Deadly Atmosphere | Aris Jones [3]

5 || Within the Walls

Aris' POV

Wearing professional clothes was something I never got used to here with WICKED.

The scratchy fabric from the pants and shirt was irritating. I missed the clothes I wore back in the Maze and Scorch. Hell, the clothes at the other WICKED facility were comfortable.

There was a faint knock at the door and then the creaking noise followed it. Through the mirror, I could see Teresa stepping in. "We should head down to meet Dr. Paige."

"Okay, just give me a minute," I replied, attempting to smooth out my shirt.

Teresa rolled her eyes and shot me a small grin, walking my way and standing in front of me. "Are you nervous?"

"What do you think?" I asked, chuckling a bit, not trying to hide the shakiness in my voice.

"I'm nervous, too," she admitted, fixing my tie. She took another minute to finish up, then she handed me my coat for my suit. "Let's get going, shall we?"

I put on my coat and headed out of my room with Teresa. As we walked down to meet Dr. Paige, I tried to figure out what I could say to the other doctors. Teresa and I had gone over many times about this meeting and neither of us felt confident in our ideas. So, we decided to just go in and see what happened.

"Do you think Piper would like this suit on you?" Teresa asked, though, I wish she hadn't.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Would Thomas and the others like your dress?"

Teresa looked down at her maroon dress, navy jacket, and black heels, her expression turning uneasy. "I don't know."

"Well, now you know how uncomfortable it is when you mention Piper," I retorted.

Neither of us had seen most of our friends in six months and we wondered how they were doing. When the news of the train being ambushed came around, my mind immediately went to my friends, but most of the time, I thought about Piper. I wasn't sure what she still thought of me, which worried me. I wanted to explain myself to her. She deserved that much. Really, all of my friends deserved an explanation from me.

Doctors and other officials of WICKED walked past us as Dr. Paige was in our sight. She was having a conversation with an older man and woman. Dr. Paige saw us and nodded their way, motioning for them to leave. She smiled at us as she began to walk beside us.

"Are you two ready?" she asked. Teresa and I looked at each other with nervous looks. "It'll be fine."

My heart was beating faster and my hands were getting sweatier by the minute. We reached our destination, a dark room with a giant window at the front. Every chair in there looked brand new, the color grey looking decent on the furniture and walls.

"Hello," Dr. Paige greeted the three people sitting in chairs, the ones who helped Dr. Paige with all of this. "Sorry to keep you waiting. This is Teresa Agnes and Aris Jones." We nodded and gave them small smiles. "Now, let's get started." A screen came down over the window, blocking the sun from flooding the room. Teresa and I stood in the back, ready to get this over with.

"Yes, let's get started," the man with grey hair and glasses stated. "People are beginning to lose faith, Doctor. When you sealed off the walls, you assured us that it would only be a temporary precaution. Why have you now denied all entry?"

"Because things are changing, and not for the better. Infection rates were up 300%. Fortunately, we may be on the verge of a breakthrough." The screen changed to Minho's face and his information regarding the activity on his brain. "This is Subject A7. He spent over two years in the Maze Trials. The antibodies produced in response have been the strongest we've ever seen." The next one to pop on the screen is Lillie. "Subject B19. She spent two months in the Maze Trials and is at her peak, almost catching up with Subject A7. We're extracting a new serum as we speak, and with your support, we'd like to begin human trials."

The woman nearest to us was next to speak. "Thank you, Doctor. That is very impressive. But we have been down this road before. Frankly, we are all beginning to wonder if--"

"If our resources couldn't be better spent elsewhere," the other man cut her off.

"Meaning?" Dr. Paige inquired.

"Safe zones. Protected areas like the one we're in," the woman spoke up again. "We could save as many people as possible."

Teresa shook her head. "How many?" All of us looked at her. "A thousand? Two thousand?" She walked towards the front near Dr. Paige. "And that's assuming your protected areas stay protected, which we know they won't. The infected already outnumber the healthy three-to-one. All you'd be doing is delaying the inevitable." Teresa paused, taking a deep breath. "Have any of you ever lost someone to the virus?"

The woman shifted in her chair. "A niece. Anna."

Teresa gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry we weren't able to help her. But imagine if we were able to live with the virus. To survive it. Imagine being able to tell Anna that you could give her the chance to live a normal life. We've never been this close to a cure, and we've sacrificed a lot to get this far. Please don't let those sacrifices be for nothing."

I remained in my spot, not moving at all. For the rest of the meeting, the talk of human trials went on. It seemed like they were going to happen, which Dr. Paige was happy to hear.

When the others left, the screen came up and the view of the city was upon us again. It felt weird being inside another place with walls around me. It was like being back at the Glen, only now, I had more control of the situation.

"Nicely done," Dr. Paige praised Teresa. "They can be a tough crowd. You handled them perfectly." Dr. Paige looked at me. "You were quiet, Aris. Is something bothering you today?"

I shook my head. "No. Teresa basically told them all there was to say, really." I attempted to swallow the lump in my throat. "Excuse me." I hurriedly left the room and headed towards the elevators. Once an elevator was available, I got in and pressed the button that would take me to the third level. I got there quickly and used my thumbprint to get inside the lab. I didn't want to come in here to see her, but I felt like I had to.

I scan through the files until I got to the one I was looking for. I pulled it out and headed to where she was located. Looking at her in the eye was difficult, just like it had been for the last six months. When I got to her room, or "cell" was more like it, she was sitting in the corner, her knees up to her chest. She looked tired and angry. I couldn't blame her. It took a moment for her to slowly turn my way. All she did was keep her glare, not saying or screaming anything. That didn't surprise me.

"Still no talking, Aris," a doctor came up from behind startling me. "Subject B19, right?"

Lillie was her name. "Yeah," I stated. "I don't think she'll talk for awhile. She hasn't said a word since we brought her here six months ago."

"Well, she's going to have to talk some time," he pointed out. "Then again, she's been through a lot, based on what I read from her file."

I nodded in agreement, remembering when and how her mutism began. "How are you supposed to cope with the fact you've been forced to kill your own parents as they turn into Cranks?"

"Fair point," he said.

Of course, Lillie wasn't talking now for the simple reason that she hated WICKED and she was being treated like a prisoner again. I sighed as I looked at Lillie's hateful eyes, hoping that all of this would be worth it in the end.

A/N: So yeah, that's where Lillie's mutism began.

I may do more chapters in Aris' POV, not sure yet. I'll know when I get there lol.

Anyway, what did y'all think? Song above btw is Stronger Than Ever by Raleigh Ritchie (who is Greyworm from Game of Thrones like omg).

Comment, vote, the next chapter will be back in Piper's POV.

-A