To Hell And Back || The Scorch Trials || Minho

24 - The Flare

I've been in the same room for three weeks. I've gotten the same meals everyday from someone, but that's the only interaction I've had. Other then that all I've been doing is trying to keep myself occupied so I don't go crazy.

Did they tell you why they brought you there?

Teresa told me they said the Flare was rooted too deep, and that I was becoming violent.

I think, I began. I think we might have something in common. I don't know what it is yet, but WICKED seems to have a particular interest in us. Out of all the people, they chose us for this white room treatment. It has to mean something.

You're right, Thomas agreed. Anne, we need to get out.

I know. But I'm kind of tied up now, literally.

He didn't respond for a long time, which led me to believe that something was happening. And it wasn't good.

Thomas?

Nothing.

Tommy, you better answer me or I swear I will-

Anne! he interrupted. It's Rat Man, he's here. I have to go.

I groaned before banging my head back on the mattress. Of coarse that man had to barge in right when we were having an important conversation. If he would have waited just a few minutes, Thomas and I could have came up with a plan. But now that wasn't possible. I was going to be stuck here.

Because I had nothing else to do, I wondered what the others were doing. I wondered if Harriet was keeping all of the girls under control like she always did. I wondered if Aris had finally found his way back into our group. I wondered if Minho was trying to find me, and if he was being his usual sass filled self in the process. Was anyone else worried about me besides Teresa?

All of a sudden the metal door swung open. In stepped the person famously known as Rat Man. He was dressed in his white suit and his grey hair was greasy, like he hasn't washed it in days. That made me wonder what my appearance was like considering I couldn't remember the past three weeks.

The man had a manila folder in his right hand with many papers that were thrown inside carelessly. He opened it up before glancing at a few sheets and closing it again.

He now stood a foot away from me without saying a single word.

"Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" I asked, my voice bitter. "Because if you don't I will get free and beat the living crap out of you."

I must have made him angry because his expression changed dramatically. "I will explain, everything."

I scoffed, "Oh sure. 'Cause you've told the truth so many times already. But go ahead, don't let me stop you, I'm all ears."

"I can tell that you're angry, but there's no value in keeping you in the dark," he began. "You are obviously well aware that we have a horrible disease eating the minds of humans worldwide. Everything we've done up to now has been for one purpose and one purpose only- to analyze your brain patterns and build a blueprint from them. The goal is to use the blueprint to develop a cure for the Flare. The lives lost, the pain and suffering- you knew the stakes when this began. We all did. It was all to ensure the survival of the human race. And we're very close. Very, very close."

"So I was helping you to find a cure? By hurting boys in the Maze?"

Rat Man nodded. "You came to WICKED after we began the tests, but the ideas you had were to good to pass up. So we changed up some things. Because of you we are extremely close to finding a cure, without you we would have been steps behind. You were very happy when some of your ideas worked out as planned. I would imagine you would feel the same right now."

My throat became dry when this thought came to my mind. "Do I really have the Flare then?"

"There are some of you who are immune. The virus lives in every molecule of your body, yet has no effect on you, nor will it ever."

"So I'm immune?"

Rat Man straightened out his back, but avoided eye contact. "No, Anne, you're not," he said. "You have the Flare."

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. The tiny glimmer of hope I had for myself was now crushed. I was going to crazy like those people who killed Sonya, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Can't you make the cure now? Save everyone?" I asked.

"We can't right now. It's not ready. I'm sorry, Anne."

I opened my eyes to glare at his ugly face. "You're not sorry. You probably get off on seeing us suffer."

"You think you're funny?"

"I think I'm adorable," I said with a fake smile.

"Are you done yet? Because if this continues I won't let you out of here," he threatened.

"Fine. I'll just be boring until I lose my mind."

Rat Man rolled his eyes before calling for someone to come in. A woman dressed in black, protective armor entered and made her way over to me. She undid the leather restrictions around my ankles first, then the ones around my wrists. She seemed cautious around me, like I was going to lash out on her. I didn't know how quickly the Flare took over, but it wasn't like it was going to right at this moment.

When I sat up and rubbed the indentations left on my skin from the bands, Rat Man motioned to the opening in the room. "Let's go find your friends."

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