And The Stars Go Out
"We have to keep studying these patterns. She has the right neurological patterns, Dr. Paige."
"No, I will not sacrifice my granddaughter to the tests." She looked up. It was blurry and white. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. Moving at a few beats at a time. She was eight, with two long pigtails covering her shoulders. A birthmark was prominent under one eye.
"She may be one of our only working variables. Her blood holds the right proteins."
"Then we keep working on it. But until then I don't want to hear a word of her becoming a subject." There was a loud bang as she slammed the door. She looked up when she saw a familiar face coming up to her. Immediately she put on a smile, not wanting to worry the little girl.
"How was your day, dear?"
"Good." Her voice was small, quiet. "Lizzie and I played until we had to do our homework."
The woman chuckled. "Homework always comes first." She teased, patting the little girl on the top of the head. She giggled, a voice long forgotten.
"Are the tests going well, grandma?" She asked. The woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. The woman didn't answer and she understood.
The tests. The trials. The plans.
Ava was in the maze, on her own. She could hear the griever's screams. It was dark. Barely able to see.
She stepped to the side, her foot smacking something. Looking down, she screamed, seeing Newt's mangled body. Beside him laid Gally.
She heard the mechanical clacking and turned to see the griever. It roared, coming at her. She turned to run, but couldn't move. She saw Thomas's body, then Minho's. All dead, torn to shreds. She felt the griever as it breathed over her. She didn't look up. It was on her.
"Ava! Ava!" She startled, gasping as brown eyes shot open. Arms shot out and stopped her from thrashing. "It's okay! I'm right here!"
It took her a moment to register. She was laying on her back on the floor of the helicopter. The same one that had taken them from the Maze. It was still moving. The people that saved them told them to rest. They were safe. Most of them couldn't sleep. Too afraid to wake up back there.
The Grievers. Jeff, Ben, Chuck, Gally. Gally. She killed him. She shot him. He had been stung and she had to kill him. She looked up as Newt hovered over her, keeping her from thrashing.
"Newt?" She whispered, eyes searching his. They were all beaten up, exhausted. Newt nodded, hand moving to push sweaty hair from her face. "I'm right here, love. Just you and me." He reassured her.
"Just you and me." She repeated, staring up at him as her heart slowed back down to a normal beat, her breaths beginning to even out.
"How is she?" Ava looked over when she heard a man's voice. One of the men was in the corner of the helicopter, watching them. Newt nodded, looking as Frypan moved to help her sit up. "We'll fix your leg up better as soon as we get back to base, okay kid?" He nodded. She looked down at her leg, at the crude but effective bandaging on her leg. She almost forgot about the wound where the griever had stabbed her. A few minutes into the flight and she had gotten lightheaded. They hadn't realized how bad it was bleeding, too caught up in escaping. "Get some food into you guys as well." He added. Ava looked around the helicopter. Teresa was watching Thomas, who was asleep. Winston was next to Minho, both dozing in and out. Frypan moved to sit beside her.
Mason, Harry, Jeff, Clint. She kept counting off who they had lost. Her brothers. Her family. Ava moved and curled into Newt, needing his warmth. He relented, wrapping his arm around her and squeezing her gently. He could tell she needed him. And he hated to admit it, but he needed her more than he thought. When she started shaking from the blood loss he about lost it. He didn't want to lose her. He couldn't. They made it out of the maze, he wasn't losing her then. Her hand immediately found his chest where his heart beat, feeling it pound against her palm. Maybe she was getting riskier with her feelings. But they were free. They weren't part of WCKD anymore. She could try to figure out what her pounding heart meant any time she saw him.
Maybe they could be happy.
They all felt the helicopter begin to descend, but soon there was shouting. "Shit!" The man cursed as he looked down. "Alright, kids. You gotta listen to me. When I open that door, you get out and start running and don't look back. There's gonna be a lot of shouting, a lot of shooting. But our main priority is you guys. So just do as I say!" He yelled as the helicopter came to a stop. "Wake that kid up!" He yelled as Minho began shaking Thomas.
The door opened and three other men began grabbing at the kids, pulling them out and sending them into the path of light surrounded by darkness. Ava looked at Newt, before moving to follow. A hand touched her shoulder. "Wait!"
"She's coming with me!" Newt yelled.
"She can't run on that leg." The guy yelled, jumping down beside Newt as Ava slowly moved. Another moved forward at the command. He moved, scooping her up into his arms and turning to run. "Go!" He yelled to Newt as they moved to grab Minho and Thomas. Ava winced, clinging to the man's vest as they ran.
They finally got into the large building. Ava was going to call it a fortress. It was huge! They must have come into the armory. Tanks and bikes were all around them as men in combat gear were yelling and rushing around. There were guns and ammo everywhere. The man carrying Ava slowly let her stand on her good leg. She winced and leaned heavily into Frypan.
