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— ❝ you were different but i don't know how. ❞
THEO THOUGHT THOMAS was completely crazy. Out of his mind. But he was right. Thomas was somehow connected to all of this and they needed to find out why. And selfishly, Theo also hoped Thomas would find out a thing or two about himself.
Slowly but surely, the time ticked away and night took over the Glade, despite the sky not changing. Everyone headed inside the Homestead, Theo noticed Thomas immediately, seeing the anxious energy his body language gave off.
Theo found himself with Newt again in a room surrounded by other Gladers, curled up to himself. He certainly couldn't sleep, even though he knew his body needed it desperately. He tried—he tried so hard to keep his eyes closed, force himself to relax.
But he had no luck. The night dragged on, the heavy sense of anticipation like a weight on his chest.
Then, just as he expected, came the mechanical, haunting sounds of the Grievers inside his mind. He shot up from his position on the bed, sitting and pressing his hands to his face to hide his agonizing expression.
The time had come.
Everyone crowded together against the wall farthest from the windows, doing their best to keep quiet. Newt had his arm in front of Theo as if that were to stop a Griever from getting to him. Theo glanced around to see Thomas huddled in a corner next to Teresa, hugging his knees, staring at the window.
He thought about the dreadful decision Thomas made earlier that day.
The tension in the room rose at a steady pace. The Gladers were quiet, not a soul moved. A distant scraping of metal against wood echoed through the house; it sounded like a Griever was climbing on the back side of the Homestead, opposite where they were. More noises joined in a few seconds later, coming from all directions, the closest right outside their window. The air in the room seemed to freeze into solid ice, and Theo squeezed his eyes shut from the noise inside his head.
A booming explosion of ripping wood and broken glass thundered from somewhere upstairs, shaking the whole house. Theo froze as several screams erupted, followed by the pounding of fleeing footsteps. Loud creaks and groans announced a whole horde of Gladers running to the first floor. "It's got Dave!" someone yelled, the voice high-pitched with terror.
No one in their room moved a muscle; Theo knew each Glader was probably feeling guilty about their relief—that at least it wasn't them. That maybe they were safe for one more night. Two nights in a row only one boy had been taken, and people had started to believe that what Gally had said was true.
Theo and Newt jumped as a terrible crash sounded right outside their door, their bodies pressing together in an effort to find comfort. The crash was accompanied by screams and the splintering of wood, like some iron-jawed monster was eating the entire stairwell. A second later came another explosion of ripping wood: the front door. The Griever had come right through the house and was now leaving.
