A/N: Here it is guys. The end of the Maze Trials, enjoy!
Month twenty-four of Maze Trials
Whenever anyone was sent into the Maze, those first few days were tough. Confusion. Fear. They were overwhelming when a person couldn't remember themselves. The other Gladers were always empathetic towards the Greenies and when Chuck, tears pouring from his bloodshot eyes, emerged from the Box, everyone's hearts broke. The idea that someone so young and vulnerable could have been sent into a place like the Maze, was horrific.
Everyone made a lot of effort with Chuck, each feeling the urge to protect him. Fortunately, he seemed to have adjusted swiftly to his new life- at least, he had during the day when around the other Gladers. When night came however, Chuck would lie in his hammock, and his worries would be let loose in his head. He didn't sob anymore, he didn't want to seem pathetic in front of his new friends. Instead, silent tears would roll down his cheeks and he'd clamp his eyes shut.
Thomas wanted to know exactly what Chuck was thinking at times like those. He wanted to be able to tell Chuck that everything was going to be okay. That he had a plan.
It had been approved yesterday by Dr Paige- the elites would be sent into the Mazes. The details were yet to be discussed but they had a meeting scheduled later today. Thomas wasn't too fussed on the specifics as long as one thing was permitted: that each of the elites would keep their memories. It was the key to his plan- the key to breaking the Gladers out of the Maze.
Thomas and Teresa were still debating whether to tell Aris and Rachel. Ruth, however, Thomas was adamant that she should be told. He highly doubted that she would be allowed to go into the Maze. Ruth was viewed by WICKED as too much of a risk, but he wanted to give her some hope to cling onto, and that's what his plan was. Hope.
Opening the door to where Ruth was being kept, he saw videos of the Glade filling the walls. Currently they were focused on a group of Gladers sprawled across the grass. Newt and Minho were lying on their backs, staring up at the stars. Chuck was slouched against a tree, an empty bowl in his lap. Alby and Leo were sat on a log, drawing pictures in the dirt with sticks. The group was talking amongst themselves, making stupid jokes and snorting at each other. They all seemed so happy, as if they were ordinary boys without a care in the world.
It made Thomas angry that WICKED were doing this to Ruth. Most of what they showed her was Newt when he was upset- reminding Ruth of what she had supposedly done; or Gladers getting stung by Grievers- a warning that WICKED still had the power to do what they wanted unless Ruth cooperated. Occasionally, WICKED would show Ruth moments like these, where her friends were happy, but they didn't show her this to soothe or reassure her. No. The only purpose of this was to tempt her, to make her realise that the pain of the Gladers could go away if she told them what she knew.
Thomas knew it was a lie. The horrors that the Gladers experienced didn't happen because Ruth had integrity, they happened because WICKED needed variables. Ruth giving in wouldn't stop Gladers dying in the Maze, wouldn't make the Gladers suddenly be okay with being trapped, and Thomas was relieved that Ruth was as stubborn as she was. He could tell however, that she was struggling to resist, which is why he needed her to know that there was another option.
The screens went blank and she glanced up at him, a softness in her eyes after seeing her friends enjoying themselves. Thomas sat beside her and kept very still. He counted two minutes and hoped that Ruth would catch on to what he was doing. Luckily, she didn't say a word, nor did she turn to face him.
"I think we're okay now," Thomas said. Teresa had hacked into the camera feed and the past two minutes would be played on loop, allowing Thomas to disclose the plan to Ruth without WICKED finding out.
As Thomas told her, Ruth knew she wasn't reacting the way he had expected. Whether he was waiting for doubt or relief, a thousand questions or celebration, she wasn't entirely sure, though she could tell he wasn't expecting such a lack of reaction. His words must've seemed to bounce off her, when in reality they were reverberating inside her head. Her mind cast back to a meeting she'd had with Chancellor Anderson and Dr Paige so long ago. They'd said that they planned for the elites to go into the Maze but they hadn't divulged the information with them yet. Thomas's plan wasn't his plan. It was what WICKED wanted, that's why they had been so quick to agree. As for the Swipe, Ruth knew there was no way they would be going into the Maze with their memories intact. Although Thomas hadn't rebelled in the way Ruth had, it was clear that he disliked WICKED's way of doing things and the corporation couldn't allow a liability into the Maze. They hated not being in complete control as they had made very clear with Ruth.
