"Alice, Barry, Walt, Edgar, Samantha,"
"I wanna know what's through that door," Thomas muttered as he blankly stared at Janson. His words caused Newt and Frypan to lift their heads.
"Aaron."
"Now, we've been over this." The British boy uttered, "You said they were covered up, so you don't know what you saw."
"Dennis."
"It could've been anything under there."
"I know exactly what I saw. They were bodies."
"Sally."
"Aris said they bring in a new batch every night."
"Who the hell is Aris?" Minho questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Henry, Tim."
Thomas pointed at Aris, who was staring at a small piece of orange cake and turning it in his hands.
"Well, I'm sold." Minho sarcastically said as he turned his attention back to Thomas.
"And last but not least, David. Thank you for your attention. Enjoy the rest of your evening." Janson smiled as he finished reading the list of names.
"Y/N's in on the plan with Aris." Thomas said, knowing Minho would react to that. It surely caught his attention.
"Okay, until we know anything for certain, we should keep our heads down and try not to draw any attention to ourselves, alright?" Newt suggested, but Thomas wasn't having it. He quickly stood up, briskly walking towards Y/N and another guard.
She subtly nodded, silently telling him to continue with the plan she and Aris had designed for him.
"What is he doing?" Newt hissed, panicked.
"I think he's drawing attention to himself." Frypan and the others turned in their seats to watch Thomas. Knowing him, whatever he was doing would be reckless.
"Woah, hang on, you weren't called." Y/N placed a hand on his chest to stop him.
"I know. I'm only going to be a second." Thomas scratched his head, looking past her shoulder.
"This is a restricted area, kid." The other guard added, causing Thomas to sigh.
"I just wanna see my friend. Can you let me through?"
"Get your ass back in that chair." The guard poked Thomas' chest harshly, which aggravated even Y/N. Thomas slowly turned around, looking like he was going to walk away. He suddenly spun around, sprinting at Y/N. He almost tackled her, secretly reaching into her left pocket and grabbing her ID card.
"Oi, back off!" Y/N shouted after she ensured Thomas had her card. She could've simply handed it to him, but this was more interesting. Plus, to investigate, Thomas had to be locked in his bunk to crawl through the vents.
"What's your problem, dude?!" Thomas screamed back, shoving Y/N. Minho was the first to react, and the others followed him. They rushed to stand behind Thomas, ready to hold him back if needed.
"What the hell, huh?!" The other guard pushed Thomas into his friend's arms.
"Why won't you let me see her?!" Thomas screamed, struggling around.
"Woah, Woah! What's happening here?" The loud commotion seemed to catch Janson's attention as he shoved past Y/N and the other soldier. He looked at Thomas, then at Y/N, and back at Thomas. "Thomas? I thought we could trust each other. We're all on the same team here."
"Are we?" Thomas said, doubting Janson's words as he stepped back. Janson didn't say anything for a few moments; all he did was smile and chuckle.
"Y/N, get them to their bunks," Janson ordered, "And monitor them. Stay in their damn room if you have to."
Y/N slammed the heavy door shut, smiling at Thomas.
"Impressive." She uttered, high-fiving the brunette.
"So he wasn't lying. Okay, I'm in." Minho shrugged, slinging an arm around Y/N's shoulder.
"Now, now, let's not be hasty. We don't even know if what you saw were bodies. The only that we do know is that they saved us from WICKED. They gave us new clothes. They gave us food. They gave us a bed. Some of us haven't had that in a long time." Newt furrowed his eyebrows, almost looking angry.
Y/N wanted to explain everything, but she figured it'd be best if Thomas and Aris found out for themselves.
"Yeah, but..." Thomas trailed off.
"Some of us a lot longer than others." Newt quickly added. It was clear that the sentence was aimed at Thomas. The vent door was suddenly kicked off, taking everybody by surprise.
"Hey, Thomas." Aris greeted the boy, "Y/N."
"Hurry up before Janson comes to check up on you," Y/N muttered, her gun making a clicking sound. She walked to lean against the door, trailing her finger over something etched into the side of her weapon.
"So, Y/N, how'd you end up here?" Frypan asked as all the boys waited for Thomas and Aris to return. They all turned their heads, staring at the H/C-haired girl who froze.
"Hey, now, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to," Newt reassured her. Y/N hummed.
"Well, there's not much to it. I was taken in by a WICKED camp with my sister, and they raised us. And then my sister caught the Flare and..." Y/N paused, her shoulders sagging.
"WICKED forced you to do something you didn't want to do." Minho finished.
"They forced me to kill her. It was either her or me, and she was too far gone to be saved. If I killed her, I could stay with WICKED and survive. If I didn't, I'd get thrown into the Scorch and get killed. Either way, one of us had to die, and my sister made the choice for me. So she taught me how to use her gun from a distance, and then I put her out of her misery."
The ex-Gladers were silent, nodding their head in understanding. They had lost many lives, including poor Chuck and Alby. Thomas abruptly slid out of the vents, interrupting the tender moment.
"Thomas!" Minho exclaimed, surprised by how frantic his friend looked.
"We gotta go, we gotta go right now!" Thomas shouted over and over again as he quickly grabbed a duvet cover, wrapping it around the door handle.
"You saw it, didn't you? The bodies?" Y/N muttered, noticing the look in Thomas' eyes. It was the same look in hers when she first discovered what WICKED was doing to the immunes.
Thomas' friends were desperately trying to get a straight answer out of him, but he was too panicked to think straight.
"It's WICKED!" He yelled, "It's still WICKED. It's always been WICKED!" He shoved a small mattress in front of the door to cover the window.
"Thomas," Newt calmly placed a hand on the bed mattress, "What did you see?"
