Through The WICKED Scorch | A Maze Runner Story (English Version)

3. The others

Together with the others, we went after the girl. I was surprised to see that Teresa was not with us and wondered why she had to stay longer with the doctor.
Behind us were two men with machine guns, apparently to make sure we didn't run away. But why did they need all that if we were safe here? These weren't normal security precautions after all.
"Okay. Behind this door is the dining hall. Here you will get regular meals and enough food to fill you up. Please don't be alarmed, you're not the only ones we've taken out of the maze. There were several other mazes. The ones we were able to save are in there right now, too."
With these words she opened the door and a torrent of voices and laughter came towards us.
Completely perplexed, I stopped and stared at the people sitting and eating at tables in the large hall. They looked happy and some were laughing boisterously. I simply could not believe that there should have been so many other mazes.
It was only when Fry Pan behind me pushed me forward that I regained my composure and kept walking. I followed Newt and Minho to a table where only two boys were sitting. We sat down with them and it wasn't long before the others struck up a conversation with them while I still looked around in disbelief.
I only listened with half an ear as they began to tell how, like us, they had escaped from the maze and found - in this case unlike us - living people. Apparently, not everyone had come with them either, like with us. It was almost absurd that it had happened to them as it had to us. How was such a thing possible?
Suddenly Minho jumped up and snapped me out of my trance. I looked after him and realised that he was running towards Thomas, who had just been brought into the hall by a man from wherever. He led him to us and they sat down.
"...And there was this big, loud explosion, and these guys came out of nowhere, started shooting up this place."
I looked at the faces of my friends for the first time since we had arrived in this hall and realised that they were all hanging on the lips of the boy who was telling his story and was sitting diagonally opposite me. Winston sat next to him and kept nodding when he paused, Fry Pan sat on a table right next to me, his feet on my bench, Newt sat on my left and next to him now sat Thomas, next to whom sat Minho and next to whom sat Jack. Across from me sat the other boy we had just met.
"It was intense," the latter now agreed with his friend.
"They pulled us out of the maze and brought us here."
"What about the rest? The other people left behind in the maze. What happened to them?" Newt asked, posing the question that was probably on everyone's mind.
The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I guess WICKED still has them."
We exchanged glances. I could tell from Thomas' face that he was thinking the same thing I was. What had happened to our friends? To the ones Gally had left behind when he had followed us.
"How long you guys been here?" Newt continued to ask.
"Not long. Just a day or two."
As he said this, I wondered how anyone could not know such a thing for certain. If he had said 'five or six weeks ago' I would have understood, but like this.... I shook my head in confusion.
Now he turned and we followed his gaze to a slender boy who had pulled his hood up over his face and was staring fixedly ahead.
"That kid over there has been here the longest. Almost a week."
"His maze was nothing but girls," the other boy noted.
Had they actually told us their names? I didn't know.
"Really?" Minho asked, grinning.
I looked at him reproachfully, but he didn't notice.
"Some guys have all the luck."
I shook my head. What was wrong with these boys?
Just as I was about to say something, a familiar voice interrupted us. I looked up and recognised Mr Janson.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Ladies."
Everyone started to sit down and I moved a little closer to Newt so Fry Pan could squeeze in next to me.
"You all know how this works. If you hear your name called, please rise in an orderly fashion, join my colleagues behind me where they will escort you to the eastern wing. Your new lives are about to begin."
A few clapped, but we remained silent.
"Conner."
I wheeled around as someone cheered behind us and high-fived someone else.
"Evelyn. Justin. Peter. Allison. Squiggy."
At the last name, some started laughing.
"All right, settle down."
Mr. Janson's laugh sounded anything but genuine.
"Franklin. And Abigail."
Those whose names had been called lined up behind him and seemed visibly pleased. Then they followed the men outside.
"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!"
With these words he turned and was the last to disappear through the door. The crowd clapped and again we did not join in.
"Where are they going?" Minho asked the boy who had spoken the most so far.
"Far from here," he replied, turning back to us. "Lucky bastards."
His friend also turned back to us. "Some kind of farm. A safe place. They can only take in a couple of people at a time."
Then he suddenly looked at me.
"And you? You were the only girl in your maze? Must have been boring, always with the same boys. Don't you fancy meeting up with me tonight? I could show you some things from the air shafts and then we'll see."