~|Charge|~ Thomas

Chapter 23: Rainy Day, Screaming Shanks

All day they waited for Minho and Alby to come back. All day worries filled inside each and every gladers head, hoping that the two were okay, that nothing had happened to them. Hoping that what had happened to Ben was just a one-time thing. Hope. They could only hope. Praying wouldn't help. Crying wouldn't do any good, not like Linnea would be able to cry anyway, and certainly going back after them wouldn't do anything either. So they could only wait, and hope that they would be able to make it back in time. Before the doors closed. Before there was any chance that they could be trapped in the maze.

While rain poured down on the glade, forcing all of them to be excused from their work, and having them all under the shelter, seeking a roof over their head, keeping the rain away, Thomas stood next to Newt, with Linnea in front of him, Thomas's arms wrapped around her body, holding her from behind, warming her up somehow. The girl was freezing cold, but she wouldn't complain to anyone. She was simply too tough for that. That was something that Thomas admired about her, how she could take care of herself just fine. When she was injured she just got right back up and started going again. Thomas knew, though, that her stubborn behavior would eventually become somewhat of a problem, not dealing with how she acts, but dealing with what she does. She could go to extreme lengths for certain things and could possibly get injured and Thomas just simply couldn't have that. He was a part of her life now and he would do anything to keep Linnea safe.

"They should be back by now," Linnea muttered, watching the doors, still open, but soon enough, all too soon, they would be closing, the rain pouring down, covering the grass and the places of the glade, but ever so gracefully falling, the drops each individually falling, causing small ripples in puddles.

Thomas, holding onto the shivering girl, out of concern for her, knowing that Linnea was worried about her best friend a lot, but also wanting to be out there, even though, the curious boy wouldn't say it to the female Runner, but he really didn't want her to be out there. "What happens if they don't make it?" he asked, his voice shivering, but showed a steady beat. Only Linnea noticed the imperceptible stutter in his voice. Even with the worry in his voice, Linnea absolutely relished in his voice. It was amazing. The hum of it was perfect, and the way he said her name, or rather, her nickname, sent shivers down Linnea's back. She was in love. But it wasn't the best place to be in love.

A British voice answered their question. The blonde next to them kept his eyes out on the doors, as if awaiting the two boys to come rushing through the doors at that very moment, but inside him, he was uncertain. "They're gonna make it."

As the water started pouring in through the roof they were under, hitting Linnea and making her calmly shudder, Thomas moved the two of them back, and faced Newt. "What happens if they don't?"

Newt looked back at the two, his chocolate brown eyes trailing down to the smaller girl, then back up to meet Thomas's whiskey colored eyes. His voice slowed, trying to sound confident in his answer, but Linnea knew Newt's voices; and this one was uncertainty. "They're gonna make it."

~**************~

It had stopped raining, but droplets still dropped down from the trees and the shelter, adding to the pools of water under them, but none of the gladers noticed. Half of their hammocks were full of water and soaked to the brim, but none of them cared. They all stood in front of the large, stone doors, awaiting the point to where Alby and Minho would come and join them back in the glade, but some were worried of whether it would happen.

Silence was the only thing that was there. The only noise was Chewie barking at one of Winston's pigs in the background. Other than that, silence. Linnea's facial expression showed everything that was going on inside her head. The fear, the pain, the thought of loss, the worry, everything was all shone in her expression. Thomas noticed this, and especially did, when the small girl absent-mindedly was squeezing his large hand that was in her grasp tighter and tighter as her thought progressively got worse and worse.