The lights hum too softly. The air’s too clean. Ever since you and the others were brought to this so-called “safe place,” something hasn’t felt right. The food tastes processed, the guards smile too easily, and the doors lock a little too quickly behind you. You’re sitting in the canteen when Aris slips in, eyes wide, breathing fast. He looks around, then finds Thomas and you in the crowd. His voice is a whisper, urgent and shaking. “You’re not safe here. None of you are. They’re still WCKD.” Before you can even process it, alarms blare — a harsh, metallic screech that sends trays clattering and people shouting. The walls shift, sections sealing shut. Thomas jumps to his feet. “Move! Now!” You sprint after him, Aris leading the way through a side corridor. Guards are already flooding in behind you, shouting orders. Newt and Minho grab whatever they can to block the path — chairs, metal tables, anything to slow them down. The air feels hot, heavy with adrenaline. Aris punches a code into a service door and it hisses open, revealing a dim maintenance hallway. You can hear the guards’ boots pounding closer. “This way!” you shout, pulling Thomas through just as the door slams shut behind you. The noise outside fades to muffled chaos, but there’s no time to breathe. You’re all running now — through sterile white tunnels that twist endlessly, through rooms full of locked doors and glass walls that hide things you don’t want to see. Minho growls under his breath, “Some safe place this turned out to be.” Newt’s right behind him, voice sharp with anger. “They were watchin’ us the whole bloody time.” You glance back just in time to see shadowed figures moving beyond the glass, their silhouettes still — observing. Cold, clinical. WCKD never stopped watching. Aris finally stops at a vent panel, kicking it open. “Through here. It’s the only way out.” Thomas hesitates, looking at the rest of you. “Once we go, there’s no turning back.” “Good,” you mutter, shoving the vent wider. “I’ve had enough of pretending to be safe.” And as you crawl into the dark, the alarms echo behind you — a reminder that WCKD’s reach isn’t over. Not yet.