Five Days Ago
Six months ago, WICKED took back most of the immune children, leaving only a few behind; those few spent the entirety of those six months trying to get them back. It was a long and hard process, one that took almost everything out of those few left. So many times were their plans rejected, either because of lack of resources or the pure craziness of it all. Really, it seemed impossible to get their friends back. There were so many reasons to just move on, start a new life, leave the unfortunate behind. However, for a certain group of boys, there wasn't a physical bone or a mental nerve in their bodies that allowed themselves to even think such a thing. They couldn't live a free life when so many of their friends were trapped by WICKED. It wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't be right. And, most importantly, it wouldn't be true freedom… without her.
"M-My name's Hope…"
Chuck, Frypan, Minho, Newt, nor Thomas could truly be free without Hope in their lives. If she was trapped, then so were they. Hope had lived most of her life discarded, alone, unwanted by anyone. Therefore, it was time for her to finally be saved, to be treated as someone important. Those five boys would do anything to have Hope in their lives again, even if it meant jumping onto a moving train, getting shot at by WICKED multiple times, and then being lifted into the air by a Berg.
Yeah, they did that.
BOOM! The Berg - piloted by Jorge - dropped the stolen train car onto the ground. Then, once Minho, Newt, Thomas, and Vince each disconnected the chains connecting the train car to the Berg, Jorge flew the ginormous aircraft away to dispose of it. Newt was the first to climb down from the train car's roof, immediately running over to its door and lighting back up his propane torch. Minho, Thomas, and Vince each ran to stand behind him, waiting impatiently for Newt to burn off the lock. So, once Newt did finish the job, Thomas' extremely impatient self was the one to kick open the train car's door.
"...Aris!" Since Thomas was the first one in, he was also the first one to see Aris. He ran directly over to the bruised boy, relief and worry in his eyes. "You okay? Sonya?"
"Yeah, we're fine," Sonya replied from beside Aris. Then, her smile brightened upon seeing Harriet enter the train car as well. Harriet ran straight over to her friends, pulling them into a hug the moment she reached them. However, while those three were celebrating their reunion, three boys were missing out. They each walked to the back of the train car, looking at every kid around them, yet they saw no sign… of her.
"She's…" Thomas took a deep breath to calm himself. "She's not here."
"Damnit," Minho cursed. "We did all that, and she's…"
"We didn't save her," Newt muttered, his eyes darkening. "I couldn't-"
"Thomas! Minho! Newt! You're back!" Just then, a young, cheerful voice cut through the somber mood. The owner of the voice ran into the train car, his smile making everyone feel ten-times worse. "You did it! You got them! Where is-?!"
When Minho, Newt, and Thomas each looked back at Chuck, the happiness in his eyes vanished. He knew that look. He knew what it meant. He didn't want to know, but he did. Chuck's back hit the metal wall behind him, and he slowly slid down it until he hit the floor. On the other hand, a certain dog hadn't accepted the situation just yet. Hugo's black nose sniffed every single kid's hand, yet none of them were the smell he wanted most. And once his furry body reached the back of the train car, his dark brown eyes looked up into Minho's, Newt's, and Thomas' eyes. Of course, Hugo wasn't capable of speaking, but those three boys knew exactly what he was thinking.
Thomas knelt down to Hugo's level, lifting his hand to place it on his soft head. "I'm sorry, buddy."
"Mmm…" Hugo let out a sad whine.
"C'mon, guys!" Vince sternly cut in. "Let's get these kids outta this box!"
Six months. They hadn't seen Hope for six months.
It had felt like six years.
After freeing all of the kids from the train car, Vince escorted them out to the pier. Thomas watched as the older man gave his speech, feeling nothing but dejection in his heart. Vince preached about the boat that was going to take them all to safety: the place where those kids would never have to worry about WICKED again. It sounded great. Thomas was glad to have saved those kids. They were going to live a better life now. This Safe Haven was what they deserved. Nonetheless, despite this momentous occasion that took half a year to put together, Thomas still felt like he was living in a nightmare. He wanted to wake up to a world where Hope was on that train car. A world where they could all reunite and never separate again. But, sometimes, life was just a nightmare - a continuous, horrible nightmare.
