Half Light

Alby

"Well, come on," Newt said to Allison and Thomas as he grabbed Thomas's arm and Allison's hand. "No way I'm not going with ya." 

Allison and Thomas followed him, with Chuck right behind, as they left the Council room and went down the hall toward a narrow, spiraling staircase that she hadn't noticed before. Newt took the first step, then gave Chuck a cold glare. "You. Stay." 

For once, Chuck simply nodded and said nothing. Allison figured that something about Alby's behavior had the kid's nerves on edge. 

"Lighten up," Thomas said to Chuck as Newt headed up the staircase. "They just elected me and Allison Runners, so you're buddies with a couple of studs now." 

"Stud is a man." Allison said, shaking her head. 

"Yeah, right," Chuck whispered, staring at the wooden steps in a daze. 

With a shrug Allison started to climb the steps, Thomas right behind her. 

Newt, all grim and solemn, was waiting for Allison and Thomas at the top of the stairwell. They stood at the opposite end of the long, dark hallway from the usual staircase. They followed Newt to the second door on the right and watched as the older boy knocked lightly; a moan sounded in reply. Newt pushed open the door, the slight creak once again reminding Allison of haunted-house movies. 

Newt had stepped into the room and was motioning for them to follow. As they entered, she prepared herself for the horror that was coming in just a few minutes. But when her eyes lifted, she saw a very weak-looking teenage boy lying in his bed, eyes closed. She knew in this moment she would do everything she could to convince Alby to kill himself by going to the Grievers. 

"Is he asleep?" Thomas whispered, but they all knew what he really wanted to ask. 

"I don't know," Newt said quietly. He walked over and sat in a wooden chair next to the bed. Thomas took a seat on the other side. Allison took a spot on the bed next to Alby, leaning over to check if he still had a fever or not. When he still felt warm she reached over and grabbed a wet cloth, using her magic to clean it while the others weren't paying attention, before she started pressing it to Alby's face, tying to calm down his fever a bit. 

"Alby," Newt whispered. Then more loudly: "Alby. Chuck said you wanted to talk to Ali and Tommy." 

Alby's eyes fluttered open—bloodshot orbs that glistened in the light. He looked at Newt, then at Allison who sat next to him, then across at Thomas. With a groan he shifted in the bed and sat up, Allison helping him before she sat the cloth back down, his back against the headboard. "Yeah," he muttered, a scratchy croak. 

Allison, hearing the scratchiness in his voice, reached over and grabbed thing of water and handed it to him. 

"Chuck said you were thrashin' around, acting like a loonie." Newt leaned forward. "What's wrong? You still sick?" 

Alby's next words came out in a wheeze, as if every one of them would take a week off his life. "Everything's ... gonna change.... The girls ... Thomas ... I saw them ..." His eyelids flickered closed, then open again; he sank back to a flat position on the bed, stared at the ceiling. "Don't feel so good." 

"Hey, don't push yourself." Allison told him, laying the cloth on his head again, but this time keeping it there. 

"What do you mean, you saw—" Newt began. 

"I wanted Thomas and Allison!" Alby yelled, with a sudden burst of energy. "I didn't ask for you, Newt! Thomas and Allison! I asked for freaking Thomas and Allison!" 

Newt looked up, questioned Thomas with a raising of his eyebrows. Thomas shrugged, feeling sicker by the second. Although Allison didn't pay them much attention as she tried to sooth the boy in front of her.