"I'm the one with the limp. Not you." Newt joked as they were being pushed again down a hall. "You guys will be safe in here until it's over. Eat up." Someone yelled, pushing them into a room before shutting the door and locking it. Thomas moved to bang on it, before turning as they noticed the table full of food and drinks. Their eyes widened, mouths watering. There were no words as each kid moved to the table, scarfing down the readily available food. They deserved this.
Soon, the food had disappeared. Nothing but bones and scraps left. The group sprawled out on bags of rice or the tables, taking a break from the adventure they just endured.
"I don't know who these guys are, but they can cook." Frypan mumbled where he was sitting, the others agreeing.
"Who are they really though?" Teresa asked, head propped against her hand. Ava was behind her, leaning against a few sacks of rice. "I mean we don't know anything about them."
"Well we know they're not friends of WCKD." Newt answered.
"Well, that's good enough for me." Minho spoke, laying down across the table. "You guys think too much. We're free. Enjoy it."
Ava sighed, looking down at her bandaged leg once more. Something in the back of her mind said they weren't free. That this was just another test. She looked over to Newt, meeting his eyes, before turning away.
Locks clicked from the door that had been closed since they got there. The Gladers stood up, moving toward the door. Ava could walk, but it was difficult. The wound hadn't been bleeding, so that was a plus. The door opened as a man stepped in. He was tall and somewhat skinny, with gray hair and a rat-like face.
"You kids doing all right? Sorry about all the fuss. We had ourselves a bit of a swarm." The man spoke with a smile, two guards on either side of him.
"Who are you?" Thomas asked, standing in front of the group. The man chuckled. "I'm the reason you're all still alive."
The group looked at each other, confused before they were ushered out of the room, following the man. "You can call me Mr. Janson. I run this place. For us, it is a sanctuary, safe from the horrors of the outside world. You all should think of it as a way station. Kind of a home between homes. Watch yourselves." They stepped into a bigger part of the building as they walked.
"That mean you're taking us home?"
Janson chuckled. "A home of sorts. Sadly, there wouldn't be much left of wherever you came from. But we do have a place for you. A refuge, outside the Scorch, where WCKD will never find you again. How does that sound?" He turned to look at the group once they stopped. No one said anything. Too afraid to. Except for Thomas.
"Why are you helping us?" He asked again.
"Let's just say the world out there is in a rather precarious situation. We're all hanging on by a very thin thread. The fact that you kids can survive the Flare virus... makes you the best chance of humanity's continued survival. Unfortunately, it also makes you a target, as no doubt by now you've noticed."
"Wait, survive the flare virus? Do you mean we're immune? All of us? Including the ones back in the Glade?" Ava asked, looking at him. Janson stared at her, before looking toward Newt stood beside her. He smirked and nodded.
"Beyond this door lies the beginning of your new lives. First things first... let's do something about that smell."
They were led down the hallway. "Girls to the left, boys to the right." One of them said. Ava looked toward Newt, not wanting to leave, but Teresa moved beside her. At least she'd have a friend.
Both girls stepped into a locker room, which held showers further in. "There are clothes that should fit you in those lockers. Take your time. We'll be out here." One of the guards said before closing the door. Ava looked at Teresa, before back at the door.
What they said had been true. This wasn't just a cistern full of maybe hot water that they had to pull on a string for them to use. This was actual running water, coming from pipes and it was always warm. Both girls stripped and stepped into separate showers, relishing in the warm water as it washed the dirt and blood from their skin. Ava laughed as Teresa cheered, both feeling refreshed immediately. Even after Ava washed the grime from her body, twice, she still stood in the water for a moment.
Once they were done, they stepped out to dry. Ava was finishing drying her hair, moving toward the clothes. She saw her name written beside a stack of clothes, with a note beside it. "Wear the shorts until we get that wound checked out. Then you can change into the jeans." Ava raised an eyebrow, looking at the shorts. They were loose, and she didn't like it. But she knew they needed to check her leg. So she pulled them on and then pulled on the sports bra and blue tank top. She didn't feel right with the shorts. Her skin was exposed. She touched the wound on her leg and winced. It wasn't bleeding, but it sure looked bad.
Turning, she saw Teresa as she moved to change. There were mirrors in the bathrooms in front of the sinks. Ava had never seen her reflection, except the dirty muffled one in the pond. They didn't have mirrors in the Glade. She stepped in front of one, staring at herself. And she didn't like it. Her dark reddish hair was wet and tangled, even after brushing it. Her brown eyes were dark, almost black. Bottomless, like the hole when the box went back down.