"Remember, Thomas. Even if there's miles between us, we'll still be together. Forever."
Thomas shut his eyes and turned around. As Thomas walked away from Vince's speech, he wanted Hope to be walking with him. He didn't like that all he had left of her was her voice. He wanted her to be here. None of this was okay. This shouldn't have been happening. Thomas couldn't accept it.
"Have you gotten taller?" The second Thomas entered the building that held all of his friends, he heard Aris' chipper voice. "And… skinnier?"
"Hey!" Chuck snapped. "I've lost sleep over you and that's the first thing you say to me when we reunite?! I was hoping for, 'Oh, Chuck, I missed you!' or 'It's great to see that you're alive, buddy!'"
"...It's great to see that you're alive, Hugo," Aris remarked as he lifted a hand to scratch behind said dog's ear. "I've missed you, buddy."
"Woof!" Hugo's tail wagged. "Woof, woof!"
In response, the only thing Chuck could do was click his tongue and drop his jaw. Harriet, on the other hand, walked past the shocked boy to give Aris and Sonya two mugs of water. "Here. Drink this."
"Thanks," Aris said, taking the mug and then taking a sip. The water felt nice going down his dry throat. Likewise, when Aris saw Thomas enter the room and walk up to him, Aris smiled even more. "Took you guys long enough to rescue us."
"It's good to see you, too, bud," Thomas greeted while crouching down in front of Aris. "So, what happened to your face?"
"I fought back," Aris snickered self-deprecatingly. "Tried to, anyway."
"You're lucky you found us at all," Sonya added from beside Aris. "They had us on the move a lot. It felt like something big was happening."
"You have any idea where they were heading?" Newt asked, causing Aris to shake his head.
"All I know is… they kept talking about a city."
Thomas glanced behind him at Newt and Minho, each of them sharing a look of confusion. During the past six months, the three boys had found themselves able to say things without even using words. They just had to look into one another's eyes and a whole conversation took place.
"Wait," Frypan chimed in, "there's still actual cities out there?"
"There aren't," Brenda stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not still standing, anyway."
"Where's Hope?" Minho bluntly asked the question everyone wanted to ask. "Why wasn't she on the train?"
"Minho…" Chuck mumbled. "They might not wanna think about that. Maybe we should wa-"
"It's okay, Chuck," Aris interjected before staring his eyes straight into Thomas'. "Hope was with us until… five days ago."
"Wait, what?" Newt's tone went from sad to angry. "Ava and Mara didn't take her with them?"
"That's the thing," Sonya sighed. "Mara said that she didn't want Hope anymore. So when we landed that first time, Ava had Hope stay with us."
"Y'know," Brenda scoffed, "I'm starting to think that that bitch is in control of WICKED and not Ava Paige."
"But at least Hope wasn't with Mara again, right?" Frypan murmured. "From what Hope told Newt about her, Mara was… Well… I'm just glad that Hope didn't have to suffer through that again."
"Look, I don't know what Mara did to Hope, but…" Aris' eyes saddened. "It can't be any better than what WICKED put us through the last six months."
Thomas' eyes darkened. "What do you mean?"
"We were… put through tests," Sonya explained, her voice shaky. "They weren't physical like the Maze Trials. Th-They were… They would strap us up and make us go to sleep."
"It was almost like the other kids we saw back at that first WICKED compound," Aris told Thomas. "The ones who were asleep and… didn't really look alive or dead."
"They would wake us when we would move locations," Sonya continued. "Sometimes… they would wake us up to let us eat solid food, which… I guess it was sort of nice of them."