Yet she couldn't bring herself to tell Thomas this. If he knew that she'd been told this years ago it would only give him another reason to hate her, and as selfish as it was, Ruth didn't want to lose him. Besides, a small part of her wanted to believe the plan would work, the Right Arm was taking too long, and Dr Buren didn't have any sort of backup plan. Even if the ploy failed, the idea of Thomas being in the Maze with Newt comforted her. They wouldn't remember each other but Ruth knew that wouldn't stop them becoming friends all over again. Deep down, they were still the same people.
Month twenty-five of Maze Trials
Ruth recognised the sharp footsteps of Dr Paige immediately and intentionally didn't turn around to face her.
"Where's Thomas?" She hadn't seen Thomas since he had told her about his plan. He'd undoubtedly be busy preparing, but she knew he would've said goodbye before he went into the Maze. At least, he would've if he could, and Dr Paige's visit only made Ruth more suspicious that something had already gone wrong.
"He's been sent up into the Maze." Dr Paige confirmed. "He was going to come and see you-"
"Then why didn't he!" Ruth couldn't let on that she already knew about Thomas going into the Maze. WICKED knew he had come to see her, but they just thought that the pair had sat in silence, as they often did because Thomas knew that no words could ever make everything okay.
"You know we take all this very seriously Ruth, we can't afford to have you mess it up anymore."
"Oh my god." Ruth gasped. "He thought he was going to keep his memories, didn't he?" Dr Paige didn't answer. "You lied to him, you were always going to wipe his memories, regardless of what you told him. You didn't want him to tell me about it because you were worried I'd tell him the truth." She snapped. "Just tell me one thing," she paused. "Why even humour his idea of keeping his memories?"
"We've studied Thomas for years, his brain patterns, the chemical reactions in his body… but more importantly, we've known Thomas. We know what he's like as a person and we know how he'd do anything to help his friends." Dr Paige replied, and Ruth swore the woman sounded… regretful?
"Was he kicking and screaming when you strapped him to the prep table?" Ruth spat, trying to get a rise out of her.
"I put sedatives in his tea." Dr Paige's honesty caught Ruth off guard, and she turned to face her. The doctor's eyes were glossy. "None of us enjoy doing this Ruth, but we have to. I've come to see Thomas like a son. It was bad enough seeing the betrayal in his eyes when he realised what I'd done." Ruth shook her head.
"You had a choice." She said. "You chose wrong."
"Run!" Sonya screamed as a Griever thundered around the corner. No need to be told twice, Group B sprinted through the Maze, desperate to stay ahead of the metal beast.
Ruth couldn't tear her eyes from the screen as she watched. The camera feed flitted between beetle blades, the view shaking as they scuttled along the walls. The group had finally cracked the code to escape the Maze, and now, the only problem they faced was surviving the journey to the Griever hatch. The majority had never stepped foot out of the Glade and it was evident how terrified they were. Ruth spotted Beth, clutching at Ros's hand, so that the young blonde wouldn't fall behind. Beth was panting heavily, sweat beading on her skin. Ros kept rubbing at her eyes, trying to clear her vision.
No one had realised that the Griever behind them had disappeared.
As they reached the next junction, the Runners leading the group turned left, only for the Griever burst from that corridor, causing everyone to shriek and scatter in all directions. Ros's hand slipped from her grasp and Beth whipped her head around, trying to spot where the small girl had gone.
"Ros!" Her cry received no answer amongst the commotion.
"Beth!" Beth's head snapped towards the voice to see Mary urging her to follow. "This way!" Ruth had never been more relieved that Mary and Beth were so close. Being a Runner, Mary knew every path of the Maze inside out. She would know the fastest way to get to the Griever Hatch and would make sure Beth got there safely.
Beth shook her head. "I lost Ros!" Mary ran to her, lacing their fingers together and tugging her along.
"She's with Miyoko, we have to go!"
As much as Beth hated not having Ros with her, where she could see she was safe, she knew there was no time to search for her and Miyoko. They had to get to the Griever Hatch before the Grievers blocked it off.
