DISCLAIMER:

This story continues on from the ending of The Death Cure, originally by James Dashner. I do not own any characters, settings or ideas into the following story.

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ALL MAZE RUNNER BOOKS!

Welcome back to my first Fanfiction. I am hoping that the next few chapters will all be exciting and leave on a cliffhanger. I also hope that you enjoy reading this chapter just as much as I enjoy writing them. I am introducing different character's points of view to make the story more interesting and it means we can see the story through different characters eyes and find out their feelings. However, most of the chapters at the beginning will be from Thomas' Point of View.

Chapter 2 - The Truth Revealed (Thomas)

Stood, inspecting us, just like back in the train, was Ava Paige. We thought we had killed her when the Right Arm blew up the Maze. But now, here she stood, alive.

"This can't be real." Minho whispered in my ear as he made his way back to the crowd that were all now facing the Doctor. But this was real. Doctor Ava Paige was alive. Even though the Maze was blown up, maybe there was a possibility that she did survive.

"It is Minho. I am alive." Ava Paige said emotionlessly. It was almost like we were just dreaming. As if we were just stood infront of a hologram in the middle of this paradise. "Your attempt of killing me and destroying the Maze didn't work. In fact, it killed more member of the Right Arm than those of WICKED. Why won't you understand? Thomas. Aris. Both of you were helping us. Both of you knew that there was hope. We needed you. We couldn't have done this without you."

"Well no. Because we were the only ones who really mattered to you. You didn't care about all of the other kids that you used ín the Maze. They could all just have died for all you cared. We were the key to the Cure. You weren't monitoring them. You were monitoring me and Aris. And we fell for it for three years. We should have stopped you when we had the chance. Newt was right. But we weren't strong enough. You controlled us. And we couldn't fight it. No one could. Then there was Teresa. Who betrayed us. She was the only one of us that was loyal to you. The whole thing was wasted. There is still no cure for the Flare. And now there never will be."

"This is where you're mistaken. There is still hope."

"That's exactly what you said when I was send into Group B. I'll never forget that." Aris now stepped in, joining the fight. "You said there was hope. Now nearly 6 months later, you say there still is, just after all your records and research have been blown up and destroyed."

"Everything you have heard is all wrong. You only blew up one of our mazes. The Group B Maze still stands. WICKED still have control over that. We are working harder than ever to find a cure. And we are so close."

"Are you still monitoring us? You wouldn't be able to do this otherwise." I inquistited Ava Paige. She said nothing in return, just stared emotionless back at us. "We aren't in a paradise, are we? We're not free at all." I turn to face the others. "This is..."

Ava Paige inturrepted. "You are correct Thomas. Welcome to Phase Three of the trials. These are the most important trials there are now."

We all stood stunned. All except me, I'd worked it all out. We had been decived from the beginning. None of this was at all possible otherwise.

"Where are we exactly? The whole world is covered by desert wasteland. The Scorch. And we are here in the middle of a field. A paradise. You can't tell me you build a third Maze. For when we escape. You said nothing about this."

"We built this just incase these trials had to go ahead. But this isn't a Maze. It's competely different. These trials will torture you. By all means, what is left of you could die. That's why we let you go through the Scorch and bring back others that never came from WICKED in the first place. But, Brenda here, did come from WICKED. She was actually one of the first doctors here. We came up with the idea together."

"What? Is that true?" I asked as I faced Brenda.

"I've only just found out about it though." Brenda confessed. "They took my memories after WICKED was set up and they've only just given them back to me. I'm sorry Thomas. If I knew earlier, I promise I would have told you. But I didn't."

"Look. Don't worry Brenda. They controlled everyone. Ignore what she says. She's a murderer. And she'll do anything to prove that she's not."

"That's because I'm not, Thomas."

"Really. Then what's in it for us? What do we have to do it these trials? In Phase Three?"

"Simple. You have to kill each other."

"Hang on, what did that shank just say?" Minho piped up from the background.

I responded, "She says she us to kill each other. Just like that."

"Why would you do that? After everything I did to help you, this is how you repay me. If Thomas says the truth, then he helped you as well. And for this?" Brenda stood as she spoke angrily.

"If you win though, you will be heavily rewarded."

"Don't listen to her. She's trying to mess inside our heads. I worked with her for three years, I know what she's capable of." I warned Brenda and the others.

"This is different, Thomas. Some of you are not immune to the Flare. And those of you who can still catch the virus will want to be cured. So that's what you're fighting for. The Cure."

"I thought you said there was no Cure. You said that you were still working on it in the other Maze that we didn't destroy."

"I lies. I do it often."

"Well, we realise that." Minho sarcastically said.

Ignoring him, Ava Paige continued. "I try not to get people's hopes up too soon. But you left me with no choice now but to tell you. We've had the Cure for weeks now. Anyway, what do you say? Would you rather kill each other or die a painful, slow death?"

"I know you said this would be torture, but this is ridiculous. How could you just sit back and watch us kill each other after what we've been through? You know, we were right about you. You are a murderer. And you're controlling us to do your dirty work and accomplish that. Of course we won't do this. Who do you think we are? All of us are immune anyway. We'd have died ages ago if we weren't. Newt and Winston died because of the Flare already." I grunted towards Ava Paige.

"Hang on a second." Minho interrupted. Surely he won't say that he wants to kill the rest of us. "You said you have had the Cure for weeks. Does that mean..."

"...we could have saved Winston and Newt?" Frypan exclaimed.

