So many throwbacks ahhh! But we're not done yet.
So this book is coming to a close very soon, and I just want to thank everyone that has actually stuck by and waited for each chapter.
I also want to thank those of you who saw this book, clicked it, and kept reading.
You're all awesome!
Fan, comment, vote, let me know what you're thinking!
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'Morning Greenie.'
Lori jumps at the sound of a person speaking, resulting in her accidentally tripping on a rock and falling down, yelping as she hit the ground.
'Didn't realize you scared so bloody easily Greenie.' She instantly recognized the voice, and looked up to see the blonde from the Gathering standing outside the Slammer door.
'That might be because you don't actually know me,' She said as she stands up and dusts herself off. 'And why do you keep calling me Greenie?'
'Because that's what we call the new shanks, Greenbean,' he laughed.
'No, I realized that. I mean, you know my name is Lori, so why do you feel the need to call me that?' She says, cocking her head slightly to the side.
He smiles and shrugs, 'I don't know. It's just what we do here. But if it bothers you so much, Lori, I'll stop.'
She smiles and nods a thanks. They stand in silence for a minute, before she finally speaks, 'So, what are you doin' here guy-whose-name-I-do-not-know?'
The blonde gives a small chuckle before replying, 'Name's Newt, Greeni- ah, Lori' he corrects himself.
+ + + + +
Someone tapped Lori on her shoulder, causing her to jump in fright. She turns to see Newt standing beside her grinning.
'Still scarin' nice and easy Lori?'
'You're hilarious, Newt.'
'You know you're jealous,' he laughs. She smirks and shakes her head.
'C'mon, Alby wants to talk to ya,' Newt chuckles. She nods and they walk towards the Homestead, where Alby is waiting.
'Glad you could make it Greenie,' Alby greets.
'My name's Lori,' she mutters under her breath.
'So, there's the matter of your sleeping arrangements. We don't want to have you sleeping out with all the others just yet. Not until we know they can be trusted. We don't want an incident.'
She gives a curt nod of agreement as Alby begins talking once more. 'So for the time being, Minho, you will be staying with Newt. Lori, you will be having Minho's room.'
Minho chuckles and slaps Newt on the back, 'Good that, we can have slumber parties and braid each other's hair.'
Newt scowls before pushing Minho's hand off of him, 'Sounds bloody brilliant.'
+ + + + +
Lori and Newt stand inside the Maze, the doors shut, and darkness beginning to devour them.
'You know what, Newt? I shouldn't have to be taking all the blame for this. Yes, I came out here. Me. On my own. But guess what! I didn't make you follow me!' She shouts, making his eyes widen noticeably.
She takes a deep breath, before continuing 'And I thought that no one was allowed to follow someone into the Maze? Something about 'trying not to lose more lives'? So, I ask you, why did you follow me out here?'
Newt steps back until he reaches one of the ivy infested walls of the Maze. As he slowly begins to slide downs its surface, Lori walks over and sits down in front of him.
'I- I don't even know. I was chasing you, and I thought I would stop at the doors. But I didn't. Obviously. I don't know, I just couldn't stop myself from running in after you' he shrugs, as if it's no big deal.
+ + + + +
Newt lays strapped to the Med-Jack table, Griever poison running through his veins.
"Good? What are you talking about?"
Lori doesn't hear his answer, so she moves closer to him, leaning over, her ear next to his mouth so she can hear him this time. Her throat tightens. Please don't let it be WICKED he is talking about.
'Newt?' she begins, 'Newt, what is good?'
He sighs as he answers once more, 'You're safe. That's good.'
+ + + + +
Lori jogs up to a tree and hides behind it, so that she can see Clara and the other person, but they can't see her. I was right about the girl being there. The strangest part though, is that she's sitting with Newt.
Why?
'No, I'm sorry. I don't remember any of that.'
'Are you sure?'
Newt chuckles, 'I think I'd bloody well let you know if I remembered any of that.'
She knits her eyebrows together, cocking her head to the side. 'Maybe I can help you remember.'
He just laughs at this, 'And how are you going to-'
But he doesn't get a chance to finish. He can't speak.
Lori feels a tear roll down her cheek when she sees why.
She's kissing him.
+ + + + +
'Great. We're all bloody inspired,' Newt replies. Now it's Newt's turn. He turns to the crowd, and speaks.
'You all know the plan. After two years of being treated like mice, tonight we're making a stand. Tonight we're taking the fight back to the Creators, no matter what we have to go through to get there. Tonight the Grievers better be scared.'
The whole crowd erupted into cheers, all seconding Newt's motion. They are like the electricity running along a live wire, sparking up an intense courage within them all. The battle cries sound out across every person standing among them, all finally ready to escape this test.
Newt thrusts his spear into the air, shouting towards the sky, 'Hear that Creators? We're coming!'
Newt turns on his heel and runs into the Maze. It's weird how you can't notice his limp when he runs, but Lori guesses he's full of adrenaline or something like that.
Everyone filters into the corridors of the Maze.
Finally, they are going to be free.
+ + + + +
"I'm sorry, for everything" he shouts over the noise, talking very fast. "I'm sorry for Clara, I'm sorry for letting you walk away, and most of all, I'm sorry that I lied to you; When I said nothing was everlasting that first time in the Maze, I was wrong" He stops for a moment, his eyes focusing on hers.
