"We were in the maze together," said Aris.
The explanation didn't seem to convince many, since most continued to frown out of confusion, or lowered their hands slowly. They trusted Aris, but not the girls. Even if they had slung the rifles over their shoulders, they were a probable threat.
"Still doesn't explain much," Rowan muttered, just as Leen elbowed her to make her shut up.
Sonya diverted her eyes towards the two girls, locking eyes with William on the way. If the others had found Aris's reunion with the two girls strange, watching William and Sonya stare at each other for what seemed an eternity was puzzling.
"Li!" Young Sonya's voice echoed inside William's mind. "That's not fair! Give it back! Give it or I'll tell my brother!"
"Want to know what's actually not fair? That you won't let me know what he said in the letter," his younger self pouted. "I just want to know what he wrote about."
"That's because it's not for you." A playful tone overthrew her previous indignation. "But it is about you."
Without saying a word to him, Sonya turned to Aris, one of her brightest smiles playing across her face; something that William had unknowingly missed greatly. "You found him."
"Yeah," said Aris. "Thanks to you."
Of course, she can't remember me. William thought, his eyes trailing back to the ground under his feet as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. Lizzy only knows me because of the photo. She doesn't know who I am, nor does Newt … Well, at least I'll keep part of my promise. They'll be together. I'll make sure they know they're family before we leave.
A hand took his, bringing William closer to the person. It was no surprise when he looked up; meeting Newt's worried eyes, which kept travelling back and forth between the girls and their friends. It was clear that he didn't trust the girls.
What would you do if I told you that the girl that just pointed a rifle at you is your sister? William wondered.
Harriet brought two fingers to her mouth and whistled at the mountains. "We're clear, guys! Come on out!"
A voice repeated her orders, though much fainter. "Copy that! We're clear! Stand down."
Newt gave Minho and William a doubtful glance as the people who had before shot them appeared around the mountains. Without much denying or discussion, they followed Sonya and Harriet through the tunnel, where, on the other side, a truck was blocking the path.
"Back it up, Joe!" Sonya commanded.
The truck got out of the way, and they walked past it to the other side of the mountain, where all kinds of people walked around with some kind of shotgun. Not minding the stares, Harriet and Sonya guided the large group towards three trucks.
"We're taking them to base," Harriet explained briefly.
"Wait, so, how did you guys get here?" Aris asked, following close behind, almost between the two girls.
"The Right Arm got us out," Harriet said in the same brief manner.
"Wait." Thomas walked faster, taking Chuck along with him. "The Right Arm? Do you know where they are?"
Harriet smiled and opened the door of the truck behind her, giving him a little motion towards it as she said. "Hop in."
They were divided into three different trucks. At least there was an improvement, since no one had to sit out in the open, but they were also more separated. William sat at the back of the truck, where there were no seats, watching Mae and George rush in to join him, followed by Chuck, Aris, and Rowan. The four from Group S were surprised at that, and, most importantly, the lack of Thomas, Newt, or Frypan following them. They rarely took their eyes off of Chuck, which meant that letting them be alone with them was an enormous sign of their trust.
"Great," Rowan muttered to herself, running her fingers through her once again loose hair. "How are you feeling, Chuck, Aris? Worried about the others?"
"I still can't believe they're alive," mumbled Aris, plumping down next to William on the back of the truck.
"Tired." Chuck smiled at her, causing George to pat his back reassuringly. "And those shanks will be fine … If the Right Arm really helped Immunes escape WICKED, they'll help us, too, right?"
"Yeah." Mae nodded, trying to ignore how demoralising the situation was becoming to those from Group S, who were bound to leave their friends behind in less than what they had expected. "They will."
"Tommy will make sure of that," added William, forcing his lips to curve upwards not to worry Chuck or his brother. "He's a darn lucky birdie, and I bet arguing with him must be the worst thing in life with how hard-headed he is. Better give up than try to change his mind."
"Us, too," George said, taking a seat next to Chuck on the floor of the truck as it began to move. "Nothing will happen. We won't allow it."
