You're not Him

Whose side are you on?

Thomas woke up by someone yelling his name.

"Thomas! Thomas! Thomas!" Thomas saw Minho. "Wake up! We gotta go!" Thomas noticed it was dark. He started to run until he stopped and ran back to the helicopter. He grabbed the wooden figure and then ran with the other gladers. They ran until they were inside a building. They looked around to see other men running around. They were escorted to a place to sit.

Thomas went and sat next to Newt. Newt grabbed his hand. After a while a man went to them.

"You kids doing all right? Sorry about all the fuss. We had ourselves a bit of a swarm." All the gladers stood up.

"Who are you?" Thomas asked.

"I'm the reason you're all still alive. It's my intention to keep you that way. Now, come with me." The man led the gladers through the building."We'll get you kids squared away. You can call me Mr. Janson. I run this place. For us it is a sanctuary, safe from the horrors of the outside world. You all should think of it as a way station. Kind of a home between homes. Watch yourselves." They went under some sparks.

"That mean you're taking us home?" Thomas asked.

"A home of sorts. Sadly, there wouldn't be much left of wherever you came from. But we do have a place for you. A refuge, outside the Scorch, where WICKED will never find you again. How does that sound?"

"Why are you helping us?" Minho asked.

Let's just say the world out there is in a rather precarious situation. We're all hanging on by a very thin thread. The fact that you kids can survive the Flare virus... makes you the best chance of humanity's continued survival. Unfortunately, it also makes you a target, as no doubt by now you've noticed." They went to a door."Beyond this door lies the beginning of your new lives." Janson pulled out a card and swiped it. The door opened, showing a long hallway. Janson turned to the gladers."First things first... let's do something about that smell." Janson led them to the showers. All of the gladers took a shower. Later they were brought into a room. They placed everyone in their own space. A man with a needle came to Newt.

"Wait, what is that?" Newt asked.

"Just a little cocktail. Calcium, folate, vitamins A through Z. Pretty much everything you've been deprived of out there. Try to relax." The man said.Newt's eyes went wide. He felt himself getting clammy and he tried to take a deep breath. He felt someone grab his hand and he looked over and saw Thomas.

"Hey, it's ok,"Thomas softly said."Just squeeze my hand." Newt nodded and squeezed his hand when he felt a prick."There. All done." Newt sighed and felt Thomas run his thumb over his hand.

"Thanks Tommy." A man came to the two.

"Thomas, Janson would like to see you." Thomas nodded and followed the man. He followed him into an empty room with a table and two chairs."Please sit down, Janson will be here soon." Thomas sat down and the man closed the door. Thomas looked around, seeing a security camera in the room. He heard the door open and saw Janson coming in.

"Thomas, thank you for seeing me. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I was just hoping we might get a moment to chat in private, away from the others." Janson said, sitting down across from the teen. Well... I won't take up too much of your time. I really only have one question. What do you remember about WICKED?" Thomas just looked at him."You're not in trouble.We're just having a conversation. I'm just trying to understand."

"Understand what?"

"Whose side are you on?"

"I remember I used to work for WICKED. I remember that they sent me into the maze. I remember watching my friends die in front of me. I'm on their side." Janson nodded.

"Interesting. You say you worked for WICKED, but they sent you into the maze. Why would they do something like that?"

"I don't know. Maybe you should've asked them before you killed them all."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Enjoy the rest of your stay." Janson stood up.

"That's it?"

"Yeah, you've told me everything I need to know. You and your friends have all been cleared to join the others. Soon you'll all be moving on to greener pastures."

"Wait. Others?"

Thomas was led to a cafeteria, where he saw more kids his age eating at tables. He looked around and saw Minho coming to him.

"What's going on?" Thomas asked.

"We weren't the only maze." Thomas followed Minho to his group. Newt scooted over and Thomas sat next to him.

"And there was this big, loud explosion, and these guys came out of nowhere. Started shooting up the place. It was intense." The boy said.

"What about the rest? The other people left behind in the maze, what happened to them?" Newt asked. The boy shrugged. Newt and Thomas looked at eachother."How long have you guys been here?"

"Not long. Just a day or two. That kid over there has been here the longest. Almost a week. His maze was nothing but girls." They saw a boy sitting by himself, wearing a hoodie.

"Really?" Minho asked.

"Some guys have all the luck." Janson came into the room with other men.

"Good evening, gentlemen. Ladies. You all know how this works. If you hear your name called... please rise in an orderly fashion, join my colleagues behind me... where they will escort you to the eastern wing. Your new lives are about to begin. Connor. Evelyn. Ev! Justin. Peter. Allison. Squiggy." A few kids chuckled at that as the teens got up."All right. Settle down. Franklin. And Abigail." Everyone groaned except for the gladers."Now, now, don't get discouraged. If I could take more, I would. There's always tomorrow. Your time will come. Go on, eat up." The teens, Janson and the men left.

"Where are they going?" Winston asked.

"Far from here. Some kind of farm. A safe place. They can only take in a couple of people at a time." Thomas stood up and went to a window. Minho and Newt watched him. Later they went to their room. It had bunk beds, and a restroom. Winston laid down.

"I could get used to this." Winston said.

"I call top bunk." Minho said, getting up on the top before Frypan.

"Yeah. It's not bad." Newt said. They heard the door close and heard it lock.

"Hey, what do you think those guys want with Teresa?" Thomas asked. Newt sighed and grabbed his hand.

"Now, if there's one thing I know about that girl, she can take care of herself." Soon, the rest of the gladers fell asleep, leaving Newt and Thomas awake.They sat down on the bottom bunk. "What did Janson ask you about?"

"He asked whose side I was on. Theirs or Wickeds." Thomas said.

"What did you say?" Thomas looked at the blonde.

"I said I was on your guys'."Newt smiled.

"I'm on your side too." Thomas smiled.

"Thanks." Newt nodded and stood up.

"Goodnight Tommy." Newt climbed into his bed and slept. They both fell asleep. Thomas woke up to some banging.

"Hey, down here." Thomas looked under his bed and saw the boy they talked about earlier." Follow me." Thomas slowly moved down and followed the boy.