I don't have anything to say yet, just enjoy. :)

I lay on the uncomfortable bed, a billion thoughts racing through my mind. I had thought that Newt was hopeless, doomed to suffer a cannibalistic lifestyle. But from what Brenda told me, he isn't going to be a crank if he's never exposed to the virus. I can still save him.

I hear footsteps and glance at the crack in my door, wondering if one of the Familiars are walking by. Do they feel safe here? Are they being tricked into a false sense of security? The answer to both of those questions is probably yes. WICKED tricked me. I thought I had left the trials and was safe, but they throw me back in there.

I'm just a variable. They made the Familiars think I'm dead, and now they're waiting for perfect time to reveal me to them. Perhaps it'll be in the Scorch with Brenda and Jorge. I don't know when they're going to do it. All I know is I'm a pawn in their trials.

I adjust on the bed, my back getting sore from the springs poking it. I've tried to fall asleep, exhausted from training with Brenda, but the bed is just too uncomfortable. I suppose WICKED expects me to become nocturnal like a bat. That's not going to happen.

I sigh and stand up, a heavy ache in the middle of my back. A new set of clothes is sitting on the broken chair: a thin, navy blue tank top and some black leggings. They were given to me last night after I finished training. Apparently the clothes I'm wearing now stink.

I stretch my back out, feeling relief when it pops. I look out my door, feeling weird as I peel my clothes off. Only I can see out there, but it still feels like the glass is a window. Almost as if someone could look at the door and see my half-naked in here.

Shivering from the cold air, I walk over to the chair and grab the clothes. I smell them for any drugs or poisons, knowing that WICKED would probably do that. When I don't smell any, I pull them on and slip my converse on over my black socks. For some odd reason, WICKED feels the need to give me black clothes. Maybe they think I'll appreciate it.

I scoff. As if I would feel grateful to anything those bastards do.

The door to my room slides open as I'm braiding my hair. I ignore whoever it is, keeping my back to them. They can go away. I'm busy devising a plan to save the Familiars' lives. Well, not really. When I think of that my mind is as empty as my stomach. And I haven't eaten since yesterday.

Their footsteps get closer to me as I finish my braid. " What do you want this time? " I ask, straightening out my shirt.

Hands go to my hips, and I tense up. For a second I think that Minho has broken into my room, but then I remember that the door was locked. You'd have to know the code. But, what if he found it? For once, it would be nice to have some help.

" I'm sorry Lo. " My heart sinks. It's Lee.

I move out of his grasp. " Why are you here? " I say in a monotone voice. I make it a point to stare him right in the eyes. His black hair is messier than usual, and his face seems so full of sadness. Did I break his heart? I thought he and one of the girl Gladers were together.

" I love you. " Lee says. I shake my head and laugh.

" Why did you kiss that girl? " I ask. Please say it was because you liked her.

" I was testing something. I wanted to see if I would get sparks with someone else. "

" Did you? " I snap. Please say yes.

" No. " Lee states, moving closer to me. " You're the one I love. "

" I don't know Lee. You, you hurt me. " I say, backing away until my I hit a wall. He uses this to his advantage, moving in and caging me like an animal. He looks down at me, his brown eyes appearing red.

" Louisa. Please. " His voice cracks, and his eyes look glassy.

" I-" I start, but he interrupts me.

" Please. Don't break me. " He says, squeezing his eyes shut. A tear slips out of one of them, and guilt eats me alive.

Be the manipulative bitch, my mind whispers. Convince him to help you.

" I, uh. " I stop due to my inner debate. Should I be the bigger person and stop stringing him along?

" I forgive you. " I say, putting my hands on his shoulders. " But, you deserve someone who loves you. "

He jerks away and shakes his head. He runs both hands through his hair, then he turns and faces me. " What did I do, besides cheating, to make you hate me? "

" I don't hate you! " I say, moving forward to put my hand on his shoulder, but he backs away from me.

" But you never loved me. " He says, his tears twisting the way his voice sounds.

I remain silent, scared to say anything. I can't lie again, but I don't want-

" Tell me the truth! " Lee yells. I flinch, backing away from him.

" I never loved you. " I whisper. He shakes his head again, and I feel my throat tighten up. I promised Teresa I wouldn't do this. I promised her.

" Dammit! " He shouts, kicking the bed. It's metal frame dents. Lee moves forward and grabs me by the shoulders. He squeezes hard. " Was any of it real? Any of it! "

I shove him away, my own fury taking hold. " None of it was real. " I raise my voice. " I used you to make sure Newt and Minho were safe. You should've seen your sister. How she tried to protect you. But no. You played right into my games. "

" Why me? " Lee yells. " Why did you choose to break me? "

" Because you already liked me. A couple of kisses later and you fell in love. "

" You're no better than WICKED. " He spits as he goes to open the door. I stand there with my arms crossed over my chest as he pulls on the door. It doesn't budge.

