Antidote | A3

c h a p t e r . o n e

I blinked a few times, trying to remember where I was. Darkness surrounded me, and for a moment I was back in the Box, tiny and cramped and trapped, on my way to the Maze-

Then memories of the escape came flooding back. Bunk beds, dressers, and a tiny bit of light filtering through the grate on the door slowly came into focus, relief flooding through me. I was safe.

I glanced around the dormitory. There was little movement, just the gurgly snores of a room filled with sleeping boys. Beside me, Newt was already awake, a strange expression on his face. I turned my head to look up at him properly.

"You okay?" I whispered.

"Yeah, fine," he muttered.

The immediacy with which it came out, combined with the troubled frown he hadn't yet managed to wipe off, made him instantly unconvincing.

"You sure?"

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

He sighed. "All the things we've heard about the outside world - Alby's Changing, Thomas', yours. The weird things you saw. Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

I'd almost forgotten the horrific visions my Griever sting had brought about. Looking at Newt and seeing a zombie in his place...

"Guess I'd tried not to think about it," I responded. "I don't know. We don't even know what those visions meant."

"No," he agreed, although he didn't meet my eyes. He seemed far from comforted.

The lights in the room came up suddenly, eliciting groans from waking Gladers. I had no idea what kind of time it was, but our lie-in seemed to be over. Boys began clambering out of their bunks groggily, all squinting eyes and messy bedheads.

Newt climbed out and I made to follow. My body still felt rigid, and movement felt like wading through tar. Newt gave me a hand as Minho dropped onto the floor beside him from above, having vaulted off his top bunk.

"I have never had a better night's sleep in my life," he said, both arms above his head as he stretched. "I feel like shucking royalty."

"I'm glad someone's feeling positive. I feel like a sack of klunk," Winston called from across the room. "Making us wake up on their terms. At least in the Glade I could just wake up to the sun."

"Or Griever screams," Minho countered, making everyone grimace. "Yeah, slim it, shank. I don't wanna think about that place one more second."

"Where do we go now?" someone called out.

"Yeah, are they coming to get us, or...?" Frypan wondered.

As if on cue, the bedroom door swung open. We all turned to see who was on the other side, but the hallway it revealed remained empty.

Minho stepped forward and peered down the corridor, a confused frown on his face. The large steel door stayed wide open, obviously controlled remotely. Weird.

I was a little surprised no one had come to greet us. There'd been plenty of adults involved in the rescue mission, and they'd clearly switched the lights on and woken us all up on purpose. So where were they?

"I guess we go out," Minho shrugged, turning back to the rest of us.

Gingerly, Thomas stepped forward, past Minho, and proceeded out of the room. I was hesitant - everyone was - but it seemed we had little choice. We began to follow Thomas.

As I moved to leave the room, close behind Minho, I found myself a little lopsided to compensate for the insane stiffness in my side and leg. I was limping, still.