The Silent Runner

8. griever girl

"Everyone out of the way!" Newt yelled as Minho and I carried Alby to the med-jacks. "Angelina, go get your bag!" I nodded and took off. When I returned Newt was pacing back and forth and Teresa was now present. I nodded at her as if saying hello. "What took you so long?" he snatched the bag out of my hands.

"Newt," Minho placed a hand on Newt's chest. "Give her a break, she just ran the klunkin' maze and helped me get him outta there. I wouldn't have made it back in time and by then who knows if Alby would still be curable." Newt looked at me with apologetic eyes but I waved em' away and pointed towards Alby. I didn't care if he yelled at me. In a weird way, it made me feel more alive. Finally, he took out the tubes and held one in his hand. 

"You do it," he handed it to Thomas. Thomas approached Alby's shaking body. Dark veins were running from the hole in his chest. He groaned and panted. Thomas looked back at us assuring himself and the others what he had to do.

"Okay-" Alby looked up at him and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him closer to his face.

"You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be here!" We all struggled to try to pull Thomas away and hold Alby down till Teresa grabbed the vile and struck him with it. Suddenly, he calmed down and took slow breathes. 

"Okay from now on, someone stays here and watches him- around the clock," we all nodded, taking in the fact that he was now in charge. 

"Time to go Greenie," Gally said appearing in the door, looking at Tommy. They disappeared together when Newt approached me. 

"I'm sorry about before- I shouldn't have yelled. I've just been stressed I guess." I shrugged meaning it was okay. 

"Why don't you talk?" Teresa asked.

"She can't," Minho interrupted. "The creators did something to her- messed up her chords." 

"The creators?" 

"The people who put us here," Newt answered. He sounded so angry. Newt was always that way when they were mentioned. He seemed to really hate the Glade.

I longed to tell him that I'd rather be in here than out there but he'd have to see it to believe it.

Teresa nodded and motioned for me to follow her. 

"Walk with me back to the homestead?" I nodded and exchanged looks with Newt one last time before leaving. "So, do you recognize me? From outside the maze, I mean." I nodded. "Did you work there?" I shook my head no. "They were gonna send you here already?" Again I shook my head no. She frowned- out of questions, we walked in silence to her room.

I was ready to leave but she stopped me. "Thomas; did I know him?" I nodded one last time before leaving. I went to Frypan's looking for food. He gave me a nice smile before handing me a plate. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gally staring at me while sharpening his blade on a rock but I ignored it and sat down. It wasn't long before Chuck took a seat in front of me. He looked exhausted. 

"Could ya' do that somewhere else ya' klunk?" Frypan hollered to Gally. He slammed his fist down on the table. 

"Watch it Fry or I'll throw you to the Grievers." He left but not without knocking over a chair.

"Can't wait!" Fry yelled back, laughing. 

"No one really likes Gally. No one has since he went through the changing." I nearly spit out my food. "Yup Captain Gally, stumbled into the maze when he was the Greenie." Chuck smiled as if proud he hadn't done so.

"That's what I can't stand about all this klunk," Minho said joining us. "He's tryna' punish Thomas for pulling the same stunt he pulled." He paused. "And it's not that no one likes him it's just no Glader can stand to be around him."  He shrugged stealing a bit of my bread roll. I punched him in the arm before gobbling it up so he couldn't take any more. We made Chuck laugh so it was worth it. He seemed like he needed a laugh. In fact, they all could've used one. 

"Well, I'm headin' off to bed and you should too. We gotta job to do remember? Night Chuckie." I nodded before throwing away my trash, waving to Chuck, and following Minho out. 

Instead of going to bed right away though, I decided to take a walk. I sat near the dead fire, drawing in the sand with a stick. I heard running and quickly turned to see Thomas so I relaxed again. 

"There you are! I've looked everywhere." He chuckled before sitting down next to me. Our backs rested on an old log. "Can I ask you something?" I nodded as I always do. "Do you remember things other than the Maze or the Creators? Like when you were a kid?" I shook my head no. I blocked it all out after I had to survive on my own for a while. "I feel like I remember you." I looked at him- confused as ever. I had no memory of him ever before the Maze. "I have this constant need to know you're okay but not like that-" He sighed. "Nevermind, I can't explain it." I sighed.

It was quiet. We sat looking at the sky. 

"This memory thing sucks. What if I have a brother or a sister? What if I had a kid of my own? More importantly, how old am I?" 

I wrote two numbers in the sand before shoving him and pointing to them. The number read 18. I knew because of the tablet I took.
Which recently I was added to.

"I'm 18?" I nodded. "What about you?" I changed the 8 to a 7 in hopes Wicked didn't send anymore bugs. "17?" I nodded once again.

"That's enough love for one night, let the Griever Girl sleep," Gally said while passing by.

"What did you call her?"

"Griever Girl. You mad Tommy? Are you tryin' to stick up for your girlfriend?"

"That's enough Gally!" Newt said approaching us. "Lights out- for all of you!" He shouted. We all stood and went off to bed. Well the majority of us who could sleep.

I couldn't stop thinking about Newt and how frustrating all this had to be for him. His best friend is half dead and he has to lead a group of angry, hormonal teenage boys. But that's just it- he's an angry, hormonal teenage boy. All this stress, it had to be a huge wait on his shoulders.  I just wish I could help him.