And the scars. The scars. Her hand reached out to touch the scarred flesh on her cheek, noting the new red one. There was a darker red splotch under her eye, covered by the scars. She wondered how long that one had been there. They did this to her. The creators. Made her look like this. She bit her lip and looked at Teresa. She was clothed, tying on her shoes. She was so pretty. She could see how Thomas seemed to be attached to her. There wasn't a flaw on her body. Ava looked at herself again, confused and hurt. They never thought about this stuff in the Glade, but now they were able to. Maybe she was sent to the Glade because she looked like this.
"Ready?" Teresa broke her from her thoughts, holding the pair of jeans for her. "I think they said they were taking us to get checked out first. Which would explain the shorts." She nodded. Ava swallowed, taking the jeans from her and nodding.
The two girls were led down a hallway toward the medical wing, where the boys were already being assessed. Ava looked up at Minho, who was on a treadmill, running in place.
"What are they doing?" She asked the female nurse as she sat down.
"Some tests, to see how you guys fared in the trials. Nothing serious." She spoke sweetly, stooping down to look at her leg. "Oh, it's not bad. A little glue and some medicine should do it well." She explained, moving to fix the wound up. She winced a few times as the nurse checked on it, patching it up. "There. Should be fine in a day." She said, standing up and smiling at Ava. Ava looked over when she heard Newt ask about what was in the syringe.
"You'll need one too. It'll help you." The nurse said, holding her own. Ava gulped, before letting them do their work. Obviously, they knew what they were doing. She kept her eyes on Teresa, who was talking to another doctor now.
"Okay. You're good to go." Ava jumped, not realizing she had spaced out. The boys were already gone, but not long. The nurse smiled. "You can join your friends now. They'll show you to the cafeteria." Ava nodded, hopping down from her seat. She quickly changed into the jeans that they had given her, before turning and following the other guard.
"Your friends are here." The man stated over the loud chatter. Ava stood there, staring into the cafeteria. It was covered in tables, and boys and girls were sitting at them, chatting. She raised an eyebrow, confused. She turned as someone joined her.
"Thomas!" She gasped, turning to hug him. Even though they hadn't been gone long. She didn't like being apart from them. Thomas returned the hug, holding her before looking around. "What is this place?"
"Said it was a cafeteria. But I don't know these people." She said as they walked in, looking around. There were girls her age, sitting around and laughing. It almost felt surreal.
"Thomas! Ava!" Both turned and inwardly sighed when they saw a table with their fellow Gladers. Newt was up first, pulling Ava into a hug quickly. Minho followed, clapping Thomas on the back.
"Who are these people?" Thomas asked as they moved toward the table.
"We weren't the only maze." Minho answered, chuckling at Ava and Newt.
"You okay? I couldn't stay, they wouldn't let me." He asked, worried for her. She nodded, still in his arms as they stood there. She pulled back to look at him before laughing. "What?"
"You're clean." She joked. He scoffed, rolling his eyes before turning and leading her over to the table they were sitting at with some of the others. She moved to sit between Newt and Winston while Thomas sat beside Frypan, already talking to the others from the other maze trials
"How long have you guys been here? " Thomas asked.
The other kid shrugged. "Not long. Just a day or two. That kid over there has been here the longest." He motioned over to a young boy, maybe fifteen, sitting by himself with his hood pulled over his head. "Almost a week. His maze was nothing but girls."
"Really?" Minho asked.
"Some guys have all the luck." The guy said. Ava scoffed, shaking her head. He looked at her, confused. "You came from their maze?" She nodded. "I was the only girl. Until Teresa came in." She explained. They hadn't seen Teresa yet. The nurse said she had a few more tests to run before letting her go.
"You had to be lucky then. All those boys." A girl from another maze who was sitting down the row from them said. Ava studied her. She was blonde-haired and pretty. Her skin was flawless. Ava chuckled, hand raised to the scars once more. "Yeah. Must have had some good choices." Another girl teased, noting the boys that surrounded her.
"Guess you could say that." She finally spoke, her voice small. "They were my family." She felt Winston's hand take hers under the table. Winston wasn't always touchy when it came to the guys, but he had a soft spot for Ava. She was a sister to him. The two girls giggled, noting how red Newt looked as he shifted, uncomfortable under their gaze.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Ladies." Everyone turned as Janson walked in, holding a clipboard. "You all know how this works. If you hear your name called... please rise in an orderly fashion, and join my colleagues behind me... where they will escort you to the eastern wing. Your new lives are about to begin. Connor. Evelyn. Ev! Justin. Peter. Allison. Squiggy." The Gladers watched as the ones who were called stood up, grinning and excited to go. "All right. Settle down. Franklin. And Abigail. Now, now, don't get discouraged. If I could take more, I would. There's always tomorrow. Your time will come. Go on, eat up." Janson smiled at the group, before turning to join the kids who were picked and following them. Ava felt something was off. The way he was acting. It just didn't feel right. She could tell Thomas felt the same way. The others didn't seem to notice.
