from the crowd, followed by a few noises and laughter, "I'm next!" How could they still joke like this?The girl was half dead, Thomas thought.He was disgusted from the bottom of his heart. Alby squinted her eyes and wore a nervous smile that seemed to have nothing to do with humor. "Anyone who touches this girl," said Alby, "sleep in the maze at night with the Griever. Expulsion, no discussion." He paused, turning slowly in a circle, as if Wanting everyone to see his expression clearly, "No one is allowed to touch her! Anyone!"

It was the first time Thomas liked to say something out of Alby's mouth. The short Clint, who was called a medical worker—if the person just said his name correctly, stood up after the examination. "She's all right. She's breathing normally and her heart is beating normally, though a little slow. Your guesses are the same as mine, but I'd say she's in a coma. Jeff, we've got to take her to the big house." His partner, Jeff, came up and grabbed her arms, and Clint grabbed her legs.Thomas wished he could do more than just watch—every second he doubted more and more what Alby had said was true.She did have a certain deja vu, and he seemed to feel some kind of connection with her, although he couldn't decipher it in his mind, and the thought made him nervous.He looked around as if someone could hear his doubts.

"Count to three," said the tall paramedic, tall and comically stooped like a praying mantis, "one-two-three!" With an effort, they lifted her up, but nearly threw her into the air—she must be much lighter than they thought.Thomas almost cried out, telling them to be careful. "Looks like we'll have to watch her for a while," Jeff seemed to be talking to himself. "If she doesn't wake up soon, we can give her some liquid food." Thomas' stomach tightened. He knew that he must have some kind of connection with this girl.They had arrived on two consecutive days; she looked familiar; despite all the horrors he had learned, he still had a strong desire to become a walker... What did all this mean?

Alby bent down and took another look at her face before they carried her away. "Put her next door to Ben, and have someone take care of her day and night. It's best not to do anything to her until you get my permission. Whether she's talking in her sleep or doing anything—you've got to report to me." "Yes." Jeff muttered, and Clint walked towards the big house together.As they walked, the girl's body was turned back and forth.Others finally started talking about it, and slowly dispersed, and various stories began to spread among the crowd. Thomas watched all this, lost in thought.He wasn't the only one who felt the strange connection.The unabashed accusation leveled at him a few minutes earlier proved that others suspected something too, but what exactly?He's completely bewildered - being blamed will only make him feel worse.As if reading his mind, Alby came over and held his shoulder.

"You really never met her?" he asked. Thomas hesitated before answering, "No... no, I don't remember seeing her." He hoped his trembling voice didn't betray his doubts.What if he had really known her before?What does that say? "Are you sure?" Newt pressed, standing behind Alby. "I... no, I don't think so. Why are you questioning me like that?" For a moment Thomas just wished that night would fall sooner, so he could be alone and go to bed. Alby shook his head, let go of Thomas' shoulders, and turned to Newt and said, "Everything is messed up, call a council meeting."

He spoke in such a low voice that Thomas thought no one else could hear him, but there was something foreboding about his tone.Afterwards, the leader walked away with Newt.To Thomas' relief, Chuck walked over to him. "Chuck, what's a council?" Chuck was proud of himself for knowing the answer. "That's where the guardians meet together—they only call when something weird or scary happens." "Oh, I guess today's situation fits both of these points." Thomas' stomach rumbled, interrupting his thoughts, "I didn't finish breakfast just now, can I get something to eat? I'm hungry died."

Chuck looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "Does seeing that chick make you hungry? You must be more neurotic than I thought." Thomas sighed: "Just find me something to eat." The kitchen is small but has everything needed to prepare a tasty meal.A large stove, a microwave, a dishwasher, and two tables.The kitchen looks a bit old and rundown, but clean.Seeing the appliances and the familiar layout, Thomas felt his memory—a real, definitive memory—coming forth.But as always, the most basic parts are still missing - names, looks, places, events.It's almost maddening. "Sit down," Chuck said, "I'll get you something to eat, but I swear it's the last time. Luckily Frypan isn't here—he'll be annoyed when we rob his fridge."

Thomas was glad no one else was here, and Chuck dug some plates and food out of the refrigerator, and Thomas dragged a chair from a small plastic table and sat down. "It's crazy, how can this be true? Someone sent us here, an evil person." Chuck paused and said, "Stop complaining, accept reality, and stop thinking about it." "Yeah, that's right." Thomas looked out the window, and it seemed like an opportune time to ask the endless question that was on his mind, "Where does the electricity here come from?" "What the hell! I'll gladly take it."

