Notes: Omg, I just finished reading The Death Cure and I think I may need therapy...(Spoiler Alert) I can't believe they killed Newt! I cried for a few hours and then decided that I am totally going to forget the last book ever happened. All along it was just happening in their head...yeah..all in their head... ANYWAY, in this story there is probably going to be a lot of different stuff than the original story, just because it would be boring to read everything exactly the same all over again, and I may also leave out a character or too for the same reasons. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Newt, Thomas, and Minho ran to the box where all of the Gladers were gathering. Newt stopped in his tracks as he saw Alby, and Thomas put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Hesitantly Newt stepped forward and pried the box open alongside Alby. Everybody fell silent and Thomas held his breath waiting for confirmation to his suspicions.
"No way," Alby muttered.
Everybody began asking questions at once and pushed forward to try and get a better look. Thomas was struck with a severe case of dejavu.
Alby stood up. "Two Newbies in two days. He said quietly. "Now this. Two years, nothing different, now this." Then he looked at Thomas. "What's going on here Greenie?"
Thomas felt his chest tighten, looking at the boy. The only thing he could think of was of that horrible moment when the Grievers tore his body apart, with nothing they could do but watch in silent horror. Thomas looked at Newt.
"We need to call a gathering. Now."
As the group of Gladers pulled Teresa out and called over the medjacks, Minho pulled Newt and Thomas off to the side where they could speak without the ruckus.
"What do you think is going on here? Most of these people are supposed to be dead! Do you think we somehow got sent back to the past or something?" Thomas questioned rapidly.
Minho shook his head. "Those Shuck scientists can do a lot but their technology isn't quite that advanced."
Newt nodded in agreement with Minho. "No, I think it's a matter of illusion. Either all the stuff and the trials we went through was an illusion or this is."
"But how can we tell the difference?" Questioned Thomas. "It all feels so real. And why would Wicked put us through that as an illusion and then do it all over again in real life?"
Newt shook his head. "I'm just as stumped as you are, Tommy. Maybe Wicked made us think we were going through all of that, as an illusion, just to make sure it would all go as they planned?"
"That doesn't make a shuck of sense. If we knew all the horrible stuff that was going to happen if we made those decisions, then we are obviously going to do the opposite," Minho denied.
"Then maybe thats what they were testing." Thomas suggested. "Maybe it didn't look like it was going to go as planned, so they made us think we had gone through all that so they could see what would happen and how to do it and control us better the second time. Or maybe they wanted to make sure not too many of us died, and this is how we could potentially save some of us? By doing it all over a second time with more knowledge."
Minho ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Well, I don't know about you guys but my brain hurts just trying to figure this all out. What we really need to decide is what we are going to do. We can't just wait and see what happens just because there is a chance that this is an illusion."
Newt nodded slowly. "You're right. We have no way of knowing if this is real or not and standing around guessing isn't going to help. This might be real, and those kids might be real, so illusion or not, we need to try and save them and act as if this is life or death, even if it isn't."
They all agreed. "But what are we all going to do next? Do we tell them? Should we even try to leave the maze?" Thomas asked with a furrowed brow.
"What do you mean?" Newt asked.
"Call me crazy, but I'm just thinking we might stand a better chance if we stay. If things go like we remember, then eventually the sun will disappear and the gates won't close, but just trying to escape the maze, and out there in the scorch, more of us probably died then than if we had stayed,"Explained Thomas.
"I've always hated this shuck maze, but you may be right. Nearly all of us died out there. If things are the same, then no matter how hard we try, some will most likely die here, but I think the odds are more in our favor if we stay,"Newt agreed.
"I'm all for that plan,"Minho said. "But soon our supplies and food are going to stop coming, and the plants are going to die. Then we won't have anything to eat."
"True, but if Frypan is around here somewhere we can tell him to be careful with our supplies and it will still take awhile for the plants to die. If anything it will give us time to explain everything that happened to the others and come up with a plan. I don't think the others would believe me, after all it seems like I've only been here for a day, but everybody trusts you two. If you can convince them that we are telling the truth, then I'm sure we can start trying to board up the homestead right away against the Grievers." Thomas said.
"Good that." Agreed Minho. "Okay, Newt, you go find Alby and convince him to have a gathering. I'll go get Zart and Winston. Thomas, you go try and find Frypan. See if he is around here somewhere and if he remembers us. We will all gather at the homestead in ten or so minutes."
They all agreed and began collecting people for the gathering.