The pair tore through the Maze, each clutching the other's hand like a lifeline. Darting down passage after passage, Beth was baffled by how Mary managed to keep track of where they were; her own thoughts were a muddled mess. Without warning, the redhead skidded to a halt, yanking Beth to a standstill. Slowly, Mary turned around, looking upwards. Her face paled.
The clinking of metal could be heard, and Beth stiffened, terrified to follow Mary's gaze. It was getting closer. What were they supposed to do? They couldn't just stand there but she didn't know where to go. Mary did but she still hadn't moved. Holding her breath, Beth looked up, regretting it instantly.
Four Grievers clung to the vines above them, waiting. Beth's eyes darted in different directions, calculating if they'd be able to make a run for it without the Grievers catching up. It seemed painfully unlikely. Oh God. Tears pricked her eyes. This was it. This was actually the end. She could feel herself shaking and she wanted to cry out. How could it be over, after everything she'd gone through. Over two years spent trapped in the Glade, and just when freedom was within her reach, it was gone. She would never know what was beyond the walls. The world she had forgotten entirely… she'd never see the places it held, the people that lived there. She'd never know the person she once was, would never find out where she lived or be reunited with the family that she hoped she had.
She would never know.
Abruptly, the Grievers lurched into motion and Mary knocked Beth backwards towards the wall. Expecting her back to collide with rough stone, Beth was surprised when she tumbled through a layer of vines, into a hidden crevice. Mary followed after her, pushing Beth as far back as they could go. Beth was trembling as the whirr of the Griever grew closer. They crashed into the web of green and Ruth wanted to cry with relief as their limbs got tangled, preventing them from getting through. Not only that, but the crevice was narrow enough so that even if they cut away the ivy, their bulbous bodies wouldn't be able to squeeze into the gap.
It was then that she realised she was pressed flush against Mary. Her cheeks grew hot and Beth hoped that if Mary did notice in the dim lighting, that she'd put it down to the running.
"What do we do now?" Beth whispered, aware of how they were trapped there. Mary bit her lip.
"I don't know," she spoke softly, her breath fanning across Beth's face. "I really don't know."
They stood there in silence, listening to the shrieks of the Grievers a few feet from them. Beth knew she should have been terrified, she had been a moment before, but in that endless instant, she couldn't find it in herself to be afraid. A great sense of calm washed over her. Acceptance. She took hold of Mary's hand and squeezed it. This might be the end of the line, but Beth didn't care. She didn't need to know about her past, she liked who she was now. She didn't need to meet the people she'd known before the Maze. They knew and loved the girl she had once been, the person she was now would be a stranger to them. Beth had her friends, the people she'd grown to love over her time in the Glade. They were all she needed.
If these were her last moments, she'd damn well make them count for something.
"Mary," she paused, plucking up the courage. "I-"
"Shh," Mary pressed a finger to Beth's lips, listening intently to something. Trying to ignore her thrumming heartbeat, Beth noticed what had caught Mary's attention. The Grievers had gone quiet. "I think they're gone."
Releasing Beth's hand, Mary crept to the vines, peering between the gaps.
"Are they there?"
"I can't see them," Mary finally said, stepping away from the entrance. "We should go before they come back."
"You're sure?" The fear was creeping back now, and the crack in Beth's voice gave her away. Mary drew her into a hug.
"It'll be fine." She drew back, her hands planted firmly on Beth's shoulders. "I promise." Beth nodded mutely, indecision raging in her mind. Then Mary turned back to the ivy and Beth cursed herself. "You ready?"
Beth let out a shaking breath. "Yes." Mary cracked a grin at her.
"Good." Grabbing Beth's hand, she dragged the girl out from their hiding place. Immediately the pair bolted into a sprint. No sound could be heard other than their heavy breaths and smack of their feet against the concrete, and Beth really thought that the Grievers were gone, that they had a chance.
Their luck turned south when they turned the final corner. The black abyss of the Griever hatch was in sight, there was only one small problem.
A griever blocked their path.
They jerked to a stop and watched as the Griever moved steadily towards them.
Ruth watched on the cameras, feeling utterly helpless as the monster approached her sister. Her nails dug into her palms as she silently begged them to run. It didn't matter where, they just had to keep moving, they couldn't just give up. They couldn't.
