Ticking Time Bomb [THE SCORCH TRIALS]

CHAPTER FOUR

A rush of cold air swept out of the entrance of the doors as they were opened, and Ingrid was the first to step past the threshold. The other two boys tentatively walked in besides her, their eyes averting all over. Ingrid's eyes were focused ahead of her, until she finally turned her head to look to the right. It led to another room, where tanks of water were filled with a small animal-like looking organism, and Ingrid stopped dead in her tracks at the sight. The two other boys stopped as well, their eyes widening with shock at what they say.

        "What the hell is this?" Ingrid whispered, barely getting the words out before she heard the sound of another door opening. She turned her head to see Thomas and Aris heading through another entrance, this time, causing all three to immediately go into panic mode.

         Bodies.

        Bodies were hung from the ceiling, tubes of liquid flowing between them, masks worn on their faces. The stygian room allowed only a minuscule amount of eyesight, but from what Ingrid could see, was all the lies that were ever told to her. She wasn't safe. She was being played. Ingrid slowly walked towards all of the bodies, her hand reaching out to touch the tubes shakily, as if they would come alive at any moment. The Clearwater girl even touched one of the girl's arms, hoping that the warmth would offer this girl hope. But there was no hope for them. They were being deprived of everything.

        "That's Rachel," Aris breathed out as Thomas touched one of the girls. She had wavy dark brown hair, and although she was hooked up to several tubes, Ingrid still thought she looked ethereal. "They took her the first night. I told her it was gonna be okay―"

Aris's story came to a halt at the sound of a swoosh, only signaling towards the doors opening. All three pairs of eyes widened as a shadow came into view, and they all jumped into hiding places, Thomas and Ingrid hiding side by side against a small wall. She could hear Janson and an assistant speaking in a hushed tone, and in an attempt to hear them over her own thumping heart, she took a deep inhale of breath. "―She wanted to speak with you personally."

         "As if I don't have enough to deal with."

"Just bare with me," The assistant spoke as he pressed a button that turned on a screen, revealing Chancellor Paige, a woman Ingrid knew far too well.

"Good evening, Doctor Paige," Janson spoke courteously, always careful of the tone he used around the aforementioned woman. Thomas and Ingrid shared a quick glance before focusing back in on the conversation. "Lovely to see you again, although I wasn't expecting to hear from you quite so soon."

         "Change of plans, Janson. I'll be arriving a little sooner than expected, first thing tomorrow," Chancellor Page stood up from behind her desk, walking in front of it so that she now faced Director Janson head-on.

         "Oh, well, delighted to have you. I think you'll be pleased with the progress we've made," Janson motioned to his assistant, who easily pressed a button that enabled statistics to pop up onto the screen. "As you can see, the results have been extremely promising. Whatever it is you've been doing to them in there, it's been working."

         "Not well enough," Paige spoke with a light shake of her head. "I just received board approval. I want all the remaining subjects sedated and prepared for harvest by the time I arrive."

        "Doctor Paige, we are going as fast we can," Janson challenged. "We are still running tests―"

          "Try something faster. Until I can guarantee there's security, this is the best plan," Paige argued with an expression that easily made Janson feel uneasy and restless.

          "Ma'am, security is my job. We are on 24-hour lockdown. I am assuring you, the assets are secure."

          "Have you found the Right Arm?" Paige spoke in an accusatory tone, only causing Janson to reply with a smirk, "Not yet."

Ingrid's mind spun, and she felt lightheaded for a quick second before she collected her thoughts. He had lied to her. There had been nothing safe about this place from the moment she had arrived. All the promises they gave her, the power of authority, everything, was fake. Ingrid felt as if her head were about to explode from all the facts being thrown at her, but she instead closed her eyes. She closed her eyes to try and conjure up a better life, what it would be like to have a life that didn't consist of constant rebellion and deeply rooted revenge. Noticing the girl's pale face, Thomas placed his hand over Ingrid's. She opened her eyes immediately at the sudden contact, scoffing at him before pulling her hand away from him. He raised his hands up in defense, looking away in utter embarrassment. She had already missed out on most of the conversation, but one simple sentence immediately caught her attention. "―I suggest we start with the most recent arrivals."

         Ingrid and Thomas looked at each other, and it was then that they noticed how close they were to each other. She scooted away subtly for the sake of her embarrassment, but since there was nowhere else to move, she was stuck.

          "Janson, I don't want them to feel any pain," Chancellor Paige sat back down at her desk, beginning to flip through papers.

          "They won't feel a thing."

And with that, Paige disappeared, the screen now fading into the wall once more. The three heard the footsteps leave, and it was then that Thomas's breathing continued to rise erratically. The lights faded in and out of brightness, and the three were left in shock. Finally, Ingrid's mind clicked, and the recent events came to her mind. "Thomas, we have to go! We have to save your friends! They're, they're coming for them next, and I don't think that's a good thing."

His face was still in utter shock, his mouth partly open in horror from the words he had just heard Janson and Paige exchange. "Thomas! Pay attention!"

"Why do you care what happens to me and my friends? You can stay here, they won't use you, you'll be safe―"

"Thomas, I don't care about my freaking safety. I-I'm worried about yours! Who knows what Janson will do? Please, Thomas, we have to go. Now! Before they get there. I need you to be safe, I need you to―"

Thomas's head swiveled to face Ingrid directly at the sound of her words, and it was as if her words ignited the spark in him that caused him to stand up off the ground that he was once crouched on.

Without even realizing, Thomas grabbed Ingrid's hand, and they ran towards the vents once again.

This time though, Ingrid didn't let go of his hand.

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A/N: gooDBYE I AM THROWING MY PHONE OFF OF A CLIFF. WHAT DID I JUST WRITE OH MY GOD.

ISKFKWKF

WORKSKSLFA

OKAY I'm fine. Woo. Had a moment there.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter is gonna fuck you up some more, but hey, I'm good at doing that so sorry?

If you even comment and say that they're moving too fast, i wouLD JUST LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT THE MOVIE IS ONLY TWO HOURS LONG SO?? AND ANYWAYS THEYRE CUTE AF?? THEY'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR LIKE A WEEK SO?? LIKE?? STOP?? PLS???

okay im done goodbye goodnight good morning, whatever. I love you all so so much :)