Ava Paige said nothing. Just looked guiltily towards all of us.

"How could you?" I heavily asked, shouting. "HOW COULD YOU?"

I pushed her against a tree, grabbing her throat to suffocate her, much in the same way Minho did to Aris just moments ago.

"I could kill you, you know?" I menicingly shook her.

"If you were to kill me, you would have no way of getting out. No way of escape."

"Thomas, ignore her, she's trying to save herself."

"Don't worry Minho, this is only the start of it." I turned to face Minho as I punched Ava Paige in the stomach.

"There is still something you don't know. Something you will find worth fighting for." She said as I started to take her breathe away. "You know, someone out there, one of your friends, is still alive. But barely. They need the Cure. They need you."

"Jorge is immune." Brenda appeared at my shoulder as I let go of Ava Paige, letting her fall to the ground. "Everyone else we know is dead. I lived with Jorge for many years of my life. I treat his like he was my father. I'd be there, if he was dying. And I'm not, so he isn't dying. Everything that comes out of your mouth is fake. You expect us to believe you, after everything you've done to us?"

"You had your chance, but I guess you won't be takin it then. Fine. So be it. I'll be taking my leave then. Have fun here. Dying."

A berg started to noisily fly down towards us, picking up Ava Paige by a ladder. She hung from it as she flew into the distance.

"Don't believe anything she just said. She'd a lier. Even she said she was. We've been here before, and we're all still alive." I warned everyone again as I walked away, back to the campsite.

As I reached the campsite, I looked back to find someone following me closely. On edge, I had no clue who it was until a had pushed me back away from the camp and behind some bushes and trees, away from the view of anyone else.

"Aris!" I screamed as I fell back against a tree trunk.

"What have you done, Thomas?"

"Hang on, what? What do you mean?"

"You've done something here, haven't you. Ava Paige wouldn't do this. You're going mad. She isn't doing this because she's a murderer. She's proving you wrong. When we were working together back in the Maze, as WICKED, you said that you didn't think this would get any worse that watching people being killed. I guess the only thing worse is killing them yourself."

"Aris, you don't understand. Every time I saw someone die in the Maze, I felt guilt. It wasn't even my place to feel it. It should have been her's. She wants us to kill each other. She wants us to all be dead so that no one will stand in her way. She said that when we blew up the Maze, we killed many people from the Right Arm. We are the only people standing in her way. And she's putting an end to that."

"But..."

Aris sighed as I made his see the truth that he was trying to not believe.

"I can't go through with this." I also sighed as I sat against the tree, next to Aris. "There must be an easier way to get out of here. We don't stand a chance if we just keep on killing each other. I don't want to go back to what happened when I was helping out WICKED. People died for no reason. And now they have the Cure, they have no reason to put us through any more trials. When we worked for them, Ava Paige said nothing about a Phase Three. It was just getting through the Maze and then crossing the Scorch. That was all the research she needed to be able to find a Cure. And she lied about that, I guess. She can't have got a Cure if she is still testing us."

"What if she isn't testing us. What is she just wants to get us out of her way. She knows we won't kill each other, and if there is no other way out of here, then we are stuck here, and she can continue with releasing the Cure. You said that we were the only people standing in her way. Well, we aren't now, are we? We can't get out of here until there is only one of us left."

"Hang on, there is another way." I exclaimed as I jumped up to face Aris.

"How? How else can we get out of here?"

"How did the berg get in here? You can't tell me that it just says here the whole time. This has the same problems as the Maze. There is no roof. We can just climb out and be free. Genius."

"Try telling that to the others. Minho seems to be the type who likes a fight. He won't do that. We watched him for years in the Maze. You know what he's like. He forced George back down the Box hole. Just to find that it was trapped."

"Well, that wasn't his fault. He was a runner. Someone who ran the Maze, trying to find a way out. He couldn't find any way out until I went up there myself. He would have done anything. They all thought they were in a prison. That they were trapped. He and Newt came up with the idea. As soon as I found out, I tried to control them to stop them. I knew that Ava Paige had put a trap there when she built the Glade. It didn't work. It was someone else who had died because of her. She will just keep on killing people until she dies herself. And if I get out of here someday, it won't be long before she is dead."

"I thought you said that you would feel too guilty if you killed someone."

"That doesn't apply to everyone. We all have those people who we just wish we could kill. And we would feel nothing towards at all. Originally that was Gally. Until I came back out of the Maze. Then it was Ava Paige. It has always been since then. I think quite a few people would agree with me there."

"That's because you're too forceful towards them. You don't like it if anything doesn't go your way. I knew you when we worked together in the Maze. You were near enough my only friend there. The only person who I could talk to."

"You know Aris, I've been thinking..."

"So have I." Minho naturally said as he stroll around a corner, into sight, facing us. "I've beeen thinking that maybe she was actually telling the truth. She's made you think that she's lying from your history. I think we will have to kill each other if we want to find out the truth."

"What are you trying to say, Minho?" Aris asked causiously.

"How else will we know? We a stuck here for the rest of our lives otherwise. I want to know the truth. And, to be honest, I will kill all of you to be able to find it out."

Thanks for reading Chapter 2 of my fanfiction. I am really pleased with it so far, but from now on will probably post every week. I know it is early, but I will not be able to publish until next week, so have an amazing Christmas, and if you don't celebrate it, then have a great time waiting for Chapter 3. I'm hoping to publish the next chapter on either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, but keep an eye out on my profile for any updates. Please leave a review or message me with any ideas you would like to see in the future. Thanks.