Mary began to scan the ground, searching for something. Spotting a rock the size of her fist, she grabbed it. Beth looked at her perplexed.
"I have an idea." She explained. "You have to trust me, okay?" Beth considered her friend warily, unsure of what it was she was planning. "I'll distract it, get it to follow me. You run straight to the Griever hatch and don't wait for me to get back."
Beth's eyes bulged. "Don't be mad!" She hissed. "I'm not letting you run around by yourself with a Griever behind you!"
"Beth," Mary wrapped her hands around one of Beth's. "Look, I know the Maze, I've ran through here nearly every day for the past two years. I'll be fine, but if you don't take this chance, I can't promise you'll get another."
Beth knew that Mary was making sense she found that unbearably frustrating- she didn't want to have to take this gamble on Mary's life. The redhead's words replayed in Beth's mind, only this time they took on a different meaning.
Beth cupped Mary's cheek and before she could doubt herself, she pressed their lips together. Fluttering nerves quickly transformed into flares igniting in her chest. She smiled as Mary returned the kiss, her arms looping around Beth's neck.
It was brief, but to Beth it was perfect.
"I'll see you soon." Was all that Mary said before stepping backward. She adjusted her grip on the rock in her hand, waiting till the Griever was close enough then brought her arm over her head. The rock clanged against the Griever's head, causing it to shriek as it whipped its head to the source, giving Mary its undivided attention.
It stalked towards her, opening up a gap for Beth to slip through. Mary kept her eyes on the Griever as she slowly backed up. A strangled hiss emerged from the creature as it lunged towards Mary.
"Now Beth!" She yelled as she spun on her heel and legged it down the corridor. Beth knew she couldn't let Mary's plan be for nothing, so she listened to the girl's command and fled to the safety of the Griever hatch, plummeting into the abyss. Ruth cried with relief. She had made it. Beth was safe. She was safe.
Hitting the concrete floor of a small white room, Beth was greeted by the few other Gladers that had made it. Each of them exhausted, trauma swirling in their eyes.
"Beth!" A high-pitched voice shouted. Ros barrelled into Beth's arms and the older girl instinctively wrapped her arms around the girl's smaller frame. Ros realised something and pulled back with a start. "Where's Mary?" She looked around worriedly, trying to spot her friend.
"She's on her way," Beth assured her. "She'll be here."
"Hey," Beth glanced up to see Sonya, the same question Ros had swimming in her eyes. Beth looked at her blankly, giving her the answer she needed. Sonya's frown was swiftly covered by a smile as she looked down at Ros.
"We're just waiting for everyone, then we'll head out. Bet you're itching to get out of here, right?" Sonya beamed, trying to distract the young girl from her worrying.
Gradually more Gladers arrived, but still there was no sign of Mary. The room was quiet, everyone both anxious for their friends' safety and worried about how they were putting their own at risk the longer they waited. Beth and Sonya sat with Ros wedged between them. The young girl's head rested on Beth's shoulder and Sonya traced soothing patterns on the back of Ros's hand. Fatigue was starting to set in, everyone mentally and physically exhausted by the escape. Beth couldn't stop worrying about Mary. She knew the likelihood of her arriving decreased with every second, but she was terrified of even contemplating that outcome. She wasn't ready to lose her.
There was a grunt as Rachel dropped into the room. Aris rushed to her side, helping her to her feet.
Watching the tired scene, Ruth noticed something in that moment. A shift in Beth. Her face took on a vacant expression, as if no one was home. Slowly, Beth stood up. Forced to move her head, Ros glanced up in confusion. Beth offered no explanation, she didn't even look at Ros or Sonya. Her gaze was fixed on Aris and Rachel. Then, she marched forwards, her mouth twisting into a grimace.
"This is all your fault!" She snarled. Everyone's head whipped towards the commotion, but no one realised the danger Rachel was in. Why would they? How were they supposed to know what Beth would do?
With a cry, Beth leapt onto Rachel, the pair of them striking the floor. People dove towards the brawl, but no one was fast enough. Eyes wide and manic, Beth ripped the knife from her belt.
"No!" Ruth screamed, lunging forward as if she could stop it.
But she couldn't, and so Ruth watched helplessly as Beth plunged the knife into Rachel's chest.