"But even if we were asleep, the things that they made us dream…" Aris had to take a deep breath. "Th-They would make us go through our worst fears… They'd put us back in the Maze or… or make us think that… that all of our friends were…"
When Aris started to shake, Sonya pulled him into a hug. The rest of the teenagers glanced at one another, either unhappiness or pure rage in their eyes. WICKED had traumatized them for years already, yet they needed to traumatize them more? It was obvious that putting them through horrible situations wasn't working, so why did they keep doing it? It wasn't fair. It was gross. It was-
"Hope was there, though," Sonya said softly, making everyone whip their heads back toward her. There, they didn't see fear in Sonya's eyes. They just saw… fondness. "Even though she was going through the same thing, Hope was always there to comfort us. She didn't give it a second thought. She saw us suffering, and she just knew exactly what to do. Hope became the one everyone went to… She's the reason we never gave up hope."
For the first time in the past six months, Hope's friends smiled when her name was brought up. Ever since that night, nobody could even whisper her name without a feeling of pure dread washing over them, which was why everyone said it the least they could. Instead of focusing on the dread, those teenagers worked hard to save her; they distracted themselves with papers, maps, and weapons. However, now that they heard what Hope had done, Chuck, Brenda, Frypan, Minho, Newt, nor Thomas could stop themselves from smiling. It was just so… like her. Helping others instead of herself was such a Hope-thing to do. It was a little sad that she pushed her own feelings aside, yes, but it reminded those teens of why they cared so much about her. She was their light - the light in the darkness.
But where was that light?
"There is… one more thing." When Aris muttered this, though, everyone's smiles vanished. They watched as Aris moved out from Sonya's hug, a misery in swirling his eyes. "Hope told us not to tell you guys this, but… I think you deserve to know."
"Aris," Sonya shook her head, "are you sure?"
"Know what?" Minho growled. "Did they do something else to her?"
"No… No, it's about what Hope's "dreams" were about…" Aris stated in a depressed tone. "It took us a few tries, but we did get Hope to tell us what WICKED was making her go through."
"Was it Mara again?" Newt inquired. "Or Ava and Mara?"
"It wasn't Mara or Ava," Aris sighed. "It was you guys."
The pain that shot through Chuck, Frypan, Minho, Newt, and Thomas' bodies was unexplainable. It was a pain that they didn't want to be put into words, because it just hurt that bad. If there was a name for this pain, then those boys didn't want to know what it was. To them, it was simply pain. A lot of pain.
"Hope said that… she dreamed about you guys hating her," Aris furthered, not being able to look into any of their eyes. "She bawled when she told us the details. All Sonya and I could do was hold her. Hope's worst fear isn't Mara anymore. It's the thought of you guys hating her that really terrifies her."
No, those boys knew what this pain was. They had felt it before. They had felt it… six months ago.
"Mara did bad things to Hope…"
The day that Hope was taken away...
"And because of everything Mara did, she…"
Newt told them the full truth of Hope's past.
"Guys, she…"
And the pain they felt back then…
"Hope tried to kill herself."
It was the same pain they were feeling now.
After hearing about what Hope had gone through…
Siggy didn't smile for an entire month.
Chuck didn't talk for a whole week.
Minho didn't go near anyone.
Thomas didn't sleep.
Even Brenda and Jorge…
They barely conversed or smiled.
Each of them knew what Ava Paige had done, but…
Knowing that Hope was with Mara again…
That was what hurt the most.
It broke them.
Just like how Aris' words broke them now.
"C'mon, guys." Before he could freak out, Thomas stood backup. "W-We gotta, um, go talk to Vince about what Aris told us. Let's go."
Wanting nothing more than to distract themselves, everyone but Harriet, Sonya, and Aris followed Thomas out of that building.
"There, that's it," Thomas said after slapping a map onto the table. It had a drawn-on circle in the corner, showing exactly where Thomas wanted to go. "It's a few hundred miles. Based on the railways and everything that Aris told us, it's gotta be where they were headed. And they must've taken Hope there five days earlier. We take everyone who can fight, follow the roads if we can, and we can make it back in a week."
