The Fever Code (The Maze Runner 0.6)(71)

Anderson’s gaze shifted, his eyes falling on Thomas. He whispered something, a word. Repeated it, over and over. Saliva foaming at the corners of his mouth.

“Please, please, please, please, please, please…”

Thomas didn’t know if he was encouraging him to do it or begging him to stop. But he slowly slid the needle into the soft flesh of the man’s neck and pressed the button that controlled the plunger. A hiss sounded as the deadly fluid in the vial drained out of the syringe and into Anderson’s body.

They all watched in silence as the former leader of WICKED grew still, let out one last, long breath, and closed his eyes.





231.05.05 | 7:13 a.m.

There were eighteen left.

Thomas and his friends stood in the security room once governed by Ramirez and Randall. Dr. Paige and a few of her new staff analyzed the rooms and hallways of Sector D.

“Everyone is still in the same positions,” Dr. Paige said, scanning the security feeds. “Maybe we make a goal for you to reach five of them, then come back here and regroup, assess whether anything has changed.”

Thomas absently watched the camera feeds coming from the maze while the others focused on Sector D. Near the Homestead, despite the late hour, Alby and Newt were locked in an argument with Nick, who’d long ago separated himself from the others as the clear leader. Without sound, the tussle didn’t have any context. At least no punches had been thrown. Most of the other Gladers were asleep.

“They have no idea what’s going on in here,” Thomas said, a little surprised that he’d spoken aloud. “I guess that’s a good thing.”

Teresa looked his way. She seemed ready to reproach him—they had slightly more pressing matters—but then softened. “I know. For once, life is tougher out here than in there.”

“I guess the tables have turned,” Rachel said.

“Guys?” Dr. Paige cut in. She gestured toward the cameras focused on the WICKED complex itself. “The plan?”

“Sorry,” Rachel murmured.

Thomas focused his attention back on the relevant feeds.

A guard pointed at one in particular. “Room D-17. A rec room. A few of them are sleeping on the floor in there. That should be your first stop after entering the Sector.”

“Maybe they’re dead,” Teresa added.

Dr. Paige leaned closer to the screens, her lips moving as she counted. “And there’s our five. It’s a good plan. Go take care of them, then come back here and we’ll show you where to go next.”

Take care of them, Thomas thought. What a nice way to put it.

They grabbed their backpacks full of death and headed out the door toward Sector D.

—

After a guard let them through the locked-down entrance, Thomas and the others headed for the assigned room. They’d almost made it when movement in the hall ahead stopped them in their tracks. Aris had taken the lead and suddenly jumped back, pushing the others around the closest corner.

“There’s a couple of people up there,” he whispered, his back to the wall, panting.

“I saw them, too,” Teresa said. “Which means they probably saw us.”

With perfect timing, a shout rang through the hall.

“Hey, you kids!” A man, his voice on the edge of hysterics. “Come here, my little subjects!”

This filled Thomas with a feeling of such horror that it made him shiver. Sweat broke out on his arms and forehead, a flush of heat making him unbearably hot.

“How many?” he asked.

Aris peeked around the corner, then jerked back to face the others. “Two men. One’s crawling on the ground, the other’s walking, but he’s using the wall to hold him up. They’re getting really close. And, man, they look seriously messed up.”

Thomas appreciated the detailed report, but it only made him feel worse. “Do we go back and regroup?”

“No, we rush them,” Teresa said. “Why put it off? The four of us can take these two easily.”

Rachel was nodding as she spoke, and one look at Aris showed he agreed as well.

Thomas sighed in defeat. “What do you mean by ‘messed up’?”

“The crawling dude is totally naked,” Aris answered, “scratches all over his body. The one stumbling along the wall looks like he puked up about seven breakfasts all over his shirt. And his hair…I think he ripped some of it out. It’s nasty.”

“You think they’re all like this?” Thomas asked, overwhelmed by the task they had before them. “I didn’t know they were so near the Gone.”

A terrible wail of anguish sounded down the hall, a long, mewling sound that ended in something close to giggles. They were getting closer.

“You saw Anderson,” Teresa whispered. “Those left have to be as bad as him or a couple of steps away from it.”

Thomas nodded, trying to encourage himself. “Okay, okay. What do we do?”

Teresa swung her backpack off her shoulder just enough to unzip it and look inside. She pulled out a pistol, then two syringes. She handed the syringes to Thomas.

“I’ll be the last resort,” she said, hefting the gun in her right hand, finger already on the trigger. “Aris and Rachel, you hit them first with Launcher grenades. Once they’re down, Thomas you run up to them and inject the poison. I’ll be right beside you. If they make a move, I’ll take care of them.”