Edge of Insanity

Chapter Twenty

"Holy shit," I said more to myself than anyone else as I looked around.

The crudely fashioned tombstones were smash to bits. Graves were dug up and bones- human bones, the bones of fellow Gladers- littered the area.

"Who would shucking do this?" Thomas was looking at Minho and I. Both of us, however, were still too horrified to answer or even meet his gaze. I limped further into what remained of the Deadheads. My eyes fell on where Ben's grave used to be. Nothing remained but a pile of dirt and something glinted in the fading moonlight. I reached for it, brushing aside the soil.

Trying to dig up his bones would be useless, you son of a bitch.

"Ari," Thomas was saying and I turned back to the group. "Any ideas?"

I held up the tube Minho and I had found in the Maze on that fateful day, the same tube that turned out to be a Griever's needle. "Someone who wants to send a message."

Minho looked at the tube. "Is that-?"

"Yep." Then I turned and chucked the tube as far as I could into the dark trees. My ribs twinged in response but I didn't care. "I'm done with this shucking crap. This is absurd. When I find the son of bitch who's doing this I'm going to skin him alive and hang his intestines from the trees!"

I looked back at the three of them. Teresa with a horrified almost terrified look on her face, Thomas with the light of fear in his eyes and then Minho who just looked amused.

"You know the really scary thing is that I could actually see you doing that." Thomas was the first to say something and Teresa just glanced from him to me and back to him again.

I threw my hands in the air. "Someone tell Alby and Newt. I'm going to sleep. We can deal with this shit in the morning." I started in the direction of my bed.

I heard Minho mutter, "Good that" behind me as he followed me back to my hut.

~~~

We figured out where the keypad was going to show up in the pattern two days later. Chuck came running to tell me the news at breakfast, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process.

Alby called a Gathering, one which I didn't have the joy of attending this time. An hour later every Glader was sitting in the Homestead listening as Alby told us it was our last day in the Glade.

Tomorrow at dawn we would be leaving.

Stunned silence was what followed the announcement and then a horrendous clamor of questions. But as selfish as it was all I could think was, how the shuck am I going to run through the Maze with a leg that barely works?

There was no time for me to dwell on that thought, however, as Alby told us the plan. When the Maze Doors opened, we would be armed and ready. Then together we'd enter the Maze and run until we reached section 6, which was where the keypad was scheduled next to appear. I'd type in the code and then... Alby paused at this point because no one was sure what would happen after that.

Someone asked about Grievers and that answer was to pray we weren't going to run into any. And if we did... then we'd have to be armed and ready to fight. But we were done staying in the Glade, Newt stepped us and told us. "It's time to leave this bloody shucking place and face the Creators. They need to get what they deserve!"

This earned a collective cheer from everyone and then it was down to business. Gladers were being sorted and giving assignments. Food was being prepared, water bottles packed. Every weapon in the Map Room was counted and laid out. Minho and I were in charge of determining who would could be trusted with one. The Builders under Gally's reluctant supervision were in charge of cutting branches from trees and sharpening them to points or wrapping them in barbed wire to form makeshift clubs.

Frypan was filling packs with non-perishable foods and anything else we could take with us. Chuck was running around, distributing the now full water bottles with instructions to save them until tomorrow.

By the time the Gladers had finally run themselves ragged it was twilight and I was back in my shack. For the last time, I realized. I sat on the bed, without my shoes on and for the first time really looked at my leg.

A jagged cut started just below my knee and ran the length of my calf until it reached my ankle. The flesh was raised and bumpy. It was swollen a little bit and a dark reddish color. I pressed on it with my finger and hissed at the pain that shot up my leg.

It looked absolutely hideous and there was no way in hell I wanted Minho to see it.

I stood up then and tested my full weight carefully on my injured leg. It held well enough with a fair amount of discomfort. I could make. I have to make it.

"It doesn't look as bad as you think."

My stomach lurched. I turned towards Minho. "Okay, honestly I have no idea how you do that."

He shrugged, signature smirk on his face. "It's a talent."

I shook my head, retreating back to the bed and rolling down the leg of my pants. "I can't believe its our last night here."

"Yeah that's for sure." Minho changed out of his shirt. "To be honest, I never thought this was how it would end."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "We spent three years running that shucking Maze and I guess it was just ingrained in my head that one lucky day we'd stumbled upon a way out."

"I guess that was our mistake. Assuming the Maze could be solved." I shrugged.

"Would've been shucking nice if they could've told us that." Minho muttered. "Instead of watching us run around like mice day in and day out."

"Yeah well they deigned to pretty much not tell us anything." I fell back onto the bed, staring up at the thatched ceiling.

"That's for sure." Minho came to lay down next to me.

"Are you scared?" He asked after a little bit.

"Not as much as I thought I would be," I answered. "But nobody can predict what's going to happen when we get out there tomorrow. Not even us."