This is just a looooonnnggg filler chapter to show you where the Gladers are with their trip. I ended it the day Nandini and Louisa spend resting their backs against a sand dune.
Anyway, enjoy this chapter! :)
That little bitch.
Louisa lied to me. She went behind my back and kept my sister from me. I asked her if she had any more secrets, and she said no. And like a fool I believed her. Why? Why would she keep my sister from me? She knows how valuable family is, knows what it's like to find them. That little girl, Nandini, out there in the cluster of Cranks, is my sister. She had a British accent, she had the right color eyes, and the same face. My sister is so close, yet so far. I had thought I was alone, didn't even let myself consider the possibility of a family.
And when she said it, " It's me. I'm your sister. " I didn't believe it. I looked at Louisa, and she was staring at Nandini with hate and fear that I knew she knew Nandini. And then Nandini confirmed my suspicions by calling Louisa by her name. I heard about what happened in WICKED's basement. That Nandini was about to be tortured by Louisa, but Louisa killed the person from WICKED instead. Nandini told us that herself.
Basically, Louisa saved my sister, but she kept it a secret from me. I'm finding it really hard to get around that.
I'm finding it really hard to forgive her.
When Louisa's life was teetering on the edge of a blade, all I could do was think about how she kept my sister from me. I didn't think about the how petrified she was, or the fact that she had gotten cut. I didn't think about the things I should have. I can't help but feel a little guilty about it; I do love her after all. Minho was the one to comfort her. One second they're at each other's throats screaming about how they hate each other and the next he's taking her into his arms.
Whatever. Thinking about this is giving me a headache. My personal problems don't matter when the Gladers' lives are at stake. Now we know that Janson can't be trusted, but the best lies always have a bit of truth in them. So we just have to pick everything he says apart until we get the truth.
Thomas sits to my right, his head in his hands. One day he told me he felt like he knew Louisa, and that he couldn't shake the feeling. I wonder what their relationship was before the Maze? They were probably just friends. He could be like a brother to her. Or they could barely know each other. I don't know.
Aris was sitting over by the wall, leaning his back against it and staring at the floor. Louisa told me he knew about Reed, and then Minho told me she looked like a deer caught in the headlights when he went into the kitchen. Not only that but the shank is from Group B and Thomas is to be killed by Group B. I won't let that happen. No more of the Gladers are going to die.
Janson had been sitting at his desk, reading a book, completely ignorant to the bloody knife on his desk. A knife that had been covered with her blood. Now, he's standing, and he pulls a densely packed folder out of the many drawers on the desk. It is full of messy papers, many of them bent or sticking out at odd angles. He places the folder on the desk, and looks at all of the Gladers.
" I believe you are missing one. " He says, and I glance around the room. Sure enough, Louisa isn't here.
" We can tell her later. Just get on with it. " I say coldly. Why does Louisa always run off? Of course, what I told her would've made me upset too. I practically implied that I didn't love her anymore. And then she said that the girl I love would do anything to protect me, even if it meant me hating her. Well, I don't hate her—I don't think I do, at least.
" Well then. " Janson claps his hands together, " Let's get started. "
" Why do you need that wall! " Minho yells, and I reach around Thomas and punch him.
" Shut it! "
Janson continued as if he hadn't heard the outburst. " You're all here because of an uncanny will to survive despite the odds, among….other reasons. I'm assuming you've figured this out by now, but many things happen to you solely for the purpose of judging and analyzing your responses. And yet it's not really an experiment as much as it is…. constructing a blueprint. Stimulating the kill zone and collecting the resultant patterns. Putting them all together to achieve the greatest breakthrough in the history of science and medicine. "
" So torturing Louisa was just to elicit a reaction? " Minho hisses the words, but it's like he's talking to a wall. Janson shows no emotion, and continues talking as if Minho said nothing.
" These situations inflicted upon you are called Variables, and each one has been meticulously thought out. I'll explain more soon. And though I can't tell you everything at this time, it's vital that you know this much: these trials you're going through are for a very important cause. Continue to respond well to Variables, continue to survive, and you'll be rewarded with the knowledge that you've played a part in saving the human race. And yourselves, of course. "
" Louisa… She has always thought that all hope is lost. But she's wrong. The world may be ravaged by a disease called the Flare, but you all provide hope that a better future can be obtained. And you'll have every incentive to work with use because, sad to say, each one of you has already caught the virus. "
Louisa has the Flare. Did she know this? Is that why she was acting weird? The Gladers start to mutter their concerns, sending a wave of panic through everyone. I have the Flare. If I don't cooperate with WICKED, I'll turn into one of those savages. Louisa will turn into one of those things outside the window.