" You idiot. The door locks. To keep me in. "

Lee kicks the door and I sit down on the floor, my anger simmering away.

" Look, Lee. " I say while he sits down on the bed. " I really am sorry. "

" Sorry doesn't fix a broken heart you bitch. " Lee snaps and I lean back against the wall.

The guilt is bearing down on me, making it hard to breathe. I feel like crying, but crying doesn't revoke what I did, what I said. I can apoligize all I want, but sorry doesn't erase the past.

….

After hours of silence, a guard comes and opens my door. He's face is shaved and the green eyes are stern. Lee jumps up and shoves past him, not even bothering to tell me bye. I never expected him to, but, I almost gave my virginity to that ass. He could at least say, " Fun times, but I've got to go. " It would've been a nice change from silent and brooding.

I stand, my legs popping. I had formed a plan in my head while we were sitting there in silence. I just have to explore more of WICKED to find something to blackmail Chancellor Ava Paige or Janson. A fairly simple plan, until you calculate how much time I have: three days.

It is now time to initiate step one of the plan: getting free time.

I walk up to the guard and he huffs as he turns around. Fatal mistake. I kick him in the back as hard as I can. His face slams into Newt's door, and he slides down, leaving a trail of blood where his face use to be. Assuming he's knocked out, I go left to begin my search.

The hallways are brighter tonight, and I wonder if more people are working. It wouldn't make sense. The people who worked in the labs only work during the day, and the people who observed the Maze don't have a reason to anymore. Both groups found their way out. They solved the Maze.

Everything that's surrounding me is unfamiliar. The walls are a grey, instead of the bright white I'm used to. The floors are the same color, making everything blend together. The lights are fluorescent and shine brightly. I'd say the hallway is brighter than the sun.

A metal door appears on my right. It doesn't have one window on it, unlike others that line this hall. There's a handle on the door instead of a knob. Right now, a metal latch keeps it locked, almost as if they're keeping something in.

My curiosity gets the best of me as I undo the latch. My gut is telling me that the door is here for a reason, and that I shouldn't open it, but I ignore it. There could be a way to save Newt in here. I have to explore every inch, no matter how scary it is.

I pull the door open, and hot stuffy air greets me. A stair way is leading down into darkness, and I wish I had a flashlight. I thought WICKED only had one floor. This is like the creepy basement of that one weird neighbor you don't trust.

The light from behind me illuminates part of the stairwell. My tall slender shadow is right in the middle, like one of my demons tempting me into darkness. With a deep breath, I take a step forward. My hand leaves the door and braces itself on the warm wall to my left. It's like a sauna in here; I can already feel the sweat forming on my skin.

The door clicks shut behind me with an echo almost like maniacal laughter.

I turn around and feel the door, searching for the handle. Some sort of hand hold, knob, latch, something would be nice! Yet, I find nothing. Panic wells up inside me as the realization dawns on me. I'm trapped down here in the darkness of an unknown place.

I've never been really fond of the dark. It's not the darkness itself, it's what lurks inside it. Ghosts, demons, killer clowns, spiders. I shiver. Spiders.

I'm feeling the same thing right now as I slowly turn around and look at what I think is the stairs. I don't think there are monsters down here, but you can't have dark and foreboding rooms for no reason. Dark places tend to warn off people. Unless they're stupid. Like me.

I take a step forward, keeping my hand on the wall. I keep my weight back, preparing to take the first step down. I take another step and my heart skips a beat as think I'm falling. Yet my foot simply lands on the first stair.

I go to take another step, but my foot gets caught on something and I don't have time to scream as I'm falling. My shoulder hits a stair, hard. Pain laces through it, but I barely register it as my knee scrapes the metal stairs. I'm vaguely aware of the cracking sound in my back as I hit the bottom.

I lay there, on the bottom stair, every muscle throbbing. My spine feels crooked, like it's out of alignment. There's a deep ache in my shoulder, like the bone is bruised. I feel blood trickling down my shin, and I groan. Walking down stairs that you've never seen before in the dark is a very bad idea.

I sit up, a small whimper escaping my mouth. Tears form in my eyes, my back screaming at me to stop moving. I sit there, trying to take deep breaths, but it's as if the wind as been knocked out of me. I hunch over, my hair falling in front of my face. My braid must've come loose when I fell.

It's like my airways open back up and I take a huge gulp of air. My breathing is harsh at first, but it evens out.

