The Scorch (a sequel to The Maze)

Selfish

I followed Aris all the way to the tent. Jorge was standing pacing outside of the tent. 

"She's in there." Aris said cautiously. I just nodded and went inside. 

"What's going on?" I demanded to the lady. 

"Ah Jane there you are, come, we need to take some of your blood." The lady said coming twords me. 

"Wait, how do you know my name? And why do you need my blood?" I asked stepping back a little. I looked around her and saw Brenda squirming on a cot. Her ankle had black bloody gashes and I realized she must have gotten attacked by a crank. 

"I'll explain everything In a minute, but I need some of your blood, now." The lady said grabbing a needle. 

"No..get away from me." I said starting to back away but the lady grabbed my wrist. I struggled to get out of her grasp. 

"Stop squirming." She said. 

"No! Let me go!" I yelled. 

"Listen, do you want to save your friend or not?" She asked sternly. I stopped struggling and just looked at her. I hesitated because I did indeed want to save Brenda, but at what cost? After a quick moment of hesitation I nodded my head and the lady had me sit down. 

As she stuck a needle in my arm and took quite a bit of blood she told me what I wanted to know. 

"What do you want to know?" She asked. 

"Well, first, who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Mary, I used to work for wicked, you probably don't remember who I am though." She said giving me a small smile her hands still working with my arm. A quick picture flashed across my eyes again. 

This time it was Mary, but younger. I was also younger. Mary was in a white lab coat and was taking my blood. She flashed me the same smile and I felt safe for some reason. The picture vanished and when it did I saw Mary looking at me like I was an exotic flower. 

"Fascinating." She whispered to herself. 

"You..you were a doctor there, you took my blood multiple times. I was scared but you made me feel safer." I whispered. 

"Yes, I was a doctor at Wicked. But I found a way for a cure that I didn't share with anyone and so I quit without telling them since I didn't want the cure to be hurt." She said. 

"What was the cure?" I asked. 

"Who, not what." She said.

"Who was the cure?" 

"You." 

"Me?" I asked in disbelief. 

"Yes, your blood isn't only immune to the virus but it destroys it all together." She said finishing the blood gathering and putting it in little vials. 

"What- thats- that's crazy, not possible." I said. 

"It it possible." She said injecting a little vial into Brenda's arm with a needle. 

"But, why didn't you tell anyone then?" I asked. 

"I didn't want anyone to hurt you..." she said quietly.

"But why? Why did you want to save me? Why didn't you just help them and help everyone else." I asked confused. 

"I was being selfish..I didn't want anyone to hurt my daughter..."