Like Ashes We Fall

Chapter Six

There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to go.

I had a glimpse of the Maze, the dark walls towering over me. Grievers hunting through the corridors. The guards' rifles raised. Newt looked at me. My heart hammered in my chest.

"No!" I raised my hands, the rifle hitting the ground. I stepped in front of Thomas and Newt, shoving them behind me. "Don't-"

"Stop." A female voice froze the hall. Heels clicked. Teresa emerged from behind Janson, dark hair pinned up and away from her face. It made her look older. More severe. She wore a white lab coat over a red dress. Thomas went rigid beside me.

I took in her appearance and my vision filtered to red. I'd kill her- I would kill her-

"I need them all. We can't waste a drop of Immune blood. Not anymore." She looked pointedly at Janson.

The older man's jaw tightened. "Very well. Take them."

The guards advanced, kicking the rifle from my reach. It skidded across the floor, striking the wall. Hands gripped my biceps tightly, forcing me to my knees. Metal handcuffs bit into the skin at my wrists.

Teresa's heels clicked on the aluminum floor. She looked down at me. "I'm sorry," she said. "But you're the key to everything. You can save us all. I need you, Ari."

My body burned with rage, so palpable I felt like it was lighting me on fire. I wanted to smash her head in. But my gaze slid past her to Minho, still kneeling on the floor. He was staring off into space. "What did you do to him?"

"The same thing we're going to do to you." Janson holstered his pistol. "Take them to holding."

The guards yanked us to our feet. I twisted to look over my shoulder at Teresa. "Let me see him, please, please-"

"Shut up," the guard snapped, forcing me to face front.

Behind me, Thomas passed Teresa, staring right through her. I saw her face fall, sadness flickering in her eyes. Thomas didn't say a word and let the guard lead him away. Newt looked Teresa dead in the face and then spit on the ground at her feet. She flinched, taking a step back. Frypan just shook his head, muttering under his breath as he passed.

They lead us through the doors at the end of the hall and then took the boys to the right, yanking me to the left.

"Ari!" Newt yelled, over his shoulder. He was cut off by a grunt as the guard slammed his fist into his stomach. He fell to the floor.

I struggled in their grasp. "What's going on? Where the hell are you taking me?"

"Stop fighting," the guard snapped, tightening his hold. They deposited me into an empty, windowless room. I hit the cold metal floor with a thud, the breath knocking from me. The slamming of the door seemed to reverberate in my bones.

I scooted back, pressing myself against the far wall, feeling the cold seep through my shirt. My breath came in ragged pants now as I allowed myself to assess how brutally we'd failed. I'd gotten my friends captured. Probably signed our death warrants.

"Fuck," I buried my face in my hands. I'd convinced them to risk it all for Minho. And now we were all dead.

The door to the cell swung open suddenly, the light making me squint. The guards shoved a hunched figure through and then slammed the door once more. My breath caught.

"Minho?"

He coughed once and then looked up, his usually bright eyes now dulled. "Ari?" His voice was hesitant.

I let out a strangled breath, closing the gap between us. My fingers gripped his arm. Warmth spread through me.

Minho stared at me like I wasn't there. Then he closed his eyes. Opened them. "Is this real?"

My chest constricted. "Yes," I whispered. "This is real. I'm real. I'm here."

Finally, he looked at me. Really looked at me. "Ari?" His voice cracked.

I nodded. He lifted his hands, still encircled with the metal cuffs like mine. His fingers trembled as they brushed my face. "Ari." Not a question this time. A single tear streaked down his face.

Our knees bumped together as I leaned forward as far as I could. He met me halfway, pressing his forehead against mine. I inhaled the smell of him, still Minho even amongst the bleach and medical scent of WCKD. I drew in a single shuddering breath, wishing this moment could last forever.

"Why are you here?" He asked hoarsely.

I let out a weak laugh, no humor in it. "We were coming to get you. The Right Arm attacked this base. Blew a hole in the wall."

He drew back. "You should have just gone to the Safe Haven, Ari. You should have left me!"

"Not without you."

He blew out a breath. "Ari-"

"You would have done the same for me."

He closed his eyes and then nodded slowly.

"Minho, what are they doing here? What the hell is Teresa doing to you?"

His eyes flared at that but then the anger burnt out. Like he had exhausted even that. "The enzyme that WCKD wants from us can only be harvested when our brains are under extreme duress. So they put us through... stimulations. Over and over and over again. It's a never-ending nightmare." His gaze fixed on me, fear rearing from the depths now. "But Teresa wants you because she says you're different. The key to everything. Your blood."

I shook my head. "What about my blood? We're all Immune."

"I don't know," Minho said. "But... Ari, they'll never let you go. Not while they can continuously use you as a cure."

His words fell over me like icy water. Minho gripped my hands suddenly now, the movement awkward due to the metal handcuffs. "It will kill you eventually. But they want to prolong it for as long as possible. Ari, you have to get the hell out of here."

"We," I corrected. "I'm not going anywhere without you again. And the others."

Minho eased out a breath. "They're moving us. I think. Something about a city."

My fingers interlaced with his. "We'll find a way out." We had to.

He nodded. The door behind us swung open, light fracturing the space. Hands hoisted me into the air, my feet dragging before I had the chance to fight them.

"No!" I heard Minho yell and then the door slammed shut.

Seperating us once again.