LIMERENCE ﹐ the maze runner.

17

There was silence besides the noise of the Doors closing. It was dark, and that's when Clara started to be scared.

She realized that there was a zero percent chance they would make it out of it alive.

She didn't want to die. Not yet. Not so soon.

A cry from Alby and a moan from Minho brought Clara back from her fearful thoughts.

Minho was standing up again, but he looked terrible.

Clara saw Thomas push himself away from the wall and run to the two other Gladers.

"Greenie,"Minho said,"if you think that was brave comin' out here, listen up. You're the shuckiest shuck-faced shuck there ever was. You're as good as dead, just like us."

"We all goddamn know that, you don't have to remind us,"Clara said angrily.

"I couldn't just sit there and leave you guys out here,"Thomas said.

"And what good are you with us? Clara, you can barely even shucking run!"Minho told them. "Whatever, dude. Break the Number One Rule, kill yourself, whatever."

"You're welcome. I was just trying to help,"Thomas replied bitterly.

Minho forced out a laugh, then knelt beside Alby. Alby skin was losing colour fast and his breaths were quick and shallow.

"What happened?"Thomas asked as Clara walked over to Alby as well.

"Don't wanna talk about it,"Minho replied as he checked Alby's pulse. "Let's just say the Grievers can play dead really well."

"So he was... bitten? Stung, whatever? Is he going through the Changing?"Thomas asked.

"You've got a lot to learn,"Minho remarked.

"Oh my God,"Clara muttered and rolled her eyes.

"Is he going to die?"Thomas asked.

"Since we didn't make it back before sunset, probably. Could be dead in a hour - I don't know how long it takes if you don't get the Serum. Course, we'll be dead, too, so don't get all weepy for him. Yep, we'll all be nice and dead soon."

"We're really going to die?"Thomas asked, obviously not excepting it. "You're telling me we have no chance?"

"None."

"Thanks for being so optimistic,"Clara remarked sarcastically.

"There has to be something we can do,"Thomas said. "How many Grievers'll come at us?"

"I don't know."

"But... What about Ben?"Thomas tried to reason with Minho. "And Gally, and the other who've been stung and survived?"

"Didn't you hear me? They made it back before sunset, you dong. Made it back and got the Serum. All of them."

"But I thought Grievers only came out at night,"Thomas said.

"Then you were wrong, shank. They always come out at night. That doesn't mean they never show up during the day,"Minho answered Thomas.

"Has anyone ever been caught outside the walls and lived through it?"Thomas continued to ask questions.

"Never."

"How many have died, then?"

"At least twelve,"Minho said. "Haven't you been to the graveyard?"

"Yeah."

"Well, those are just the ones we found. There are more whose bodies never showed up. That freaking graveyard's back in the woods for a reason. Nothing kills happy time more than being reminded of your slaughtered friends every day."