[I know it seems like Avery is a damsel in distress. But wait until the next chapter, I swear it all makes sense. Lol. Enjoy.]

| chapter - nine |

\ chaotic bad /

"Thomas!" Minho raised his voice, concerned. After Thomas busted the vent door down, desperately getting back into the room.

Aris and Avery both filed out right after him, now standing in the room with others from Group A.

"We gotta go." Thomas suggested. "We gotta go right now!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Minho asked.

"What do you mean 'we gotta go'?" Newt added on to the question.

"They're coming, come on, we gotta go!" Thomas rushed towards one of the bunk beds, and tore its sheet right off like it was nothing. "They're coming for us!"

Thomas rushed towards the big metal door, as he tied the bed sheet to two poles in-between the door handle and the wall.

"What happened in there?" Frypan asked Aris, in a rush. "Aris, what happened?"

Avery looked at Aris, as the boy with ivory particles stood there in utter shock. Almost like he looked too frightened to move or even speak. Aris was filled with blotching green dots with a ray of flickering purple. Which was a sense of nausea and disgust.

Newt looked at Avery, "I thought you had somewhere to be?"

"Yeah, why are you helping?" This was Winston. He wasn't trying to sound rude, he had an actual point.

"I realize that I'm tired of secrets being kept from me, and meeting people who consistently lie to my face." Avery explained, calmly. "You guys seem to be the only sane ones here, as I've come to conclusions. And, to be honest, you seem interesting, familiar and I feel a sort of connection. I guess."

Newt felt a rush of hope and satisfaction, as he turned back around. "Thomas, can you just calm down and talk to us?!"

Newt was right, Thomas needed to calm down and tell what he knows. But at the same time, Thomas was also in the right. As their lives were about to reach hell, if he didn't hurry up.

"She's still alive!" Thomas growled.

"Who's she? Teresa?" Frypan countered.

"Ava!"

"Ava?" Newt scoffed. "Would you just turn around and talk to us?!"

And that's exactly what Thomas did, he swung around and with a flushed face he screamed, "Its WICKED!"

He breathes, "Its still WICKED. Its always been WICKED." As he rushed back to the same bed, and grabbed the entire mattress.

All of their particles were merging together, as they were all in a bundle in the same space. Avery could hardly tell who from who, and she felt a little disoriented.

Thomas pushed the mattress against the door, to block it.

Yeah, as if a mattress will help. Nova scoffed. You might wanna grab another, to be on the safe side.

"Thomas." Newt growled, going next to the scared boy. "What did you see?"

***

"Come on, come on." Thomas whisper-yelled, as he rushed everyone out of the vent. Including Avery.

They were now getting closer to the outskirts of WICKED Headquarters. "Okay, let's go."

"You guys go ahead, there's something I gotta do." Aris suggested.

"What are you talking about?" Thomas asked.

"Trust me, its important." Aris claimed. "You guys wanna get out of here, right? Just go!"

Avery had an idea of what he was talking about, but she couldn't fully be too sure. But she didn't question him. Aris was a sneaky guy, and this she knew to be a fact, not an opinion.

"It's alright," Winston offered. "I'll go with him."

"Okay, Winston." Thomas nodded. "Go! Go! Come on!" He motioned everyone else with him, as they rushed on ahead.

"Are you sure we can trust this kid?" Minho asked.

Thomas nodded, "You don't want to know where we'd be without him."

They turned a corner into the hallways, only for a woman to be right in front of them. They all stopped in their tracks.

"What are you kids doing out?" She asked, suspicious of their actions.

As if on cue, the alarm rings. Avery's ears stung at the loud sound, she cringed her head and rubbed at her ears.

This happened a lot after I got stung by a Griever back in the Maze... Nova reflected on memories. It wasn't pleasant, and it felt like I was a prisoner of my own mind...

Newt looked at Avery wither, "Are you alright, love?"

"Y-" Avery nodded, having more familiar feelings. "-Yeah."

But that word, 'love', coming from Newt brought even more memories back. And the alarm only added onto it, she knew she heard both that word and the alarm from somewhere deep in the past.

And so, the headache was back and Nova pounded on the invisible barrier once more. She wasn't going to stop, until she got what she wanted the most; her memories and to be back in control of who she was in the Glade.

***

Running down the long hallway, now with the woman in hostage. They paused as one of the guards came rounding the other corner, they were headed to.

"Freeze!" The guard yelled in demand, pointing his gun. "Stay where you are!"

He shot, as everyone ran the other direction. Newt grabbed onto Avery, and pushed her with them. Knowing all too well how she works, if it wasn't for him, she would've been shot.

How did he know? Avery wondered.

He wasn't kidding when he said you were in the Maze with them. Nova stated. Trust me, he knows us very well.

"Why're they shooting at us?!" Frypan hollered, in shock.

The guard was yelling gibberish into his walkie-talkie, but Avery couldn't pick up on the scattered words as so many things were happening at once.

"Minho!" Thomas hollered.

The boy with pink particles turned around, confidently.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Thomas continued. "Minho!"

And with fierce hostility, Minho ran towards the guard. Running into the man, banging him against the wall with his feet with a groan, and knocking the man out.

Avery was impressed at the heroic act, she took a mental note on not to mess with him.

"Sh*t, Minho." Newt breathed.

"Okay, let's go." Thomas grabbed the gun from the guard. And pointed it at the woman's back, keeping hold of her. "Come on. Let's go."

And soon enough they make it to another room, and open the door.

"Dr. Crawford, are you here to-" A man spoke, only to get caught off by Thomas pushing the woman in, and barging through with the other's.

"Wait, wait!" The man raised his arms, yielding. "Okay, okay!"

"Where is she?" Thomas pointed the gun at him. "Where is she?!"

