the death cure
chapter eleven

❛❛ you did this to him ❜❜

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Thomas was shocked. So shocked that he didn't want to believe what his friend was saying. He didn't want to believe what Minho just told him. Anton's dead, Minho said to him quietly, Anton's gone, man.

Thomas looked over Minho's shoulder, looking over at Newt, he was beginning to struggle to walk that he stumbled forward but Nico caught him and helped to sit down. "What?" Thomas responded, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Minho breathed in through his nose, dropped his gaze in sullen before looking back up at Thomas, "Anton is gone. He wasn't Immune, he caught the Flare and he changed. I last saw him a few weeks ago, he didn't look so good, he— he said his goodbyes and said that he wanted to stop the treatments that were delaying the virus, I tried telling him to keep up the treatments but he couldn't take it anymore. He was executed, at least that's what he thought that Teresa promised him"

Teresa. Anton. Poe. Newt. He couldn't think properly. Poe is still in the building looking for Anton, he thinks the boy is still alive. Thomas looked over where Newt, Nico and Gally were, then shifted his gaze around to the WCKD building. Anton's dead, as much as it shocked him, he barely knew the kid, he only spoke to him a few times, once in the Glade and twice in the Scorch. He knew he was a good kid, too good, reminded Thomas of Chuck as well.

"Oh no" Thomas murmured, he turned around as he put his hands on his hips, feeling frustrated as well. "Oh no"

"Should tell the others" Minho said, he was about to turn and tell the others about the news.

"No" Thomas rushed to him and grabbed his arm to stop him. "No, not now at least—"

"Thomas, they need to know—"

"I know, but our first priority right now is Newt" Thomas glanced ahead and see Newt on the ground. The boy was beginning to look worse. Thomas knew what they have to do now. If he tells Newt about Anton, he wasn't sure how Newt would take it, especially he's succumbing the Flare, almost quickly. "He can't know this, not now. He's not Immune either and he already has the Flare."

Poe would want this as well, he'd want Newt to be the first priority to be saved. Newt has to be saved now, then they can get Poe back.

"Gally" Thomas called as he approached him, "Did you get the serum?"

"Yeah, but—" Gally sighed as if he was disappointed with himself, "I gave it to one of the kids, I assume Brenda and Leigh have it now. They must be out of the city and are in the Crank Palace now"

All they have to do is to get Newt back to the Palace, get him to the serum. "All right, we should get moving then. We move quickly"

"No!" Newt yelled, he shifted off his seat, attempted to get onto his feet, he could barely get up. When he was on his feet, he stumbled aside but Nico caught him. Newt shook off Nico's grip. "No! I'm not going anywhere! Not without Poe. I'm not going anywhere without—" his coughs choked him. He was leaning down as he coughed, it sounded hoarse.

"Easy there, shank" Nico pat Newt's back.

"Newt," Thomas approached him, "I'm sorry but we have to go now"

"WCKD's gonna show up any minute now" Gally added, "We have to move now"

"Newt, come on" Thomas reached Newt's arm, "We gotta get you to the serum. You said that once we get Minho first then we gotta save you, remember? Poe knows that too. We gotta get you out first then we'll get Poe, okay?"

Newt sighed in infuriation. He didn't answer. Not right away. His face read differently now. Sad or guilt. Maybe both. "I don't want to leave him, Tommy" he replied almost mournfully.

"I know, I know" Thomas nodded, he felt guilty, not because of leaving Poe behind but rather for Newt. "But it'll be just for now, until you get the serum and then we'll go get Poe, all right?"

Newt hesitated. He didn't respond again, not for a long moment. It was as if it was the hardest decision he has ever made in his life. "Okay... okay"

*

Poe drew his gun, twisted around and see Teresa by the exit. There were so many thoughts running in his mind, about Anton, how and when did this happen to his friend.

Rage. A sudden rage completely replaced the overwhelming grief. He was trembling.

He kept the gun up, he kept it up, pointing at Teresa. Teresa, once he tried to protect, once he cared for, all that gone now. He couldn't help to think of how it all happened.

She stood in froze as she realized the person she had always loved raised a gun on her, and he didn't put it down or lowered it.

"What have you done?" Poe couldn't help it. All he could think was when the night they took Anton, that same night Teresa betrayed them. "What have you done?!"

Teresa was shaking her head, scared, hurt and she was just feeling the grief as he does. She grieved like him when Anton changed. "No, Poe. You don't understand—"

She attempted to step forward, towards him, but he gave her a warning as he nudged the gun, "Stay away from me!" He warned, his finger was on the trigger, he was shaking in anger, "Stay the hell... away from me"

Teresa was scared. She knew what Poe was thinking, he thinks it was her fault, that she did this to Anton. "Poe, please" she knew she had to explain quickly. "Poe... Anton was never Immune. You once knew that too. You knew long before the Maze... He— he was... He was already infected with the Flare when he was taken. He caught the Flare in the Scorch, I don't know how but—"

He kept the gun up as he was thinking, looking back in the Scorch, tried to remember how it was possible, how Anton caught the Flare. If Newt is not Immune, he would've caught the Flare long ago, he thought of Brenda when she was bitten and was infected. But Anton was never bitten.

"You're lying" Poe retorted, "You did this. You did this to him!"

