The Soldier (TMR Fanfic)

Wrapping Wounds and Bedtime Stories.

Watching Agatha braid Ray's hair was something Aris never thought he'd witness in his lifetime. It was such a mundane act that it sort of felt like they weren't on the run for a split second. Bringing forth thoughts of his past he couldn't help but imagine if he had witnessed something like this before entering the maze.

Of course, his maze was filled with girls so seeing them brush and braid each others hair wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. He himself was taught how to during the short time he was in there. But he couldn't help but think that maybe he had a sister before all this, maybe he had watched his mother braid his sisters hair at some point or if his father had long hair maybe he had watched his hair being braided before. There were a lot of maybe's in the world that would go unanswered. He knew he'd never find out if he had a sister or where his mother and father were at the moment or if they were even still around anymore.

Pulling himself out of his own thoughts, he couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face as he sat in content, watching the young woman he had come to befriend brush and braid the young girl's hair.

Agatha combed through Ray's hair carefully with her fingers, trying not to pull on it too much as she crossed over three sections and tied it off with a piece of string when she was finished.

Glancing around the group she could see that people had paired off. Minho and Newt sat across the fire from her talking quietly about Thomas and his plan. She knew they'd both follow him around the world if Thomas asked them to. Agatha also knew that Thomas would do the same for any of the boys in his maze.

Moving her gaze, her eyes found Thomas and Teresa who stood a bit further away. Teresa was questioning if Thomas knew where they were going and if he had any form of plan other than 'find the mountain people'.

'Mountain people? That's what they've been calling the Right Arm?' Agatha thought to herself with an eyeroll. Not bothering to listen to the rest of that conversation Agatha finally looked at the last two in the group.

The sweat rolling off Winston could be seen from afar. She knew he wouldn't survive much longer and the thought broke her. Winston already looked like death. Black veins trailed his body and his chest rose and fell quickly with his laboured breath as Frypan knelt next to him with a rag that had seen better days.

Gently shuffling Ray to the side, Agatha stood and picked up her bag, walking over to the two boys. She could feel multiple pairs of eyes trailing after her but she didn't spare a second glance as she came to the other side of Winston and knelt down next to his body. She knew the pain he was in. Agatha herself felt the same feeling after she was injected with that ghastly concoction that Ava Paige had injected into her body.

"You use that and it will make it worse." Agatha spoke facts as she motioned to the dirty rag Frypan was holding who looked down at it as well.

"I couldn't find anything else." He spoke quietly. He knew he shouldn't be using it but the resources weren't great and it was the only thing he could find.

Agatha watched him for a moment, finally opening her bag and ruffling through it before pulling out a black bag with a white cross on it and a water bottle. She came prepared.

Looking down at Winston, she smiled at him softly. Although it probably didn't do much to soften her features as he watched her. Her black eyes scanning him carefully before she motioned to his stomach where the wound was.

"You need to rinse with water." She holds the bottle that was meant for her, the other one in her bag for Ray. "May I?" Winston gives a nod and she pulls his top up carefully.

Her heart felt heavy as she looked, blank faced, at the black veins on his stomach and the deep grooves where the cranks dug their nails into his skin. She slowly pours water over the cuts as Winston lets out a groan of pain and his hand flashes up to grab her arm, digging his nails in. She pauses for a second to let him catch his breath before continuing.

Unzipping the black bag she pulls out a packet and unravels the bandages inside. She knew it would be a waste of bandages. She knew he wasn't going to survive. She could already smell the decay waiting to take over his body but her goal wasn't to keep him alive anymore. It was to keep him as comfortable as she could until he eventually passed.

"Are you a medic?" Frypan asks suddenly as Winston settles down once Agatha ties off the bandages.

"No." The abrupt answer causes the boy to frown which Agatha notices so she elaborates, "I'm not a medic, but I've wrapped up my fair share of wounds so I know what to do." He nods, happy to be given an answer from the mysterious stranger that had joined them as he settles down next to Winston who practically passed out, more comfortable now he doesn't have sticky blood clinging to his shirt.

Agatha moved over to where Aris and Ray were and settled in between them causing Ray to lean against her sleepily as she dosed off.

Peaking around Agatha, Aris smiles at the sight of the young girl curled up against her side, "She adores you." He looks at Agatha who was watching Ray, her arm wrapping around her and pulling the blanket closer.

"I was the only one she would let handle her." She looks at Aris as he watches her. "I was the one who rescued her from her maze so I guess she sees me as some sort of saviour."

Minho and Newt stop their conversation to listen to Agatha as she speaks. Thomas and Teresa join the group on the other side of the fire as Frypan sits up, leaning back on his hands as his interest peaks.

Looking around Agatha sighed, knowing they wanted to know what had happened. She didn't even tell Aris the full story of how she found Ray.

"We were told Group D were waiting to be rescued. We only had a small team and Janson told me that it would be a quick get in and get out. Only when we got there, all of group D that had made it out of the maze were dead." She looks down at Ray who had shivered and pulls the blanket more around her as she settles again. "It was awful, blood everywhere and green slime stuck to everything. We didn't know what had happened at the time but we had to check for any survivors so we went into the room. I could hear her heart beating and I followed it. She was smart enough to keep herself hidden in one of the cupboards under a desk."

Newt and Thomas frowned, 'how could she hear the heartbeat?'

"She got me good, stabbed me in the leg," Agatha chuckled to herself as the rest of the group looked at Agatha in shock, all except Aris who knew that she had enhanced healing and surprisingly Teresa who nodded slightly in almost understanding.

"Her maze was surrounded by water, a lot of it. You know how you guys had grievers?" She glanced at Thomas who nodded, not shocked that she knew that bit of information.

"Well, they had something they called the Ravages. It had multiple eyes like a spider and eight tentacles like an octopus. It could produce this sort of goop that was green. All the creatures in the mazes have coding that prevents them from travelling outside of the maze but this particular one's coding got messed up and it went rogue. It followed them out of the maze and killed them all along the way. She probably would have been killed by it as well eventually or she would have died in that confined space out of fear of leaving. It's lucky I found her when I did." Agatha looks back down at Ray who slept soundly before she looks back up, everyone's eyes on her.

"You should all get some sleep," She ends story time, feeling uncomfortable with everyone watching her so intensely. "I don't sleep much so I don't mind staying up to keep watch." She looks at Thomas who nods slowly.

"I'll stay with you." He decides.

Everyone slowly settles down in their places, their minds on the woman who was helping them to escape Wicked.

Thomas watched Agatha for a second before he turned around, watching the stars from where he lay next to a sleeping Teresa.

They didn't speak as they sat in silence but as Agatha heard his breathing even out, she looked up at the stars he was once watching and said a goodnight to Alby, 'I'm sorry, I wasn't here in time to save Winston but I'm going to keep them as safe as I can, I promise.' She wished to him before her eyes closed, resting but awake, relaxing against Aris who leant against her.