"Alright, time to go. Explanation later; run now. We're out of time." Y/N shoved Aris towards the vents and motioned for the others to follow. "They've probably noticed we're gone by now." She muttered. Thomas was the first to exit the vents, followed by Aris.
"You guys go ahead. There's something I gotta do." Aris said.
"What are you talking about?" Thomas hissed as he breathed heavily.
"Trust me, it's essential. You guys want to get out of here, right? Just go."
"I'll go with him." Winston offered, climbing back into the vents with Aris. Thomas led the group around the corner, almost bumping into Dr Crawford. She arched an eyebrow.
"What are you kids doing out?" She carefully asked. Not a moment later, the alarms started blaring, blowing their cover. Minho and Thomas shared a worried look while Dr Crawford finally began to understand what was happening.
Thomas grabbed her before she could run, dragging her down the hallway.
"Freeze!" A man in the distance yelled, pointing his gun at Frypan. Dr Crawford screamed as three electric bullets narrowly missed her.
"Why are they shooting at us?!"
Minho suddenly stopped, the gears in his head turning. He ran towards the guard, ignoring Thomas' shouts, and kicked him into the wall. He stared down at the man, panting.
"Shit, Minho," Newt muttered as the rest of the group, plus Dr Crawford joined him.
"Less talking, more running!" Y/N shouted, crouching down to pick up the man's gun. She shoved it into Thomas' arms, and he pressed the weapon against Dr Crawford's back.
"Let's go."
Thomas forced the doctor to lead them to Teresa and her, being scared for her life, obligated. Dr Crawford calmly opened the door, silently staring at another doctor before Thomas shoved past her.
"Where is she?!" Thomas yelled, pointing his gun in random directions. Y/N rolled her eyes, glancing at the curtains that surrounded the lonesome bed. It was the only piece of furniture in the room.
"Ahem, Tommy, maybe pull back the curtain?" Y/N sarcastically suggested. Thomas handed Minho the gun, hurriedly tugging the curtains back. Minho began barking orders at the nurses and doctors while Newt tied their hands with white bandages.
"Guys," Frypan said, "They're coming! Where do we go?!"
Y/N momentarily put her gun down, motioning for Frypan to move. She shoved a metal table in front of the door, blocking anyone from opening it.
"Damn. Have I ever told you that I love a strong girl?" Minho said, slyly smirking.
"Not the time!" Everyone else yelled in unison.
"Okay, we gotta leave. Grab the girl, and let's move it, people!" Y/N grabbed her gun and a chair, completely shattering the glass window beside Teresa's bed. Minho let out an impressed whistle. Thomas jumped out of the window while Teresa covered part of the sill with a cardigan to avoid the sharp glass.
"Who cares about the damn glass right now?! Just go!" Y/N practically threw Teresa out the window before following.
"Thomas! Catch!" Minho tossed the gun toward his friend and quickly leapt through the window.
"Everyone, stay behind me!" Thomas yelled as he opened a door, startling a man who was just about to enter. They stared at each other in shock before Y/N grabbed Thomas' gun and shot at the man. He was struck with electricity, but she remained unphased as he screamed in pain.
"Did I mention I like a girl who can shoot?!" That voice was unmistakenly Minho's.
"Shut up!" The rest of the group yelled again. They ran past the shot man with Thomas and Y/N in the lead, their guns lifted. Thomas shakily swiped Y/N's card through the card reader, but it kept getting denied.
"Thomas!" Janson yelled from across the hallway. Y/N reacted instantly, aiming her gun at him.
"Open this door, Janson!" Thomas yelled, banging his fists against it. He loaded his gun, standing beside Y/N. Janson lifted his arms in surrender.
"You really don't want me to.
"Open the damn door!"
"Listen to me! I'm to save your life. The maze is one thing, but you kids wouldn't last one day out in the Scorch. If the elements don't kill you, the cranks will. Y/N would know. Thomas, you have to listen to me. I only want what's best for you."
"Let me guess, WICKED is good?"
Janson was silent for a heartbeat. He smiled, shaking his head.
"You're not getting through that door, Thomas."
The door suddenly opened, revealing a smiling Aris and a panting Winston.
"Hey, guys," Aris greeted.
"Thomas, Y/N, let's go!" Newt yelled.
The pair walked backwards as they shot bullets at the WICKED staff, causing them to take cover. Thomas' gun ran out of ammo, and he threw it at the ground.
"Y/N, come on!" He called out for the H/C-haired girl. They spun around, sprinting towards the main vault door that Janson was desperately trying to shut.
"Hurry up!"
"Come on, Thomas! Y/N! Come on!"
"Move! Move!"
The group shouted at them to run faster, but there was no way either of them would make it in time.
"Duck!" Y/N shouted, sliding across the floor. Thomas followed, barely making it through.
They rolled across the ground and Y/N hit someone's legs. Minho crouched down, grinning.
"Hey, baby." He uttered, chuckling. Y/N rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile on her lips.
Minho and Newt helped the two of them up while Aris destroyed the card reader with a cylinder object.
"Fuck you, Janson! You're a piece of shit! How does it feel to be the one trapped now, huh?! Do you like it, bitch?!" Y/N pointed the middle finger at the man, both her words and actions surprising everyone else.
"Remind me to stay on her good side." Newt nervously whispered to Minho. The group grabbed a few bags of supplies before making a run for it toward the large doors. Thomas was about to pull the lever when Y/N stopped him.
"Janson was right about one thing. There are unimaginable dangers out there, not just the cranks. Not all of you are immune. Are you still willing to risk it even if you don't know what type you are?"
They all nodded.
"Okay, then." Y/N stepped back, allowing Thomas to pull the lever. The doors slowly opened, and the harsh wind hit Y/N's face. She hadn't been outside of WICKED's facilities in years. It felt a little nice to feel alive again.