Though Minho allows the Gladers to sleep for almost four hours, in the relentless heat, not many of them are able to find rest. The two things keeping Thomas going at this point are sheer curiosity about what they might find in the city and the fact that Teresa is still alive, and might have reached the city before them. As they set out, the Gladers realize that they do not have the energy to run in the heat, even if they wanted to. As they walk, Thomas notes that the buildings seem to move closer and closer to them, as if they are alive. He wonders how the people living in the town are able to survive in such impossible conditions. Though the Gladers are probably better off going around the city, Thomas also knows that they have no choice but to enter the city and look for provisions.

When the Gladers finally stop for the night and rest, Thomas has another dream. In this dream, he is ten or eleven years old, and is sitting with Teresa. Teresa tells Thomas that he needs to try harder, that if they “can’t do this,” they will probably both be killed.