Betrayed | the maze runner, Newt

chapter 3

Zara pretended she didn't hear that and ignored him. When she turned around to walk away, her father stopped her. She looked at him, annoyed.

Her father nodded to the door and held up a list in his hand. ''We're going to get ten out, and you are coming with us. You wanted to see them up close so bad, didn't you?''

Zara didn't answer, just looked at him with a doubting look on her face. But her father didn't bother. When two big men approached them from the long corridor, Janson opened to door and walked through, followed by the men. Despite the uncomfortable feeling within Zara, she walked up behind them and heard the doors behind her close.

They walked one after other past the tables. First Janson, then his two men and lastly Zara. The girl tried her best to not make eye contact with any of the people in the room. She felt eyes on her but kept her face straight and unbothered. Though her pounding heart and the heavy feeling in her chest, she managed to look calm from the outside.

They walked up to the front of the room and stood still. Almost every teen had their attention to them, but Zara knew they were looking at her since she was a teenager too, and she was here with Janson.

''Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.'' Her father begun. ''Like yesterday and the day before, also today we're here to free ten of you and bring you to the only place you'll never be found and where you'll be safe from W.C.K.E.D.'''

That made Zara look up and side-eye her father. Why did he tell them that? Did they know what W.C.K.E.D was? But why wouldn't they know that this was just W.C.K.E.D? And he told them they were going to a safe place... A weird feeling filled Zara's stomach. The first time she'd ever felt it. Compassion.

She let her eyes scan the room to see excited teenagers looking their way. They were all so excited for something, a lie, they'd been told. A boy with brown hair and a hood caught Zara's eye. He was sitting alone with his back to Janson. Zara could see a little bit of his face, but enough to see how scared he was. She figured he must have been around sixteen. But something in his eyes told Zara that he knew it. He knew it was a lie. Suddenly an insufferable urge to talk to him set up.

When her father stopped talking Zara realized she'd missed the rest of his little speech by thinking too much. She put her thought aside and listened as her started calling names.

''Hannah, Devlin, Justin, Peter, Allison, Squdgy.''

Laughter erupted in the room. Because of the name of that boy, most likely.

''Abigail, Gabriel, Jacob and... Olivia.''

The excitement from all teenagers that were waiting to hear their name faded out. The ten kids whose name had been called stood up and walked to Zara's father to stand behind him, under control of the two men. Zara turned her head to look at them. Their faces had big smiled on it, they exchanged looks and some let out relieved sighs. Zara couldn't do anything but hide her compassion and feel the guiltiness inside her grow.

''Better next time, everyone will have their turn, no stress. For now, you'll be taken to your bedrooms.'' And with those words, Janson walked off, followed by the men and the ten teenagers. Zara followed them and watched how the men with the kids turned the other way as soon as they walked out the room.

Just when she was about to leave the room as well, shouting sounded behind her.

''Teresa, Teresa!''

Zara spun to see a boy rushing over to the exit door. He had brown hair and was wearing a grey sweatshirt. He looked desperate. And only for the two guards to stop him. Zara stood still and followed the boy's gaze. He was looking at someone through the window, but Zara couldn't see who. Apparently, it was a girl or woman named Teresa, as he shouted that name. The guards pushed him back.