With a hunch, he gave the gun to Minho - who continued to point it at the doctors - and tore a curtain to the side.

Avery saw the beige particles of Teresa laying on a hospital bed, as they had found exactly what they were looking for.

"Get down." Minho demanded. "Get down!"

The doctors obeyed, as they all got down on all fours. Not wanting to be shot, by an electric current.

"Okay hands, give me your hands!" Newt yelled, with no trace of fear in his voice.

"Just do what he says..." One of them said.

"Give me your hands!" Newt repeated, not playing around. As the woman finally obeyed, and brought her hands out to the boy with blue raging particles.

"You're never gonna get away with this." The woman sighed, with annoyance.

"Guys?" Frypan worried. "They're coming! Where do we go?"

Avery looked around, trying to see anything around their flowing particles that would help. But, she couldn't decipher anything, the particles were raging around to hard and fast. She couldn't see anything but the people around her.

"Frypan! Move!" Newt hollered.

The boy with orange particles listened, as Newt uplifted a table. And both Frypan and Newt pushed the metal table in front of the door, blocking it, giving them more time.

"Get back!" Minho pushed everyone behind him, including Avery. "Get back!"

 The WICKED guards banged on the door, trying to force it open.

"Okay, we've gotta get outta here!" Minho yelled, as he pointed the gun towards the barricaded door. "Where do we go?!"

"Everyone stand back!" Thomas yelled, as he picked up a chair and banged it against the window.

"Newt, help! A little help!"

Newt grabbed another chair, and helped Thomas break the glass. As it soon shattered, making an easy escape.

"Go, go, go!" Thomas demanded. "Come on!"

Thomas and Minho were yelling all sorts of words, amongst 'hurry, let's go' and 'come on'. Avery didn't know who was saying which though, but she didn't think twice.

Newt offered his hand, as Avery accepted it quickly. As he made sure she made it to the other side safely, and with her feet back on the floor, she could finally 'see' again. As Minho threw Thomas the gun, once more.

"Stay behind me!" Thomas breathed, as he opened another door.

Behind it was yet another WICKED guard, and they all paused for a moment. Before the guard could get his gun out, Thomas shot him first. The guard then stumbled to the ground, withering in pain, as he was being shocked by tons of strong volts.

Avery was about to run with them, until she felt an arm grab her from behind. A hand keeping her from squealing, as she was muffled. Keeping her from following the group, that was escaping.

Without anymore second thoughts, the group continued running, and rounded one more corner of the hallways.

"There it is! There it is!" Thomas yelled even more.

Thomas tried opening the large door with the keycard, "Come on!" But it wasn't working. "No, no, no!"

"Thomas," The familiar voice echoed throughout the hall.

They turned to see Ava's second in command, "Open this door, Janson!" Thomas walked forward, with the gun.

"You really don't want me too." Janson grinned.

"Open the da*n door!"

"Listen to me!" Janson demanded. "Look who I've got here, with me." He snapped his fingers.

The guards opened up their group shield, as one of them walked next to Janson. The guard held onto Avery, with a gun pressed to her temple, though he didn't dare pull the trigger. Janson knew Ava Paige wanted Avery to be kept alive, at all costs.

"If you want Avery to stay alive," Janson began. "I suggest you listen to me. I'm trying to save your life."

Newt walked forward for a moment, tempted to get Avery back, by himself. Only for Minho to hold him back, "Dude, not a good move right now. They have multiple guns."

Janson continued, "The Maze is one thing, but you kids wouldn't last out in the Scorch... If the elements don't kill you, the Cranks will."

Thomas wasn't convinced. "Thomas, you have to believe me. I only want what's best for you..."

"Yeah?" Thomas scoffed. "Let me guess. WICKED is good?"

Those words sent shivers down Avery's spine, as another headache emerges. With Nova continuing to pound on the invisible barrier, creating yet another small crack. She was so close, yet so far.

Janson smirked, "You're not getting through that door, Thomas."

And suddenly, out of the blue, the door opens on its own. Only to show Aris and Winston. "Hey guys!" Aris huffed, his chest heaving.

"Come on!" Frypan urged, as they ran through the door, just in case it closes again.

"Thomas!" Newt yelled. "Come on, let's go!"

He didn't want to leave Avery behind, but he knew there was no way of him getting passed, without getting shot first. So he had no choice.

"I'll come back for you, I promise!" Newt called back to Avery. As the blind girl felt a sense of warmth in her chest, knowing well that it was probably Nova deep inside her mind causing those feelings.

Thomas shot the electric gun, as Janson and the guard holding Avery, quickly disappeared behind the shields of the other guards, for cover.

Thomas then threw the gun, and made a run for it. As Janson pushed through and ran after him.

"Shut the main vault door!" Janson ordered, speaking into the device on his wrist.

"Go! Go! Thomas, run! Come on!" Everyone on the other side yelled at him, encouraging him to run faster.

Thomas slid right underneath the closing door, as he just about made it. As it shut tightly, for good.

Janson slid to a halt, looking through the little window on the door. As Thomas brought his middle-finger out to the man, with a fierce expression on his face.

"You little sh*t." Janson sighed, out in anger.

As the group got away, out of sight. Janson banged on the door, with a loud groan. Clearly outraged.

"What do you want us to do, sir?" The guard holding Avery, asked.

Janson looked down at Avery, as she tried her hardest not to bite to escape, as they had too many guns, she'd be shot instantly.

"I have an idea, follow me." Janson smirked.

Avery was nervous beyond belief, as Janson brought her to a room that wasn't familiar. A room she's never been in before.

Her fear meter rising to the deep end, with every given second.

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Here's chapter nine! :)

What was your favorite part of this chapter?

Xoxo <3