Rachel's breathless whimpers were drowned out by the yells of the other Gladers as they hurried to drag Beth off Rachel, but Beth didn't want to move. She clawed at Rachel's throat, trying to strangle the whispers of life she had left.
"It's your fault! All your fault! You put us here! You did this!"
Then there was a thud, and Beth's lifeless body collapsed to the floor.
Miyoko's knife protruding from her back.
The screens went black, and silence beat in Ruth's ears. Her eyes glossed over, her bottom lip quivered, then from her burst an agonizing scream. She screamed to everyone and no one. No coherent thoughts strung together in her mind, all there was, was pain. Pain. Icy pain that shot through her lungs, making each breath excruciating. Scorching pain that flooded her body, making the world too hot to touch as she shrank in on herself. She was burning, by ice and fire, over and over. Unbearable. Inescapable. She needed it to stop. It was too much and it was never going to go away. It had to stop.
The connection in her mind opened.
"Ruth…" Dr Buren's woeful voice scraped against Ruth's mind. "I'm so sorry."
Ruth's throat throbbed. Her screams fell deaf on her own ears, all she could hear was ringing. Hot rage sliced through her at Dr Buren's presence. At her false sympathy. She wasn't sorry. She was the cause of all of this. If she'd never been in Ruth's head, Ruth would never have found out all the things WICKED wanted to hide form her. She wouldn't have had an outburst in front of Group A before they went in the Maze. WICKED wouldn't have been breathing down her neck since then. If Dr Buren had never told her to get inside Newt's head, he never would have thought he was mad. He never would have loathed his existence so much. He never would've tried to kill himself.
WICKED wouldn't have locked her in here. WICKED wouldn't have badgered her for information for months, trying everything to get her to talk. All those Gladers that got stung or died due to WICKED's necessary variables which only occurred because WICKED were trying to get her to talk. Ruth wouldn't have had to resist their attempts to persuade her so many times. They wouldn't have felt the need to keep going. They wouldn't have wanted to punish her for all that she had done.
Beth was dead.
All because Ruth tried to protect a woman she barely knew. A woman who had only caused problems for her.
Ruth slammed the mental connection closed as the door to her cell opened. Although Ruth's vision was too blurry to decipher a face, she knew it was Dr Paige in front of her.
"BUREN!" She cried. "It was Dr Buren!" She choked, gasping for breath. "It was all her!"
Dr Paige didn't say a word as she turned and left, leaving Ruth to sob to the abyss.
Thomas had been stung.
Well, he had stung himself. The End had begun, the Grievers had gone into the Glade, and in the aftermath, Thomas had grabbed a Griever stinger that had been left behind. He then plunged it into his leg.
Ruth's stomach had plummeted as she watched the others flock to him, yelling for someone to get the antidote. Once they were happy Thomas would be okay, Gally had barged through the crowd and ordered for Thomas and Teresa to be thrown in the Slammer. Ruth didn't understand why anyone listened to him, how he was suddenly the leader of Gladers. Surely, it should've been Newt that took over Alby's role.
Her heart twanged as Alby's death played over in her head. Another person dead. Were they still punishing her? She'd told them what they wanted to know. Her whole body was weighted down by yesterday's events. She kept getting flashes of her sister. Their time together in the WICKED compound. Their lives before any of this happened. When they were innocent and naïve and their worst problem was arguing over whose turn it was to play with the favourite toy.
Thomas's body had been slung into the Slammer, Teresa along with him. Newt, Minho and Chuck waited by the bars for their friend to wake up. Ruth couldn't bring herself to question why WICKED had kept her camera feeds running. She didn't know if it was a reward or punishment. All these mind games, she was done with them. What WICKED wanted to happen, happened. She couldn't keep trying to stay one step ahead, because in reality, they always knew what game she was playing.
When Thomas's eyes flitted open, Ruth knew she should have been relieved that he was okay. Yet she couldn't feel anything. Her body was too tired to register the pain, and incapable of feeling anything good.
"Hey," Teresa said, cradling Thomas's head in her lap.
"What the hell were you thinking?" On the other side of the bars, Chuck looked at him as if he was crazy. Thomas sat up, considering his surroundings and noticed the grim expressions on Newt, Minho, and Chuck's faces. Thomas's eyebrows knitted together.
