We all got pushed down on our knees in lines. Guards scanned our necks and called out our subject number. I tried to resist once they got to me, but it didn't work.
"A0." He called out.
Janson, who by now stepped out of a Berg, immediately spun around and stared at me. I already hated to see him.. wanted to hurt him for hurting everyone, but all I could do was obey their orders.
"The one and only Lenora." He grinned and told me to walk over to him, which I ended up doing. He gave me another rude smile before kneeing me right in the stomach.
I groaned louder than I normally would've reacted, probably because of the bruises that were already there. Minho protested and tried to fight the guards that held him off, but they were too strong.
Janson pulled me up by the shirt and held my ear close to his mouth, whispering, "It surprises me you hang out with them. Didn't you tell them, Lenora? Or should I say... Lena?"
I tried to fight him off, but two guards already jumped in action to grab me by the shoulders.
"Bring her in!" Janson commanded someone. "Where's Thomas?" He then added.
It fell silent for a bit, until Thomas appeared behind the whole crowd. "Right here."
"Freeze!" A guard held him tightly, leading him to Janson, who greeted him the same way as me. A kick in the stomach.
"Get him in line." He said once he was done. Me, they never let go of.
Another Berg flew over the Haven, sending dust everywhere. The vehicle was bigger than other Bergs and when the giant doors opened, Ava Paige appeared. I used to have a love-hate relationship with her, but now all I saw was a cruel woman.
"Is this all of them?" She asked.
"Most of them." Janson nodded. "It'll be enough."
"Start loading them in."
"Yes, ma'am."
Guards started taking kids from the lines, but not me. They kept holding me, facing Janson and Ava.
"Hello, Thomas." She motioned for the kid to walk over to her. "I'm glad you're safe."
Suddenly, and I didn't know where from, Teresa stood next to her. The Gladers didn't hesitate to get up and walk over to Thomas.
"What the hell?"
"Teresa?"
"Wait, what's going on?"
Thomas looked down. "She's with them."
It didn't shock me at all. Of course she didn't care about what she did to Thomas!
"Since when?"
"Teresa's always had an evolved appreciation of the greater good," Janson spoke up, grinning again. "Once we restored her memories, it was only a matter of time."
Tears stood in Teresa's eyes. "I'm sorry. I had no choice. This is the only way. We have to find a cure."
"She's right," Ava added quickly... and so fake. "This is all just a means to an end. You used to understand that, Thomas. No matter what you think of me... I am not a monster. I'm a doctor. I swore an oath to find a cure! No matter the cost. I just need more time."
"More blood." Mary's familiar, calming voice replied.
"Hello, Mary." Ava gave her a nod. "I hoped we'd meet again. I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances."
"I'm sorry about a lot of things, too. But not this. At least my conscience is clear."
The way she stood there so bravely made me like her even more. Maybe even love.. she had always been a sort of mom figure once mine got killed.
"So is mine."
And then a gunshot went off, making us all flinch. My eyes twitched everywhere to see who was shot, and I saw it. A red pool of blood started to form on Mary's stomach as she dropped to her knees.
"No!" I screamed while Vince ran over to the woman. "Let go of me!" But the guards were so strong I had no chance of getting away.
And that was another person to put on the list of people I lost. "Mary! No!"
Janson turned to me, eyes twinkling. "Tell them how you know Mary, Lenora." He said. All the Gladers looked up, faces mixing with confusion and curiosity. "Tell them why I'm calling you Lenora."
Tears formed in my eyes. This was it. The Gladers would find out, no matter what.
Out of a sudden, Minho stopped forward. "Lena, say it."
I averted my head by looking at the ground. I couldn't tell them. They wouldn't even want to be close to me ever again, though I already saw no hope and knew we would get caught by WICKED after it all got revealed.
The guards forced my head up again. "Tell them why you're named The Creator," Janson ordered.
I shook my head, fearing everything at that point.
Janson cleared his throat and there was nothing I could do to stop him. "She is a subject.. like you guys. Though as we all know, she wasn't in the maze, am I right?"
Awesome. He was humiliating me in front of everyone.. telling my whole past to everyone.
"As we built the maze.." He gave Thomas and Teresa a glance. "Grievers had to be created. So, there Lenora was to help."
I watched Minho's face, expecting it to turn hurt or betrayed, but it stayed blank. I had no idea if that was a good thing or not.