An hour passed in the span of a second, and soon, the truck was pulling over somewhere at the base of a mountain. Without thinking twice, they got out of the truck and found the others, who were just as confused as they were. They followed after Sonya and Harriet once again. The Right Arm's base was nothing like what Group S had imagined. It didn't look like a military headquarters; it was more similar to a refugee camp.
"They've been planning this for over a year now." Harriet continued walking around, only turning her head once as she added, "this is all for us."
"You guys are lucky that you found us when you did. We're moving out at first light." Sonya then turned to look at some man walking in front of them. "Where's Vince?"
"Somewhere over there, I think." The man pointed to the group's right, where they immediately walked over.
"Who's Vince?" Thomas asked.
Harriet turned to look at them. "He's the one that decides if you get to stay."
Group S instinctively fell behind, letting the others walk faster and be in the front, covering them from the probable discussion that would take place in a minute. Grouped up at the back, Henry and Rowan analysed their surroundings, searching for weapons that they could take away without causing a significant problem or getting anyone after them. Mae and Flor did the same; only they searched for food and bottles of water.
"Just great, isn't it?" Bea whispered to William and George, the two members of Group S closest to her.
"Yeah, I feel so relaxed right now." George rolled his eyes dramatically.
William chuckled, but soon his eyes travelled back up front, where he spotted something strange. He hadn't realised before, but Brenda's legs wobbled with every step she took. She looked out of it, her eyes lost, staring at something in the distance, which he doubted had enough relevance to get her in that drunk-like state.
"I thought the Right Arm was supposed to be an army," Minho said, walking in the lead next to Thomas.
A man, coming out of a tent, interrupted any reply Harriet or Sonya could give him. "Yeah, we were." He walked closer to them. "This is all that's left of us. A lot of good people died getting us this far." He then turned to look at the two girls. "Who are they?"
"They're Immunes," Harriet replied. "Caught 'em coming up the mountains."
The man, who William assumed was Vince, rested his hands on his hips. "Did you check 'em?"
With his worry increasing inside his mind, William stepped closer to Brenda and Jorge, who grabbed her arm to keep her steady. He rested a hand on Jorge's shoulder, motioning for him to step back with Brenda.
Harriet pointed at Aris, who was closer to the back of the group with William. "I know this guy, Aris. I trust him."
Jorge frowned out of confusion, not knowing what William was asking out of him. With all the patience left in his body having evaporated, William took his hand off Jorge and grabbed Brenda by the shoulders, trying to get her to react while he helped her step back, so she could be protected in the centre of his team.
Harriet and Sonya walked up to Vince, turning to face the group. Vince, however, didn't seem as convinced by Harriet's explanation as he told some people to get them checked. The situation worsened as Brenda fell to the ground, panting uncontrollably as if she couldn't breathe properly. William knelt down next to her, while Jorge ran up to them, holding her in his arms while trying to get her to react.
"Brenda …" William muttered, his eyes widening as he turned to look at his group, who watched the scene with mournful looks. "She…?"
Mae nodded. "Yeah."
"What's going on with her?" Vince asked as he knelt down beside William.
Jorge turned around, panic filling his voice. "I don't know." His attention got back to Brenda in less than a second. "Brenda, are you alright?"
To add to the already terrible situation, Vince decided to check Brenda's leg, which, apparently, was where she had been infected. "Crank! We got a Crank!"
Two men dragged Jorge away from Brenda, but William reacted before anyone could touch him. He got up and pushed the person to the ground. Vince pulled out a gun from his holster, pointing at Brenda's head, but William didn't move, much less when Thomas stepped in front of them.
"Listen, OK?" Thomas tried to reason, putting himself between the gun and them. "This just happened, OK? She's not dangerous yet."
The man that William had pushed down got back up, trying to pull him out of the way, despite William's objections. Without thinking twice, William repeated his action. Only, this time, the man had a firm grasp on his neck's bandage while falling down, taking it off of him.
"Another one?!" Vince exclaimed, his gun now pointing at William, who widened his eyes in horror.