"What happened?"
"Gally's taken control." Newt spoke up. "He said we had a choice, either join him or get banished at sundown with you."
"And the others agreed to that?" Thomas quizzed, trying to wrap his head around how Gally of all people was making the orders.
"Gally has everyone convinced-" Teresa hesitated, not wanting to make Thomas feel guilty. "-that you're the reason this has all happened." Thomas sighed.
"Well he's been right so far." Ruth saw the shame on Thomas's face and then it clicked. How could she have forgotten? Beth's death had been tormenting her so much that she'd forgotten the one thing about the Griever's sting that WICKED had never managed to correct. Memories filtering through.
That's why Gally hated Thomas so much, as did anyone else who had gone through the Changing. They all remembered him from their time before the Maze. They didn't remember everything, just brief glimpses, which is why they lashed out at Thomas. They couldn't remember how he was their friend. Their friend that cared.
"What're you talking about?" Minho peered at Thomas. Ruth wished she knew what exactly it was he remembered. Did he remember all those times they'd sneak to the maintenance room in the middle of the night? Did he remember just how close he was to the people surrounding him, how close he was to Alby? Did he remember her?
"This place, it's not what we thought it was. It's not a prison, it's a test." He revealed. Once he started, the words kept pouring out and he had to tell them everything he knew. He had to get the guilt off his chest. "It all started when we were kids. They'd give us these challenges, they were experimenting on us. The Maze was the grand experiment that they'd spent years building… that I helped to build." Thomas dropped his gaze, gripping his hands. "I'm one of them. I helped them put you here. All these years, all the time you've been in the Maze, I've just watched and let it happen. And so did you," He glanced up at Teresa.
"What?" Teresa sucked in a sharp breath.
"Teresa, we did this to them." Thomas nodded towards Newt, Minho and Chuck. "We worked with the people that put them here."
"No." Teresa shook her head, eyes glossy. "It can't be true."
"It is. I saw it."
They were both horrified by what they had done. Somehow that made Ruth hurt even more. She hadn't been in the Maze, hadn't had her memories wiped. She was still the same person she had always been. Now, the people who had been stuck in the same situation as her, were responding to this news as if only monsters could ever help WICKED. It stung. They were her friends and they were disgusted by her. Ruth wasn't proud of anything she had done and hated everything that WICKED stood for, but she had still helped. Her excuse had been that she didn't have a choice, but she had. There was always a choice. There were so many things she could have stopped and she didn't because she was too stupid to do the right thing. The brave thing.
"Why would they send us up if we were with them?" Teresa couldn't fathom how Thomas could possibly be right.
"It doesn't matter." Thomas replied in defeat.
"He's right." Newt spoke up, his expression stony. "It doesn't matter. Any of it. Because the people we were before the maze, they don't even exist anymore. These creators took care of that." Ruth's heart clenched at his cold declaration. "What does matter is who we are now and what we do right now."
It stung. Through the numbness it pricked her heart. She'd once been happy, surrounded by all her friends. Laughing about nothing, worried about nothing. She cared about them and they cared about her. Then gradually, they all left her. She'd been in denial, thinking that one day they'd all come back. That everything would be as it had been. How could she have been so naïve. Every time one of them went in the Maze, she should've known they were never coming back. They were all gone. Minho, Alby, Teresa, Chuck, Thomas, Newt, Beth. She'd lost them. All of them.
And now Ruth was all alone.
Thomas and the others had begun devising a plan of escape when the camera feeds cut off, leaving Ruth in the dark as to what their plan was and when it would be carried out. Hours later, the screens blared to life once again.
Each of the screens were split. One half showed the control room, where she'd watched the Group A Maze so many times. Only this time it was empty, no Psychs in sight.
The other half of the screen showed a small room much like the one Ruth was in now, four screens lining the walls. A singular chair sat in the centre of the room and Dr Buren struggled against the straps holding her to it. She writhed as she desperately tried to get loose, grunting as her efforts made no difference. Ruth felt her trying to make the connection with their minds and this time she allowed it to pass through.
What did you do! The woman's hoarse cry echoed in Ruth's head. Ruth, what have you done!
Ruth watched her blankly, feeling no remorse for giving the woman away. She did this to herself.