"'A week'?" Vince, who was standing on the other side of the table, gave Thomas a dubious look. "It took us six months to get here! We got over a hundred kids here now. We can't just hangout here forever after what we just pulled! You wanna wander off to some random point on the map? You don't even know what's there!"
"I do!" Once more, Jorge made a sudden entrance. He entered the large room from the shadows, his hands in his pockets. "It's been a few years, but… I've been there. 'The Last City': that's what WICKED called it. It was their whole base of operations." Jorge looked right into Thomas' eyes. "If that city is still standing, that's the last place you wanna go, hermano. That's the lion's den."
Thomas shrugged. "It's nothing we haven't done before."
"Yeah, but with months of planning, reliable information, the element of surprise!" Vince argued. "None of which we have now!"
"Vince," Thomas huffed, "I've thought this through. We can-"
"The last time we went off half-cocked, I lost everything! You remember that?!" After that argument fell from Vince's lips, it shut Thomas up. Although, when Vince saw pain wash over Thomas' face, his own expression softened. "Look, I get it. This is Hope we're talking about. I know she's your sister, and I know that-"
"It's more than that!" It was Thomas' turn to interrupt, but his tone was void of any anger. Instead, the only emotion on Thomas' face… was utter sadness. "She's not just my sister! She's…! Sh-She's my twin, okay? Hope told me that twins can feel each other even when they're miles apart. A-And I didn't even believe her until…" Thomas choked back the tears. "I can feel it. I can feel her, and she's in pain. She's scared. Alone. All this time, I've felt her suffer, and now that I actually know why, I… I can't…"
"Thomas," Vince said, lifting up his hand to place them into Thomas' shoulders. "I'm sorry. Really, I am, but you can't ask me to put those kids on the line for one person. I won't do it, and I don't think Hope would want you to, either."
"...So there's nothing we can do?" Chuck mumbled as Hugo laid his head on his lap. "We're just gonna… leave Hope behind?"
Nobody had an answer to that nor did they want to answer it. Brenda, Frypan, Minho, Newt, Thomas, Jorge… They couldn't do it. However, when the radio in the corner of the room abruptly went off, Thomas would find his answer. The radio signaled to everyone that a WICKED Berg was near, scanning the area to check if there was anyone around. Almost immediately, the entire Right Arm hid wherever they could, while Jorge cut the power. Thomas and Vince ran out into the chilly night, where they each saw two aircrafts not too far from the pier.
"Jeez…" Vince huffed. "They're getting close."
Seeing those Bergs so close, and truly taking in Vince's words, Thomas knew what he had to do. He knew exactly what to do.
"You're right," Thomas said. "We can't stay here."
Thomas got out of bed before packing his stuff into one backpack. It was around the middle of the night, so other than some snores, there was barely any noise. Still, Thomas somehow managed to walk past his sleeping friends and toward where he needed to go. He knew that this was stupid. More than stupid, actually. Going to face WICKED alone was probably going to kill him. Regardless, not doing anything would be worse than killing him. If Thomas didn't do everything he could to save Hope, then he would be tortured for the rest of his life. He couldn't live in a world where she wasn't safe or happy. It hurt too much. Thus, Thomas carried his backpack and walked to where a car was waiting for him.
There was more than a car waiting for him, though.
"Where do you think you're going, then?" Newt's voice. Thomas could never mistake that British accent or that sarcastic tone of his. So when Newt flipped on a light beside the car, Thomas wasn't surprised to see his face. He was surprised to see Newt's face there.
"Newt," Thomas sighed. "I can't-"
"Don't be a twat about it," Newt spat, walking up to Thomas and taking his backpack. "I'm already in."
