The Memoriam Files: Hearts ✔

| Chapter 33, Inside Wicked once again

|A warning to the people, the good and the evil. This is war

|This is war, Thirty Seconds to Mars

|||

Dawn's P.O.V.

'Good luck, kids,' Lawrence said, as we stood by the open cargo door, looking out over the huge forest of pine trees that spread out around us. 'I'd tell you to be careful, but you're not idiots, so I won't.'

'Okay then,' Thomas said, 'we'll get the device planted as soon as we get in. You might have to hurry though, Janson already told us he needs our brains to make this work. But I'm sure everything will go down with no problems. Right?'

'I'll have lizards flying out of my nostrils if we have no problems,' Lawrence replied, but there was kindness in his voice. 'Now get. Once you're out there go that way.'

I followed his hand with my eyes, he pointed to the left, towards the edge of the forest. Pulling my coat closer around me I stepped out of the Berg. Not throwing a single look over my shoulder to check whether they would fly away or just stay there. I didn't care, I just wanted to reach Wicked and get it all over with.

The tall, thick pine trees surrounded us as we made our way through the thin layer of snow. I remembered loving the snow as a kid but now I honestly couldn't recall why. It was cold and wet and made a horrible sound that was way too loud to my ears.
The wind was cold and my breath left my lips in silver puffs of air as we walked on in complete silence. The walk lasted at least an hour before we finally reached the forest edge. And before us, resting on the edge of a huge cliff, right next to a glittering blue ocean, lay a huge complex. The walls were made out of white cement, with narrow slits as windows. One round building rose amid the other smaller ones placed around it, like a huge tower. Wicked's headquarters.

I felt my chest tighten by the sight of the building, recalling when I first came here as a kid, so scared and mad at my father for betraying us. And now here I was again, completely voluntary and I wondered why I had been so crazy as to agree with the whole plan.

Thomas started walking towards what looked to be the maingate.
Taking a deep breath I forced myself to follow him, every bone in my body telling me to turn around and walk away, but it was too late. The cameras on the sides of the building would probably have spotted us by now. I had to do this, put an end to all the lives they were destroying, if not for myself then for him. For Newt.

We walked along a paved lane, closer towards the building. I looked up towards the closest windows but couldn't look inside, the glass was heavily tinted but I did notice two red lights on the walls and for some strange reason felt myself smile.

'Look,' Thomas suddenly said, pointing up at the lights. 'Beetle blades.'

I nodded, remembering the first time I saw them crawling on the walls inside the Maze and my stomach dropped. Although I wasn't thinking it back then, but my time in the Glade truly hadn't been this bad. At least we were all together, even though it was only for a little while, alive and happy.

We walked on in silence across the sidewalk, reaching a set of glass doors, which I knew to be the main enterence. As soon as we were only a few feet away a series of locks disengaged, one after the other and I knew what it looked like from the inside, like the doors to a treasure room, being heavily guarded. Then one of the doors swung open, revealing Janson, my father or Rat Man according to Minho. He extended a hand to gesture for us to enter.