The group slowly got out of the trucks. Hope still felt slightly uneasy. She always did in a new place. She never trusted anyrhing new until it proved itself, that went for a new place or person. The group huddled together. Hope slid closer to Papa.

Vince had climbed out of his truck and came over. He had a big grin on his face. His arms wide open. A lot of people at the bottom of the hill had stopped working and looked up at the group. Hope crossed her arms tight over her chest.

"Welcome my friends to The Right Arm."

"Thank you for taking us." Odin nodded.

"If you don't mind, we need to do a quick check. Make sure everyone is cleared. If we let an infected in, this place doesn't last at all. Sorry if that's harsh but..."

"No need to be sorry."

Vince turned and yelled down the hill.

"Hey! Someone get Mary. New arrivals!"

A young blond turned and hurried off. Vince turned and started talking to Odin. Hope took the opertunity to look closer. It was chilly here in the valley camp. They were a lot further away from the Scorch. The people in the camp looked happy, everyone was busy with something.

"This is the most teens I've seen in one area!" Lanna whispered.

Hope nodded. She noticed that as well. There were quite a few. The middle aged and older still out numbered them, but it was definitely more in one area then Hope had ever seen at once.

The young blond came stride up the hill with a lady beside her and a girl with beautiful chocolate skin and dreadlocks. They looked to be about Hope's age, give it take a year. The three came to stop beside Vince.

"This is Doctor Mary." Vince swept an arm out to her. "Mary this is, Odin, his girls, Hope, Lanna, Vera. The rest of their group, I appolagise, I've forgotten names."

Odin held his huge hand out to shake Mary's. She had a small device in her hand.

"This will test if your infected or not, just a small prick of the finger."

"Can hardly feel it!" The blond pulled up. She had bleach blond hair, big rich brown eyes and a kind smile. She also had a slight acent.

"That's a WICKED device!" Hope pointed out. Her anxious feeling in her chest tightened.

"Yes. It is." Mary said simply. "When I left, I took everything I could with me."

"When you left?" Lanna asked.

Mary nodded. "I worked for them a long time ago, unfortunately. I put ylmy talents to better use now." She smiled kindly.

Mary started with Papa Odin, he placed his thumb on the device, it picked his finger and a few seconds later it beeped green. It took some time to clear their group. Hope knew she was immune, but it always made her anxious with devices. She knew if anyone found out she was immune she was at a higher risk of being taken. So she avoided the establishments in the cities and towns that required them for entrance.

Hope pressed her thumb onto the little hand held medical equipment. She felt a sharp prick and then it was done. It beeped green. She let out the breath she was holding.

"Perfect. Now, we'll get you squared away in sleeping arrangements. Anyone in soecifict tents?" Vince asked.

As Odin and the others got the details sorted out the blond walked up, a big smile on her face.

"Names Sonya, green bean. Welcome to The Right Arm! This here is Harriet."

"Hope." Said Hope and she jabbed a thumb at the girls beside her, "Lanna, Vera. That guy," she waved Tim over, "this is Tim."

"Just the four of you?" Harriet asked, looking us over with a slightly critical eye.

"Had five. One was taken in a sweep."

"Shit." Sonya looked genuinely upset.

"Ya..you could say that."

"Those bastards!" Sonya's gentle eyes hardened so fast Hope was taken aback for a second. But she smiled.

"Agreed."

"Well, the Right Arm is safe from them. They busted us out. And a few others from the different mazes. Your lucky you guys found us. We're pretty hard to find."

"Wait. Busted you out of a maze?" Tim asked, "you were part of the Trials?"

"You know about that?" Harriet asked, her dark eyes widening.

"Everyone knows about them! WICKED isn't exactly quiet about it. Posters, public safety announcements, radio adds...it's everywhere."

"Damn." Harriet said quietly.

"You guys didn't know?"

"Everyone who was part of it was taken as children and...raised inside the building and then our memories were wiped before actually sending us into the maze." Harriet explained. Her voice had taken on a sharp edge. "Be thankful you were-"

"Don't start with that!" Vera snapped and narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Excuse me? You have no idea what it was like!" She shot back.

"You don't know what our life has been like!" Hope added. Stepping up beside Vera. She wouldn't play the game of who's life sucked more. They both had hard lives, just different paths.

