Back in December, I got the opportunity to visit the set of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the sequel, the Gladers have made their way out of the Maze, but they’re still not in the clear. WCKD is up to something and in order to find out what the mysterious organization has planned for them, the Gladers must make their way through the Scorch, a burnt landscape overrun with infected individuals known as Cranks.

Along the way, some of the characters wind up at a party of sorts and that’s what director Wes Ball and his team were busy shooting when we arrived at Gertrude Zachary’s castle located right in the heart of the city. The first shot focused on Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and Brenda (Rosa Salazar). It was clear that their drinks had been spiked, but Thomas still desperately tries to find his friends while Brenda tries to convince him to, “Just relax. Just let go.” He does, they kiss, but then he looks at her and says, “You’re not her.” Meaning she’s not Teresa (Kaya Scodelario). Ouch.

It’s a pretty intense moment, but when O’Brien took a quick break to talk to us, he was in very good spirits, per usual. During our on-set roundtable he talked about on-screen kissing, the unique love triangle that forms between Thomas, Teresa and Brenda, if there’s more pressure to hit it big with the sequel than the first film, the cast’s Mario Kart skills and more. You can read about it all in this set visit interview.

And in case you missed it, you can also check out the latest Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials trailer below. The film is due in theaters on September 18th and also stars Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Giancarlo Esposito.