The Defective Soldier || Newt

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟒𝟎

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕆𝕝𝕕 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕤𝕖𝕥 𝕍𝕖𝕚𝕝

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What was peace like? Was it like the soft breeze's continuous melody? Or the sound of waves crashing onto the sand, breaking apart and ebbing back together in a harmonious rhythm? Could it be similar to someone playing an instrument in the light of dawn? Or the smell of freshly baked goods? Maybe a smile. Or a kiss. An old woman's patched-up veil, dancing in the wind as if begging to be freed. The laughter of kids, especially newborns. And their huge eyes, always pleading and quick to be flooded with tears. So small. So fragile.

William shook himself awake, scrambling on the bed frantically like rats had infiltrated it in his sleep. He grabbed a hold of each end, gripping it with his utmost strength. His mind was hazy, unaware of anything beyond its principal concern—imminent danger. There were quite a few syringes near him, not to mention the horrendous pain his leg was in, which he couldn't even see under the sea of blankets that he had been buried under. He tossed them aside with little care, encountering a strange sight. His leg wasn't quite there. Not visible at least. A thick bandage engulfed it from his knee all the way down to his ankle.

There was no walking possible with that strapped on. The bandage alone was double the width of his leg. If he was supposed to run with that, he would fall before he ever got up. It weighed like a ton of bricks, forcing William to slide his legs off the bed in order to sit up properly.

He then analysed his surroundings, a wide wooden hut with beds placed in a neat line and medical supplies strategically placed between each one to attend to any emergencies that could occur. The cosiness he felt in there was foreign, almost out of place. The hut was no WICKED building. That much was clear from its lack of 'modern' style and grey preference on everything. And yet, he couldn't seem to breathe calmly. Every puff of air felt fainter than the last. It was suffocating. He was trapped, he thought. Trapped by his own body, weighing him down and forcing him to stay still even when he didn't want to.

Teresa couldn't have appeared at a better moment. She tried to get him back to lie down, but he refused silently. He would not put himself through that again, even if she was around. It came as no surprise to her. Many years of experience being his friend had to do the trick to know how to manage his temper. Or not. Of course, everyone had forgotten. Most of his friends had gone to the Maze, they had gone through the memory wipe procedure. They didn't remember him at all, or the person he was at that moment.

William was well aware that he had gone through the memory wipe quite a few times himself. If there was someone to be blamed for not remembering others, it was him. The more his breathing returned to its normal pace, and the hazy feeling left his mind, the more he was sure that the thought shouldn't have even been odd to him. He was quite the special case himself, always had been. Not for any other reason had his friends suffered and died as much as they had. All because of him and his existence.

"Thomas is fine, so are Leen and George," assured Teresa, which got William to lower his head. It was nice of Teresa to think he needed the reassurance, but he hadn't thought of his injured friends since he had woken up. Not one time. And at that moment, he wouldn't get them off his mind. The sole idea of forgetting his friends, who he had been so desperate to keep alive, when they were injured no less, made his insides twist. "Rowan and Henry are helping Chuck process... well, killing Janson. Flor wanted to help, of course, but they wouldn't let her meddle in. Henry thought that she would only try to protect Chuck, not help him try to come to terms with his actions."

"That's a relief," he mumbled, hoping for the conversation to end there.

Teresa decided that the list of news had not yet finished though. "Newt and Aris visited earlier today with Abraham. Mary—she's a doctor here—didn't let them stay for long. They were making too much noise and George woke up because of them. You should have seen her face when George asked them to tone it down. She was in a rage and banned all three from getting anywhere near until the feast's over."