~|Charge|~ Thomas

Chapter 25: The Weight of the World

"Set him down, set him down," Linnea ordered the two boys, her plan igniting in her brain smoothly, unlike all of the other thoughts that were bubbling and boiling themselves around in her brain. Thomas and Minho carefully set Alby down, cautious of what could happen, and Linnea stood, looking up at the tall, ivy-covered stone wall in front of them.

They, once again, turned their heads at the shriek of the Grievers, now the sound was even clearer than before. Linnea could hear Thomas's gulp and suddenly, she actually felt bad for him. She was mad at him for bringing her in there, but she realized, he didn't want either of them in there any more than she did. But he did all of it out of courage. Instinct. He didn't even know Minho but he went to help him. Alby had kept a stone-cold expression and wouldn't let Thomas know much and yet he still helped him.  What she didn't know, though, was that all of that Thomas did, it was all for her, and he absolutely could not stand her mad at him like this, so he made a promise to himself. His first priority right then and there, was to make sure that Linnea made it out. He didn't even care if he himself made it out, just that Linnea did. That was the only thing that mattered. Linnea.

"This isn't gonna work, Linnea," Minho started getting up, aborting the plan. "We gotta go, come on."

"Wait," Thomas stopped him. "What are you talking about? We gotta do something. We gotta hide him. Linnea has a plan." he tried to stop the boy, but in Minho's frantic position, the fear that had been riled up in him all these years that he was there, running in the maze, it had finally come true and with Alby alive or not, Minho was determined to get himself out of the maze.

"Where?" Minho defended his own side.

"Just listen to me, Minho!" Linnea yelled.

"No! You listen to me!" Minho shoved the small girl up against the wall, holding her by her jacket, her back pressed against the cold wall, her breath quickening. She had never seen Minho like this. His fear, sure enough was becoming real, but he would never normally treat her like this; or treat anyone like this. "Take a look around. There's nowhere to go!"

Suddenly, as Linnea breathed out in relief, Thomas pulled Minho off of her, and shoved Minho, himself, up against the wall opposite of her and turning the situation around, Thomas threatened the Keeper of the Runners. "And if you touch her, or do anything like that again, you're as good as dead." Almost frightened, the Asian boy nodded, and Thomas let him go and Minho backed up, but as Thomas looked to Linnea, Minho's voice made his head turn back.

"You don't get it, shuckface," Minho said, sternly. "We're already dead."

"Alright!" Linnea said. "Just shut up!" Both boys turned to look at Linnea. "Will either of you just shut up and listen to my plan!?" Exchanging glances with each other, both boys nodded, and Linnea, in a very exaggerated motion, pointed towards the thick, ivy covered wall. "You think you know what my idea is?"

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

The two boys did know. They knew what they had to do and a way to get Alby safe, even if he was stung by a Griever and the same thing that had happened to Ben, to Nick, and to all the others that had been stung would happen to their leader. Nothing that they truly knew would stop that, other than the mysterious liquid Linnea had, but they obviously didn't have any of that.

They had tied Alby up with the ivy and were pulling down, using all of the strength that they had left in their bodies, to pull him up. Their grunts and groans echoed throughout the area they were in, and Linnea knew that it wouldn't be too long before the Grievers knew as well. 

They almost had Alby up to the top, but just as they were about to pull their, what seemed to be the last large pull, Minho stopped, looking off into the distance, out to the corridors of the maze, as a silent sound mimicked itself up until it reached them.