Chapter 13: Ace & Mean-hoe

Hope's screaming had become strangled ragged breathing. Tears flowed silently now, down her cheeks. She knew her face was red and sweaty from being strapped to the chair for hours. Her wild thrashing and fighting had turned to trembling and twitching. Her head slumped forwards, her chin resting on her chest. Hope was exhausted. Hope had nothing left. They had asked her the same few questions over and over and she had the same answer.

"Why are there no records of you?"

"My parents didn't want you to find me!"

Hope felt Janson's hand gently move her hair from her face. Hop flinched. It was involuntary. She heard him tut and his tongue clicked.

"Please....please...I'm telling you the truth!" She whimpered.

"Oh, I know you are." Was his response. Hope picked her head up, not sure she hears him right.

"Wh-what?"

"I got all the data I needed from your blood test your first night here. This," he waved his hand to the chair and all the monitors and the sticky electrodes, and the IV's, "I've been collecting data and an enzyme that is only made in the brains of the immune."

He walked over to the side of her chair, and held up a small vial that was connected to a small IV tube that was attached to the iv needle in her neck.

"This...this is Liquide gold. This will save us all!" He looked at the small vile with greed and lust.

Hope tried to understand, but she was exhausted, too sore and felt too sick to understand.

"Take her back. We're done for the night." Janson waved a hand, and turned to leave. "Teresa, come my dear. Let's discuss the new  idea for tomorrow." He reached a hand out and Teresa slowly stepped over. She glanced at Hope, shook her head and then left. With Janson.

Hope's head sunk back down. She felt her restraints being removed and she crumpled forwards. The guards caught her and hefted her up. One on each side of Hope and they pulled her from the room. They dragged her down the bright white hall.

It had been the same thing for almost two months. The guards would come into the call and take someone and then dump them back hours later. Each time the person was weak, sweating, pale shaking, and half dead.

There were four of them in a cell. Usually divided up by age and gender. Except her cell. It was Minho, Aris, Sonya and Hope. Janson's favorites. Hope had no idea why she was lumped in with them. She wasn't elite. She never participated in the maze trials.

During her first night's interview, they asked about her family. Well, asking was a nice way to put it. Demanded and threatened torture if she didn't. When they found out her last name and who her brother was the interviewer's eyes went wide after punching it into his little computer. When Hope asked about her brother they gave her a shock bad enough to make her scream and pass out for a few minutes.

Every time Hope was dumped into her room, she pulled herself into her bed and curled up with her back towards the room, and silently let the tears fall.

Tonight was no different. Her two guards dragged her down the hall. Her head lowered, she was too sore and exhausted to pick her head up. Until she heard her name.

Hope's eyes flew open and she turned her head to the voice. Coming down the hall towards her, flanked by two guards was Harvey of all people.

"Harvey?" Hope whispered.

"Hope?" He cried. Her eyes went wide Ms her mouth dropped open. She didn't think she would ever see him again. "Hope!"

"Harvey!" She tried calling, but she had no voice let to call, and no strength let to try get to him. He however seemed to have a surge of energy and tried lunging for her. Not sure what he was going to do, they were out maned.

"Don't give up Hope!" He cried, as the guards  grabbed him. "Don't let them win!" The one guard slammed the back end of his gun into Harvey's temple, making him slump, he was out cold. Hope let a strangled cry out.

The guards dragged her quicker and rougher down the hall to the elevator. The tossed her into the corner where she just slid down the wall into a heap on the floor. She felt the burning tears prickl her eyes. At least she knew Harvey was alive. The elevator took them down a few levels to holding. She was dragged to her cell and deposited onto the cold floor.

This time, Hope didn't move. She couldn't, everything felt even worse after seeing Harvey in the hall. She felt a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch.

"Hey, Ace, you okay?" Minho asked, his voice was dry and scratchy, he had been used yesterday, and still recovering from it. Sonya and Aris didn't seem to be used as regularly as Minho and her. She hated it. She didn't understand what Janson's interest in her was.

Hope just curled up into a ball on the cold tiled floor. She heard a sigh.

"Come on Ace, into bed." She felt arms pick her up. How he still had strength to pick her up was beyond her. He layed her down in bed and she rolled over with a whimper and stayed still, not moving anymore.

"What'd they do to her today?" Sonya whispered.

"Dunno. Obviously it was worse. She usually doesn't want help." Minho whispered back.

"I think he's getting more desperate." Aris added, "or something."

"Do they still think she's Tommy's bloody girl friend? Is that why they use her so much? Trying to lure him out?"  Sonya whispered.

They weren't being very quite in their discussion. Hope didn't bother correcting them. She just lay still, her back to the room. Her muscles still burnt and her joints screamed in pain. A few more tears slipped out. Hope eventually feel asleep, but her sleep was riddled with nightmares now. And sleeping wasn't any better then waking.