"I…" William brought a hand to his neck, feeling strange bumps travelling from the back of his head, all the way down to his shoulder. There was no mistaking it, much less when Thomas couldn't take the guilty look off of his face while looking at him. "I'm a Crank."
"No, Liam—" Thomas tried to say something but was cut off by William.
His eyes darkened, the usual blue colour disappearing as if a powerful darkness engulfed it. "I'm a Crank." William pressed his hands against his skull, trying to keep his sanity intact. It was to no use. His mind was falling into deep darkness, and he didn't know how to float, let alone swim. "You knew I was a bloody Crank and said nothing?! How could you?! Who gave you the right, Thomas?!"
"I…" Thomas doubted. "I couldn't let you die."
William's hands relaxed, falling to his sides. Most hoped it was a sign that he was recovering part of himself, but it wasn't. Newt and Aris tried to step up to calm him down, but Thomas motioned Mae and Rowan to stop them, which they did without doubting Thomas's judgement.
"Since when?" William asked, watching Thomas advert his eyes. "I asked when, Thomas!"
"The night of Winston's death," Thomas said in a low tone, hardly daring to look into William's eyes.
A soft blue flicker appeared in William's eyes just as quickly as it disappeared. Although, that wasn't the only worrisome trait, since the purple veins that had once been hidden under the neck bandage were now creeping up to part of his face. William was losing his grip on sanity at a fast pace.
Eyes flaring with rage, the insanity in William forced his body to get closer to Thomas, his hand trembling over his holster. "Four days. You've let me tag along for four fucking days while knowing I was infected?!"
"You would have killed yourself." Thomas tried to lay a hand on William's shoulder, but William harshly slapped it away. "I know that much about you, Liam. Either … that or you forced us to leave you behind…"
"I agree with the boy, you shouldn't have brought them here," Vince said, his gun lowering slightly at the strange sight; not every day one witnessed a Crank being infuriated for having been left alive. "We let Cranks in here now? The Safe Haven doesn't last a week."
"I understand, OK?" Thomas turned to Vince and continued talking as calmly as he could. "Just listen. Please, OK? I told her that you could help."
"You …" William chuckled bitterly, his eyes turning into a dark blob of darkness. "You put my friends in danger for a fucking possibility? I risked my life for you! I listened to you when I only knew your name! And you let me tag along knowing I could infect the rest? You're not my friend!"
"You don't mean that—" Thomas got interrupted once again.
"Oh? I don't mean that?" He mocked, the veins reaching his left eye and tainting it black alongside his lips. His eyes averted for a second, and the hand over his holster tried to move, but it couldn't. Without a word said, his attention was back on Thomas. This time, there was no grin or mockery, simply a straight face staring deep into Thomas's eyes. "Look in my eyes and see if I don't mean it. You. Are. Not. My. Friend." He paused, taking a couple of shallow breaths to add, "if you were my friend you would have killed me four fucking days ago, Thomas! Come on, kill me! If you've ever been my friend, kill me!"
Not letting Thomas have the time to process the harsh words, William pulled out the gun Jorge had given him the day before from the holster. Vince shouted something, but no one moved. Sonya took a step closer to Thomas, trying to get him to move, but he refused. Thomas knew that, if he moved, Vince or Harriet would shoot William, and he wasn't the only one that couldn't watch such a thing. His eyes kept travelling to Newt, who was struggling in Mae's grip, or Aris, who tried to do the same with Rowan. Contrary to his friends, William's group was still, eyes bottling up with tears as if they had no idea what to do, or they had already given up on saving their friend.
Thomas couldn't give up on William. Not when they had just got to the Right Arm. He couldn't lose another friend. But that only seemed to make William angrier, since his grip on the gun was trembling less with each second that passed.
"Stop looking at me like that! I've had enough of you and your bloody hero complex!" William shouted. "Kill me or step aside, Thomas! If you can't do it, let them!"
"Liam." Thomas stopped for a second, a memory appearing in his mind unannounced. "Li." He watched William's eyes clear somewhat. "Li, please, listen to me."
