[THE SCORCH TRIALS]

It was cold. Y/n was bundled up in a jacket and a blue scarf wrapped around her neck. She looked up to see a woman holding her hand - her face was blurred, but she had the same hair color as Y/n. They were in-between a crowd of people, pushing their way through.

''Where are we going, mommy?'' Y/n asked in her small voice, tightening her grip on her mother's hand so she wouldn't get lost.

''We're going to safety,'' her mother said as the two finally made it to the front. Y/n looked around, seeing multiple people in uniforms and holding guns standing behind a barrier. There were parents with their children standing in front of the barrier, most of them crying.

''Mommy?'' asked Y/n as the two came to a stop. Her mother looked around before crouching down to face her.

''Listen, baby,'' her mother spoke. Y/n looked in her bloodshot eyes, taking notice of the prominent veins over her face. ''These people will take care of you, okay? So be good to them. Do as they tell you and you'll be safe.''

''What about you?'' Y/n asked.

Her mother gave her a gentle smile. ''Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. You just do as I said, okay?''

Y/n took a look at the people behind the barrier before looking back at her mother. ''They look scary. Can't you come with me?''

''I'm sorry, I can't.'' Her mother shook her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. ''But they'll be nice to you, okay? Just stay safe and survive, okay?''

''Ma'am, you need to step away from the child right now.'' The two looked up to see a soldier holding a gun pointed right at her mother's head.

Y/n's mother quickly stood up, putting her hands up and taking a step back from her daughter. Y/n looked up, her mouth open as if she wanted to say something.

For the last time, her mother gave her a smile. ''I love you, baby.''

''Y/N! Y/N, WAKE UP, WE GOTTA GO!''

Y/n jumped up as she heard Minho's familiar voice yell in her ear. She looked around, seeing they were on the ground and the door of the helicopter was open, Frypan and Teresa already on their way out. Minho grabbed her arm and helped her get out as well. ''YOU GO ON, I'LL GET THOMAS!''

Obliging, Y/n ran after the others. It was hard running through the sand and the helicopter making it fly up and right into her eyes wasn't helping her case. It was dark, but the lights of the massive building in front of them illuminated their way. A soldier grabbed her arm and started pulling her forward as he yelled something to the other soldiers. Gunfire filled the air and Y/n kept looking around, wondering what was going on and how she'd ended up there.

She entered the building. Minho and Thomas followed right behind as the massive doors closed behind them. Y/n quickly caught Minho's hand, her heart beating twice as fast as usual.

''You okay?'' Minho asked and Y/n quickly nodded, asking him the same question. ''I'm good.'' She looked away from Minho, taking in her surroundings. They were in a massive facility full of people working or walking around with guns. She gulped, taking a step closer to Minho.

Before they knew it, the Gladers were thrown in a dark room by some of the soldiers with no explanation. They closed the door after them and suddenly the lights turned on, revealing a long table full of foods Y/n hasn't seen in years.

''Holy shit . . .'' she whispered under her breath, finally letting go of Minho's hand and running over to the food with the others.

''Dibs on the rice!'' Frypan called as all of them sat down and started digging in.

Y/n groaned as she bit into a piece of chicken - an actual, well cooked chicken - and felt like she was in heaven. It felt so unreal she was starting to believe they'd all died and this was the afterlife. And if the afterlife was full of delicious food, she wouldn't even be mad.

She took a handful of rice and shoved it in her mouth, almost choking at the amount she tried to swallow. ''Careful, now, the food won't run away,'' Minho told her as he himself took a massive bite of a chicken leg. The eating party somehow resulted into them throwing food around and laughing. Y/n felt like a normal teenager for once and she was glad she was alive to witness it with her closest people.

''I don't know who these people are, but they can cook,'' Frypan said as he leaned against a pole. The Gladers had scarfed down all the food they'd been given and were now sitting around, taking a most-deserved break.

Minho laid down on a table after having thrown most of the garbage left on the floor. Y/n was sat on the bench next to him, laying her head on his thigh with her eyes closed as he ran his fingers through her hair. There was a small, content smile on her face.

''Who are they really, though?'' asked Teresa. ''I mean, we don't know anything about 'em.''

