little immune {the scorch trials} (request)

˜"*°• Prologue •°*"˜

This was it. Today was the day the kids would be taken for good.

A mother ushered her son and daughter through the large crowd of people sending their children off to supposedly have a better life. She dragged her eleven-year-old son along by the hand, carrying the one-year-old girl in her free arm. She was doing good, she told herself. They'd be better off with WICKED than with her. At least there, they'd be safe from the Flare virus that was slowly wiping out the human population, transforming those infected into terrible monster-like cannibals. Like what happened to the kids' father, and would soon happen to her.

When they finally made their way to the front of the crowd, the woman waved desperately, trying to catch the attention of one of the uniformed guards. One looked in her direction and she gestured frantically to her kids as though saying take them. As the guard walked over, their face concealed by a gas mask, the woman knelt before her son and placed his sister in his arms.

"Remember, I love you," she whispered into his ear. "And take care of your sister. You're all each other has."

The boy nodded, fear evident in his eyes. He clutched his sister for dear life, silently promising himself he'd never let her go.

The guard picked up the boy and slung him over their shoulder, passing the girl to someone else.

"Mom!" the boy cried, tears streaming down his face. He tried to reach for his mother but she was too far away. Cradled in the other guard's arms, the little girl began to sob.

It wasn't long before their mother fully disappeared from view. They never saw her again.

The guards shoved them onto a train and seated them together. The boy pulled his sister into his arms and glanced wearily at their surroundings. Dozens of other kids sat all around the car, fearful expressions clouding their features. Armed guards stood in every corner just in case someone tried to make a run for it. Though judging by the kids' scared faces, it didn't look like anyone would be going anywhere anytime soon.

The girl said her brother's name. He looked at her and replied, "What is it?"

At only a year old, her vocabulary was very limited, but the boy didn't need words to understand how she felt. Her eyes said it all. She was scared. He squeezed her hand, the only source of comfort he could think to offer. He just had to let her know that he was there. Much to his relief, she squeezed back.

"It's going to be okay, Y/n," he told her softly. "We're going to be okay."

Of course, he was wrong. Things only got worse from there.

When the train came to a stop, the kids were ushered out onto a sandy surface then into some type of building. It was dark, so it was hard to tell for sure where they were. Despite his exhaustion, the boy carried his sister in his arms, not daring to let her go.

***

For a few days, he didn't have to let her go. After the train ride, most of the kids were moved into individual rooms, aside from Y/n and her brother who were together. They were given food and water, and had checkups daily. In her young age, Y/n was shown extra care from the doctors and staff, but really all she wanted was her brother. And he only wanted her.

But then he was taken away for good. One of the doctors—a woman named Dr. Paige—came to him and said he'd been selected to participate in something big. Something that apparently could possibly save the world.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he replied without hesitation. "As cool as you make that sound, I'm not leaving my sister. She needs me. Unless she can come—"

"I'm sorry," Dr. Paige said. "But unfortunately not. And you don't really have a choice here. This experiment could lead to finding the cure we need. It could save the world! Don't you want to be part of that?"

The boy shook his head. "Not if it means leaving my family behind."

Dr. Paige sighed. "You'll meet again eventually, once this is over. And don't worry about your sister. She will be in good hands. Our doctors are exceptionally skilled. Again, I'm sorry, but you don't really have a choice."

In the end, the boy went. He didn't go willingly, but he knew the staff at his new home weren't going to let him stay. He tried to assure Y/n that he'd be back soon, though he wasn't entirely sure she knew what was going on.

"I'm just going to do this little saving-the-world project," he told her. "And then we'll be out of here before you know it."

Boy, was he wrong.