Movement flickered on the right screen and Group A burst into the control room. Ruth's heart thudded. They'd done it. They were out of the Maze. The group looked around, startled by their surroundings. They treaded around the room, taking in all the equipment and technology. Newt's gaze was fixed to one of the screens, showing a view of inside the Glade.
"So, they were watching." Newt muttered and Ruth could see the despair on his face. He had hoped that he'd been wrong, that no one had been watching everything, because that was so much easier than knowing someone had watched him suffer and didn't care. Ruth knew in that moment that he hated her. He couldn't even remember her, her face or voice…yet he despised her.
Recognition flitted across Thomas's face as he studied the room. He glanced at Teresa and Chuck. He remembered the days they'd spent in there together, watching their friends in the Maze. Ruth wondered if the memories he'd regained included her, if those hazy recollections involved her sitting beside them. Thomas pressed a button on the control panel, and a video of Dr Paige filled one of the screens.
"Hello, my name is Chancellor Ava Paige of the World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department, also known as WICKED." Ruth's brows furrowed, when had she become Chancellor? What happened to Chancellor Anderson? She thought back to see if she'd forgotten anything. She'd been so isolated for months now, with very limited contact with anyone. Dr Paige had visited plenty of times and now Ruth realised that must have been why, if she was indeed the new Chancellor. But then, why hadn't Thomas told her about the woman's promotion, and about what had happened to Chancellor Anderson.
Chancellor Paige went on to congratulate the group on completing the Maze Trials before sympathising with the anger and hurt they must be feeling. She explained what had happened to the world: the solar flares and the disease that followed. She of course neglected to share the fact that WICKED had created the Flare virus. The Gladers were silent as they processed all of the information.
"Someone will be with you shortly, please wait until they arrive, and then you can ask as many questions as you wish."
The video ended and the door they'd come through reopened. The Glader's stiffened as they watched Gally stagger into the room. His face was crumpled, his eyes bloodshot as he choked out what few words he could manage.
"You can't leave."
"Gally," Thomas said softly, carefully, as if trying not to scare him. "We're out, we did it."
"There's nothing out there," Gally shook his head vigorously. "Not for us."
"We can't just stay in the Maze forever, Gally." Minho reasoned.
"The Maze that Thomas put us in..." Gally trailed off, his whole body tensing, as if he was struggling to control his movements. "The Maze that he put us through… everyone who died, it was because of him." He growled, eyes snapping to Thomas's face.
Thomas paled as guilt washed through him. He was also terrified of what was wrong with Gally. Suddenly, the boy's trembling stopped, and he stood completely still, his grimace faded, leaving a blank slate.
It was then that Ruth realised something was very wrong. Chuck leapt forward just as Gally's knife whipped through the air. Time slowed and the air left Ruth's lungs. All she could hear was the slow pounding of her heart. All she could see was the metal blade as it spun over and over again, heading towards its inevitable target.
Then, as the knife embedded itself in Chuck's chest, time resumed its normal speed. Ruth realised that Dr Buren was screaming. The sound of it hurt. It was pure anguish.
"Frankie!" She shrieked at the cameras, at the boy who now lay bleeding on the ground.
Ruth swore her heart stopped.
Everything began piecing itself together.
On the day the Maze Trials started, Ruth had been walking with Chuck before she spotted Dr Buren and followed the familiarity of her dreams. Only it wasn't her that had spotted Dr Buren. Chuck had stopped, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. Now Ruth knew why- he had seen Dr Buren from behind and recognised her.
Ruth had never seen both of them in a room together, whenever Chuck entered a room Dr Buren was already in, the woman would make a swift exit, knowing the boy would recognise her.
When Ruth had asked Dr Buren why she should trust her, she told Ruth she had a son. It had never crossed Ruth's mind that Dr Buren had found her son, she presumed the woman would've told her if she had.
Chuck was Dr Buren's son, and now he'd never be reunited with his mother.
There was something else, something that didn't sit right with Ruth as she drowned in the screams of a mother grieving for her child. Dr Buren was strapped to a chair, watching these events unfold. There was no way WICKED could have known this would be the outcome. Unless…
Oh God.
Ruth wanted to throw up.
