Gladiolus ~ The Maze Runner

1~7: Hey Guys, I'm Trying I Swear

(long chapter for you guys voila)

***

I awoke via flipping out of my hammock. One moment, I was having trippy dreams; the next, I woke up midair two seconds before I ate the ground. I hate sleeping in hammocks.

I roll onto my back and sigh deeply. I did not sleep well, and I was having more weird dreams. Unfortunately, Thomas wasn't in any of them. This time it was some girl: pale skin, dark hair. I'm getting really fed up with these dreams, I gotta tell you. 

Here's why.

Usually, you can't actually feel genuine emotions or physical effects, but my dreams have both. Sure, you have a scary dream and you're afraid, but that's just your subconscious mind stimulating those neurotransmitters that signal your "fight or flight" response. My dreams have actual emotions or physical feelings that I associate with them because I feel like I've lived through my dreams already. They're more memories than they are dreams. Maybe they really are real moments I've experienced because Thomas showing up confirmed that he was not just a figment of my imagination, but he really existed before, and I have memories associated with him. 

Memories that I can't recall until I'm asleep.

Anyway, enough of that. The sun hasn't risen yet, but it's light enough outside that I know the day will be upon me soon. Grunting, I pull myself up from the ground and make a stop in the Med-jack hut to grab clothes before I hop in the showers. I do a quick scrub, dry off, and dress in a tank top and cargos. I pull on my boots and leave my hair down to dry. 

Stopping back at the Med-jack hut, I drop off my dirty clothes to wash later, grab my med-pack, and head to rouse Thomas.

Like I had mentioned earlier, it's tradition for the new Greenie to put their name on the wall. I silently slip around sleeping bodies to find the new boy asleep in his hammock. Lucky shank didn't fall out of his like I did. 

I lightly shake his shoulder, trying to wake him up without bothering the others. He finally opens his sleepy eyes, rubbing them to better focus on me. I put a finger to my lips and gesture with my other hand to follow. He gets up in a haste and comes after me.

Once we're far enough away from the others, he questioned, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," I say. "Don't worry, I'm not luring you off to slit your throat in the corner."

He chuckles nervously at that and adds, "Well I hope not. Would be a real shame to be killed before I've been here a full 24 hours. I hope to live a long-ish life."

"Your end might come much quicker than expected if you're so hell bent on being a Runner."

"Who told you that? Newt?"

Hell yeah he did. Came and found me after I wished you a goodnight. Said we need to look out for this kid because he must have a death wish. 

I could've said this to Thomas, but all I responded with was, "He thinks you're crazy. He's not wrong, there's really no point in becoming one. But I say, if you decide you really want to, why not?"

"Why's there no point in being a Runner?"

Well shit, because there's no way out. 

But I can't say that. I'm not about to go share every secret in the book just because there's a cute boy. ALSO, just because I acknowledge he's good looking does NOT mean I have a little crush, so hop off.

"There's no point because we already have all the Runners we need," I say simply as we arrive at the wall of names. 

Changing the subject, I gesture to the scene in front of us. "See all of this? It's our documentation of every Glader we've ever had. Three years' worth of it."