"Remember... I love you. I love you, Alana." My mom echoes as she sets me down on the ground.

"Mom! Mom!" I exclaim.

"Alana...it's okay." She says.

"No, no, no!" I cry out as the guard picks me up and carries me away while my mom sobs as she's on her knees.

I'm then placed on a train with other kids looking at me with solid faces. Two guards stand beside me, their guns strapped over their chests, making an X symbol.

"It's okay." A blonde woman in a white uniform says as she pats my shoulder, grinning at me.

Ava Paige. I remember her. I know her.

I'm then back in the Box. I jump up and feel myself going up and up. But only this time, at the speed of lightning. I look around and start grunting as I bang on the Box as hard as I can.

"Alana! Alana!" I hear a voice echo.

How do I know if this is even real?

"Alana! Wake up! We gotta go!" Newt shouts and I gasp, opening my eyes.

"What?" I say over the loud noise of the helicopter.

"C'mon! Let's go! Let's go! We gotta go!" Newt says as a guard drags him away.

I'm then pulled off the helicopter and I hold onto my chest.

"You alright?" Someone says. "You alright?" The guard says to me and I freeze in my tracks.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I say, running back to the helicopter.

"Where are you going? We don't have time! C'mon! Get out of here!" The guard shouts. "Cranks! We got Cranks! Gotta move!" The guard yells as I grab Chuck's figure.

I'm then pulled away once again and I'm dragged closer to an opening of some sort.

"Not safe out here, kid! Got a swarm to the flank! Go, kid! Go, go!" The guard says to me as I get closer to my friends.

"What's going on?" I yell.

"Set a perimeter! Hold them back on the right side!" A guard says. "C'mon, kids, let's go! Let's go! Move it! C'mon! Keep moving! Keep moving!" The guard pushes us inside. "Tell him to take off!" The guard yells as I'm pushed inside with everyone and the door shuts.

"What the hell this place?" Frypan asks and I start feeling woozy.

"We're clear!" The guard echoes.

"I don't know..." I trail off, then falling to the ground.

"Alana!" Voices echo.

Everything is black once again.

       ||

"She's not waking up, why isn't she waking up?!" I hear Newt yell.

I can hear and sense but my body won't let me open my eyes just yet. But I know I'm on a bed.

"She will, Newt. Just calm down. She's messed up pretty bad, even one of the guards said so." I hear Frypan say.

"This is my fault. I should've protected her!" Newt shouts.

"It's not your fault. It's Gally's. He got stung and did all this crazy shit." Thomas sighs.

"Chuck!" I gasp, sitting up from my bed.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're okay, love." Newt says and he rushes over to me with wide eyes.

"Where are we? What happened?" I say, my hands shaking with Chuck's blood on them.

"You passed out, Alana. You looked really pale back there." Newt says. "Fry's guess was dehydration. But you're okay now."

"Am I?" I say, quirking a brow and everyone shares looks.

"What did you dream about?" Frypan asks me.

Before I can reply, I hear the door open and I jump up from the bed and grab my blade off the floor. I point it at the gray haired man.

"You kids doing alright? Sorry about all the fuss. We had ourselves a bit of a swarm." The man with an accent said.

"Who are you?" I breathe, my hand starting to shake with my blade still pointed at him.

"I'm the reason you're all still alive." The man nods at me. "It's my intention to keep you that way." He says, then giving me a look.

"Alana, calm down. Put the blade down." Newt mutters to me and I look at him.

I let out a gasp as I drop it. I then start to heave up and down while my hands shake.

"Thank you." The man nods once again. "Now, come with me. We'll get you kids squared away." The gray haired man says.

Newt then grabs my hand and we follow the man out.

    ||

"You can call me Mr. Janson. I run this place." Janson tells us. "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." He informs us. "Watch yourselves." Janson says as sparks from a light on the ceiling come trailing down.

"That mean you're taking us home?" I ask as we keep walking.

"A home of sorts." He states. "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?" Janson says, stopping in his tracks.

"Why are you helping us?" Minho says as my chest heaves up and down.

"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. Beyond this door lies the beginning of your new lives." He says, then swipes a card into a slot. "First things first... let's do something about that smell." Janson says with a grin as a door opens.

    ||

"Alright!" Newt yells.

"Oh, man! Feels great!" Winston says.

"Frypan, how you feel over there?" Minho asks.

His answer is tuned out as I put my head down and let the water run over my neck. I lean my hand against the wall as I see Chuck's blood wash off my fingers and slide down the drain. I let out a silent cry, then slamming my fist against the wall.

"Alana, are you okay?" I hear Thomas ask and I freeze up.

"What?" I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Are you okay?" He asks again.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say, trying to get myself together. "Can y-you throw me a towel?" I stammer as I shut off the water.

"Yeah, here." He says, tossing it over the stall.