What a surprise, Thomas thought, no answer. Chuck came to the table with two trays containing some sandwiches and carrots.The bread was thick and white, and the orange-yellow carrots were shiny and attractive.Thomas' stomach begged him to act quickly, and he picked up the sandwich and began to gobble it up. "Oh man," he muttered with a mouthful of food, "at least it's good." Without another word to Chuck, Thomas can eat what's on the plate.Fortunately, Chuck didn't want to talk.In Thomas' incomplete memory, although he had just experienced so many strange events, he returned to calm.He filled his stomach, replenished his energy, and got a moment of peace in his mind. From this moment on, he decided to stop complaining and start solving the problem. After taking his last bite, Thomas leaned back in his chair. "So Chuck," he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin, "what do I have to do to become a walker?" "Forget it." Chuck looked up from his plate, picking among the crumbs.He hiccups low, startling Thomas. "Alby said that I will soon start trying with different guardians, so when will I have the chance to become a walker?" Thomas waited patiently, hoping to get some tangible information from Chuck. Chuck gave him an exaggerated look, making no secret of what a stupid idea he thought it was. "They'll be back in a few hours, why don't you just ask them?" Thomas ignored his sneer and continued to ask: "What are they doing every night when they come back? What's in that concrete house?" "Map, we'll meet right after they come back, before they forget it." map?Thomas was confused. "But if they plan to draw a map, don't they have paper, can they draw it directly outside?" Map.Of all the news he had heard during this time, this one interested him the most. It was the first clue that might bring a solution to their predicament. "Of course they do, but they have other things to discuss, to analyze and so on. Besides," the boy rolled his eyes, "they spend most of their time running, not writing, that's why they're called Walker." Thomas thought about the walker and the map. The maze is really so big. After two years, they still haven't found the exit?This seems unlikely.But, he remembered Alby had said that those walls would move.Were they all condemned to live here all their lives until they died? Judgment, the word terrified him, and the blaze of hope he had just found at dinner died out with a peaceful hiss. "Chuck, what if we're all criminals? I mean—we're all murderers or something?" "Huh?" Chuck looked up like he was crazy, "Where did such a ridiculous idea come from?" "When you think about it, we've all had our memories wiped and forced to live in a place with seemingly no exit, surrounded by vicious Griever guards. Doesn't that sound like a prison?" he said out loud. A few words later, the possibility seemed more and more serious, and a feeling of nausea took possession of his chest. "I might be twelve, man," Chuck pointed to his chest. "Thirteen at the most. Do you really think I'll do enough to spend the rest of my life in jail?" "I don't care what you did or didn't do. Either way, you've been sent to prison. Does this place feel like a vacation to you?" Oh my God, Thomas thought, I hope I'm wrong up. Chuck thought for a while. "I don't know, compared to..." "Yeah, I know, better than living in a pile of junk." Thomas stood up and pushed the chair back under the table.He likes Chuck, but trying to have a rational conversation with him is next to impossible and can only be described as frustrating and irritating. "Make yourself another sandwich—I'll hang around, see you tonight." He walked out of the kitchen and into the courtyard before Chuck offered to go with him.The Glade is back to normal—people are going about their business, the teleporter boxes are closed, and the sun is shining on everything.Mad girl brings doom note as if it never happened. The itinerary of the visit was forced to be shortened, and he decided to walk in the glade by himself to take a closer look and feel the place.As he headed toward the northeast corner, rows of towering green cornstalks looked ready to be harvested.There were other things growing here, too: potatoes, lettuce, peas, and many other crops that Thomas didn't recognize. He took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh smell of soil and crops.He was pretty sure the smell would bring back some pleasant memories, but nothing came.As he got closer, he saw some boys weeding and picking in a small field.One waved at him with a smile on his face—a real smile. Maybe this place isn't that bad, Thomas thought, and not everyone is such a jerk.He took another deep breath of refreshing air to free himself from the clutter of his thoughts—there was a lot he'd like to see. Next came the southeast corner, where some cows, goats, sheep and pigs lived in dilapidated wooden pens, but no horses.Too bad, Thomas thought, riders are definitely faster than walkers.As he got closer, he felt that he must have worked with animals before he came to the glade.Their smells, their sounds, were all so familiar to him. The smell here was not as good as in the crop fields, but it was much better than he had imagined.As he observed the area, he felt more and more that people managed it in an orderly, clean and tidy manner.He marveled at their organizational skills and admired their hard work.He could imagine how horrible this place would be if everyone was lazy and stupid. Finally, he reached the southwest corner, near the woods. He approached a sparse, leafless grove, behind which was a more lush one.Suddenly something vague flashed past his feet, followed by a rapid clicking sound.Startled, he looked down just in time to see the sunlight bouncing off something metallic—a toy mouse—scurrying past him and into the woods.By the time he realized it wasn't a mouse, it was already ten feet away—it was more like a lizard, with at least six legs, and a slender silver body sprinting. Blade Beetle.That's how they spy on us.Alby said. He saw a red light sweep across the thing's face, which seemed to emanate from its eyes.Logic told him that his mind must be deceiving him, but he swore he saw "WICKED" (short for "World in Catasstropke, killzone Experiment Department" written in big green letters on its rounded back, It means "disaster world, killing zone experimental headquarters", referred to as "disaster headquarters" - translator's note) a few letters.It was so weird, he had to find out. Thomas chased after the fast-running spy. In just a few seconds, he had already run into the thick bushes, and his surroundings dimmed instantly.