"That place where we found Thomas and Brenda, Poe," Teresa said, "Anton had a cut on his hand, it was infected, whatever cut him, I think it was coated with the virus"

Poe remembered immediately. The creepy Crank with a knife, he remembered that day clearly. "No... that was months ago"

"We've been giving him treatments, the serum, to keep the Flare at bay as long as we could until we find the cure" Teresa explained, slowly down her hands down. "I kept him long as I could, I said I would save him, I tried, Poe. I really did, I tried to save him... for you. I know how much he meant to you, even before the Maze, you always cared for him. So I kept him alive for you as long as I could. If I were to find the cure long ago, I wouldn't think for a second to save him, he'd be the first"

Poe held everything in, his breath, the anger, the hurt, his chest pang and burned. His arm was shaking and hurting so much, it was beginning to sting his shoulder.

"But he didn't want it anymore" Teresa's face read in hurt and honest. "It was his call to stop the treatments, we held it long as we could, but he— he didn't want it anymore because he was slowly changing, even the serum couldn't delay the Flare longer... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry" seconds later, she cried softly.

And then, Poe put the gun down and broke down. He just let out a cry. He turned around and looked at Anton again. He felt defeated, he was too late, he took too long. The Anton he was looking at wasn't the Anton he knew, he was gone, there was no more of him left. Even if there was a cure, the boy was too far gone.

"I'm sorry" he cried softly.

"He wanted you to know that—" Teresa sniffled, "—that it's okay. He said if I ever see you again, he said that it's okay"

Anton may think it's okay, but Poe can't imagine a day where he can forgive himself.

Then after a long moment, "I couldn't do it" Teresa went on, "I couldn't... what I'm supposed to do, what he asked, what he made me promise to do... but I couldn't. I hoped, I hoped if there was a single shred of him left in there, I would still try if there is the cure" she remembered what the boy said, what Anton said to her the day he stopped the treatments.

If you really care about me. If you were ever really my friend, then kill me. Make amends and kill me.

She wasn't that brave and strong to do it.

Poe's eyes fell closed, she knew what she was trying to say. Anton doesn't want to be left like this. Just like Winston. Poe would want the same thing. He took all of his strength up, he took a breath in, the sudden decision, all he thought was Anton is gone now, "How do I open this?" He gestured at the single glass, the single cell that Anton was in.

"Poe—" Teresa tried to say.

"Just open it and I'll do it myself" he demanded. He took a step back and raised the gun at Anton. No, the Crank. Pointed the gun at the head.

Teresa couldn't say anything anymore as she started to realize something. Something she had feared since she was a child.

She moved to a keypad, where she pressed a few numbers before pressing her thumbprint on the scanner where she's the only person who had the access of opening Anton's cell. She looked to the side, glanced mournfully at Poe. He shook the gun, nudging, telling her to do it.

She hesitated to press open on the screen. She didn't press it, not for long. She couldn't bring herself to look either. She never looked, she kept her eyes on the wall above the keypad and shut her eyes closed. She pressed it.

She heard the door sliding open, the Crank boy's growls were clearer and louder, she listened to all of it. The boy's stomping forward, charging at Poe, she flinched when the gun blasted, followed by a body falling to the floor.

She felt her heart fell as well.

*

Teresa managed to get Poe out of the room and guided them both to the lobby where the elevators were. He was quiet all the way, he never spoke a word after he put the Crank boy down.

They were lucky that Janson was back in sub level where they kept the Immunes and even Ava was with him. Long enough to get Poe out of the building.

She had to let him go. She had to, she had to let him leave and go find his way back to Thomas and Newt. It was important. She also had an important thing to do.

"Teresa" Poe finally spoke. After it felt like the longest time that he hadn't spoken. It was like he was finally back like he just realized where he was. Found himself standing with Teresa, waiting for the lift to arrive.

"Poe?" She turned to him.

"Are you... are you taking me?" He wasn't sure what was happening, or where she was taking him. "You're taking me to Janson"

Teresa kept her glance up at him, she couldn't tell if he was looking at her back because of the helmet. "No... I'm helping you out of the building"

The elevator dinged. It opened, the lift was empty. They both went in, and she pressed the main level button. The doors closed seconds later.

"Why?" Poe asked. Confused. He was feeling breathless as well.

She didn't respond right away. "Because I think Thomas can save Newt. And you have to get them both back here"

Poe pulled the mask up. Looked at her, "What? How do you know that?"

"Brenda..." she answered, "She would've turned months ago. The doctor, Mary, she gave Brenda Thomas's blood. Think about it. She was only treated once and she should've turned. She should've been dead by now. Think about it. I think Thomas... I think Thomas is the cure. But I can't confirm yet, I have to go back up there to test it"

Poe couldn't argue against that. But it is strange that Brenda hasn't changed when she should've long ago. Jorge had waited, they both waited for her to change all this time. But she never did. Like it was a miracle.

"I need you to go find them. Newt and Thomas," Teresa told him. "I'll let you know as soon as I could when I have the answer"

Newt could have the serum by now. He could have taken it right now. But the thought of Thomas being the cure made more sense.

"Newt might still have time," Teresa said, her mouth agape as if there was more to say, and there was, "You might still have time too"

His eyes shifted on her. To hear that Teresa telling that Poe still has time.

She had more to say, "You're not Immune either, Poe... You already caught the Flare, didn't you?" that was the fear she was afraid of since she was a child.

All that anger he threw on her, even before that room when he first yelled at her about there was no cure. All that ache he's been feeling, his arm hurting, all the trembling in his body, just like Newt. Just like Newt, the rage he threw on Teresa, about he almost blamed her about Anton, how he drew a gun on her.

That wasn't Poe. That wasn't himself.

That was the Flare talking.

*****

This chapter was meant to be a lot
more shorter that was below 2000
words but added a little more
anyways :P