"Me too." Minho's voice. It came from behind him, so Thomas turned his head in that direction. There, Thomas saw Minho sitting on the same stairs he'd just used to enter the garage. Minho had definitely not been there before. "And you really are a dumb, ugly shank if you thought you could do this alone."
"No… No, guys, not this time!" Thomas protested to both boys. "Look, even if we find Hope, there's no guarantee we'll make it back from this."
"Well, you'll need all the help you can get then," Newt said and then opened up the car's front door. There, Thomas found one more of his friends: Frypan. Then, seeing Thomas at a loss for words, Newt leaned his back against the car proudly. "So I guess a fourth member won't hurt, right?"
Thomas shook his head. "...Are you sure?"
"We started this together," Newt acknowledged as a small smile adorned his face. "May as well end it that way, too."
"Plus, I'm not giving up the chance to beat up another WICKED soldier," Minho remarked, standing up and walking over to stand beside Thomas. "That train heist wasn't good enough. I'm gonna beat their faces so badly that their own mother won't be able to recognize them."
"U-Um," Frypan nodded hesitantly, "good for you, Minho."
"Okay…" Finally, Thomas gave in. He knew that nothing could stop Minho, especially not when he was like this. "Let's go get her ba-"
"Wait…!" All of a sudden, a young yet familiar voice cut in. The owner of the voice ran up the stairs, his body covered in bags. And, beside him, there was a black german shepherd. "Don't go yet, you guys!"
"...Chuck," Thomas said his friends' name in an unhappy tone. It didn't matter, though, because the young boy continued on.
"I got everything we need!" Chuck beamed innocently, while the four older boys shared a meaningful look. "I saw Thomas pack his backpack, and since I knew he sucks at packing, I knew what I had to do! I got blankets, pillows, extra clothes, extra food, and all the other good stuff!"
"You can't go with us, Chuck," Newt said, causing Chuck's smile to immediately fall. "You're staying here."
"W…What?" Chuck stammered. "But I thought that… I know none of you told me about going, but I thought that I was still gonna be… I-I should be included!"
"We need you to stay here, Chuck," Thomas asserted. "You need to look after Aris and the others - they need you. Hugo, too. It's too dangerous for him to-"
"I'm going!" Chuck shouted. "I'm going, and I'm not backing out! I wanna go as much as you guys do!"
"We know that, man," Frypan soothed. "But like Thomas said, you need to look after this place."
"But-!"
"But nothing!" Minho barked. "It's too dangerous, Chuck, and we need you to be safe."
"We're not doing this because we don't want you around," Newt continued. "We're doing this because we want to stay alive. If we die out there, this place needs you. Hugo needs you. We're trusting that you'll look after everyone for us."
"I get it, Chuck," Thomas breathed. "I understand how this must feel, but-"
"No! No, you don't understand!" Chuck's voice was breaking. The four boys' eyes widened upon hearing the pain in his voice. "Y-You don't understand, because Hope is… Hope is my…! She's my…! My…"
"Your what…?" Minho questioned. "She's your what, Chuck?"
Chuck dropped his many bags to the ground, his head downcasted to the ground. "Are you really not gonna let me come with you?"
"Chuck…" Thomas had an inkling of what Chuck was thinking, so he walked forward and then knelt down in front of him. The young boy may have gotten taller during the past six months, but he was still growing. "We're the stupid ones here, okay? We're choosing to do something really stupid, and we need you to be the smart one and stay here. We can't lose you too, Chuck. We can't."
"If…" Chuck glared down into Thomas' eyes. "If you don't make it back, I'll never forgive you."
"We can't know for sure," Thomas said. "There's no-"
"Then make it sure!" Chuck barked. "Promise me you guys will come back! Promise me you'll be okay! You say you can't lose me too, but it's the same for me! I don't wanna lose you guys! You're everything to me!"
That final sentence softened everyone's emotions. Those four boys were trying to stay stern, wanting to show Chuck they weren't going to budge. However, now that Chuck had said something like that, there was no way that their strictness could stay. Frypan jumped out of the car, following Minho and Newt over to stand around Chuck, whose body was trembling with anger and sadness.
