Chapter 16

 "So my parents...were shot? WICKED killed them?" Newt never knew them, but now that he knew their faces, it felt even worse. "And.. everything else. Jeez, Tommy, what you've just said is enough to send anybody completely loco."

"Yeah well.. it hurts to think about. Literally, they gave me tablets to take for it, but I can't see myself having them for much longer."

"That's good, right?"

"Not. One. Bit. I'll explain later, as much as I can."

"Why not tell me now?"

Thomas bit his lip and glanced around them, then waved Newt closer and pulled him into the cubicle, pulling the curtain shut. "Where we're going, WICKED won't be able to control my every move. Right now, they hear and see everything we do. They could be listening right now. Like the maze, they'll be watching, but I know they won't stop me. They can't stop me, because they know they can't kill me. They won't let it happen."

"Tommy, you're beginning to make me worry."

"Good, be on your toes. Things will only be going south."

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

~*~

When they arrived only a couple days ago and tumbled out the slide, Newt remembered Thomas looking quite lost as they looked around the stadium, not as knowledgeable as Newt had once thought. Now, with all his memories, Thomas just seemed worried all the time, and was 'unable' to tell him why.

Bright and early the next morning, Newt watched Thomas take one of his tablets with one of the most sickened expressions he'd ever seen. He asked if they really tasted that terrible, but Thomas said it was more about what they were doing soon.

All the remaining gladers were taken to an empty room and split into groups of four. Thomas knew who his group was already, but he let Newt have his giddy moment to discover they were together and with Minho, and some guy named Caelan. Minho was catching on though, because to have the three of them together out of a random luck of the draw would have been highly coincidental.

Each group was separated in the hallway, going into yet another room where there was three chairs, four bags, and a man dressed in a white lab coat. "You're group four of six." He said to the trio (and Caelan), gesturing for them to sit down.

They exchanged a glance, trying to decide who would have to stay standing. Thomas sat down and tugged on Newt's hand, telling him to sit in his lap, so other two took the remaining seats. The man at the front grinned at their decision, though subtle, and Thomas wondered if he should have done something else. "One bag for each of you. Each group has a different task, and yours is to collect a very specific flower." He pulled a picture out his pocket and held it up for them to look at. "Genetically modified to cure cancer, as I'm certain all of you used to know." He looked at Thomas. "Find a flower? Sure, it's a simple task, it seems tedious; but everyone's task is tedious.

"You have limitations. Newton limps, Caelan is still weak from the Mourner attack, and Thomas?" He stood up, putting Newt in the seat. "You know what to do. Show me your tablets."

Thomas reached into his back pocket and pulled out the tablet packet, five left in it. The man took them and popped out three, dropping them on the floor and then crushing them under his foot. He gave the packet back and Thomas turned to take a seat, when the mad raised his arm and whacked him over the head, pushing Thomas to the ground. "Then there's Thomas' head injury."

Minho looked gleeful when he realised he was the only one not listed with a weakness, but then he saw Thomas' state as he clutched to his head in pain and started to feel bad. "It's a long trek, and Thomas can only go three more days. Those tablets are only for a day each! So I suggest you hurry, he looks like he's already in a lot of pain." He laughed, then cleared his throat. "Simply reach the flower, take it, and return. Survive, please." Now he smiled. "Good luck."

His smile was one of nightmares; if his smile got any wider they'd be convinced he was a demon. Caelan already looked scared, trembling where he sat. Caelan reminded Thomas a little bit of Chuck; despite the height difference and Caelan having olive skin, they seemed to share a lot of traits.

A door opened to their right and the boys were blasted with hot, humid air blowing into their faces. They brought up a hand to their faces when sand blew into the room, but then a small breeze came along and gently pushed a pile of it into the room. Outside was just a desert. Endless dunes of sand.

Thomas got up off the floor, hearing a ringing through his head, the room flashing in and out. Newt picked up both their bags and rushed to him before he could fall again. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'll be alright.. I'll live for now." He murmured, putting a hand on Newt's arm to stabilise himself. "We should go now, if I'm going to make it back." He gave Newt a look and he understood, nodding."