''Well, we know they're no friends of WICKED,'' said Newt.

''That's good enough for me,'' said Minho as he propped himself up, careful not to disturb Y/n too much. ''You guys think too much. We're free. Enjoy it.''

Y/n let out a sigh. They were finally free, huh?

The door opened again not too long after, causing everyone to immediately get up to see what was going on. A man walked in - he was rather short, his face resembled a rat and his clothes were clean and professional. ''You kids doing all right? Sorry about all the fuss. We had ourselves a bit of a swarm.''

Thomas, who was the one in front of the ground, spoke. ''Who are you?''

The man showed a crooked smile. ''I'm the reason you're all still alive. It's my intention to keep you that way. Now, come with me. We'll get you kids squared away.''

''You can call me Mr. Janson. I run this place,'' the man explained as he led the Gladers through the loud facility. ''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. Watch yourselves.''

''That mean you're taking us home?''

Janson turned around to face Thomas. ''A home of sorts. Sadly there wouldn't be much left of wherever you came from. But we do have a place for you. A refuge, outside of the Scorch, where WICKED will never find you again. How does that sound.''

If Y/n had to be honest, it sounded too good to be true. She didn't dare speak her mind. She looked up at Minho, who must've been thinking the same thing, based on his pursed lips. ''Why're you helping us?'' he asked.

''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.''

Janson took out a card and slid it through a card reader, opening a door behind him. He turned towards the Gladers and clapped his hands. ''First things first, let's do something about that smell.''

Y/n sniffed, not smelling anything. She pinched the collar of her shirt and rose it to her nose, gagging as she felt the stench coming from her clothes. Minho, snorted at her reaction, earning him a smack on the chest. ''You're laughing as if you don't stink even worse.''

Janson led the group down to a door, pointing at it. ''Boys go here. Girls, you two follow me to the other bathroom.''

Minho and Y/n shared a look, not wanting to separate in an unfamiliar place. ''Don't get yourself killed, alright?'' warned Minho.

''It's not like I'm gonna drown under the shower,'' Y/n chuckled, but she knew what he meant - he didn't fully trust those people. ''I'll see you soon, yeah?''

Minho followed her with his eyes until she disappeared around the corner with Teresa and Janson.

Y/n and Teresa didn't talk in the bathroom. Y/n scrubbed her scalp with the shampoo the people had provided her with and she felt like her hair was clean for the first time since she'd been thrown in the Maze. She looked down at her hands - the dirty bandages were gone, but her skin was still red and raw and bloody. It stung as the water and soap hit it, but she tried to ignore the pain.

As she started to scrub her body, she watched the reddish tint of blood mixing with the water and running down the drain. She wondered who's blood it was. Was it her own? One of the dead Gladers'? She wondered what happened to Gally's friends that stayed behind. Then her mind drifted back to Gally and Chuck's lifeless eyes. Gally was a prick at times, but he deserved to be here with them, Chuck too.

She felt a warm tear roll down her cheek as she remembered all the things she'd been through in the past forty-eight hours and turned to face the water and scrub her face out of any leftover dirt.

Y/n was provided with a T-Shirt, a zip-up hoodie and cargo pants, as well as a new pair of sneakers. It felt like her outfit when she first arrived in the Glade, which felt so long ago now. Despite being fully covered up, Y/n still felt chilly in the building. A doctor picked her and Teresa up and brought them to a testing room. When they walked in, Y/n immediately caught sight of Minho. He noticed her, too, and tilted his head to the free treadmill, telling her to come to him.

She was about to walk over when the doctor grabbed her arm rather harshly, causing Y/n to wince. ''Do not stray off, we still have check-ups to do.''

Nodding, Y/n tugged her arm away from the woman and rubbed it to ease the needles. She looked at Minho, who's eyebrows were furrowed in concern. Y/n shook her head and followed after Teresa.

''You're Y/n, correct?'' another female doctor stood in front of her, holding a clipboard. Y/n was now sitting on a medical bed, nodding. ''I'm Dr. Sanchez, I'll be doing a few check-ups, is that okay?'' Y/n could only nod again. She managed to catch one last glance of Minho - who was looking back at her - before Dr. Sanchez closed the curtains around her.