little immune {the scorch trials} (request)

˜"*°• 5 •°*"˜

"You can call me Mr. Janson," the Ratman said as he led the Gladers through the facility. "I run this place. 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?" Thomas asked, a spark of hope in his voice.

"A home of sorts," Janson replied. "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?"

Tempting, Thomas thought. But he knew not to let himself get excited. That couldn't be all to the story. It was too simple. Something was definitely off about this place.

The others seemed to share his doubts.

"Why are you helping us?" Minho asked suspiciously.

Janson spoke without stopping or turning to face them. "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. Beyond this door lies the beginning of your new lives."

The man stopped at a large sealed entranceway, leading into who-knows-where. He pulled a keycard out of his pocket and used it to open the door, revealing a long corridor with stained white walls and a grey stone floor, being lit with fluorescent tubes all the way down.

He spun to look at the group. "First things first, let's get rid of that smell."

Shuck, a shower sounded really good. The Gladers did smell. Thomas had been very conscious of that, despite everything going on. He was about to follow Ratman down the hall when he felt a small hand tug his shirt. The little girl, Y/n, stood beside him, a worried expression drawn on her face.

"What is it?" Thomas asked, panic seizing his chest. He felt weirdly protective over her, as though he'd known her his entire life. But that was ridiculous. They'd only just met.

"Don't go," Y/n pleaded. "Don't trust him. He lies. He's dangerous."

Thomas looked at his friends, who were already starting down the hall despite their leader's hesitation. He didn't trust Janson, but he couldn't separate from the Gladers.

"Y/n, I have to go," he replied. "I can't leave my friends. But you can come with us. I promise we won't hurt you."

The girl sighed. "Fine. Please don't leave me behind. Don't leave me like everyone else did."

Thomas decided not to press. Now wasn't the time for personal questions. Maybe another time, when they weren't in a possible life-or-death situation and learned to trust each other more. He squeezed Y/n's shoulder and nodded. "I promise."

This seemed to satisfy her. Together, the two kids set off down the corridor.

***

Y/n let the hot water rush over her body, allowing the stress of the day's events to ease from her mind. She was still trying to comprehend the fact that the boys she used to watch in the screens were real, and with her. Not only that, but after seeing those two boys get killed, she was starting to worry that everything they'd had to do in that strange field was real. That whatever happened there was no act.

The thought made her head hurt.

And that boy, their leader, Thomas ...

There was something about him. Y/n recognized him somehow. But that was impossible. She was only six. She hadn't even known many people in her lifetime besides WICKED and her family, which she could hardly even remember. It was all so confusing.

She decided not to dwell on the topic, instead listening to the boys' shouts of joy as they showered. Had it been a long time since they'd properly washed themselves? That would explain why they smelled so bad.

Y/n's shower time was running out. Janson hadn't noticed her slip away with Thomas, but it wouldn't be long before he did. She was terrified of what he might do to punish her. She couldn't let Thomas and his friends trust him. They didn't seem to know that this place was WICKED ...

But maybe they could find a way out of this place together. If Y/n just worked with them and helped them, it was possible they could escape. She didn't know what was out in the world, though she overheard people talking about how horrible it was. It couldn't be that bad though, could it? At this point, anything was better than WICKED.

***

Thomas's group—the Gladers, they were called—and Y/n were ushered into a lab of sorts to be "examined" as Janson put it. The girl stayed close to Thomas, remaining hidden from the creepy man as the kids were forced to see doctors.

They were all supposed to be separated from there, doing different things, but Y/n refused to leave Thomas's side. She felt safe with him, trusted him more than the others although they'd just met.

At one point, a doctor tried to give her a needle but she panicked and tried to flee. Y/n was terrified of needles. The only thing keeping her from bolting away was Thomas's hand on her arm.

"Here, I'll go first," he offered. He sat down before the doctor and rolled up his sleeve. Y/n averted her eyes as the needle went in. Even watching it was difficult.

"Your turn, kid." The doctor looked at her expectantly.

Thomas seemed to understand the girl's discomfort. "Oh, come on," he said. "Can't you see she's afraid? Just leave her alone. Besides, she wasn't even in the Maze with us. I'm sure she'll be fine without this shot."

"Thomas?"

A large dark-skinned man dressed like a soldier came over, his eyes trained on Thomas.

"Yeah?" Thomas replied nervously.

"Come with me please."

The man waited as Thomas hesitantly stood up and started after him. Y/n grabbed his arm. "Wait!" she hissed. "Where are you going?"

"It'll be fine," the boy said, though he looked uncertain. He glanced at Y/n one last time before heading through the exit disappearing from view, leaving the girl alone with a million questions bubbling in her brain about where he was being summoned to.