"Lori, you and me, what we have; What I bloody feel for you; I can promise you, that's everlasting" Newt holds onto her hands, desperately trying not to lose his grip on her.
Lori want to reply the same, but all eligible responses get caught in her throat, when she sees the shadow of a Griever's appendage begin to creep up behind Newt.
"Newt, you can't fight them off and hold me as well" Lori replies, tears restricting the ability to yell very loud. "I need you to make it out of the Maze. That's all I want right now. You've been here for two years, I want you to escape. Please."
"Well, lucky I don't do what you bloody tell me to do then" He says with a forced smirk.
"I'm sorry" she whispers.
A few tears escape from his eyes. "Lori?"
As she start to unravel their fingers, he deciphers that her 'sorry', was actually a good-bye, and begins yelling again.
"Lori, don't you bloody let go!" He doesn't even falter before continuing to try to get her to stop.
"Lori, you can't leave me, please. I lov-" But Lori doesn't give him the chance to finish. His torn up expression is the last thing she sees, before she slips her hands free of his.
Before she falls into the darkness.
/\/\/\/\/\
Lori woke with a start. Her body had automatically attempted to sit up, only to be kept right in place by cuffs over her wrists and ankles.
Not the way you want to wake up. Especially from something like that.
The light above her burns her retinas, the bright white glow focusing directly on her.
How long have I been out?
The room she was different to where she had been operated on, but the design style was definitely similar; white everything. Walls, floor, roof, lights, furniture. She wasn't kidding when she said everything.
A wave washed over her, leaving a chill down her spine and a pinching ache in her head. The memories. There were so many, her head hurt.
But she didn't care, because she finally had all of her memories that WICKED had stolen back. It was worth it in the end.
Some were good, some were bad, but it was better than having a void in your mind. She couldn't imagine having to go through another day without knowing her life.
And now she remembered Newt. All of him, not just the parts after she woke up in the Scorch.
From the time they first met back in the WICKED compound, to the last time they saw each other.
Tears swam in her eyes, thinking about all of the memories flying around inside her head. They really were in love before the Scorch.
But they had managed to find that love again without being surrounded by WICKEDs beetle blades and such. They made it on their own.
And WICKED's plan; had she really been a key aspect of that? With her brother, Thomas, Teresa, Rachel and the boy Archie? How did they manage to convince them to do that?
Probably those several years of brainwashing after they had kidnapped them.
Janson still hadn't mentioned what WICKED wanted of her, and that made her nervous. At this point, it was a waiting game.
The rest of the memories though, the one's with Newt, came to the forefront of her mind. Even the horrible ones like seeing him kiss Clara, were enough to make her smile.
She had finally been granted more time with him. Even if it was time she had, in a sense, already spent with him.
The happy thoughts were so calming and kind, until the memory of seeing him get shot slams to the front of the line, causing her breath to hitch as she remembers his soulless eyes.
Maybe I should've asked them to take that memory away.
No. No I can't go through life without the memory of what happened to him. What would I think? That he had ran off and left me?
I need to remember how strong he was, even when he was in pain.
I miss him.
And what of Thomas? Killing Newt would have shattered him.
Yet, he ran off, leaving her to mourn his body alone.
The door to the operating room swung open with a creak, revealing Janson with a smile on his face.
"Ah, glad to see you're finally awake. Tell me, how did the operation go? Have you received your memories back successfully?"
Lori didn't want to answer him, she just clamped her mouth shut. She owed him nothing. Giving her back her memories was the least of what WICKED owed her for ripping her life away.
"I will just have to take your solemnly angry glare as a yes then. I can only imagine what you're feeling right now. My apologies for all your losses, it must feel terrible. And Subject A5, what a shame. He was definitely one of ours brightest." Janson grinned the whole time, as if he couldn't care less that he had had a hand in killing so many people.
And now those people would never get to grow up, live lives, have a family. It was unfair to say the least. No one deserved to not be given that opportunity.
"Well, if you're not going to talk to me, the least you can do is look at me and acknowledge that I'm talking to you. That's the polite thing to do. You should know that now that you remember your mother and everything she taught you."
Janson had his hands behind his back, waiting for her to do something.
He sounded like a frustrated parent. It didn't suit him.
Lori swung her head to the side, glaring at the man but not daring to open her mouth. She didn't want to give him the pleasure of thinking that he had any power over her at all.
Janson was about to speak again, when a man entered the room. He walked over to Janson and said something quietly that Lori was unable to catch on to.
The corners of Janson's mouth tipped upwards slightly. Whatever he had been told had definitely brightened his mood considerably.
The other man left the room and Janson stepped closer to the bed, looking down at her carefully.
"We have a visitor, and I'm debating whether or not you're ready to see them or not. Tell me, is a day too soon to see the friend who murdered your other friend?"
Thomas.
By the look on the man's face, Lori could tell that he was enjoying this.
Lori's teeth ground against each other, almost biting her tongue to keep from responding.
"I'll tell you what," Janson began. "I'm going to let you watch the security cameras. I don't want him to know that you're here. Yet."
He walked off, and minutes later a screen descended from the roof. It glowed to life, an image slowly appearance.
A large door opened to reveal Thomas.