"Where are they going?" Thomas finally asked once the chatter began again.
"Far from here. Lucky bastards. Some kind of farm. A safe place. They can only take in a couple of people at a time." The boy across from them explained. Ava watched them walk away, before down at the plate that Newt had pushed in front of her. She was queasy. Something didn't feel right.
Once they all had eaten, guards took them back to their respective bunks. Ava followed them as the guard opened the door to a small room that had six bunks to it.
"I call top!" She heard Frypan call. She moved to step in before a hand shot out.
"Sorry. Boys only. We have to keep you guys separate." The man spoke. Ava raised an eyebrow.
"I've lived with them for two years. I think I'll be fine." She scoffed.
"Rules are rules. Besides, Dr. Crawford needs you back in the med wing for additional testing." He explained. Ava looked at him, before looking toward the boys in the bunk. "More testing? We just did a bunch." She argued, looking at him. The man just shrugged.
"I'm just here to escort you there." Ava bit her lip, turning toward the boys. She didn't want to go back there. Not by herself. Thomas was standing in the doorway as Newt walked up. Ava met his eyes, sending a silent pleading look to him.
"Okay, let's go." He spoke, moving to step out of the doorway. Another stopped him. "Just her. No one else." Ava was at a loss for words. She couldn't even make a sentence.
"Teresa will be there, Ava." Thomas tried to reassure her, but even he wasn't believing it. She looked to Newt. "It's okay. We'll be here when you get back. We're not going anywhere." He tried to reassure both him and her. He didn't like this. "They're just gonna take care of you okay?"
Ava looked at him, fear evident in her eyes, before one of the guards gripped her shoulder and began to steer her away from them, the other closing the door and locking it. She winced when the guard pushed her to face forward. She stumbled, holding back tears as they walked.
Thomas and Newt both watched the door close, the other boys not worried at all.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Thomas asked, looking at him. Newt still stared at the door, hoping they were joking and she was coming back to him.
"Yeah." He answered. "But it's not WCKD. She should be fine." They saved them. Brought them to safety. They wouldn't hurt her. They couldn't hurt Ava. He turned to claim a bunk, trying to be the optimist. He watched Thomas move toward the sink in the corner as each of them began to fall asleep.
She had to be okay.
"There she is." Ava looked up as a middle-aged African American woman walked up to her. "I'm Dr. Crawford. You must be Ava." She motioned toward the bed covered in crinkly paper. Ava didn't move for a moment. "It's okay. They're gonna go back to the door." She nodded. The guards moved then, disappearing.
"You must have had it hard. You're the only girl in your maze trial, right?" The woman asked as Ava moved to sit down.
"Where's Teresa?"
"She's sleeping, over there." She motioned toward a curtain. Ava tried to peer through it, but couldn't see her. The woman was nice. She stood back up and smiled. "I do have to ask this, Ava. Are you sexually active?"
"What?" Ava turned quickly, her face flushed red. "No. I'm not." Dr. Crawford didn't look convinced.
"The others saw how close you were to that blonde-haired boy. It's okay to tell us. We're not here to judge."
"No! Okay!" She exclaimed, her hands grabbing at the paper under her. Dr. Crawford frowned, waving off the guards. "Did something happen?" It wouldn't be her first interaction. She had taken care of many from the mazes.
Ava whimpered, not wanting to think about it. To reminisce. She shook her head, letting go of the paper. Dr. Crawford raised her hands in surrender. She began to write some stuff on her clipboard, then moved and took some blood from Ava. Ava sat still, letting her do tests. Pricks here or looking into her eyes. She didn't understand, but Ava just wanted to go back. Get out.
"Okay. That's all for now. Let's get you comfortable for the night." The doctor spoke.
"The night? No, I want to go back to my friends. They said I could." Ava argued, moving away from Dr. Crawford as an orderly walked up.
"I'm afraid not. We need to study some of your sleep patterns. How you react in the R.E.M stage. You're our best subject at this moment. Dr. Paige will want to study more." She explained, grabbing a syringe.
"Dr. Paige?"
"They really did swipe your memories. Look, everything will make sense in time. But we really need to get going." She said. Ava shook her head. No, she couldn't do this. She moved to stand up before two of the orderlies moved to hold her down. "Let go of me!" She screamed as a nurse plunged the syringe into her neck, making her go limp.
Dr. Crawford sighed. "We're gonna have to restrain her. She's going to be a handful." The orderlies nodded, moving her to the bed and restraining her. They didn't want it to go this way.
Dr. Paige would not be pleased.