Newt looked over his shoulder. "You guys ready?" Minho and Caelan nodded. "Then let's go." Newt held Thomas tightly and helped him through the door.

As soon as the door shut with a slam behind him, Thomas detached himself from Newt and began talking. "I know where we're going. I have no idea how long it's going to take but it's highly unlikely that it'll be three days there and back, three days might just be the trip there if we're too slow." Thomas glanced at Caelan. "Our bags should have one bottle of water, a sheet, and a bottle with an X on it. Please don't drink it, it will poison you very slowly until you choke to death."

Minho took his bag off and quickly checked the contents. "How did you know that? What in shuck's name did WICKED do to you?"

"They gave me my memories back. I know everything now. I know what to do, where to go, and I can tell you anything you want along the way but if I say too much they could very well kill us, I'm not even kidding. There's creatures in the sand, and even trapdoors but I don't know if they ever implemented those."

"What about us?"

"It's the same, we all need to be careful."

"No, our past. What do you know of it?"

"Well, there's a lot of it. Let's get moving, I'll tell you whatever, just be more specific about it." Thomas took his bag from Newt, slumping it over his right shoulder. "Come on."

~*~

"Hey James, if you were going to make a monster, what would it look like?" Thomas asked, tapping his pencil against the table.

"I wouldn't make one, there's no need for any more monsters in our lives." He answered, reading a book.

"That's so unhelpful."

James smiled. "I'm kidding. I don't know, a snake or something? Whatever people find creepy. Why, anyway?"

"Mr Kal wants me to make one, and he said it can be anything but anything is a rather broad topic. My teachers are so weird.."

"You're not in our classes anymore, I never get to see you." James and Thomas were fourteen and they were currently in Thomas' room, so Thomas wasn't having to call him Newt.

School had taken a sharp change; 'Alby' went away to a 'new school', but Thomas knew exactly where he was, he watched him. He knew it was for the best, and his new teacher Mr Kal was using his help to create a second area but they were being a lot more vague about it, and there was rumours about a third trial if needed but Thomas didn't know if he'd still be around to help with it.

Thomas' eyes lit up and he started scribbling on the page. "I know exactly what to do."

"Which is?"

"I'm calling it-" he picked up the paper and showed James a rough sketch. "The WKD."

~*~

The sun was setting on their first day in what Newt chose to call the scorch, and all four boys were exhausted already. The sun had lowered in the sky and the temperature dropped, stopping their intense sweating and they were able to take the sheets off their heads.

Newt and Thomas walked at the front, constantly talking to one another while Minho took with rear with trailing Caelan who looked ready to throw up any moment. Just like Chuck, he'd never been good at too much and had the dunny duty.

When the sun finally set, Thomas stopped at the front and waited for the others to catch up. "Okay, we need to slow down if we're going to keep going, and keep quiet. I know I said we need to press on, but the creature in the sand will come running if it detects enough movement and-" Thomas was interrupted by Caelan screaming at something behind them.

The boys turned slowly, coming face to face with a metallic creature looming over them. It looked like a millipede, countless legs that ended in sharp metallic points, eyes glowing a bright red and it wore a sharp toothed grin that definitely wasn't clean; either WICKED had tests Thomas never knew about, or someone was already dead and the thing had only just started appearing. "Don't move." Thomas hissed, "I designed it to act on anything that moves too quickly or talks too loudly."

Caelan was trembling where he stood, looking ready to burst. Minho tried to grab his wrist to stop him from running, but it was too late. "I CAN'T DO THIS!!" Caelan screamed, pulling arm away and running in the direction they came.

The monster let out a shattering screech and it leapt into the air. Its mouth opened and it came flying down, landing directly on top of Caelan and diving into the sand, disappearing underneath the surface. "Otherwise... that happens." Thomas looked at the other two. "Except I don't remember programming it to jump, that wasn't me."

