Aris spent the next hours helping out. He shoved items in bags and packs, zipping everything up. He was still wary about Mary, who was also packing beside him, remained silent. After he shoved the last supply into one of the packs, he wandered around the campsite, asking who needed extra assistance, helping out
As he neared the mountains of rocks, he spotted Thomas and Teresa whispering. He crouched near the mound of rocks, eavesdropping at what they were saying. He was astonished that they were whispering, but not using the telepathy system, which he thought it was very strange, given this conversation was wanted in private.
"--I remember my mother. She was a gorgeous woman," she was saying. Aris tried to puzzle everything out, how did she remember her own flesh and blood? . "She has always been my guardian. And then, one day, she contracted the Flare, and that's when I secured her in the closet in the room. I just...don't know what to do. One day, when I went down to visit her, she said she was getting better, but she ripped her eyes out and there was gore everywhere."
Aris felt his body tremble, his eyes widen so much they almost bulged out his head. How did Teresa remember so much, so clear and vivid? He'd seen memories of his parents, but those images faded so hastily, he rarely had the chance to experience them.
His head snapped up when he heard a familiar buzzing sound. A helicopter hovered over them, and then he heard Thomas scream, "Teresa, what'd you do? What did you do?" Aris was frozen in place for a moment, before bolting off to back to the camp and approaching the tents.
"Vince! Mary! We have visitors!"
Mary burst out of one of the tents. "It's a Berg," she said, visibly panicked. "It's them." She turned to Vince. "Deactivate the weapons now!"
"I couldn't," Vince responded weakly. "I tried, Mary. But they've severed the control our weapons, we'd have to fight to the death. Children, hide, now!" he commanded sharply, bolting back into the tents. Aris didn't even have a single chance to wonder why they were in control of the weaponry. The Gladers and Aris's companions were now watching in horror, and he charged towards the tents.
WICKED's helicopters were landing right in the center of the camp, and the soldiers were being released from the Bergs, as they began shooting. Without thinking, Aris charged at one of them, tackled the man, and seized the Launcher. Firing the weapon, he watched in satisfaction as the man seized his foot, flashes of lightning bolts patterned across the man's leg. He kept his finger on the trigger, whirling around.
"Sonya!" he shouted, feet catching on the weeds and tripping over the blades of grass. She was bolting towards him, her finger pressed against a guard's head. He had been disarmed, and Aris pressed the trigger, releasing the grenade from the Launcher, causing the soldier to sink to his knees.
Abruptly, he felt himself being shoved down into the blades of grass, a gun cocked to his head. "Freeze," the soldier ordered sharply and began dragging him towards the center of the disastrous campsite. Keeping the gun pressed against his head, he felt himself being shoved to his knees.
Sonya was forced to kneel beside him, along with all his other friends, Mary, Vince, and other members of the Right Arm. We've been defeated, he thought. He clenched his fist, but then, Janson approached him and planted his hands on his hips. "You shouldn't have done that, Subject B1."
Aris glared at him viciously. "I was never yours." With that, he lunged forward at Janson, but suddenly, someone fired a gun. Gore dripped down his neck, but then he heard someone, presumably, Janson, say, "No, wait. Don't disable him, not yet." The guard behind him withdrew the weapon from his neck. "We need him as Subject B1, test him in our headquarters."
"I said--"
"Shut up!" a guard barked, colliding the muzzle of the Launcher against his head. He winced internally, he undoubtedly did not want WICKED view him as a weakling. He raised a clenched fist, but before he could do anything, a Barg caught his attention, and a platform was laid out automatically before them. The guard snatched up his shirt.
"Load them up, Janson," a female voice commanded. Aris gasped, the female's voice belonged to....Ava Paige. He recalled her shooting herself in the head, the area of the body which would ensure fatal injury. Was that another trick? Another Variable thrust at them? Was the gun not fired, but then, again, he remembered hearing the gunshot that split through the air. He clenched his fist and opened his mouth.
"I...." he began to say, but the guard pressed a cloth over his mouth as they dragged him up towards the Berg. At the last minute attempt, he shoved the guard away from him, and snatched the gun away, forcing him to kneel, firing the grenade but before he could sink to the ground, someone grabbed him from behind.
Janson glared icily at him, as the man dragged him up. "You think you can flee from WICKED, boy? We need you for testing! The world is about to go extinct!" And you--" Aris watched his own hand ascend and slap the man squarely on the cheek before someone fired a grenade.
"Uh...." Aris mumbled. Someone jerked his arms up and into a seat in the Berg. Janson, rubbing his face, which now had a handprint on it, was assisted onto the Berg. He sat there, paralyzed--either with fear or from the grenade, though he suspected both--watched as the pilot began to drive the Berg.
Aris watched as the Right Arm's destroyed camp became less and less visible. He caught one last glance of Vince's and Thomas's faces and knew that, from their looks, they would rescue him very soon, despite that fact it may be very, very costly.
End of Book 2.
OH, NO! Aris had tried so hard to fight WICKED, but they certainly overpowered him. What will happen to him next? Stay tuned for Book 3 to find out! I'm really sorry I only had 18 chapters, I tried my best to throw all the details of the bulbous creatures, WICKED, the Right Arm, betrayals, all that to make it longer and more interesting. Follow me for updates! See you all!
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