Survive

Tarnished

The blood had begun to trickle from Cody's split lip, pain stinging the bruised side of his face that was currently pressed onto the cold stone floor, the guards roughly pinning him down showed no sign of weakness.

His gaze was hazy. His mind devoid of any sense of reason. Desperate to wake up from what could only be a nightmare yet deep down knowing there was no escape from this.

His head snapped up at a startled cry from the little girl, previously cowering in the corner, as she was dragged from her attempt at a hiding place.

The solider, Cain, advanced towards Niamh, the child visibly shaking in terror. He knelt down in front of her, one hand moving gently to wipe the tears from her cheeks, the other subtly hidden behind his back and in its grasp; a sharp, seamless shard of metal that glinted in the bright lights.

Niamh raised her head weakly, fearful eyes darting to Cody before flickering up to rest on Cain's grinning face.

"You see Cody, there is no escape from us, from your future, from hers", The man's gaze never once lifted. "Who knew how little it would need, how few letters, how few numbers, would determine the life of a twelve year old girl?", Cain turned, his eyes fixating onto Cody as he struggled weakly to free himself. "But you- you knew didn't you? Or you knew that there was only one conclusion, to all of this. Pain. Pain which leads to regret, to anger, to fear and fear that will break you into giving us, giving WCKD, everything we need to know to destroy you and your pathetic band of friends."

"You will never win", Cody gasped out, his breath ragged as his chest was pushed into the floor.

"From the looks of it kid", He turned fully to face Cody, gleeful fire burning behind his eyes, "I already have"

With a swift movement and a glint of light bouncing of the sharp object, the knife met it's mark.

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"Janson do you copy?"

"Oh I copy Minho...You were just the person I was waiting for"

The clearing was silent and Minho let his body take control as his mind spun in chaotic circles.

"Where are they?"

"Now where's the fun in telling you, besides we have a cure to discover and since you were too cowardly to stay, too selfish go do what is right for mankind, we had to...alter our methods"

"THERE IS NO GOD DAMN CURE"

A voice shattered the silence, a shout echoed with sadness and anger.

A static noise flickered from the comm before an agonising cry was transmitted and it went silent.

"Haha"

A laugh from Janson halted Robin in her tracks.

"Hello Robin, it appears you are held very close to a couple of our subjects. If I remember correctly, your brother?"

"You hurt him Janson, and I swear to god I will hunt you down personally, take all the pain you inflicted and shove it right up your-"

Harriet grabbed Robin by the arm, "Robin, hey look at me"

The girl's eyes flickered from the comm in Minho's hand to rest on Harriet's, and the latter felt her heart sink as tears threatened to spill from Robin's anger filled eyes. "Harriet, they're gonna hurt him, you heard the scream, I can't...I can't live without him"

"I know, but right now we're closer to finding all of them than we have been, we will find them"

Robin nodded shakily before her face turned blank, as she pushed her fear down.

"While it's amusing hearing you struggle, I'm afraid I have to cut this conversation short-"

"You will never win Janson", Minho retorted, his voice thick with emotion.

"Funny, that's exactly what a certain someone said right before the screams started, if you can still hear them that is or maybe you were too preoccupied with yourselves to notice."

A wave of confusion traveled through the remaining immunes stood before the comm. He was right, they hadn't noticed.

Listening carefully; a voice could be heard, screaming, an uninterpretable name being yelled into abyss, amused laughing and then...silence.

"Janson..."

"I guess Minho, as you may have too, there are reasons behind the silence, reasons you may be too scared to accept. But listen here boy, if you do not return to the compound within the next 2 days, many more silences will follow."

"No- Wait- JANSON"

But the comm had fallen silent, the static no longer heard and an eerie sense of fear trickling through the group.

Ignoring the worried call of his name, Minho shakily got too his feet, staggering to the edge of the clearing as he felt his heart shattered into a million pieces. Was he dead? If not him, who did they hurt? He knew it was Cody Janson had talked about, but he didn't know it all, and maybe- maybe he didn't want to.

Had Minho looked behind him, he would have found a broken girl in desperate need of him. Possibly as he was the only one who may begin to understand her pain. Minho had lost brothers, too many to count, and now Cody, the one person he had let into his heart, he was losing too. But his sister, his twin sister, just stared into the distance, eyes blank as reassuring words flickered around her head yet had little to no effect to cure her aching heart.

mazerunnermazerunnermazerunner

The cell was empty. No weapons, no guards, no Janson. Just a small girl cradled in the arms of a teenage boy.

Niamh was losing focus, the world blurry, her body growing colder by the minute.

"I'm scared"

Cody held the shaking girl in his arms, her head resting on his lap as one hand was pressed against the increasing circle of crimson liquid spreading alarmingly fast across her chest and dripping to the floor.

Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as the boy was unable to contain his feelings.

His anxiety heightened as Niamh's eyes began to flicker shut.

"No, no, stay with me. It'll be ok, just stay with me."

"Can'- scared'- don't wanna go'"

Knowing that it was too late, Cody took a shuddering breath before exhaling and closing his fear away inside.

"I know your scared kiddo, I'm scared. But it's alright, just like going to sleep"

"hur's- i can'- Cody"

Her broken words were mere whispers, but he heard it.

"Niamh, it's okay. Listen do you hear that, the waves, crashing onto the beach"

"I don't Cody"

"Imagine it. We're lying on the sand, looking up at the sky, where nothing hurts, and no one is around to make us scared"

Her breathing weakened further, her eyelids dropping, yet a small, sad smile found it's way onto her face.

"And we're warming up in the sun, and we can hear the birds, and we can see people swimming in the water, they're laughing and we know that whatever happens, we are okay..."

He looked down, sobs wracking his body as the little girl lay limp in his arms, her eyes shut. The little girl he had vowed to protect from the day he met her, the little girl, innocent and kind. But such light never lasted in a world as dark as this one.

Silently, Cody closed himself up, locking his emotions deep within him, vowing that while he would let no one but himself get hurt, he would make WCKD pay.