The Scorch Trials Chapter 18 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • The boys all prepare for a nice little scuffle with the two figures. The two figures stop about a dozen feet in front of the boys; there's a man and a woman.
  • After a few futile attempts at asking who these people are, the woman responds that they're Cranks.
  • Oh, goodie goodie gumdrops.
  • The Cranks came to see if the boys had the Flare, and they're wondering how they got in the Scorch.
  • The Scorch must be another word for the area they're in.
  • The Cranks ignore all of the boys' questions. Then tell the boys that not all of the Cranks are gone, but not all of them are past the Gone.
  • So now "Gone" has been capitalized, making it into a noun. Just as happened with the Maze, slap a capital letter on it, and you've got a whole new meaning.
  • The Cranks then say that they'll all have the Flare soon, and so will the other group. You know, the ones that are supposed to kill the boys.
  • Ooh, nice—not only will the Flare kill the boys, but Group B will, too—assuming that the Cranks are referencing Group B.
  • The Cranks then leave, and the boys decide they need to follow them. What else are they going to do?
  • It turns to nighttime, and things get a little less hot and a little more comfortable. Looks like the Gladers are on their way to Crankville.