They drive for more than an hour, passing through ruined towns and cities, filled with people wearing tattered clothes and with sores on their faces. These people rush the bus as if trying to get on, but the driver just moves on at dangerous speeds. Thomas asks the woman sitting across from them what is going on. The woman looks at him and Teresa and says that it will take a while for them to get their memories back, if they ever do. She says that they are not scientists, so they do not know exactly what was done to the Gladers. She then explains that everything started with natural sun flares that could not have been predicted. By the time people noticed them, it was far too late. The sun flares burned out satellites and then scorched large portions of the earth, killing millions instantly. After this environmental disaster, a disease now known as the Flare began affecting people. It was impossible to keep it isolated to South America, and now only the richest people can afford treatment. She tells them that the Gladers are just one group among thousands of orphaned kids who were tested in an effort to see if they could help beat the Flare.