" Now, now! No need to worry. The Flare takes a while to set in and show symptoms, but at the end of these trials the cure will be your reward. You'll never see the debilitating effects. Now many can afford the cure, you know? "
We definitely have the incentive we need to cooperate. Even though he tortured Louisa, even though he made our lives a living hell, we need him in order to survive.
Janson clears his throat. " Phase Two. The Scorch Trials. It officially begins tomorrow morning at six o' clock. You'll enter this room and in the wall behind me you will find a Flat Trans. To your eyes the Flat Trans will appear as a shimmering wall of gray. Each of you must step through it by five minutes after the hour. At that point, the Scorch Trials will have begun Find your way to open air, then head due north for one hundred miles. Make it to the safe haven within two weeks and you'll be cured of the Flare. If you don't make it, well, I'm sure the Cranks will have a fun time with you. It's simple really. Make it or die. "
The room erupts.
" What's a Flat Trans? "
" How'd we catch the Flare? "
" How long till we see symptoms? "
" What's at the end of the hundred miles? "
" What happened do the dead bodies? "
" Why did you hurt Louisa? "
" You shanks shut up! " Minho finally shouted. " This shuck face ain't answering, so quit wasting your time. " He then stood up, and started to walk away. " I'm going to go tell Louisa all this. "
When everybody turned their attention back to Janson, he was gone. It can't be as simple as he made it seem. If those Cranks outside the window were any sign of danger, then we're shucked. We'll be going into some desert with nothing but the clothes on our back. We can raid the kitchen and pack some stuff, and we'd need something to cover ourselves with. Perhaps we could use the sheets on the beds.
The Gladers start to get up and mill around, but Thomas stays seated. He's got his head in his hands again and his back his hunched over. I know how he feels. Despite what Louisa said, everyone had hoped that our lives would be somewhat normal. We'd go to school, have friends, and the world would be perfectly fine without us. But apparently, it's up to us to save mankind.
" Tommy, " I start to say, " you went through the changing, got some of your memories back. How much of this stuff do you remember? "
He shook his head. " I don't know. I can't picture the world outside very well, or what it was like to work with WICKED. Most of it's either faded, or just gone. "
I sigh. Louisa will help us through this. She knows more about WICKED than any of us. She knew not to trust Janson. Without her, we would be in a worse situation then we are now. We need her. It doesn't matter how she lied to me and deceived me. She can be the one to lead us to our freedom.
Just then, Minho bursts into the room, breathing hard with a look of panic on his face. I'm on my feet before I realize it.
" I can't find Louisa. " Minho says, " I've looked everywhere. "
" Are you sure? " I ask, and he nods. " The bathroom? "
" That would be rude Newt. " Minho says, and I shake my head at him.
Louisa's just in the bathroom. But the panic inside of me drives me to push past Minho, walk through the hallways and into the bathroom. There's no running water, and no sign of anybody in here. Just a note sitting on the floor. I bend down and pick it up, my heart beating faster and faster with each breath. She has to be okay. I haven't forgiven her yet. She can't die thinking I hate her, because I don't. I love her, more than anything. One mistake on her part can't make me hate her. It just makes me leery of her for a little bit—it makes me question my trust.
She's alive, for now.
For now. That's not exactly comforting. She's survived so much, that it eases my mind. She won't go down without a fight, and every fight she's fought, she's won.
I walk back out into the hallway to find all the Gladers there, waiting with anticipation. I shake my head no, and Minho punches the wall in frustration, then turns his glare on me.
" If you hadn't set her off, she would't have left. " Then he takes a deep breath, " If she dies, it's your fault. "
And I would feel guilty about it for the rest of my life.
" Let's just prepare for tomorrow, " I say, dropping my head. " It's all we can do. "
We started gathering supplies and putting them in the main room. Food, blankets, canteens full of water. But the entire time I was thinking of Louisa. I had made her mad; I had caused her to leave the group. If I hadn't, she would be here. If she dies, it will be my fault.
That's all that's on my mind as I go to sleep that night.
….
I wake up at five as an alarm resonates throughout the building. Everyone is groggily standing, stretching their stiff muscles. Minho rolls over, falling off of his bunk, which is on the top. He lands in the floor with a loud thud and a groan, and despite the depressing aura that fills the room, I laugh along with the other Gladers.