•°•

Hope sat at the top of the stairs her tiny hands clamped over her ears. She rocked back and forth, shaking her head and trying to sing the song Will taught her so long ago.

"Twinkle twinkle little star...how...how I wonder-"

There was another loud shriek and banging on the door.

"I wonder what you are!" She started yelling, trying to drown out the screams coming from the basement. "Up above the world so high!" A sob broke from her little chest. Tears fell down her face like a waterfall. "Like- like a diamond in the sky..." More banging and shrieking. The wild inhuman animal screaming was mixed with wild manic laughter.

"Oh baby giiiiiiirl! Let's play hide and seek!" Mrs. Miller shrieked.

Hope gave up singing. She sat pressing her forehead into her knees her hands over her ears and she just screamed and cried.

"Come out, come out and plaaaaay!"

Hope had been living with the neighbor lady, Mess. Miller, for almost a year now. She had found Hope under the dinning room floor boards and just taken her home, feeling sorry for the small child. But after coming home from a trip into the city, she was acting strange. Shut herself in her room for a few days.

Hope had learned to fend for herself during the year. She learned a lot from Mrs. Miller; how to sew, how to tell eatable plants from poisonous ones, she learned how to read a map, sort of, she was only five. Hope had learned a lot of helpful things, how to open cans and sterilize water, she also learned how to build a fire and basic first aid. She would leave Hope alone at the farm house for days at a time while she went out into the town.

Living in the country had its benefits, away from crank infested towns and cities, but it meant hardly any electricity, running water was spotty and no one would come to help if they needed it.

Mrs. Miller was kind, gruff and short tempered, but she was kind in her own way. But after the last trip to town, she wasn't herself anymore. She was mean, and started yelling a lot. She complained of headaches and everything being too loud. Then the coughing started, black stuff dribbled down her chin constantly and then the tremors and twitching. She started to become violent.

Hope had to trick her one time playing hide and seek. For some reason Mrs. Miller still liked hide and seek, she cackled as she tip-toed around the house trying to find Hope. She had gone downstairs to find her when Hope slammed the door shut and locked it. Then as best as a five year old girl could, she barricaded the door.

Hope ran around trying to collect what she could, a knife and water bottle, a map, her duck and blanket, a picture of her mom and dad and Will. Her favorite book of fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Hope also grabbed the big first aid kit from the bathroom.

Hope also smashed the glass case that had the guns locked inside. She took the guns, she had no idea how to use one properly. But she had one and shoved it into her bag. Now, she sat at the top of the stairs crying. She didn't want to leave the house. She had no idea what was actually out there, in the world. But she knew she couldn't stay here. Mrs. Miller wasn't going to get better. There was no medicine to fix her. But Hope couldn't leave her in the basement.

Hope cried. She wished Will was here, he always knew what to do. Same with daddy, daddy always took care of her. Picked her up and gave her big bear hugs when she was scared, telling her to be brave like the princesses in her books.

Hope sniffed lousy, and wiped her nose and eyes on her hoodie sleeve and stood up. She pulled her backpack on. It was heavy. She clamped her little jaw shut and went down the stairs.

"Little GIIIIIRL! Let's play hide and seek! Come out come out where ever you are!" Her voice was cackling and mixed with wild coughing.

"Mrs Miller!" Hope called by the door. "You're sick!"

"Sick? Sick!" She shrieked. "When your sick you can't play games!"

"No. You can't. You need to go to sleep and get better. That's what my mommy always said!"

"Yes. Yes get better and we can play games!"

Hope felt a shiver. Mrs. Miller wasn't going to get better. She had got the Flare and she was never going to get better.

"Hope?"

Hope froze. Mrs. Miller didn't sound crazy anymore. She sound like the old lady to room care of her.

"Mrs. Miller?" She squeaked.

"Yes, dear child. It's me. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She sounded like she was crying.

"Child, do you have a fun and weapons? Do you have a bag packed for running away?"

"Yes! Just like you told me!" Hope called back, she felt the tears falling.

"Good child. You need to be brave now. Be strong, there's a good child."

Hope let a choaked cry out.

"I want you to go. Go into town and find someone who can help you. I can't anymore, I'm not well."

"You sound okay now!" Hope cried. She just wanted Mrs Miller to be okay. She didn't want to leave. Hope was scared.

"Right now, yes."

Hope pushed the chairs out of the way and unlocked the door.

"Hope!" She cried, "what are you doing child! No!"

But it was too late. Hope had unlocked the door and Mrs. Miller stood in the doorway, with a wild twisted smile.

"Hello little girl! Come out come out and play... I've found you!"

Hope screamed.