"You're a goofy kid, y'know that?" Minho teased, placing his hand onto Chuck's head. "So shuckin' emotional all the time."
"It's gonna be okay, man," Frypan added as he squeezed Chuck's shoulder. "We're gonna do everything we can to get Hope back. Us too."
"And when we do come back, tell us what the Safe Haven is like," Newt said with a friendly smile. "Vince says it's like paradise, but… we all know how overdramatic he can get."
"Look after that old man for us, alright?" Once those words left Thomas' mouth, he gave Chuck's arm a playful punch. Then, in response to everyone's words, Chuck wiped away his tears. Thomas' own smile deepened upon seeing this. "They need you here, Chuck. You're everything to them… and us."
"I… I hate you guys," Chuck grumbled, prompting everyone to let out a laugh. "Though, I… I do believe you, too, so… Go save Hope, okay? Bring her home."
"Promise," Fry, Minho, Newt, and Thomas said simultaneously. Likewise, the four boys moved their gazes over to Hugo patiently sitting off to the side. And when they saw Hugo's tail start to wag in spite of their eyes on him, they each moved over to him. During the past six months, the dog had found himself growing some white hairs around his face; he also slept more than he used to. Still, Hugo was still Hugo, and he missed Hope as much as everyone else did. So if those boys could see Hugo fully happy again, then they'd do it.
"Don't let Chuck do anything stupid," Minho told the dog, making Chuck instantly snap at him in the background.
"I'll make you some good treats when I get back," Frypan stated.
"Be there for the other kids," Newt said. "Like you were there for us."
"We'll miss you, buddy," Thomas breathed while placing his hands on either side of the dog's face. "Be good."
"Woof!" Hugo barked, letting everyone know his response. Thus, with Chuck's and Hugo's responses, the four boys knew what to do. They each walked back over to the car, their eyes never leaving their two friends.
"Be safe!" Chuck ordered. "And get Hope outta there!"
"You're the boss, Chuck!" Minho stated and then jumped into the back of the car. Thomas sat beside him, while Newt took the passenger seat and Fry took the driver's seat. The four boys then gave one last wave to Chuck and Hugo before driving the car out of the garage. It was true that Chuck still wanted to go with them - he wanted to see Hope as much as them. Nevertheless, the thing that kept him back wasn't only because of their persuasion, it was also because of a personal reason. The past six months, Chuck noticed something with those four boys. He noticed a change caused by their grief.
Frypan had become chattier.
Minho had become angrier.
Newt had become quieter.
Thomas had become hastier.
Chuck had noticed changes within himself as well, but he had somehow managed to control them. Not fully, yet he was still better off than those four. Those four had taken Hope's capture harder than anyone else, and they hadn't been their normal selves ever since that night. Frypan, Minho, Newt, and Thomas needed to do this; they needed to get Hope back. Chuck didn't want to watch them sink into darkness anymore, being unable to do anything to help them. No, Chuck couldn't bear to watch them suffer anymore, which was why he allowed those four to go alone. He couldn't help them, only Hope could. Chuck wanted to help them, but he wasn't Hope.
Hope, who had just had one of the craziest five days of her life.
A/N: Oh my gosh, we're at the Death Cure already. I honestly can't believe it.
Anyway, I know that this chapter kinda skipped over a lot of personal feelings, but that's because the next few chapters will do a deep dive into how Frypan, Chuck, Minho, Newt, and Thomas (in that order) felt during the past six months. They will also, at the same time, explain why WICKED took Hope five days before the Right Arm stole that train car; and also what happened to her during those five days.
The chapters will be a little different than the rest, but they do directly tie in with what will happen in the future. They also explain a lot of unanswered questions.
Also, I do really appreciate your kind reviews! They warm my heart, so thank you. 3