" Shut up. " He opens one eye to glare at me. I shrug and stand, stepping over his dead body as I make my way to the showers. A couple of other Gladers seem to have the same idea, because they're headed in the same direction. Who knows how long it will be before we get the chance to shower again? There probably aren't any facilities in the Scorch that would allow us to shower. It's not that I mind stinking, I would just prefer not to.
After I take a nice, hot shower I sit in the main room and wait for everyone to finish getting ready. We managed to get a lot of stuff together-well as much as we could carry. One person's going to be carrying a sack of apples, another will be carrying the canteens, and another will be carrying oranges and bananas. Canned food will be split among the rest of us, and we'll each carry our own thing of water. I just hope it doesn't evaporate. At least we're going into these Trials with our memory and some sort of preparation.
The fluorescent lights flicker as more Gladers file into the room. They grab their things and sit down as a shimmering wall starts to come into vision, and I know it's the Flat Trans.
" Everybody sure they still wanna go? " Minho asks as he stands, moving in front of the Flat Trans. Everyone nods. " Nobody changed their mind overnight? Speak now or never. Once we go we're going, if some shank decides he's a sissy pants and tries to turn back, I'll make sure it's with a broken nose and smashed privates. "
I put my head in my hands and groan. Some leader he is. If I didn't know him I'd say he smash our faces in no matter what.
" Newt, you got a problem? " Minho ask, his voice as sharp as a knife.
I lift my head, " Just admiring your bloody leadership skills. "
Minho just narrowed his eyes at me then turned his head towards the Flat Trans. " I'll go first. " He took a deep breath, " Thomas you go last and make sure everyone is there. "
Thomas nods even though Minho can't see him. Minho takes one step, and disappears. The Flat Trans is like a shadow that dances as the lights above us flicker. I watch as Thomas herds them all through, one by one, until it's just him, Aris, and me. They stare at each other for a while, and I feel a surge of annoyance. Can't they pick some other time to communicate telepathically?
" Hurry. " Thomas mutters, pushing Aris through. " We gotta hurry. "
Swallowing my fear, I step into the Flat Trans, letting the murkiness of it swallow me whole. A distinct coldness passes through me, sending a shiver down my spine. I expect the blackness to lighten up, and I keep walking until I walk into Aris. I mutter an apology, and take a step back just as Thomas walks into me. He mutters his apology before Minho speaks up.
" Was that you Thomas? " He asks, the voice coming from far ahead. " Is everyone here? "
" Yea! " Thomas replies.
" Good that. " Minho says, " Let's go. "
We set off through the darkness. My eyes never adjust, and it bothers me. It's as if I'm walking with my eyes closed, no sense of anything around me. I run into Aris a few times and Thomas runs into me occasionally, the only sign that some one else is here with me. The air is cool, but it smells of old leather and dust. The tunnel never turns left or right, and it feels like it's stretching on forever. We walk, for minutes, hours, days... Who knows how long? It's easy to lose your bearings when you can't see anything.
Whispering starts to fill the air. It sounds old and nasally, like a sick elderly person. Then the whispering ceases, and everyone instinctually stops. From somewhere ahead Minho shouts, " Did you guys hear that? "
A couple of the Gladers murmur yes, and not a minute later the harsh voice starts to whisper again, echoing through the air as if there were speakers on the ceiling. I don't catch what it says, but it's obvious a couple of the other Gladers do because they gasp, as if shocked by what they'd heard.
" Did anybody catch what it said? " I ask when the whispering stops.
" Couple of words. " Winston replies from somewhere in front of me. " Sounded like ' go back'"
" Yea, it did. " Frypan agrees.
" Everybody slim it and listen real hard this time. " Minho says and we lapse into silence. The next time the voice came, I'm pretty sure everyone understood what it said.
" One-chance deal. Go back now and you won't be sliced. "
My blood runs cold.
" Sliced?" Minho echoes the voice. " I prefer to keep my innards inside, thank you very much. "
" He said we could go back! " Someone yells.
" We can't trust some shank whispering in the dark. " Clint says.
" Just keep going! " Thomas shouts from behind me, " I can't take this much longer. Just go! "
" Wait a minute! " This time it was Frypan talking. " He said this was a one-chance deal. We should at least consider it. "
" Yeah, " Winston adds, " Maybe we should go back. "
" The voice is just a test, I bet. We need to keep going. " Thomas says, and I nod even though no one could see me. Louisa would agree. Actually, she probably would've sprinted through here and towards the other side once she heard that voice. Better to take our chances out there, than with WICKED. I'd personally rather die by a nice clean slice, rather than whatever gruesome death awaits us back in that building.
