𝐍𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐄 ⎯⎯⎯⎯ THOMAS

008.

eight !

THE NERVES WERE kicking in as Brynleigh walked through the halls of the maze. She was getting increasingly more paranoid by the second.

Two nights ago, when she was in the maze, the adrenaline from sprinting and narrowly making it through the doors likely blocked out all her usual anxiety when it comes to the maze.

She walked behind the group as Minho led them to where the now dead Griever was. As they approached the squashed creature, Brynleigh felt sick. The Griever's guts were slimy and falling out of it's body.

"That's disgusting."

"There's something in there." Thomas noticed.

"You mean, besides a Griever pancake?" Frypan quipped.

The group recognized the blinking red dot of light inside the Griever's body. Minho looked at Thomas and Brynn before bravely walking towards the beast.

"Whoa, what are you doing?"

Minho reached his hand between the crack of the two walls into the Griever's body. He moved his hands around, trying to grasp the piece when the creature's leg moved, startling the group.

Brynleigh jumped, her heartbeat speeding up. The Griever moving ( when it was meant to be dead ) only worsened her paranoia.

Thomas glanced over to see the curly-haired girl's hands shaking. His body filled with worry whilst he began to recall the memories of her panic attacks from his dreams.

He wasn't sure if the dreams were actually dreams, or more so memories. Thomas had been getting them almost every night since he arrived, and they often seemed to revolve around Brynleigh. The one earlier today was more vivid than the rest, which left him curious.

He wondered if she was getting the same ones.

Thomas shook the thoughts out of his head and recentered his focus to the more important task, "Okay, come on. Let's try and pull it out. Everyone get a hand on it. Come on."

They all grabbed a part of the Griever's leg and collectively pulled when Thomas counted to three. The monster's leg detached from the rest of it's body, catching a few of them off guard causing them to fall.

Minho inched his way over to the part of his leg that held the blinking piece and picked it up slowly. He began to pull the piece out, which made a disgusting squelching sound.

The boys along with Brynleigh groaned in disgust as he successfully got it out. Minho inspected the gadget closely.

"Interesting." He noted.

"Okay, whatever it is... can we take this up back at the Glade? Because I don't want to meet this guy's friends." Fry asked.

Brynleigh nodded her head in agreement, ready to get the hell out of there and wanting to avoid having to spend another night in that place.

"He's right. It's getting late. Come on."

.ೃ࿐

BRYNLEIGH STOOD BESIDE Thomas quietly ( per usual ) as the group of makeshift "maze runners" gathered around in the Hut alongside Newt and Gally.

"We found this. It was inside a Griever." Thomas informed, referring to the metal piece that Newt currently held in his hands.

"These are the same letters we get in our supplies." The blonde boy realized.

"Yeah. Whoever put us here obviously made the Grievers. This is the first real clue, the first anything, you've found in over 3 years. Right, Minho?"

"Right."

"Newt, we gotta go back out there. Who knows where this might lead us."

Gally glanced at Newt, looking unimpressed, "You see what he's trying to do, right?"

Brynleigh sighed, preparing herself to hear Gally rant about how awful Thomas is. Thomas noticed her sigh and the corner of his lips tugged upwards at the new knowledge of Brynleigh being on his side.

"First he breaks our rules... and then he tries to convince us to abandon them totally. The rules are the only thing that have ever held us together. Why now are we questioning that? If Alby was here, you know he'd agree with me. This shank needs to be punished."

Newt looked at Thomas, then averted his gaze to Brynleigh, "What made you go back in there?"

"Huh?" Brynleigh asked, caught off guard by the sudden switch in topic.

"What made you go back into the maze after you told me you wouldn't go back in there?" He repeated.

She narrowed her eyes, "I told you I wouldn't go back in there without telling you first, which I meant to tell you but Thomas convinced me last minute and it was all in the spur of a mom⸺"

"Thomas convinced you to go in there?"

"I don't see why this matters⸺"

"You're right. Thomas broke the rules. One night in the pit, and no food." Newt declared, interrupting Brynleigh.

"Come on, Newt! One night in the pit? Do you think that's gonna stop him from going into the maze?" Gally exclaimed.

Brynleigh walked over to Newt and grabbed his arm, facing away from the rest of the group.

"Don't punish Thomas for something that was my fault." She whispered.

"If he was the one who made you go in there, he deliberately put you in danger. That's enough for three nights in the pit." Newt spat.

"Newt, I love you and you love me but this overprotective brother crap is getting annoying. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself and make my own choices. It was my choice to go in the maze. So, stop punishing Thomas for my decisions."

"I only do this because I care about you." He mumbled.

"Newt." She pleaded.

Newt looked into the girl's pleading eyes and shook his head. He sighed and looked at the rest of the group, who were waiting with anticipation.

"We can't just have non-runners running into the maze whenever they feel like it. So let's just make this official. Starting from tomorrow, you're a runner." He dictated.

"Wow." Gally scoffed, walking off and exiting the hut.

Brynleigh turned to Newt, who only turned away in stress. She thought about comforting him but knew he would rather be left alone.

"I'll be in the Shed if you need me." She spoke to him before turning and leaving.

⸺ dee speaks !
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