Trials Together (Book One): The Maze Runner

Chapter 13

"You were shucking brave in there Greenie, any normal meeting and Harriet or Alby would have had you in the Slammer for a week just for asking." Minho told Thomas once they had left the Homestead, Miyoko was following them.

"Now where's ya friend?" She cast her eyes around the Glade, Thomas couldn't see Rachel.

Where are you? Come to the middle of the Glade and make it look accidental. Thomas instructed her, he saw her turn a corner from the Gardens and made to walk over to her.

Chuck jogged up to them and started talking to Minho breathlessly.

"The medis sent me, Alby's thrashing around all crazy, he wants to talk to Thomas and Rachel." Rachel ran over.

"There really is something about you Greenies," Miyoko shook her head, "Come find us after." Her and Minho headed for a corner of the Glade that Thomas was yet to explore.

They followed Chuck back to the Homestead, Sonya, Newt and Harriet waited at the top of the stairs.

"You run along now," Sonya told Chuck, the younger boy didn't need asking twice. No one ever wanted to be around the Changing, it seemed.

Entering the room Harriet shoved Thomas and Rachel into chairs and perched on a small table, Newt and Sonya remaining stood.

"What did you want to talk to 'em for Alby?" She questioned, staring down at her friend on the bed.

"Them, them and the other two that came up, I saw them." Alby sat bolt upright. "I only wanted Thomas and Rachel, the rest of you. Get. Out." The last two words came as a shout. Newt began to protest but Sonya grabbed his hand as she left, Harriet followed, muttering about the day's events.

"I know who you are, you and the other two, I remember it all. Who you were, what you did." Thomas was struck with a great desire to know who he was, who Rachel was.

"Tell us." He prompted urgently.

"It ain't pretty, it's horrible, we don't want to remember." Alby seemed about to continue but suddenly he was clutching his own throat, thrashing as if an unseen presence was attempting to strangle him.

"Help! Thomas come on." Rachel shouted, pulling his arm. She attempted to pry Alby's fingers from his neck, but his grip was stronger than her hands.

Rachel's screaming had alerted the three outside and they ran in. Harriet and Sonya wrenched Alby's arms from his neck, they were stronger than Rachel. Newt grabbed one leg and yelled at Thomas to grab the other, it sprang from his grasp until Rachel started to help.

Alby continued to thrash but couldn't hurt himself further with the five of them holding him down.

As suddenly as it had started Alby's struggling stopped, Harriet and Sonya reluctantly letting go of his arms.

Alby looked up, eyes droopy, as if he was on the edge of slipping into a deep sleep. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Don't know what happened. It was like ... something was controlling my body. I'm sorry...."

"You tried to bloody kill yourself." Sonya stared at him, she was the youngest person in the room, Thomas noted, but as strong as Newt and Alby.

"If it wasn't you then who?" Newt demanded.

"The Creators, they..." Alby began but Harriet put a hand over his mouth. Thomas thought she might be the only person he wouldn't punch for that.

"No more talking, you just tried to throttle yourself and I bet that's why. Go to sleep."

Alby fell back onto the mattress obediently, "be careful with the new Greenies, and protect the maps." He instructed vaguely.

Newt shook his head.

"Now out!" Thomas didn't need telling twice, they all left, Harriet shutting the door.

"What is going on?" Sonya shook her head, "you two are some sort of catalyst for the weird." She considered Thomas and Rachel, "go and stay out of trouble."

"Tonight, Tommy's in the Slammer, and tomorrow you're both running" Newt told them. Thomas and Rachel started down the stairs.

"We need to find Gally, maybe throw him in the Slammer till he calms down."

Thomas heard Harriet whisper.

"This all so strange." Rachel started as they left, "Alby, Ben, the two from the Box, all of them saying things are going to change. I think Sonya must be right about the catalyst thing."

They wandered for a while and Thomas considered everything. Eventually Newt came and found them.

"You two, come with me, you're tellin' me everything Alby told you, then you're gonna stare at those two sleepin' shanks till your eyes bleed. We need to know what's goin' on with you two." They followed him back to the Homestead, up the stairs away from Alby's room into another.

The boy and girl lay on beds on either side of a room, "We think they'll come out of it soon," the male Keeper said, Thomas couldn't remember if he was Jeff or Clint. Neither of the girls were present. "Keep muttering."

Thomas remembered what Rachel had told him, that she could sense that they were also telepathic but would not answer her. He knew what she meant, being near them caused a buzzing sensation in his mind.

Can you hear me? Thomas sent out a general message, but no one answered.

Know what I mean? He knew that the voice was Rachel's because it sounded just like her audible one.

"They keep saying their names, he hers and her his," Clint pointed to Thomas and Rachel, "over and over, that and that 'it all has to end'."

"Sit down," Newt pulled up a chair by the girl's bed and Thomas sat, then the process was repeated with Rachel on the other side of the room.

"You think you know them?" Newt asked, Thomas nodded, and Rachel replied 'yes'. It was like a flutter in his brain, he did know this girl, and even though he had only seen her lifeless body it was a deeper connection than that he felt with Rachel, and the boy too when he came to think of it.

Teresa

Thomas heard a name in his mind and gasped.

"What's that Tommy, you got something?" Newt inquired.

"Is there a Teresa here?" Thomas didn't know why he had heard it, and there were so many girls here.

"No, I can show you the list of all the sticks and shanks that've ever been stuck in this buggin' place. Got anything Rachel?"

"Aris." She replied vaguely, looking up straight at Thomas.

"Must have sprung out of your shuckin' memory blocks." Newt started.

Thomas. He heard it again, it wasn't Rachel's voice but practise with her was the only reason Thomas didn't scream. The voice was frilly and feminine, the girl's. She was definitely telepathic just like him and Rachel, probably the boy - Aris - too.

Tom, we're the last ones. It'll end soon. It has to.

Me and Aris, we're the triggers, but it was us, me, you, Aris, Rachel. We did this to them, to us. Thomas needed out of this room, to put his head back together. He had to talk to Rachel, could she hear it too?

"Nothing else?" Newt questioned.

"No." Thomas lied, Rachel murmured assent. Was she lying or not?

"Well, it's getting dark, so we're done for today, have some dinner and make yourselves scarce." Thomas followed Rachel out of the room and to the corner behind the Homestead when they slept. Dragging their sleeping bags away from the mass of them where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Did you hear anything in your head in there?" Thomas asked Rachel.

"Yes, he said that they were the triggers and that the four of us did 'this'" She told him, wringing her hands,

"The same, just the same." Thomas replied. "What does it all mean."

"I don't know but should we still keep it a secret?"

"Secret, just for a little while." Thomas didn't know what would happen when Newt and the other's figured it out, but he wasn't ready to admit that he had possibly caused all their suffering.