" He's right. " Minho says, " Come on, let's go. "
He barely got the last word out when the whispering voice permeates the air again, this time with an almost childish hatred.
" Dead. You're all dead. Dead and sliced. Just like that girl. "
What girl? Surely he can't be talking about Louisa. The Flat Trans never opened before this morning, and there's no way she could've gotten here—where ever here is. Are we underground? That's most likely the case. Not only that, but, it's probably just another test. Something meant to throw us off. We resume walking, pushing the haunting voice out of our minds. Then I hear something whiz by, and a scream. The scream was more of shock at first, but then it morphed into pure terror.
Thomas pushes past me, running towards the screaming boy. I follow not a second later, fear draining into my bloodstream. I hear someone thrashing on the ground, and a hand flies out and hits my leg. I nearly fall, but I throw my hand out and, luckily, it hits a wall and I'm able to balance myself.
" Stop! " Thomas shouts, " What's— "
The boy on the ground stops thrashing, and Thomas stops talking.
" What happened? " Minho yells, and the coppery smell of blood fills the air.
" S-someone's, " Thomas starts, but has to take a deep breath before he can finish, " Someone's dead. "
My stomach drops to my feet. I told myself I wasn't going to let any of the Gladers die, and now another one has.
" Everybody say their name! " I yell, and they list of their names, one by one: Aris, Frypan, Thomas, Minho, Clint, me.
No Winston.
Winston's dead.
" How did he die? " Frypan asks, a hint of sadness in his tone.
" Decapitation. " Thomas says, his voice shaking. " It's like some metal ball wrapped itself around his head, "
Just then we hear another ball whiz by, and I yell, " Everyone run! "
They hardly even waited for me to get the sentence out. Everyone takes off at a sprint, trying to avoid the ball of death. I keep running. My limp slows me down, but not enough to keep me from keeping up with everyone. Soon enough harsh breathing fills the air, and, gradually, the pace slows down. Then Minho yells from up ahead. My heart lurches into my throat, thinking that one of the metal things got him, and everyone slows to a stop.
" Why'd we stop? " Frypan asks, panting hard just like the rest of us.
" Because I broke my shucking shins on something up here. I think it's a stairwell. "
A way out. Minho runs up the steps, and we follow, eager to get out of this darkness, to see some sort of light. I stumble a couple of times, hitting my knee on the next step, but I don't stay down long. I hear a thud, and then Minho groans. The clang of metal, a hissing sound, a bright light. I groan and shield my eyes, just like everyone else. But then the hatch closes and I'm left seeing white spots in the darkness. I rub my eyes in an attempt to make them go away, but stubbornly, they stay.
" Anybody blind? " Minho asks, " Because I feel like my eyeballs are roasted marshmallows. "
" Let's just open the hatch a little and let everyone get used to it. "
" Good idea. " Minho says, then lets a little bit flight it. It still makes my eyes hurt, just not as bad as the first time. After a little while he opens it a little more, then a little more, until eventually the hatch is open all the way.
" It's now or never. " He mumbles as he climbs out. I follow everyone, squinting and fearing for my life. Those balls of death could come back any time. The sooner we get out and close the hatch the better.
As soon as I step out there I want to go back into the cool air of the hallway. I feel like the sun is already burning my skin. I look around, past the Gladers, and at the desert we are in. There's nothing but sand, sun, and more sand. There are buildings looming in the distance, but they seem so small, so minuscule. They have to be days away.
" We have to cover ourselves. " I say, and I take the bedsheets out of the bag I had brought. There are only only three, so two people per sheet. I end up sharing with Thomas, and with one last supply check we started walking north. Which happened to be the direction of the city.
All the Scorch is, is sand, heat, sun, and apparently, a ruined city.
Where ever Louisa is, I hope it's far from here—somewhere cool and safe.
HAahaha that last sentence tho.
Sorry for any typos or if anything doesn't make sense. I wrote this 3800 word chapter in one sitting and now my eyes are burning and my fingers are cramping.
I followed the book very strictly in this chapter, save for Winston's death. I didn't really think this chapter is all that good. Let me know what you think!
Second chapter this weekend btw. I'm on a roll!
Time to go work on my Adventure Time fanfic. I'm going to finish the second chapter of that before I start Chapter 14 of this story. So next chapter out Wednesday hopefully.
I'll be posting the Adventure time fic December first if any of you want to check it out. It's alternate universe, so you really don't have to know anything about Adventure Time to enjoy it. I'll post the summary of it on the author's note of the next chapter.
Have a good day, night, evening, morning, afternoon! I'm going to go write another chapter of another story. BYEEEE