I then bring my wet hair to the side, then wrapping the towel around me. I slowly step out. I look down at my hands. There's still reminisce from Chuck's blood. I then look up to see all the boys staring at me.

"What? What are you all staring at?" I say.

"S-sorry. It's just, I've never seen someone look so broken." Frypan comments.

"Yeah, well, I just washed Chuck's blood off my hands. You want me to be fresh as a damn daisy?" I remark, crossing my arms.

"And uh, we've just never seen a girl before. Not to mention a pretty one, too." Thomas says, scratching the back of his neck.

"Watch it, mate." Newt half jokes.

"You never answered my question. What did you dream about?" Frypan asks and I bite the inside of my cheek.

"I don't wanna talk about it, okay? Just memories. And they should stay that way." I say. "Now, turn around so I could get dressed. Unless you want a concussion." I warn.

"You heard her. Turn around, hormonal shanks." Thomas says they do so.

"You too, Newt." I say, feeling my face getting heated.

He sends me a little smirk, then turning around.

I slip on Newt's brown hoodie and my same pair of black, ripped jeans. I then put on new socks. I sit down on the bench and I put my high top converse on. I tie the shoelaces extra tight.

"Okay, you can turn around now." I say and the boys quickly turn around.

"The memories. What were they about?" Thomas asks, crossing his arms, making his muscles flex.

"It's still a blur, like I said." I sigh. "Can I just have a few minutes alone?" I ask, looking down at the bracelet on my wrist.

"Okay. Alright, everyone out." Newt says, waving the boys off.

I keep my gaze on Chuck's figure in my hand as each of them pass by me. I ignore their stares, until I see Newt's blonde hair at the corner of my eye.

"Go, Newt. I'll be right behind you. I need a minute." I say.

He kneels down and tilts my head up with his index finger under my chin.

"Take as much time as you need." He lowly says, looking me in the eye and I nod as he kisses my forehead.

"Alana." A voice says and I turn my head.

"What, Thomas?" I sigh, rocking my leg back and forth.

"Are you...okay?" He asks as he takes a seat next to me on the bench, water dripping down his bare chest and forehead. Thank got he has pants on.

"The fuck does it look like?" I say, holding my hands up, showing him the faint stains of Chuck's blood.

"It's not your fault. None of this is your fault." He tells me. "You know that, right?" Thomas says.

"But it is. I helped WICKED create these things. I've been watching my friends for years. So have you." I sigh, shaking my head.

"They manipulated us, Alana. You have to know that, now." He says. "They made us do this. It was all a game." Thomas croaks out.

"No kidding." I say, swallowing thickly. "I just still have a bad feeling about this place." I shudder.

"It's all in your head, Alana. Don't let it get to you." He says. "For now, we're okay. Don't let your mind control you. Don't ruin it. Be happy for once."

"It's easier for the one with clean hands, isn't it?" I quirk up, raising an eyebrow.

"You're forgetting I worked there, too." He says. "At least you remember more than I could. Besides, I'm a guy, I bet have more blood on my hands than anyone else who worked there." He states. "I just don't remember it."

"I don't believe that, Thomas." I say, getting up from the bench. "I don't ever remember you watching someone you care about die." I tell him as I grab a hair tie and put my hair in a bun.

"Of course I have." He says. "Friends in the maze. before you even got there. Alby, Chuck...and Winston." Thomas slowly says and my breath hitches as I turn to see him grabbing his shirt.

"Well, all of that is my fault, so...." I trail off, swallowing thickly.

"No, Alana. It's not." He says, fixing himself as the shirt is now on his damp body.

"You're just trying to make me feel better." I scoff, walking past him. "Don't, okay?" I say as I stop in my tracks and he just slowly nods, looking me in the eye. "I should never feel good about this." I state, then leaving the bathroom.
     
||

"Wait, what is that?" Newt asks the doctor as he pulls out a big needle.

"Just a little cocktail. Calcium, folate, vitamins A through Z. Pretty much everything you've been deprived of out there." The doctor says. "Try to relax." The doctor tells him, then sticking the needle in his arm.

I then look to see Minho running on a treadmill. Seriously, what the hell is this place?

I then look down at my arm to see the doctor quickly put another tube of my blood in the slot.

"Sure you got enough there?" I tell the guy.

"Evening, Doctor Crawford." He says, now turning his head to a pretty, dark skinned lady.

"Good evening. How are the new arrivals holding up?" She asks.

"So far, so good." The doctor answers and I watch her as she walks off.

She even sent me a small smile.

"Alright. And you must be Teresa." I hear her say and my eyes widen and I see Teresa sitting there, her legs hanging off the chair.

Crawford pulls the curtain and my heart starts to race.

"Alana." A voice says and I snap my head out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I answer the bald guy as I pull down my hoodie sleeve.

"Come with me, please." The guy says.

"Why? And where?" I say.

