Once everyone was through the Crack, Aris wandered further into the room. The room contained plenty of electronics, from computers, televisions, to just multiple screens with keyboards below. He tapped her and there, but everything seemed dead.
"What the hell is going on?" Sonya whispered.
"I don't know," Aris replied. Then, all screens abruptly flickered to life. Everyone was inspecting all of the screens. Multiple screens were all playing the same video, with the devastated land. Aris gasped, was this how the world looked now? He hadn't seen any of this in his memory.
He stared at the screens, when suddenly, another screen--the same screen they'd used to type the code in--flickered to life, featuring a woman speaking. She had dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and a pale complexion and even if she wasn't frowning, she was still pretty ugly in the lab coat she had on.
"Welcome back," the woman said, her voice flat. "My name is Dr. Ava Paige, I'm the chancellor of an organization called WICKED. If you're watching this, it means you've successfully completed the Maze Trials for Group B, but unfortunately, I cannot congratulate you in person, as circumstances have prevented it. I'm certain you're all feeling....scared, perplexed, frightened. But I can assure you, everything we've done and will do it to you, is for a reason ." She stared directly into their eyes.
"Solar flares have been inflicting upon the world. At first, these weren't taken with precaution, but then....the world began to burn, devastated by those sun flares." As Chancellor Paige was explaining, the screen revealed several land burning drastically, and Aris thought it must be the "circumstances" that prevented her from being in person. "The ecosystem was all in disarray--forests burned down, people had to flee from their homes. But what arrived next was more terrifying...the Flare."
The Flare, Aris thought. Just like in my memory.
"The virus damages the brain--which we call the killzone," she continued. When she said that, a video contrasted of two others began playing--one zooming a clump of the brain, the other a person--barely recognizable in gender or even a human--strapped to a table, screaming its head off."Due to the severity of symptoms from this virus, in which scientists are still studying--people had gone insane, because the mind cannot apprehend with normalcy, thrusting every country and state into chaos, but we have faith this will be resolved.
"We did discover children who are immune. All of you or at least half of you are immune to the virus. We began collecting test subjects, testing them in a closed-in space, just like the Maze, creating a blueprint for the virus." Chancellor Paige stared into their eyes--into Aris's eyes so deeply, he felt his heart threatening to burst of his chest. "Especially you, Aris. It was a great opportunity when it was decided that you'll go into the Maze, though you're no supposed to be there." She paused again, then averted her gaze to the other room. "There is, however, one last Variable."
***
Aris whirled around, gasping when he saw a girl he hadn't seen in a while, in front of him--she must have escaped days ago. Beth. She was crying, sobs racking her, tears pouring down her cheeks. The others stared as well. "You all right?" he questioned, drawing closer to her.
"No." Beth continued to cry, tears pouring out her eyes. "No. They can control me--I belong to the Spring."
"No, you don't," Aris said in a gentle voice, raising his hands as if in surrender. "Please, it's okay. Just tell me what's going on." The others just stared at her, hands closing around weapons just in case, but their eyes were wide with obvious shock, as much as he felt himself.
"No. I belong there. I belong in the Maze." Beth burst into tears. "I belong there! That is my home!" she screamed. "You saw it, Aris! You saw the screen!" She charged forward, screaming her head off just like she did when the Grievers and Shades invaded the Spring. "You did! I tried to warn you, inform you to remain in the Maze, but I couldn't! You....have....no...idea--!"
She let out such an agonized, long howl, that Aris clapped his hands over his ears, flinching at the volume of the sound, far more haunting than the pricked girls. He swallowed hard, trying to gather his courage to resume consoling her when she reached behind her pocket and lifted a spear.
"Beth--?" Aris said. But it was too late. She had chucked the spear straight at him, right next to him, in fact, and plunged straight into Rachel. Tears poured out of his eyes. "Rachel!" he shrieked. Rachel landed on the floor with a thud, letting out a pained cry. "Rachel!" His best friend and telepathy partner twitched around wildly, screaming, flailing, as gore burst out from her stomach.
"Aris," she whispered.
"It's all right. You're going to be all right." But that it was no use of continuing the reassurance that she would be all right, she was no fool. He stripped fabric from his shirt and pressed it against the wound, but it was no use. He pulled her into his arms, tears pouring down his cheeks like a damaged fountain.
"Please! We're so close to the exit!" he cried.
"Aris." Rachel reached into her pocket, weakly dangling the woodblock carved with an R on each side to him, handing it to him. "Keep this...in my memory." Then, she wheezed out her last breath and her body became very still in his hands, as he gently cradled her.
"No...." A sound, part choking, part sobbing, emerged from his body. "Please...." Teresa was trying to reassure him from inside of his head, but he severed the connection completely. He pulled her onto his lap, brushed her thick, black hair back and let his tears stream down his face. "No, no, no!" Some of the other girls had tears in their eyes, too, but they didn't feel it deep down like Aris did.
He continued on crying, his sobs echoing off the walls around him, so pained, he barely recognized as his own. Suddenly, he heard people's voices coming from another room, footsteps approaching, sensed the frantic movements of the Icers and felt someone help him up.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