"But before that." Janson continued. "Before that, we needed subjects, of course." He turned to me. "Come on, Lenora. Tell them."
"You manipulated me!" I yelled. "I was-." The guards cut me off by tightening the grip on my wrists, causing me to wince loudly.
"She killed them, Kids." Janson looked at them all. "She killed your parents and took you to us."
Minho spoke up, "Do you really think we suppose she did that voluntarily? Or for no reason? It's always been you that's the bad guy! You were the ones that wanted to create this all, and you're just to weak to do it yourselves! Do you seriously need a six year old to do that?"
His face broke for a second and so did mine. How could he not care about me killing his parents?
Janson fully ignored him. "She created our department. Without her, we would've never pulled this off."
"Are you humiliating or thanking her right now?"
Minho snapped. I shared a glance with them all. Thomas' face said he was planning something and he gave me a nod.
I took it as a sign and in just a split second, hit the guards that held me and rushed over to the Gladers.
"Get back!" Thomas screamed, pulling out some sort of bomb. "Everyone, stand back!"
As Thomas started to argue with everyone, Minho wrapped an arm around my waist.
"You still don't hate me?" I looked up at him.
"I can't remember my parents either way, it's their fault, you were a kid, they manipulated you, and you didn't choose for any of it. So yes, I still don't hate you."
I smiled lightly, surprised but so happy Minho didn't mind anything. "We're with you, Thomas." He then said.
"No." Teresa cried. "Don't."
"Do it, Thomas," Frypan added in a whisper. We all stood behind the boy, who was shaking a bit.
"We're ready."
"We're not going back there," Thomas said.
"Thomas?"
"It's the only way."
"Thomas!"
But before Thomas could do anything, a vehicle approached. It drove in a wild way, bumping at everything. I recognized Jorge's evil laugh coming out of it, making me smile even harder.
He bumped into a helicopter too, causing the wings to fly around everywhere. Minho jumped down to the ground and pulled me with him to protect us from the wood.
"Freeze! Drop it, kid!" We heard next to us. Thomas never let go of the bomb and yelled for us to run, so we did.
"Get down!" He threw the bomb at about six guards. Minho and I sprinted away right on time; the bomb exploded. It was so loud and giant, the world ground shook and I could feel the heat of the fire hit my back.
"You good?" Minho questioned as we ran over to Vince.
"Yeah!" I yelled, taking a gun off the ground for Minho and then myself. We started shooting every guard, just like many people around us.
We moved so we wouldn't get his ourselves. And soon the other Gladers appeared.
"Get outta here!" Minho shouted to them. I gave Newt a push toward the edge of the Haven.
"Go! Go!"
"Come on, Thomas!" We screamed once he got closer. The boy ran past us, following Newt and Frypan out.
"Lena, go!" Minho moved in front of me so I couldn't shoot anymore.
"Not without you!" I tried to fire again, but Minho was in the way.
"I said go!" He pushed me away from him, right into Newt's arms. I watched Minho shoot very well, but then he froze and stared at his gun.
He ran out of bullets.
"Minho, watch out!" Thomas screamed, but he was too late. A guard fired one of his electric bullets at the boy, hitting him right in the chest.
Minho screamed, his face washing over with pain as the gun dropped out of his hands. His body fell on top of a box and multiple guards appeared to drag him away while all we did was hide behind some stuff. It broke my heart.
"Minho!" I slid out of Newt's grip, ready to get him.
"Lena, no!" Jorge grabbed my hand and pulled me back, but I was so upset.. so angry already, that I just kicked him and kept running. "Minho!"
Two guards picked Minho up as I ran. They started dragging and my attention glued on him so much, I didn't notice a guard coming from my side.
"Lena!"
I got hit by his bullet for the second time that day. The pain felt ten times worse. It made my mouth fall open and my body shake. The feeling in my legs faded away, so soon I lay on the ground.
The guard picked me up and started dragging me to the closing Berg too. Minho was already in there and I knew that if I was with him, it would be alright.
The last screams of the Gladers blurred in my ears before the doors of the Berg closed. The awful pain of the electricity soon made my world go completely black. And I had no idea what was coming...
Because nothing ever lasts forever.
~
A/N: Part one of this book is finished!! I hope you all enjoyed :) Thanks for all the reads, comments, and votes! ❤️