How I survived in an all boys glade

Chapter Forty-one

- What happened to George? -

"Hey, Minho!?" I yell as I spot him running out of the maze. I limp over to him the best I can, carefully putting down the bucket of food I was carrying for the animals. "Shouldn't George be with you?" I ask, breathless, trying to keep up with him.

Minho looks at me, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? George was never in the maze with me," he replies, and my heart sinks.

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. George had lied. He told me he was sick, but he must've gone into the maze alone, despite his condition. Panic starts to rise in my chest, but I try to stay calm.

"She-bean?" Minho asks, pulling me from my thoughts. "You okay? You look kinda pale." His concern is clear as he steps closer, placing a hand on my forehead.

"I-..." I start to speak, but the words just won't come. I feel like I can't breathe, the weight of the situation too much to handle in that moment.

Before I can say anything more, Theo walks over, followed by Newt and Fry. "Hey, what's going on?" Theo asks, noticing my anxiety. Newt then looks over at Minho, confusion crossing his face. "Wait, where's George?" he asks. Minho, still looking perplexed, shrugs.

"George is still in the maze..." I say in a daze, my voice shaky. I glance over at the doors that are about to close, the urgency of the situation sinking in. The others stare at me, eyes widening in disbelief.

"Well, what are we doing here standing around? We have to find him," Fry says, his voice sharp with panic.

"No!" I immediately protest, my heart racing. "We can't go into the maze now. It's too dangerous with the Grievers out there. I mean, it's pure luck I even survived last time." I look at them, my face filled with concern. "We can't risk it."

"She's right," Minho agrees. "We have to wait until tomorrow."

Before anyone can respond, Alby walks up, joined by some of the other guys. They see us standing near the doors and come over to investigate. "Wait for tomorrow to what?" Alby asks, sensing the tension in the air.

"George is still in the maze," Theo quickly explains to him. The others all exchange shocked looks, their eyes wide as they try to process the news.

"What?" Alby asks, his voice filled with disbelief as he looks from me to Theo. "He went in this morning after telling me he was feeling better," Theo adds, his voice a mix of concern and frustration.

"Yeah, but the walls are about to close. We can't go looking for him now," Alby says with a resigned sigh. "We'll go in tomorrow morning. I'll inform the others." Minho then runs off to alert the rest of the runners.

I stand there for a moment, the weight of the situation settling in. I look at the maze, knowing that George is out there, but there's nothing we can do right now. The Grievers are too dangerous. With a heavy heart, I make my way back to the stables to finish feeding the animals, trying to focus on something else to calm my racing thoughts. But I can't help but worry about George and what might happen to him.