Hidden Mysteries

The Swipe - Teresa

"Tom, I'm so sorry," I say for the millionth time. My backpack is gone, and my phone is still sitting on the floor of the shack. There's no hope of calling for help, and no chance of cracking the code. I feel like I owe Tom, and the least I could do was spare their memories. But even that, it seems, I can't do. I'm such a horrible friend. Tom must be able to read my face, because he says, "Teresa. You are an amazing friend. You saved my life. I've forgiven you. I know I wouldn't be here right now if you didn't do what you did in the scorch. Please don't blame yourself. We're gonna find a way out, without loosing anyone."

I appreciate Tom's optimism, but I highly doubt no one will be lost. There will be at least one person that gets put through the swipe before we get out. My prediction comes true within the next five minutes.

We are lead to a room lined with beds, and surgery equipment on trays next to each one. The people who lead us all have carefully aimed launchers held up to us. No one is stupid enough to make a move.

Each person is assigned to a bed. A member of WICKED dressed in a clean white suit approaches a bed and injects a needle into someone's arm, knocking them out cold. Tom and I share one final glance, and we both reach out, desperately trying to join hands. But before we can, I feel a sharp poke in my arm and the world goes black.

I wake up what feels like five minutes later in a dark hallway, the flickering lights so dim I can barely see my hand if I hold it an arms length away from my face. Next to me, Tom lies still passed out. I catch a glimpse of movement beside me and I can tell by the hair it's Minho. I still remember who they are. I still remember who I am. I didn't go through the swipe. I hear movement behind me and I whirl around. The man was the one who was supposed to give me the swipe. As if reading my thoughts, he says, "I'm on your side. I work for the right arm, and so do some of the others. We got some of you out. We need to find a way to stop the trials and the flare. And I think you are the key to helping us. Especially with this," he pulls a book from his pocket. The green spine catches my eye. It's the lightning thief.

Slowly, one by one, the others wake up, Tom, and then Harriet, Frypan, Sonya, and another girl from group B. I think her name is Beth. And that's it. Six of us. Six. We've lost so many.

"Where are we?" Asks Tom. "The Right Arm headquarters," replies the man. "My name is Stephan, by the way." I nod. He is probably no older than thirty, with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. "C'mon. We have a place where you can scan that book and it will figure out the code." I try to stand, but fall over, my bad leg unable to support my weight. Tom notices, and rushes to my side. He helps me stand, and I lean on him heavily as the six of us follow Stephan down the hallway, into a small room. He places the book under a machine. Five minutes later Stephen announces the machine has cracked the code.

It wasn't WICKED. Whoever has found this book, if you've figured out the code, it is very important you read this. Before the solar flares, there was an organization. I don't know what they were called, but they were in charge of keeping the population in check. But they let the idea get into their heads that they could kill off the world and rule it themselves. So they created a virus and used WICKED to spread it, to shoot darts at villages one by one, because the people were all still weak from the flares. If you can find them, you can find a cure. They are located underneath Deedee's house, under a trap door in the closet. Go find them, and save the world.
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Well, that's it for this chapter, thanks so much for reading. I hope y'all enjoyed it. Please vote and comment your opinions!