"Harriet. Slim it, Love. The Stick is right. Their life looks like it has been hard." Sonya said gently, laying a hand on Harriet's arm. Sonya looked back at them, and took them all in, eyes trailing over all of them.

"You guys use those often?" She indicated to the shot guns slung over Hopes shoulder.

"Yes. More then you would want."

"You a good shot?"

"She's the best. Odin trained 'em." Tim popped up, crossing his arms, giving the girls a smug look. "She's better then most of the other men in the group.

"No shit?!" Sonya cried. "Girl boss."

"We don't call ourselves Papa Bear's Berserkers for nothin'." Lanna grinned evilly.

"Okay, this I gotta see!" Harriet narrowed her eyes.

"Do you happen to have showers and clean clothes?" Hope asked, we had to push the trucks through some washed out places."

"Oh, yeah, follow us." Sonya turned to Vince. "Yo, Boss, I'm taking these sticks. See ya at supper."

Hope gave Papa a tight lipped smile and waved. Odin nodded and watched as they followed Sonya and Harriet down the hill.

The showers were like God's gift to mankind. The water was hot, the pressure came and went, but they were amazing. They had soap and shampoo. Hope scrubbed all the dried mud and grime and sweat off and watched it swirl down the drain. Hope raised her head and let the water spray her face for a minute. Turn the water off she dried off and was thankful Sonya and Harriet found them some clothes. She could hear Lanna and Vera still in the shower. She pulled the warm clothes on and dried her hair as best she could.

Pushing the door open she saw Sonya leaning on the wall a cup of something steaming in her hand. She picked her head up and grinned.

"You shower bloody fast!" She chuckled.

"Learned habit. We don't get warm water often, so...shower fast while it's still warm."

Sonya nodded, a curious look on her face.

"Want some hot coffee?"

"Oh absolutely!"

"Come on, mess hall is this way." Sonya pushed off the wall and led her through the camp.

"So, what was this place before?"

"An old camping sight. Hunters and fishers used to come here, set up for the season, hunt, fish whatever. It was the perfect place when Vince and the Right Arm found it. Remote, off the gride, but still with running water and electricity!"

"Seems too good to be true." Hope muttered.

"Not a believer?"

"I've grown up fighting for everything in my life always moving, never in one spot for long, people I get attached to are ripped from my life, it's hard to believe in anything good when all I've know is misery."

"Aren't you the hopeful one." She smirked.

Hope rolled her eyes. But it didn't bug her nearly as much as when others used her name like that. Sonya led her into a long wood cabin like structure. Inside was a makeshift kitchen, a mismatch of tables and chairs and picnic tables. There was a big wood stove in the corner.

Once they had coffee Sonya sat down at a table.

"So Love...tell me your story."

"What story?"

"Well, that huge Viking, the leader of your group. The story of your group...you look like a group right out of the imagination of what a zombie apocalypse story would be. What's your story?"

Hope shrugged. Her knuckles turned white as she clutched the coffee cup. The heat seeped into her hands. Sonya sat waiting patiently, her chin resting on her hand. Hope started at a place on the table when her mouth started to move.

"I was four when my brother was taken. Ripped from our home. My mama and daddy were shot at the same time while I hid in a cold dark space under the floor. I was stuck until the neighbor lady came over. She took care of me for about a year until she caught the Flare. I eventually had to lock her in the basement. She kept screaming and crying about nightmares. For a while week she screamed. Then one day she knocked gently on the door...when I opened it..."

Hope stopped talking and closed her eyes. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. She had to get herself in control again. She could feel the tears prickling her eyes. She felt a hand gently lay on her arm, and then rub her arm.

"She had clawed out her own eyes."

"What the blood hell?"

"Ya. Pretty much. She said she couldn't see the nightmares anymore.  I turned and fled the house. I fended for myself for a while, stealing and taking what I could, sometimes I could get what I needed 'cause I was a child. Until Odin found me backed in an alley, surrounded by a bunch of Cranks. He swept in like the Viking hero. We adopted each other. He lost his family..I lost mine. A year later we found Lanna. It's been almost 11 years together. We found the group over the years. Lost a lot of good people."

