Divided // The Death Cure [Book 3]

THIRTEEN

T H I R D   P E R S O N   P O V

Teresa's heels clicked on the marble floor as she fought the zoo of butterflies in her stomach. The nerves were killing her from the inside, knowing she had to convince the directors or else, the world would be lost. 

She walked up to Ava Paige, who excused herself from her previous conversation partners. "Are you ready?" Teresa didn't know how to respond, so she decided not to. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Paige placed a comforting hand between the shoulder blades of the young girl who carried a tremendous weight on her shoulders. 

They entered an office where three people were already waiting for them.

"We are starting to lose faith, doctor," the head of Wicked spoke, flipping through a folder. "When you sealed off the walls, you assured us that it would only be a temporary precaution. Why have you now denied all entry?" 

"Because things are changing," Ava Paige spoke, walking up to the group. "And not for the better. Infection rates are up to three hundred per cent." She paused for a second, letting that news sink into the brains of her listeners. "Fortunately, we may be on the verge of a breakthrough." 

The screen behind her flickered on, revealing two photos. One of Minho and one of Leah. "These are subjects A7." She motioned to Minho. "And A14." She pointed at Leah's picture. "They both spent over three years in the Maze trials. The antibodies produced and response have been the strongest we've ever seen. But." She interrupted herself. "Subject A14 is currently carrying subject A2's baby inside of her." A picture of Thomas appeared on the screen and Teresa's heart skipped a beat. 

The room fell silent. "We think the blood of this baby may be the final key we need to develop a cure," Paige continued, folding her hands in front of her. "We are subtracting blood from both of them at the moment and with your permission, we'd like to begin human trials until the baby is born." 

"How long before this baby is born?" the director asked. 

"Less than a month, we hope. This can of course diverge but we're keeping a close eye on her every second of the day," Paige stated. 

"Thank you, doctor, that is very impressive. But we've been down this road before and we're all starting to wonder..." The woman trailed off, but the director cut in. 

"If our resources can better be spent elsewhere." 

"Meaning?" Paige asked. 

"Safe zones. Protected areas like the one we're in. We could save as many people as possible," the woman said. 

Teresa took this as her cue to jump in. "How many?" she asked, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "A thousand? Two thousand? And that's assuming your protected areas stay protected. Which we know they won't. The infected already outnumber the healthy three to one. All you'd be doing in delaying the inevitable," she said, looking around the room meaningfully. She took a break to breathe before speaking up again. "Have any of you ever lost someone to the virus?" 

The woman of the three looked down sadly. "A niece," she replied. "Anna."

Teresa nodded softly. "I'm sorry we weren't able to help her. But imagine if we were able to live with the virus. To survive it." She let her eyes wander to Leah's picture on the screen. "Imagine being able to tell Anna that you could give her the chance to live a normal life. We have never been this close to a cure and we've sacrificed a lot to get this far. Please, don't let those sacrifices be for nothing," she concluded her speech.

The man nodded his head. "Thank you. I think it's clear to say that you have one more month to finish these trials or else we'll pull the plug," he said and Teresa nodded. 

"Thank you so much, we won't let you down."

The three directors got up and left the room after saying goodbye. 

Teresa let out a shivering breath and walked up to the tall window, looking outside, admiring the view this city offered. 

Ava Paige walked up to her and stood right next to the girl. "Nicely done, they can be tough but you handled them perfectly," she complimented. "Delaying the inevitable. Thomas used to say the same thing about us." She chuckled softly. She turned to Teresa. "Do you still think about him?" Paige knew all about the chemistry that Thomas and Teresa had before the Maze and she was completely fazed when Thomas instantly fell for the red-head better known as Leah. 

Teresa lowered her gaze, becoming sad at the memory of him. "I can help you with that, those memories," Paige offered. "There's no reason for you to keep holding on to them, it's a simple procedure." 

"There is a reason," Teresa interrupted her. "I want to remember. If we find a cure, then it's the only way all of this was worth it." 

Paige sighed. "I hope you're right," she admitted. The pair listened to the car alarms and voices coming from outside. Somewhere in the distance, police sirens sounded. 

Teresa thought of the Thomas she knew before the Maze. He had been so determined to find a cure. Funnily enough, she had never met Leah before she went in the Maze. She had watched her through the cameras countless times, seeing her grow and age with each day that passed. 

On the other side of the building, Leah was thinking of the same thing. How she had watched Alby on a screen for an entire month before she went in herself. She sat on her windowsill again, the place where she spent most of her time so she wouldn't feel as cramped anymore. It's easy for someone to lose their mind when they're locked up in a windowless cell every second of the day. 

A soft tap on her shoulder made her yelp in fear as she whipped around. "Hey, calm down, it's just me." Kasey held up her hands to the distraught girl. 

Leah sighed, running a hand over her face. "Sorry, I zoned out. What are you doing here?" she asked, hugging her friend. 

"I asked the guards if I could see you, I needed to know that you were okay." Kasey sat down across from her. 

"I'm fine, just lonely," Leah huffed, averting her eyes back outside. "You know, I've dreamt countless times that I see him, right there on the wall." She pointed at a vague spot in the distance. Kasey smiled. 

"I remember Marissa telling me this story about how soulmates can feel it when the other one is nearby," she chuckled and Leah smiled at the attempt to cheer her up.