I take a couple of seconds to work my courage up. The very thought of standing makes me cringe, but I have to help Newt. I can't leave him to die. There could be something here that I could use against WICKED. What do they have that's so bad they have to hide it in a basement?

I take a deep breath and count to three. 1, I brace my hands on the floor. 2. I go into a crouch, gritting my teeth together. 3. I push myself all the way up, every muscle is protesting the movement. My back is hunched over—I'm not able to stand up straight. I'm going to have to see a doctor if I ever make it back up those stairs.

I raise my eyes so I can see straight ahead. There's a speck of light at the far end of the hall, and I take slow steps in that direction. The air gets hotter as I go further down the hall. My hair becomes sticky with sweat, and I wipe my face with my hand. Blood tickles my shin as it trails down it. I ignore the sensation as I hobble towards the light.

...

I don't know how much time has passed, but I know my legs are aching. It could be hours, it could be minutes. I use the light at the end of the hall as a beacon. It's gradually gotten bigger. Whereas before it was the size of a quarter, now it is the size of a basketball.

I freeze when I hear voices. Two or three maybe, and they're all laced with madness.

" Do you think they'll let us go? " The female voice comes out rushed. My heart beat picks up, and I'm almost scared they can hear it.

" Never. Lab rats is what we are. " Another female voice says, coated with what I think is age.

" What if I want to be a mouse? " The first voice asks. I tentatively start to walk forward again, my eyes scanning the darkness for any shapes.

" No. They think of us as rats so that is what we must-" The voice pauses. " Do you smell that? "

I don't hear anything for a couple of seconds, and I assume that the second one is sniffing the air. What are they smelling? All I smell is the metallic walls.

" Blood! " The other one says, and my walk slows.

" Fresh meat! " They both yell, and it's like the words put a physical barrier in front of me. My skin prickles with fear and my heart thuds in my chest. They have to be talking about me.

" Just walk a little closer dear. We won't bite. " A sweet tone mingles with the madness, like poison.

All of a sudden, bright light fills the room. The light hurts my eyes; they automatically shut as my hands move to cover them. I hear footsteps walking towards me, and I'm scared that it's those crazy women. They're going to eat me. This is my last few moments alive. I never thought I'd die like this.

All the people I've ever cared about pass through my mind: Newt, Minho, Noah, my mom, my dad, Lee, Teresa, Thomas, Nathaniel. Teresa and Thomas don't even remember me! I'll die, and they won't even care.

" What do you think you're doing down here? " Janson's voice permeates my thoughts. Relief floods through me as I slowly move my hands from my eyes. They're squeezed shut, but the light still seems too bright. " You're not allowed down here. Or anywhere for that matter. What happened to training? "

" Change of plans. " I say, slowly opening my eyes. Janson stands before me wearing his usual clothes. A white lab coat with a green turtle neck and tan pants.

" Wrong answer. " Janson says, rushing forward and grabbing my arm. He pulls me further down the hall, and that's when I notice it. The blood splatters on the white walls and tiles. " There's a reason this place was off-limits to everyone. "

Insane murmurs vibrate through the air, and chains are rattled. We enter the room, and there are six cages. In each one a person resides-at least I think they're people. Their hair is missing and their eyes are bug-eyed and crazy. Skin is missing from their faces, and teeth are spit out in the floor. The supposedly ' white ' room looks more red than white. A metal table is in the middle of the room, torture devices laid out on it. Each one looks painful, and more fear builds up inside me. Are they going to use these things on me?

" These are Cranks, and your new best friends. " Janson says, nodding at one of the cells in the corner. It's empty and clean, and dread works it's way into me. " If you wanted down here, you'll get your wish. "

He throws me into the cell and locks it behind me. I scoot further back in the corner, getting as far away from the other cranks as possible. I rest my tired back against the wall.

" Please Janson. Don't do this. " I plead. Every fiber of my being regrets opening that door and falling down the steps.

" I'm sorry, but you look pretty comfortable. " Janson says with a smile. " I'll see you later. "

With that he turns on his heels and walks away, leaving me with these cannibalistic monsters.

What did you think? I hope you don't mind me calling the Gladers, Familiars instead. They will always be Gladers, but I don't think Louisa considers them that anymore. So I made up my own thing.

I might get the next chapter up friday, I don't know. Anytime I start throwing days out there I never get it out on time.

Also, I had to write this chapter on my phone. Typing on my computer makes my wrist hurt, and typing on my phone doesn't. So if something doesn't make sense, please, point it out and I will fix it.

Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews! Have a good day, night, evening, morning, afternoon, I'm going to sleep.