Hope paused again. Sonya poured her another cup of coffee. Hope took a few sips of the hot drink, it helped warm her slightly.

"We found an old school teacher and she thaught the few kids to read and write and basic math. We had a lot of 'school' on the go. Learning all kinds of things. She was so sweet." Hope smiled sadly as she remembered the lady.

"She catch the Flare?" Sonya asked quietly.

Hope shook her head, "No. A gang attacked our group. She got a rusty knife to the leg, wasn't fattle...the blood poisoning though. We had nothing to help. We didn't have money for the proper medication, WICKED wouldn't help. They don't care about us, the regular citizens of the country. She died."

Sonya sat with her mouth wide open and eyes wide in shock. Hope sat deflated. Reliving her past was never pleasant. She also hated the putting looks people would give her. She fiddled with the mug handle.

"I've gotten used to moving, never staying in one place for long. Always moving so WICKED can't find us. We avoided the sweeps for a year. We avoided the bounty hunters, for the most part. Papa is fiercely protective, he's always been there for Lanna and me when we needed him."

"That's one buggen' awful life."

Hope just hummed.

"So...when your brother was taken...do you remember by who?" Sonya asked hesitantly.

"No. I was hiding. I know it was WICKED though. But who? I don't know."

"They didn't look for you? Usually siblings are the same, both immune. Or both not immune."

"They don't know about me. No one does. I don't exist."

Sonya made an oh face when she understood.

"I was given from everyone. I knew of people, I watched when company was over, on rare occasions. But it was always mama daddy and Will. Until I was alone."

"Damn. And I though growing up in WICKED was bad...though I can't remember a bloody thing before the maze."

"What?"

"What?" She repeated.

"Why can't you remember anything?"

"They took our buggen' memories. Swiped 'em all. I got nothing until the day I woke up in the maze with Harriet and a bunch of other girls."

Hope sat straight and stiff. If that's what WICKED did, took memories, then Will wouldn't remember her. And that hit like a punch in the gut harder then anything she felt. Hope knew the chances of ever finding Will again were slim, but she always thought he would still remember. She but her lip hard to keep it from trembling and the tears from falling. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes again.

She sat for a long time trying to gain her composure. Her body shivered slightly. She felt Sonya's gentle hand. Hope was thankful Sonya didn't push it or try make her feel better by empty promises.

•×•

Hope was shaken awake. For a place that was supposed to be saving them, they sure had to wake up early. The girls tent didn't get much sleep. Sonya, Harriet, Lanna, Vera and Hope stayed up late talking and giggling. Sonya had somehow managed to get her hands on cookies.

Hope groaned as she sat up and humbled around trying to find her pants and boots. Once she did she followed Sonya and Harriet. Hope and Lanna were going with Sonya and Harriet to learn the ropes. They were going back to the mountain tunnel, to help with the first watch. Harriet had breakfast and coffee waiting by the jeeps.

"So, how we getting there?" Harriet asked Sonya. "The others are already there and Jonny's coming later."

"Wait...do you guys not know how to drive?" Hope asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uhh no."

Hope grinned and held her hand out waiting for the keys.

"Lanna and I got you."

"What can't you two do?" Sonya chuckled as she tossed her the keys.

"Well! Hope can't flirt to save her damn life." Lanna giggled.

Hope rolled her eyes. Vince and Odin came striding up the hill. Hope grinned and held her arms wide open. He wrapped his huge arms around Hope.

"Me tooooo!" Lanna slammed into them. He chuckled and pulled Lanna into the hug. He gave them a tight squeeze.

"Be safe." He whispered to them.

"Always Papa Bear." Hope said giving him a squeeze back.

"You worry too much!" Lanna grinned up at the huge man.

"It's my job." He said with a growl.

"We'll be sitting on our butts watching the road. It'll be fine. Also, how's Len's ankle? I didn't mean to hurt him...I honestly didn't know the branch would snap!" Hope grinned sheepishly.

"It was a perfect shot. And he'll make a full recovery." Vince said with a small smirk. "Solid warning shot."

Hope smirked, but felt her cheeks flush.

"Okay get going. Take our truck." Odin indicated to their vehicle.

Hope nodded and opened the door and slid behind the wheel. The girls followed and Hope drove them back through the mountains.