Through The WICKED Scorch | A Maze Runner Story (English Version)

1. The beginning of a new life

We flew and flew and I wondered when and where we would arrive. After a while the sun began to set and I saw Thomas fall asleep, then Winston and then Fry Pan. I noticed that I was slowly getting more and more tired too and it wasn't long before my eyes kept falling shut.
At some point I finally fell asleep. My head tipped against Minho's shoulder and I wanted to pick it up again, but I didn't have the strength. All the tiredness that had built up over the last few days overcame me and I fell into a deep sleep.
I only woke up again when it was already dark outside and Minho was gently shaking my shoulder. Horrified, I sat up and looked around, not knowing where I was at first.
Slowly the memories came back and I realised that we had left the maze, that we were free.... And that Gally and Chuck and all the others were dead.
This realisation frightened me so much that my heart began to beat twice as fast and I looked around in panic for the others. It wasn't until I spotted Newt sitting across from me, smiling weakly at me, that I calmed down a little.
"Hey, it's all right. We're safe." Minho stroked my arm gently. "We're about to land."
I nodded as if I understood, which wasn't really the case. Yes, I had understood what he had said, but still it didn't really make much sense to me. Could we really be safe?
By now everyone had woken up, only Thomas was still tossing and turning restlessly. Newt tried to wake him up several times, but he just kept slapping his hand away.
When the helicopter touched the ground and someone ripped open the sliding door, my heart started beating like crazy again. What was waiting for us now?
"Come on, get out! Hurry up! Don't stop!" I heard a man's voice shout and the first of us jumped out after the man who had been with us made a start.
"I'll wake him up, you guys run already!" Minho shouted over the sound of the rotors and one by one we jumped out of the helicopter.
I felt sand under my feet and saw an avenue of bright lanterns heading straight for a brightly lit building. Newt grabbed my hand and together we ran after the others towards the entrance of the building.
Suddenly I heard someone shouting behind us. "Cranks!" he yelled and shots rang out.
Horrified, I turned as I ran and realised that strangely running people had appeared from behind a dune, now being shot at. The way they moved reminded me of those in the maze who had been stung. What kind of people were they?
Now I remembered what the woman on the video had said in the lab. The flare attacked the brain and changed the people. Were these people sick?
I didn't have time to think about it further because I had to concentrate on running. The sand made it difficult and I was nowhere near as fast as I had been in the maze.
Finally we reached the safe gate and with it the others, who also looked at us in horror. Behind us a battle was raging, I could see that now because I turned around. Masked men were shooting at a multitude of cranks and shouting in confusion. What was happening here? Where were we?
Thomas reached us and the gate closed behind him. Only now did I look around the hall we had run into. Everywhere people were busy moving crates and pallets. Men with machine guns were walking around and cars were parked. The sight reminded me strongly of a factory hall, even though I had never seen one from the inside, I thought.
A man came up to us and took his mask off his face. He told us to follow him and we obeyed, after all we didn't know what else to do. Without a word he led us into an adjoining room, much smaller than the hall, where there were shelves.
But the shelves were not what caught our attention. It was much more the food, which we immediately pounced on after the man had closed the door behind him again.
There was everything you could want: Bread, meat, potatoes, rice, vegetables and so much more. I was the first to give up after I felt like I was about to burst. I flopped down on a pallet on which there were sacks containing something that was definitely soft. I made myself comfortable and watched as Teresa also stopped eating and sat down on the floor next to me.
Now the boys gave up one by one and when Newt sat down next to me on the sacks and put an arm around my shoulders, I leaned against him and closed my eyes for a moment.
We didn't speak, maybe because we were just too full, or maybe because we just didn't know what to say and were speechless. So much had happened in the last few hours that I felt like my head would explode if I tried to recount it.
Just as I had almost dozed off, still sitting there leaning against Newt, someone opened the metal door to our chamber and a man with a machine gun stood there and then took a step to the side. The fact that they were all carrying guns here kind of worried me, after all the gate to the outside was closed and none of these Cranks could get in here, could they?
The door squeaked as it swung fully open and we stood up, expecting someone to finally explain where we were and what was going to happen to us.
A man with grey hair and a five-day beard stepped into the doorway and as I looked into his face, a sudden pain went through my head, so strong that I winced in horror and slapped my hands to my head.
"Are you okay?" Newt murmured to me and I just nodded as I lowered my hands again.
I looked at the man suspiciously. Who was he? Why did I suddenly feel like we had to get out of here? Did I know him? But how could that be possible when all my life I had only lived with WICKED and now we had escaped them?
Again, far too many questions were running through my head and I couldn't really grasp any of them to be able to answer them.
The man smiled a crooked smile and my heart began to race. Something was very wrong here.
"You kids doing all right?" No one answered him and thankfully he didn't seem to notice the way I looked at him. "Sorry about all the fuss. We had ourselves a bit of a swarm."
Did he mean the Cranks?
"Who are you?" Thomas asked now.
"I'm the reason you're all still alive. It's my intention to keep you that way. Now - come with me."
He took a step backwards and made a welcoming motion. For some reason, I wanted nothing less than to follow him and couldn't shake the feeling that we had been in danger ever since I saw him.
I pushed those thoughts away and tried to pull myself together.
Now just don't panic and attract attention. There was no way they could separate us.
"We'll get you kids squared away."
With these words he turned and ran off. We had no choice but to follow him.
We crossed the hall where we had arrived at the beginning. The man ran ahead of us at a fast pace and soon started talking again.
"You can call me Mr. Janson."
As he said this, something inside me tightened. My alarm bells rang and again it pricked my head as if my body was trying to tell me something. What was wrong with me?
"I run this place. For us it is a Sanctuary, safe from the horrors of the outside world."
Now I looked around more closely and realised that men were in the process of welding something, moving things and walking around. What was this? The others seemed to be asking themselves the same question.
"You all should think of it as a way station. Kind of a home between homes - watch yourselves."
He pointed upwards and I followed his hand with my gaze. Someone was welding above us and sparks were flying down, making me duck away.
"That mean you're taking us home?" Thomas asked, walking directly behind Mr. Janson.
He turned to face him.
"A home of sorts."
Again he smiled that creepy smile and again my skull began to throb.
Damn, what's wrong with me?
"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?" he asked, turning back to us.
It sounds good, yes, it sounds great!
Only why didn't I believe a word he said?
We were all silent for a moment when Minho spoke up.
"Why are you helping us?" he asked and when I looked at him I saw suspicion in his gaze.
"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 this 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."
We reached a wide door and Mr. Janson stopped in front of it.
"Beyond this door lies the beginning of your new lives."
He swiped a key card through a terminal and the door opened. Behind it was a long, bright corridor.
"First things first: let's do something about that smell."