If There Is A Light

Chapter 58

Newt's head hurt. His legs hurt. Every of him hurt. His ears will filled with the screams and pleas of help from the Gladers around him. His legs pumped furiously underneath him as he tried his best to keep close to Minho and Frypan.

In front of them they could see Thomas, Jeff, Teresa, Alby along with a few other people, but Newt was moving too fast to be able to concentrate on names. There was a Griever closing in on them, and they all seemed to know that running was not going to help them. "Come on!" Thomas screamed at the beast with his blade raised.

It was quite difficult to aim their handmade spears while they were running for their (and their friends') lives, but they did. One of the three thrown bounced off, but two wooden stakes pierced whatever flesh or sinew was on the Griever. There was not much time given from the action, but just enough to put a little distance between the Gladers and whatever sort of monster a Griever was supposed to be. Newt drew his machete from its holster on his back (he had a feeling that the Griever would not give up so easily). "Over here! Let's go! Come on!"

Newt followed behind as Minho took over helping Alby and they followed Chuck's voice. "Over here! Over here!"

"Get Alby inside!"

"Chuck, get in! Go, go, go!"

"Lock down the doors!"

Once the doors were shut, everyone quieted their voice to a whisper, if they even dared to talk at all. The Glade that was once a safe haven of sorts seemed to be more dangerous in the maze. The maze changed constantly, but in the Glade they were like sitting ducks with nowhere to go and just scrambling around as they were picked off one by one.

Newt slowed his breathing and tried to ready himself. There was a sickening growling from all around them and a pounding on the door. There was not much time to think, much less gather some sort of plan of attack. The doors would give way soon and Newt was positive they did not really stand a chance, but he was willing to give his life trying to keep his friends family safe. What the creators did to them was sick, and there was no way in hell he was going to make it easy for them.

Suddenly the pounding was not just on the door and it came from above them. "Whoa!"

"Stay back guys." Newt quietly instructed. He had a hunch that the roof would not fare to well against insistent attacks (it was only made to provide a little shade).

The room which was meant to provide a sense of shelter at the moment did anything but. The Gladers inside felt vulnerable and scared. They shuffled around quietly trying to avoid the falling dust from above them as a Griever scuttled along the roof. No one wanted to be crushed by the monstrous creature and thus stayed clear of being under them directly.

A metallic like limb burst through the roof and grabbed hold of one of their posts, ripping the roof support disturbingly easily from its place. There were shouts as the section of the roof collapsed on top of them. Newt pushed the large sticks off of him as quickly as he could and attempted to pull himself back to his feet. "Is everyone all right?"

"HELP!"

"Hey grab him!" All capable hands made an attempt to grab hold of the boy still incapacitated by the failed roof, but he slid from their grasp almost instantly.

Another Griever limp ripping through the roof like cheap cloth, knocked them around again. "Chuck!" Newt looked over to see the boy in the air and Thomas pulling his arms, "Pull him back." Hoping that perhaps their previous failure had helped in the learning process all of the able bodied Gladers grabbed hold of Chuck's arms. Newt yanked along with everyone else. "Help!"

"Chuck, don't let go!" Thomas instructed the younger boy.

Newt might have laughed at his response if it had not been a life or death situation. "No shit!"

"Pull!"

"Don't let him go!" Newt shouted at all of them. He knew that the effort was starting to get strenuous. He was not sure what exactly saw or what clicked that made Alby suddenly snap, but something did. He screamed and began beating against the Griever's arm (or tail or whatever it was). After quite a few hit it dropped Chuck and retreated out of the hole it had previously made.

"Chuck are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Chuck picked up a metal item and Newt understood what Alby had seen exactly. "Thanks Alby."

Newt was examining the item from afar, but his thoughts were jerked from him once more by Thomas's yelling, "Alby! Watch out!" He was yanked away by another robotic arm and pulled quickly from him.

"Grab him!" Newt yelled and tried to get up to help himself. Thomas was quick and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Thomas... get them out." Alby yanked his arm away.

"Alby! No!"

"Thomas! Thomas! Don't go out there!"

"No, Thomas wait! Thomas, wait!" Thomas ran for the door and everyone was quick to follow. Although when they exited the Council Hall which was now in shambles, Newt's heart broke. Fire, dust and smoke seemed to be all that was left of their home. The Griever's were roaring in the background, which seemed to be like some kind of triumphant and cruel soundtrack to the destruction of the Glade and death of their friends.

"Where is everybody? Who's that over there?"

Soon the approaching figure was distinguishable. Gally was making his way over to them and he was doing it fast. He was understandably upset. "Gally..." That was the only word Thomas was able to groan out before Gally's fist collided with his jaw.

"Whoa!" Newt was quick to jump in front of Gally and try to push him away. He was thankful that Minho and the other boys started to intervene, because he was not exactly sure he was going to be able to hold off the furious Glader by himself.

"This is all you, Thomas! Look around! "

"Back off, Gally! It's not Thomas's fault!" Minho spat back at the boy.

"You heard what Alby said! He's one of them!"

"One of who?" Newt questioned... He had heard what Alby said, but he was not able to put together what Gally was apparently.

''He's one of them, and they sent him here to destroy and everything and now he has! Look around, Thomas! Look around! This your fault!"

"Back off, Gally! This is not Thomas's fault!" Minho insisted again.

Newt felt slightly ashamed that he was not so concerned about whose fault it was, rather than trying to figure out what Alby was talking about? Maybe Alby had said something why Gally was watching over him? Maybe he knew something that no one else did... "What are you talking about? Calm down."

"They sent him here! And now he's destroyed everything we built!"

"What are you talking about?" They continued arguing and Frypan and Minho made sure to keep him back.

"Thomas! No!" Newt would admit that he was getting tired of hearing those words! He was not saying that it was all Thomas's fault, he knew that he was in the exact same boat as them, but every time someone screamed his name all hell broke loose. Newt turned to see Thomas collapsing to the ground clasping the Griever's 'stinger'.

"Chuck, go get the other syringe." Teresa quickly was beside him and trying to help him. "It's okay.... Thomas, it's okay. I'm here."

"Bloody hell..."