A Way Back - The Maze Runner (♡Newt)

Chapter 20

Newt's pov

Just a few more turns.
     Left, right, right, straight, right.
     I saw the Glade coming closer, the doors still open, of course. I was early today, not a lot of changes in the Maze, so my work in the Map-room was done pretty fast. When I got back, I headed to the kitchen, I was starving.
     Looking around the busy room, I noticed I was the first Runner who had returned from the Maze. Feeling a bit of pride to have outrun not just Minho but also Cally I took my food from Frypan. Again, we were eating chicken. It was the third day in a row that we got served chicken. I know I shouldn't be complaining, but we really had too much bloody chickens if we could eat so many of them in such a short period of time.
     As I looked around the room, I saw Clint sitting by Alby. Not feeling like talking to them, I sat down by a table outside of the Homestead. As the time passed by, I was just sitting and eating. Looking at the Gladers who passed me by and the Runners who one by one came running back out of the Maze, every single one of them sweaty and out of breath.
     After some time, I noticed that every runner had come back, except for Minho and Cally. I was starting to worry, did something happen? Was there a Griever? - Stop overreacting, they're late, that's all.
     But the more I thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed to me, Minho and Cally are by far the fastest Runners we have.... they wouldn't be late, there must have happened somethin'.
     "Hey, Newt." A voice from behind woke me from my thoughts, it was Minho, who sat down beside me. His presence calmed me down. They hadn't been late, thinking about it made me realize they probably had arrived long before me and retreated to their rooms.
     "Hey, Minho." When I looked at Minho I saw his face stood dark, "wow, who died man?" I asked jokingly, hoping to lift his spirits a little. But Minho looked at me without even the slightest sign of amusement.
     "You haven't heard yet?" Minho's voice sounded darker then his face was, making me nervous.
     "Heard what?"
     "Cally. She's upstairs in the Med-room."
     Those words were enough to drain the blood from my face and make my heart skip a beat. "Why? What happened?"
     "We were making our way back from my section, when we decided to race back. It wasn't really a decision, we just started racing each other, ya know?"
     "Yes I know. What happened?" I really didn't feel like hearing the long story. I just wanted to know what happened, how bad it was and if she was going to be okay.
     "Slim it, I'm getting there." Minho bit at me, he clearly didn't have any kind of patient left in his body. I realized talking about it helped him process, so I listened. "Anyway, Cally got in front of me, not that far, just a few feet. She turned a corner and when I turned it, she had stopped running, making me run into her. She pushed me back, ordering me to run in the other direction. The moment I looked behind her, I saw why she had stopped running. A Griever came running at us. I started to run, Cally right behind me, but the buggin' thing already got too close. It stang her in the back."
     The moment my suspicion had been confirmed, my heart sank, and I got up from the table. "Newt! Where are you going?"
     "The Med-room."
     Minho got up as well, blocking my way. "No, you're not. The Med-jacks are trying to see if her lungs are impaled. The wound it... it ain't pretty."
     "I don't care, I'm going." My voice determined.
     Minho sighed, "it doesn't matter if you care or not. I had to leave the room. Why do ya think I'm here in the first place? They're not going to let you in until they're done."
     When I concluded Minho was done, I walked around him. "Seriously? You're just going anyway?"
     "I'm going to wait inside." I said without turning back to him. The kitchen was almost empty, the doors were about to close. Most of the Gladers were doing their own thing right now. None of them paying attention to the closed Med-Room door. They probably didn't know. Or just didn't want to be confronted before the Changing starts. If it starts at all. Because if her lungs got impaled, that would mean there's nothing the Med-Jacks can do. Her lungs will fill up with her own blood and... 
     Quickly, I shook my head, banishing the thought. Instead, I led my eyes fall on Bark. Who was lying in front of the M.R.. Her eyes locked on the door.