"I was calling
For the last time
We've been here before
They found the pictures in the snow
I can tell your eyes
Looked beneath the blue
I walk underneath the trees
For the first time"

"What happened?" One of nurses questioned as she was set on a bed.

"She fell at least from two stories onto some stray metal piece." Carter told the lady.

"Who knows how much blood she has lost ma'am."  Aaron told her and she nodded as another nurse came in.

"Step inside you two.  We got it from here."  She said and Aaron nodded before pushing Carter out of the tent.

"Will she be alright?" Carter asked worriedly.

"She's in good hands. These meds are the best of the best." Aaron gave him a reassuring smile.

"Come on. I want to introduce you to the guy in charge...Vince!" Aaron shouted the last part as a man turned his head, making his way over.

"Aaron, you're back. New guy?" He asked, looking to Carter.

"Yes sir, this is Carter. There's also someone else. The medics are taking care of her. Had an accident, she'll be fine. The two are from WCKD sir." Aaron told him, standing up straight.

"WCKD, huh? How did you get out?" Vince questioned Carter.

"I found a way out, then I was in another facility and met Clara. We escaped." He told him simply, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Alright, you're safe here. Welcome to being apart of the team." Vince smiled and placed his hand on the kids shoulder before heading in another direction.

~~~

"Clara."

"C!"

Clara moved her hand and felt grass below her, she opened up her eyes and was met with Gally. He had a wide smile on his face as he crouched down to her.

"What are you doing laying down?" He laughed and pulled her to a seating position.

"I-the glade?" She asked as she looked around the familiar surrounding in front of her.

"Yeah. Where else would you be? Did you hit your head or something?" Gally asked and touched her forehead.

"No...where's Cart-never mind. I'm just glad to see you." She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Glad to see you too. It's only been two hours." Gally hugged her back before letting go. "Come on, dinner is ready." He stood up and began to walk, Clara following after him.

They made their way across the glade when two people ran between the two, laughing as they messed around with one another.

"Hey! Watch it." Gally shook his head as Clara looked at the back of the two gladers, one turning to face them.

"Sorry Gally." George smiled widely and his eyes flickered to Clara.

"George?" She asked softly as she looked at him.

"Yeah?" George questioned and his face flashed from his smiling form to his dead empty eyes.

"Come on." Nick told him.

"Bye." George gave them one last smile before running off with Nick.

Clara looked at the ground as she furrowed her eyebrows from what she just saw. Another voice filled their ears as Stephen wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"What are you two up too?" He questioned as the three walked, Clara looking at him in shock.

"Getting food. What else?" Gally chuckled.

Stephen smiled as he looked to Clara. The same thing happening. It flicked of Stephen smiling to his dead corpse.

"Hey Clara, do me a favor." Gally said as he stopped walking and looked at her seriously. Clara just looked at him, not sure what was happening here. "Yeah?"

"Wake up." He told her.

"What?" Clara questioned.

"You have to wake up Clara. Wake up." Gally stared at her.

Clara's eyes shot open as she took in sharp breaths and looked around. She was in a tent and on a bed. Carter's face came in view as he looked down at her.

"Hey, you're ok." He reassured her, grabbing her hand tightly.

"Yeah...just.  A weird dream about the glade."  She told him softly then looked down at her wrapped up leg.

"How long was I out for?"  She asked.

"About six hours.  It's night now, this place isn't that bad."  He smiled.  "They said you should be all good in two weeks or so."  He leaned back in his chair.

"That's good."  She said softly.

There was an odd pause between the two as the only noise was laughter outside along with some sort of machinery going on. 

"Can you stay with me tonight?  We really haven't slept in a different room in awhile and I  just..."  she trailed off, feeling embarrassed by what she was asking.

"No, no.  It's fine.  Yeah.  I'll stay."  He rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb.

"Thank you."  She gave him a smile.

The tent opened as Aaron made his way in with two bowls of soup. "Oh, good. You're awake." He nodded as he handed one bowl to Carter then the other to Clara.

"How's your leg feeling?"  He asked and Clara played with the soup for a bit.

"It's fine.  Doesn't really hurt, trust me.  I've felt worse."  She let out a nervous laugh at her own words.  Carter already knowing what he meant while Aaron just smiled.

"I feel you.  I mean.  Mine isn't as bad as yours but I got this guy."  Aaron pulled up his shirt and showed the two a strange medium size scar on his left side.  "Got it from the very beginning when the whole world went to shit.  My dad and I were driving away and the car flipped, a large piece of glass lodged itself into me."  He told them his story.

"Wait.  You remember?"  Carter questioned.

"Remember what?"  Aaron asked clearly confused.

"Before the maze."  Carter explained further in depth.

"I never went in the maze-wait.  They put you guys in a maze?"  Aaron asked shocked.

"They didn't get you?"  Clara asked surprised.

"Nope.  My dad said screw you and drove off with me.  God rest his soul."  Aaron made a gesture to the sky before continuing.  "Vince was the one that found our crashed car and got us out, got me help.  Without him I would've died." 

Clara and Carter nodded before they heard the radio go off on Aaron. Aaron immediately pulled it out of its slip and held it up to his mouth, pressing the button.

"What's going on, over?" He asked.

Vincent needs your help with some guns

"Copy that, over." He gave a short nod and put it back. "Duty calls." He headed out before turning back around, smiling as he looked at Clara.

"Battle scars, am I right?" With that he left.

The two sat in silence a bit longer as they ate from the soup.  That's when Carter decided to speak up.

"I haven't told you everything...how I got out."  He looked at his soup then to her.  Clara looked at him, staying silent as she waited for him to continue.

"Unlike your group.  Our names weren't the only thing we remembered.  We remembered if we had siblings or not.  Our group had at least one sibling or two."  He stopped for a moment and played with the spoon before he spoke up again.

"I had a sister.   A twin sister...I was older by the way."  He smiled a bit.  "So a few of us decided to group together and go in the maze.  Hopefully, finding a way out quicker.  My sister came with us."  He bounced his leg slightly.

"It was only the first night in the maze and everything fell apart."  He looked at one of the walls of the tent in front of him.

"One after another the Howler started to kill my group. Tore them apart, dug their claws in them, threw them who knows where. Everyone was dead except for my sister and I. There were bodies everywhere. That's when we found an exit in one of the walls."

Clara looked at him and could tell he was in pain. She wanted to tell him he didn't have to say anything else, but she knew that he would continue anyways.

"Nellie was always the smart one. She easily knew the code to get out...but...a Howler pierced her side and then again on her shoulder and again..."

Carter trailed off as his eyes flickered from side to side. He could see it. He could hear it.

The metal claw tore into her neck

"Her neck." His voice cracked and he closed his eyes as tears made their way.

Carter get out of here! Go!

"She told me to run and the Howler just let her go, making her fall to her knees as blood stained her clothes, her neck just..." He shook his head.

"And I went. I got out and I just left her there." He clenched his jaw and looked at the top of the tent, trying to hold in his tears. "I could've carried her out, but I didn't." His voice broke again.

"It's not your fault." Clara reassured him and he shook his head.

"Yes it is."

"No. Your sister wanted you to get out and you did exactly what she wanted for you." Clara placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"But I'm the oldest. I'm the older brother...I'm the one supposed to protect her. Her! Not her." Carter cried out as he buried his head in his hands. This was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

**Sorry for keeping y'all waiting with this one. I can't. All I heard was Jasper when Aaron said 'battle scars'😏**

**You are a Memory ~ Message to Bears**