"You designed that thing!?" Minho turned to him in disbelief.

"You called it... a WKD, right?" Newt turned to him and Thomas looked surprised, but then he grinned.

"Yeah, a little play on words. I asked for your help and after you offered making the monster friendly, you came up with a snake idea." Newt now felt he was slightly to blame for what just happened, but he was still too confused to really register Caelan was officially dead. "We were 14, Ably had just gone into the maze."

"Should've made it friendly.." Newt folded his arms. "Caelan wouldn't have just died right in front of us."

"I'm sorry, I didn't exactly know it would be used for this. On us!" He reached out to take his hand but Newt started walking on.

"Let's just keep going. If we're going to make it back together then we have to hurry up."

~*~

The sun started to rise again and the three boys were starting to regret not choosing sleep over this. Minho lead upfront, Newt was a little further back and Thomas was slowing down in the middle, holding to his head as he had been for a couple hours. After a few more steps, he collapsed into the sand. "Minho, wait!" Newt called, "Thomas collapsed!"

Minho turned round and slid down the hill, walking to them. "Tommy, what's wrong?" Newt knelt beside him and raised one arm to keep the sun out of his eyes, but then Minho just stood directly in front of him instead.

"This pain... I can't walk with it anymore. Staying up all night really didn't help, but we've still got three days to go, at least, and I've only got two to survive on! But in this heat and tiredness I don't know if taking one will last to the evening."

"Have a drink, I can go without mine for a while or drink less at the very least. Minho too. Whatever keeps you walking, even if we have to carry you."

"Do you want the three of us to die out here? Mine hasn't run out yet, I'll maybe have yours when I'm dry."

"Then at least take a tablet! You'll still have another one if you take one now, and then maybe on day three we carry you back. You said it yourself, we need to keep moving if any of us are going to make it." Newt offered out his hand for Thomas to take.

"Fine.. okay." Thomas took the offered hand and stood back up, pulling his tablet packet from his pocket. "One left, then." He popped it in his mouth and shivered, trying not to gag.

"Are we good now?" Minho asked, a slight annoyance in his tone. "Let's go!"

~*~

Another day went by and the boys were sleep deprived, thirsty, hungry, and in a lot of pain; they were sun burnt, badly, itching all over their bodies and beginning to peel in places. Minho felt like shit, but he felt guilty for mentioning it when Thomas groaned from behind him in his own pain. His head wasn't doing too well, but he refused to take the tablet until he absolutely had to, and he planned for that to be during the day time; so to try and keep it at bay, Newt had given up half his water bottle for him.

As their third night approached, their paces slowed to save energy and try to avoid the WKD. Last night, they felt lucky because the silent approach worked and they didn't so much as hear it.

Tonight, the sand didn't vibrate but they could hear the hum of the beast, occasionally a speck of brown breaking the surface in the horizon. "Maybe we should sit for a while, let it pass." Minho said, still leading the trio in their trek.

"Good idea.." Newt rasped, taking a small sip of water and staring longingly for more. "You good to stop, Tommy?" No answer. "Tommy?" Newt turned round, frowning when he didn't see him where he was just a few moments ago.

He didn't use his name around Minho anymore, because Minho didn't care what he called him, he thought it was sweet. "Where's that shank got off to?" Minho turned back too, and while sarcastic actually worried on his whereabouts.

The sand rumbled again, the creature closer. "There!" Newt pointed to a figure slumped in the sand. "Tommy!" He began running, the ground now shaking beneath their feet.

"Newt, stop!" Minho hissed at him, but he was too quiet. "The creature will hear you!"

He crouched down beside Thomas' body and shook him. "Are you okay? Wake up, we have to move!" A large shadow appeared above them and Newt froze, looking up slowly.

"Newt!"

The WKD was grinning down at the two of them. Newt stared, and it stared back, the red glow of the eyes piercing through him. Its body curled and it let out a mighty screech before springing up in the air. Newt grabbed Thomas and tried to cover his body before it dived back down, swallowing them up.