Another blue flicker appeared in William's eyes, making Thomas believe there was still hope. Although he seemed to be one of the few left. The gun pointed at him lowered just as William began looking around, confused, as if he had no recollection of what had just happened. His eyes landed on the gun, where they stayed, analysing the cold metal.
Thomas then turned to Vince. "Please, there's gotta be something you can do for them."
Not letting Thomas any time to turn around, William raised the gun. He heard some gasps, though he couldn't place who they were from or how close they were to him. Taking one last deep breath, William closed his eyes, feeling the cold metal against his temple.
"Life moves on," he muttered, his trembling finger pressing the trigger, but failing to have the courage to pull it completely. "Nobody's death can change that."
"No!" Rowan let go of Aris to jump on William, pushing him to the ground.
There was no time to come up with a plan. Everyone did what they could. Flor took the gun away from William, or rather the insanity that had taken over once again of his mind. Henry and George kept him on the floor; arms and shoulders secured, though the legs kept kicking freely, trying to get him out of the situation. Due to Mae's astonishment, Newt got out of her grip and knelt next to George, while Aris did the same on the opposite side, next to Henry.
"Come on, Liam, say something," they urged him.
"Mae, snap out of it." Leen grabbed their leader by her shoulders, pulling Mae back to reality.
Five seconds was all it took for her to start giving orders. Flor pointed the gun at Vince, which Harriet didn't appreciate as she turned to aim at Flor's shoulder. Meanwhile, Leen and Bea kept William's legs still; only leaving their friend's mouth as a potential threat in case he attempted to bite someone.
"Newt … or Aris," Mae called, making the gazes divide between her and the two boys. "Talk to him. Anything. Just keep him distracted."
Vince immediately racked his gun and pointed it at William's head. "Step aside, I'll put them out of their misery."
"No! No!" They began shouting.
"Vince, that's enough!" A woman's voice made him stop in his tracks, though he didn't lower the gun. "Let him go. Let him go!"
Jorge ran up to Brenda the moment he accomplished getting the two men to let go of him. While Newt and Aris started saying whatever came to their minds, trying to get William to regain some sanity back. At first, it worked. However, the more time passed, the shorter William's moments of lucidity became.
"Come on, Liam," Aris said in a low tone, watching his brother's eyes get a soft blue flicker.
"Away … Get them far away from me … Please … please, Aris, please," William said between ragged breaths.
Without looking at the recent addition to the commotion — the woman that apparently had a high rank to give orders — Vince explained the situation to her, not lowering the gun for a second. "They're infected, Doc. There's nothing we can do for them."
"Liam," Newt said, causing the two blobs of darkness William had for eyes to land on him. "Li, remember what I told you yesterday?" The soft blue flicker that announced William's sanity had come back, grew to cover part of the darkness. "Come on, Li, can you remember what I said?"
By Vince's side, the woman smiled as her eyes stumbled upon Thomas. "No, but he can. Hello, Thomas."
"You know me?" Thomas asked, practically out of breath from the arguing and constant death threats to his friends.
The woman nodded, more to herself than to answer him. "Interesting. It makes sense they'd put you in the maze." She knelt down next to Brenda, watching as William kept coming back to his senses the more Newt asked questions. "Though I must admit, I was worried they'd kill you after what you did."
"What I did?" Thomas repeated, as confused as usual.
Before Doc walked over to check on William, Newt asked the same question one last time. No longer struggling, William breathed out, a single tear running down his cheek as he noticed what was happening around him.
"You said … you said you cared about me … for the same reason Bea does for Leen … but you weren't sure."
The woman ignored the two boys' conversation and hardly spared glances at Thomas as she examined William, holding his hand and touching his forehead to determine whether he had a fever. "The first time we spoke, you said you couldn't take it anymore; watching your friends die, one by one, some being taken away to fight Cranks when they weren't even Immune. The last time we spoke, you gave me the coordinates of every WICKED compound, trial, and lab."
"He was our source," Vince breathed out, shocked.
"We couldn't have pulled all of this off without him." She glanced down at Brenda and William. "Take them to the tent. And get these guys some warm clothes."