A-Thousand-Words | The Maze Runner - Newt/Thomas

10 | Home Between Homes

I was woken by someone frantically shaking my body, which triggered a reaction inside of me that said danger was near. My eyes shot open and I got ready to jump up and prepare to fight or run, but before my instincts could take over I was calmed by the sight of my friends around me. "Get ready!" the man in the uniform from before shouted over the sound of the helicopter. "This is where you get off!"

Curiosity got the best of me and while everyone else got prepared to jump out as soon as the helicopter landed, I turned to my left and peeked out the window. The sky was dark now with a few speckles of light from the distant stars here or there, but what really caught my attention was the huge building that we were descending towards. Large, industrial lights surrounded the outside of the compound and men gathered around on the ground as we approached.

As soon as the helicopter touched solid ground the doors were yanked open and we were ushered out. Following the others, I left the safety of the vehicle and found myself standing in what looked like a giant desert; although it was hard to see at night. As we began to run, the wind moved quick and harsh, lifting sand with it as it whipped our faces.

The men in uniform yelled and pushed us towards the doors, but what really put me into overdrive was when the sound of bullets began taking over the sound of the demanding soldiers and wind put together. Bright spotlights shone down at us as we ran; careful to keep our footing through the sandy terrain.

As soon as we entered the building, the large industrial doors shut and sealed behind us. Looking around, we noticed that we were in what looked like some sort of military hanger. Crates of supplies strewn the area while people in uniforms rushed back and forth.

Seconds later a group of men approached us and ordered that we follow them. Of course, we were cautious of this, but seeing as we were in a strange area where we were outnumbered by what looked like one-hundred to one, we decided to take our chances and do what the men asked. They lead us towards what looked like a sort of holding room which contained chairs, tables, and a few other essentials items.

We stayed in the room for what seemed like hours before finally the door opened back up and a man in a white turtleneck and black leather jacket entered. "You kids doing all right?" the man asked as a small, welcoming smile spread across his face. "Sorry about all the fuss. We had ourselves a bit of a swarm."

Jumping up, we all walked over towards the man. We were confused, curious, and honestly a little worried about what was going to happen to us. "Who are you?" Thomas stepped to the front of the group.

"I'm the reason you're all still alive." the man answered. "It's my intention to keep you that way. Now, come with me. We'll get you kids squared away."

The man motioned for us to follow him and just like before, with nothing to lose, we did as he asked. "You can call me Mr. Janson. I run this place." the man, Janson, told us as he lead us through the building. "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."

"That mean you're taking us home?" I spoke up; eager to find out what was going to happen to us here.

"A home of sorts." he nodded. "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 WICKED will never find you again. How does that sound?"

The group gave each other a series of looks ranging from 'is this guy to serious' to 'maybe we are finally safe.' "Why are you helping us?" Minho inquired.

"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." Finally, the man came to a stop in front of a large door. He paused for a minute before pulling a key card out of his pocket and sliding it through the electronic pad beside the door itself. "Beyond this door lies the beginning of your new lives. First things first...let's do something about that smell."

Cheers echoed throughout the room as one by one the sound of water hitting tile commenced and we took what was our first shower in ages. Shedding my dirty, sweat covered clothes, I stepped into the running warm water and instantly felt better than I had in a long time. The water that ran off of my body and gathered near the drain was almost completely brown, signifying just how much dirt and grime was in my hair and on my skin.

As minutes went by and I scrubbed every inch of my body over and over again with soap, it felt like I had completely shed the entire outer layer of my skin.

Once we were showered and dried, we were lead into a lab where our vitals were testing, blood was drawn, and we were given shots of all of the vitamins we had been deprived of since arriving in the maze. I had to admit that it was a little nerve-wracking to have doctors all over me in a place that I was very unfamiliar with, but eventually, I got used to it and tried to tell myself that I was safe now and that everything they were doing was to help me. Or so I thought.

After the regular doctors had done everything they wanted with me, I was sent into a private room separated by curtains where I was told to wait for another doctor. I was alone with my thoughts for a few minutes before finally one of the curtains was pulled open. "Hello." a woman with dark skin and black hair pulled tightly onto the top of her head smiled. "You must be Norah. I'm Dr. Crawford."

Over the woman's shoulder, I made eye contact with Newt who was sitting in a chair in the area that I had just been in. He had a look of worry on his face as he watched me from across the room, but seconds later the curtain was shut again and I was pulled back to reality. "H-hello," I mumbled as the woman picked up a chart from the counter and looked it over.

"Says here you've had all the shots and your vitals look good." she nodded as she read the next part to herself. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, fine," I replied. "All things considered, y'know?"

Placing the chart back down onto the counter again, Dr. Crawford sat down on a stool in front of me and sighed. "I don't want you thinking something is wrong or anything. We just find it better to give the females a little one-on-one time with a woman doctor. So, is there any concerns you would like to bring to my attention?"

"No." I shook my head. "I'm fine, really. I just want to go back to my friends. Please."

Dr. Crawford stared back at me blankly for a while as if she was deciding if she was really going to let me go or not. Eventually, she stood up and nodded. "Very well." she headed for the curtain. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to grab one last thing for you and then you'll be on your way."

As soon as the doctor left the room I found myself drawn to the clipboard on the counter beside me. I did a quick scan to make sure no one was watching before I stood up, pulled the curtain closed, and grabbed the clipboard. The first page was simple, boring stuff about the vitamins I had just been injected with and how my vitals were. I flipped to the next page, but still nothing. Just when it seemed like I wasn't going to find anything of use, I came across a page that caught my eye. My name was scrawled across the top in messy writing but the rest of the document was typed out nicely. I didn't have time to read the whole thing then and there, but after spotting a few interesting words such as 'recruit', 'rebellious', and 'tested', I pulled the page from the stack of papers and shoved it into my back pocket.

Quickly, I jumped back up onto the medical table that I had been sat on and mere seconds later Dr. Crawford returned. "These are just a few more things to get you back into peak health." she smiled as she brought a syringe to my arm and injected me with the cocktail inside.

Once done, a man in a uniform was instructed to lead me to where the others had been taken, but at that moment the only thing on my mind was the crumpled-up piece of paper that was hidden in my back pocket.