It all made sense. Gally's stiffness, he'd been trying to fight against WICKED's control. They'd made him throw the knife. As for Chuck, none of the other Gladers reacted as quickly as he did, because Chuck had begun to move before the knife had even been thrown. WICKED had made him move.
When WICKED was angry with Ruth, what did they do? They turned Beth into a murderer and then got her killed.
Now they were angry with Dr Buren. After discovering she wasn't one of them, it wouldn't have been difficult for them to find the link between the mother and her son, not with their endless files. So, they hurt her in the cruellest way possible. If Ruth hadn't lashed out, they wouldn't have had a clue Dr Buren was involved, they wouldn't have had the need to investigate the woman.
Chuck was Dr Buren's son, and he was dead because of her.
Ruth's body hunched forwards as she threw up bile. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. It burned her throat and the only thought that passed her mind was that she deserved it. She had done this. This was her fault.
Thomas collapsed to Chuck's side, shaking the boy's shoulders and begging him to wake up. Minho had thrown a spear at Gally when he'd seen him raise the knife, only it reached him too late, but now Gally slumped to the floor. Eyes glossed over as the Gladers looked at the boy who they had considered their friend- the one who had hurt Chuck, wondering how he could've been capable of such a thing.
Thomas's cries were the only sound. No one knew what to do next. They had escaped, they were out of the Maze- Chuck had made it out. Yet still the small boy hadn't been safe, hadn't been given the chance at life he deserved.
Everyone but Thomas looked up at the sound of the door opening. A woman walked in, auburn hair scraped back in a tight ponytail. She considered the scene, eyes flickering over everyone including Chuck, with an unreadable look in her eyes. She pursed her lips.
"You must all be very tired, please come with-" Her sentence was cut short, followed by the thump of her body hitting the floor. Suddenly, six people rushed over her unconscious body, guns held tightly in their grips.
"Come with us, quickly!" They began tugging at the boys' arms, urging them into the hallway. The Gladers didn't need much persuading, not only did they have nowhere else to go but it was very clear that these people were not with WICKED. In the Glader's eyes, anyone not with WICKED was on the right side.
A thought struck Ruth and the brief flash of hope was quickly drowned by resentment. If these people were with the Right Arm, then they were a day too late. If they'd arrived the day before, just one day earlier, they could've rescued Group B. Beth would be alive, she'd be okay.
Instead, they arrived today.
Eventually they managed to drag Thomas away from Chuck with Newt's help, and then the control room was empty. The screens cut off and blaring alarms filled Ruth's cell.
She sat there, her foggy mind wading through what had just happened, what was happening. Then she realised something. She ran to the door, pounding against it with her fists. She screamed and screamed, hoping someone was nearby. She didn't know exactly where she was in the compound, but hopefully the Right Arm would pass somewhere near. It was a long shot but Ruth preferred to try something instead of being stuck there forever.
She couldn't believe it when thudding came from the other side of the door.
"Stand back!" A voice shouted. Ruth did as she was told. She heard the fire of bullets and then the door swung open, revealing two men, their faces covered. Her head swirled as they dragged her through the compound. She was getting out. This was happening. What she'd longed for, for so long, was actually coming true.
When the three of them intersected the rest of the rescuers, Ruth's legs almost gave way completely. Instantly, her eyes fixed on, the real him. Not some video or memory, but him. Electricity darted through her, pulling her to the boy she'd missed so much, the boy she loved. Her heart exploded in her chest, its thundering beat felt throughout her whole body. The Maze Trials had seemed to stretch on for an eternity, and Ruth never thought it would end, that she'd ever get to live this moment.
"Newt!" She leapt forward, wrenching herself out of the men's hold. The Gladers all jumped back, startled by the strange girl's outburst. Ruth didn't notice, her mind caught up in the moment. All she could think about was Newt. He was there. He was safe. He was safe. Looking into his eyes, Ruth saw an unfamiliar blankness in his eyes. Her mind whirred, trying to work out what that look was. Before her outreached hand could touch him, she felt a prick in the back of her neck and instantly the room began to sway.
As her mind tumbled into the abyss, the realisation struck her cold. She could describe Newt in so many ways; every time anyone said his name her mind was filled with so many memories and emotions. Now though, she realised that Newt would only have one word for her.
Stranger.