Hope was shaken awake. She started trying to fight the hands, twisting her sore body, trying to wiggle away and smack the hands.

"Stop! Stop! Please don't! Please don't!" She cried.

"Hope!" The voice was firmer. "Stop fighting me woman! I'm trying to help!"

Hope slowly stopped trying to fight.

"Jeeze Ace. Slim it nice and cool!"

Hope let a sob errupt from deep inside. A fresh wave of tears fell from her exhausted eyes. She felt hands I'd under her and HP sit her up. She just crumpled forwards. Minho cautiously pulled her into a hug.

Normally she steared clear of Minho. If she needed comfort she would go to Sonya. But this might mare was the worst she had. Janson's tourtre had cotton worse, seeing Harvey, being stuck here for two months and now this nightmare...it was too much.

She sobbed. And Minho awkwardly patted the top of her head. She cried until she was hiccuping and sniffling. Her body shivered in the cold air conditioned room. Once she had become quieter Minho finally talked.

"That bad huh?"

Hope scoffed quietly. She sat up, breaking the physical connection.

"Sorry." She sniffed, and used the blanket to dry her tears.

"Nah. Everyone has night mares. Most of the shanks got em in the maze."

"Including you?" Hope asked. Minho never talked about what it was like in his maze.

"Nah. Never."

"Lier." Hope said, she saw the way his face paled, and his eyes dilated and his hand clenched into a fist. Even in the dim darkness if their cell.

"Ya, all right. I got 'em. A friend used to say...if ya ain't scared ya ain't human."

"Smart friend." Hope sniffed.

"Yeah...ya he was."

"Was?" Hope looked up, Minho was looking at the far wall, his eyes glazed over.

"Yeah..." He whispered. "Was. He...he's dead now. Sacrificed himself...thinking his sacrifice would help get us out of the maze alive." His voice was as flat and distant as his eyes.

"I guess...guess that didn't work out so well." Hope said cautiously.

"No. It didn't. Lotta good shanks died."

Hope reached a shaking hand out and grabbed his hand gently, and squeezed.

"I'm sorry Minho. That sounds awful."

He blinked a few times and shook his head. He looked around at her, "what are you comforting me for? I'm not the one trying to fight a pillow in my sleep yelling at it to stop."

Hope looked away, fresh tears in her eyes.

"Spill." He said.

Hope closed her eyes and shook her head, and racked her finger through her dirty hair. She sighed and deflated.

"After WICKED took my brother and killed my parents, the neighborhood last found me and took me in. Looked after me for a year before she caught the Flare. I was six when I killed my first crank."

"Damn woman." Minho breathed.

"I'm not proud of it. It was pull the trigger or I was lunch."

"Hey, I ain't accusing you, Slim it, just...dang. you're a total bad ass under the blond hair and freckles."

Hope frowned. "Thank..you?"

Minho shrugged. "You just look...like Sunshine's and roses and cute fluffy animals."

Hope frowned even more. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He shrugged again. "You got a too cute, sweet innocent look about you, button nose, big blue eyes, blond hair... Just first impression you don't look like you'd survive."

Hope snorted. "and that's how I get you. I'm feral, but it's cute cuz I'm blond and little."

"Exactly. Play to your strengths, Ave. When they think they've won put a bullet right between their eyes."

Hope snorted again, and let a small chuckle out, making Minho smirk.

"That's better. Feeling better?" He asked, and awkwardly patted my shoulder.

Hope hummed and nodded, "thanks Minho. Sorry for waking you up."

"It's fine. I was always a light sleeper... Apparently our roommates sleep like the shucken dead!"

Hope smiled at the young man. He smirked back at her. He then patted her head. She swatted at his hand.

"Night Ace."

"Hey, Min?" Hope asked. He paused and turned around. "What's with Ace?"

He shrugged. "You're a sharp shooter. And they always have nicnames. And 'cause it's a bullseye every time, means you're an Ace."

"That's..." She started and then paused for a moment, "quite clever." 

"Don't sound so surprised!"

"I wasn't!"

"We're too!"

"Not!"

"We're too. I can call you bimbo if you want, cuz the blond hair and blue eyes." He said raising an eye brow, and folded his huge arms. He smirked at the girl still looking disheveled and exhausted in bed,  like he won.

"And I'll call you FlaMEAN-hoe."

He gasped, and held his hand to his heart, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me, FlamMEANhoe." She folded her arms and raised her nose in the air. 

He raised his hands in surender. "you win Ace. You win."

"Damn right I do."

He chuckled softly, "Night Ace."

"Night Mean-hoe."

Hope heard him scoff as he crawled back into his bed on the other side of the room. Sonya hadn't moved, she slept above Hope but seemed dead to the world. Hope curled back up and watched as Minho lay down.

What she didn't know was he was watching her as well.