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"What doesn't destroy you, leaves you broke instead." _______________________
The propellers of the helicopter swung around furiously as the men in the black bullet proof vests grabbed their guns and ushered the gladers out of the vehicle. The fact that they carried that on them made Aife uneasy, she was wearily eyeing the men the whole trip to their destination.
Aife turned her gaze to see Thomas sleeping, he was slightly furrowing his eyebrow as he stirred. You could still see the tear stains on his cheeks. The girl didn't bother to wake them up, they deserved their sleep. So instead, she decided to stay look out.
She brought her hand up to his cheek and lightly began to shake him awake, but he didn't follow. Instead, he stirred some more and began to pant, thats when she lightly slapped him out of his occurring nightmare, "Thomas!"
"Come on, A, we gotta go!" Minho shouted at the girl, ultimately rushing her more than needed. She huffed as she removed his head from her lap and shouted, "Wake up!"
The boy gasped awake and she took her chance to grab his arm and drag him out of the helicopter before they got left behind. The boy stumbled to his feet and waved his arms around with his mouth agape and his eyes wide as he tried to regain his balance.
"Come on! We gotta move!" The men shouted at the teens, their voices deep and hoarse. Aife spotted the silhouette of a human on the top of a mountain and she tilted her head with confusion, it wasn't moving like a human. But her questions were quickly cut off when the armed men began to shoot at them.
She looked around wearily as she squinted into the distance, but it was no use. She felt far too exposed since she wasn't within the walls of the maze. And on top of that, she couldn't even see more than ten feet in front of her.
Aife mumbled incoherently and slightly frantic while doing so as she gripped Thomas's forearm forcefully once more and dragged him along with the rest of the group.
There was a large building that looked as if a facility and bright lights shining above them, Aife squinted her eyes and simply ran faster. She ran until she was finally able to regain balance, it had been hard for her to run in the sand, she hadn't ever done it. From what she remembers.
She stumbled into the building, Thomas following behind her, and turned around to see the large doors slam shut, she let out a breath of relief when she saw her family standing there unharmed.
Aife and Thomas made their way to the front of the group to get a clearer view of their surroundings, they sent a cautious glance to each other and Aife pursed her lips. There was a slight alarm blaring in the background and men were running around, as if working.
It had confused Aife immensely. How did those men find them? What is this place? Why are they helping us?
The group had been led to a small room by a man who had told them to wait there until further instruction. Aife paced back and forth, seeing as she was filled with far too much adrenaline to sit still. There was a large table with a variety amount of food, which they had demolished completely. So now, they were waiting. Every once in a while, Aife and Thomas would cast cautious glances at each other, silently communicating with one another.
Cutting Aife out of her thoughts, a door opened up and created a loud banging noise with a creak, Aife had to fight back a grimace at the sound that reached her ears. A man with a grey turtle neck and a black puffer jacket with black jeans revealed himself, he had brown hair, grey at the roots, and a slight stubble. Something about the man seemed familiar.
"You kids doin' alright?"
In all honesty, Aife's bones were aching and screaming for help, she wanted nothing more than to lay down and rest, but she needed to have her guard up. This was a completely different environment.
Thomas and the others quickly stood up and faced the mysterious man. Thomas absentmindedly placed a hand on the small of her back, causing her to shudder in surprise.
"Sorry about all the fuss, we got ourselves uh, a bit of a swamp." The man said, it seemed as if he was trying to grin, although it came across as a grimace.
"Who are you?" Aife questioned with a stern yet raspy voice, her eyes narrowed at the older man and she tilted her head tauntingly as her lips, which were slightly agape, curled up in slight amusement. She still wore the blood she applied on her face, though, it was dried now. And it gave her a more intimidating stance, seeing as it brought out her features more. The girl noticed how his gaze lingered on her longer than the others, and how he lightly squirmed in her presence.
"I'm the reason your all still alive. And it's my intention to keep you that way," The man informed, Aife had to stifle a scoff at his words, the reason they were alive is because they fought to survive. Not him. "Now, come with me. Let's get you kids squared away."
The man began to step backwards, signaling for the gladers to follow him. They began to walk through the warehouse, the man speaking over all the ruckus.
"You can call me Mr Janson, 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 wait station. Kind of, uh, home between homes — watch yourselves." The man shrugged as he spoke, as well as warning them to beware of the sparks flying from the workers machines while doing so.
"Does that mean you're taking us home?" Thomas asked the man, baffled as to why he was helping.
"A home of sorts. 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." The man emphasized as he turned his head towards the teens, "How does that sound?"
Minho and Newt glanced at each other questionably before the asian spoke, "Why are you helping us?"
"Let's just say the world out there is in a rather curious situation, we're all hanging on by a very thin thread. The fact that you kids could survive the flare virus makes you the best chance of humanities continued survival." The man explained to the teens, Aife clenched her jaw at his words.
How far are they willing to go for this cure, Aife thought to herself.
"Unfortunately, it also makes you a target, because no doubt by now, you've noticed." The man said smugly, his arms swinging proudly and cockily by his sides with every step he took. It made Aife want to bash his head into the concrete. There was no reason for her to hate the man, in all honesty, she should be thankful.
But she can't find it in her.
"Beyond this door, lies the beginning, of your new lives." He took a keycard from his pocket and swiped it in the scanner, a second layer, a door opened up, revealing a long hallway.
"First things first," The man clapped his hands, "Let's do something about that smell."