"Please, just come with me." He says.

        ||

"Alana, thank you for seeing me." Janson says as he opens the door and takes a seat. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I was just hoping we might get a moment to chat in private, away from the others. Well... I won't take up too much of your time. I really only have one question. What do you remember about WICKED?" Janson asks me.

I bite the inside of my cheek, refusing to answer.

"You're not in trouble. We're just having a conversation. I'm just trying to understand." Janson tells me.

"Understand, what?" I ask, leaning my arms on the table.

"Whose side are you on?" He asks me.

"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 tell him. "I'm on their side." I state, confidently nodding my head.

"Interesting." Janson comments. "You say you worked for WICKED, but they sent you into the maze. Why would they do something like that?" He says, a faint smile showing.

It's almost like he wants me to give him the answer he wants. He gives me weird vibes.

"I don't know. Maybe you should've asked them before you killed them all." I state and he smirks at me.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." He says, getting up from the chair. "Enjoy the rest of your stay." Janson says, walking toward the door.

"That's it?" I say and he turns back to me.

"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." He tells me, then turning on his heels.

"Wait." I pause. "Others?" I ask him and he turns back to me.

    ||

"Hey, Alana!" I hear someone call as I enter a cafeteria.

"Hey, Minho, what's going on?" I ask as he jogs over to me.

"We weren't the only maze." He tells me.

"What?" I say, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"C'mon." He says, putting a hand on my back and leads me to a table where Newt, Thomas, Frypan and Winston are sitting at.

"And there was this big, loud explosion, and these guys came out of nowhere. Started shooting up the place." A dark skinned boy says.

"It was intense." A tan boy says.

"Hi." I say to the boys.

"Hey, babe. C'mon, sit. Eat and drink." He says and I nod, taking a seat next to him.

He wraps an arm around me while I take the other half of his sandwich.

"They pulled us out of the maze and brought us here." The dark skinned boy says.

"What about the rest? The other people left behind in the maze, what happened to them?" Newt asks the boy.

"I don't know. I guess WICKED still has them." The dark skinned boy says.

"How long you guys been here?" I ask.

"Not long. Just a day or two." The dark skinned boy tells me. "That kid over there has been here the longest. Almost a week." The dark skinned boy says.

I follow their gazes to see a brown haired boy with a hood up, leaning his arms on the table, zoning out.

"His maze was nothing but girls." The tan boy says.

"Really?" Minho says, turning his head back.

"Some guys have all the luck." The dark skinned boy jokes.

"That's not luck. It's a pattern." I say.

"What?" Winston says.

"Think about it. I was the only girl in our maze. That kid was the only boy in his maze. It's vice versa. It has to mean something." I say, tapping my fingers on the table.

"So, you were actually the only girl in your maze?" The tan boy asks.

"Yeah." I nod.

"Did you do any dirty work?" The dark skinned boy says to me.

"She's the one who got us out." Frypan says and I clench my fist as I swallow the last bit of Newt's sandwich.

"Shit." The dark skinned boy says.

"What's on your hands? Is that blood?" The tan boy asks and I look down.

"What do you expect? Manicured nails with every color of the rainbow?" I say, hiding my hands in my hoodie sleeves.

Newt leans his head against the side of head as I lean  into him more.

"Oh, Thomas. I, uh, saw Teresa with the doctor. She's alive." I say and Thomas's face drops.

"W-what?" He stammers.

"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." Janson announces, now standing with a clipboard in his hand.

"New lives?" I mutter.

"Connor." Janson starts and some people start to clap.

Where are these people going?

"Evelyn. Justin. Peter. Allison. Squiggy." Janson continues and everyone starts to laughs.

I then turn around to see the kids standing by the guards.

"Alright. Settle down." He says. "Franklin. And Abigail." Janson concludes and everyone else groans.

What new life? Is it the afterlife?

"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." Janson says, leaving with the guards and the kid he had called.

"Where are they going?" Minho asks the dark skinned boy.

"Far from here. Lucky bastards." He answers and the tan boy scoffs.

"Some kind of farm. A safe place. They can only take in a couple of people at a time." The tan boy says and I nod.

I then turn my head to see Teresa walking with Doctor Crawford through the glass.

"What the hell?" I mutter.

"Hey, Teresa?" I hear Thomas say and he gets up, running off.

"Thomas!" I exclaim, following him.

"Teresa!" Thomas yells again as I catch up with him.

A guard then stops him and we stand back.

"Hey, hey, hey." The man says, pushing Thomas back.

"Where are they taking her?" Thomas asks the guard.

"They just have to run a few more tests. Don't worry, they'll be done with her soon." He tells us.

"Is she okay?" Thomas asks.

"She's fine." The guard says to him and Thomas and I share a look.

Still can't believe she's alive. I had a memory of Thomas telling me that she died in maze. In the other maze. She had to be in Aris's maze. It all makes sense, now.