'Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter Thirteen- Behind Bars.

[a/n

Quick fore note- yeah, in the book the slammer is a big metal box, but I'm going to use the style they put in the movie to make the chapter flow better. Just clearing that one up.]

"This is so not fair." Riley groaned, slumping against the hard ground. She was pretty sure there was a line of bruises forming around her jaw, and blood tricked from cuts lining her arms and face. Her wrist ached, and her head throbbed.

"Well, you did start it." Newt reasoned from outside the slammer.

"He provoked me." Riley argued, folding her arms.

"Well, you didn't have to go and knock the bloody shank unconscious. You might have given him permanent brain damage." Newt sighed, tapping his fingers restlessly on the grass.

"Hah." Riley snorted. "He's got that one sorted all without my help."

Newt sighed again. His back was to Riley as he leant against the bars that lined the locked room, but Riley could tell from his stiff posture and monotone voice he was going out of his mind with worry.

"Hey, Newt?" She called softly, wriggling from her lying down position to sit cross legged, facing him- well, his back anyway.

"Yeah?"

"They'll make it out, you know." She said, scraping her fingernail against the dirt.

"Riley, I've told you, nobody survives a night in the maze. Nobody." His voice trailed off, leaving the two in silence. Riley watched as his shoulders starts to shake in a silent sob, and all she wanted to do was go out there and hug him- of course, she couldn't. Even if she'd had the key, she wouldn't be overly excited to go out there anyway. Gally had seemed pretty mad when he'd quite literally thrown her in the slammer.

"Dude, don't cry. You'll set me off, too." Riley sighed, in a bad attempt to make a joke from the situation.

"I'm not crying." Newt muttered, sniffling, reaching up and wiping his cheeks. He shuffled round so he was facing Riley.

His eyes were dead and bloodshot. His expression was pale and weary, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Which, in a way, he did.

Riley gazed up at the sky. That was a good, solid thing to cling onto on that night- the stars, shining through the darkness despite everything. Hope. She could make out some constellations- the names popped into her head from nowhere: Orion, Sagittarius, The spoon.

"Stars are pretty tonight." Riley stated, her gaze landing on the North Star.

"Yeah." Newt muttered. "Really, really pretty." But his gaze didn't leave Riley's face.

"It's gonna be okay." Riley said. "Look at the stars. Through all the crap that's happened here since day one- they're still shining. That's what I call hope. As long as there's still a glimmer of light in the darkness, hope will survive."

"Yeah." Newt looked up. "Yeah. Hope."

Riley nodded thoughtfully. "It sure is cold out, though."

Newt reached through the bars and caught her hand. His fingers were cold as he intertwined them with her own. Warmth ran through her.

"Okay." She smiled. "A little less cold. How long do I have to stay in here again?"

"Two days. I mean, you did break one of our biggest rules." Newt shrugged, plucking a piece of grass with his free hand.

"Not my fault. But okay."

She wriggled into the corner of the small space, resting her head against the bars. She didn't want to sleep, but soon the darkness overwhelmed her.

----

"Riley?" Newt called out, shaking her arm. "Riley!"

Riley's eyes flickered open. She groaned, rubbing her forehead. Light streamed in through the slammer bars. Newt crouched outside, Chuck standing by his side.

"Yeah?"

"Doors are gonna open." He said, his expression grim. "Worth having a look. Will and Mark volunteered to go find the bodies if it comes down to it." Mark and Will were two runners she knew vaguely.

"It won't. Thomas will survive, I know he will." Chuck chirped.

Riley was suddenly wide awake. "Yeah, okay. No chance I can come along, then?"

"No chance." Newt agreed. "I'll come and tell you, okay?"

"You got it."

Newt and Chuck ran off, leaving Riley alone in her cell. She pulled herself up, and watched as they disappeared from sight. She couldn't afford to get her hopes up, so, she decided to just assume they were dead. At least that way it wouldn't hurt as much.

The sound of opening doors rumbled all throughout the Glade, and Riley sank to the floor, listening carefully.

And then the shouting began. Shouting and cheering. Shouts of awe, amazement, thankfulness. That could only mean one thing.

They had made it back alive.

Riley watched carefully, and, pretty soon, Gladers began to mill around, chattering happily, everyone laughing and smiling.

She scanned the crowds until her eyes landed on a small group making their way to the homestead- Thomas, Minho, Alby, Newt, Clint, Jeff and Chuck.

Thomas and Minho looked exhausted, their movements sluggish- but still very much alive. Alby- not so much. Clint and Jeff carried him, their faces serious. Newt said something to the two medjacks, before they nodded and entered the homestead.

The rest of them came jogging to the slammer. Thomas was first to arrive, grinning like a madman. Next was Minho. He rolled his eyes.

"What did you do now, shank?" He laughed.

"Knocked Drake unconscious." Chuck responded for her. Minho snorted. Riley didn't know wether to laugh or cry with relief.

"I thought you guys were dead!" She said, ecstatic.

"Yeah, so did we." Minho grinned. "But this shank-" he patted Thomas on the back. "- killed a bunch of Grievers and saved my hide."

Thomas shrugged. "No biggie."

"No biggie?" Chuck repeated, awed. "Dude, nobody has ever survived a night in the maze. Ever."

Thomas grinned. "Well, now someone has."

"Yeah, okay, enough of the big reunion. We gotta get you bloody shanks checked out by the medjacks. Anyway, I want to see how Alby's holding up." Newt interjected. "We'll see you later, Riles, yeah?"

"Yep. See you."

And then she was left alone again.

Riley closed her eyes, curling up in the corner of her cell where no one could see her. It was then it struck her- what Newt had called her. Riles.

But something stirred inside her- a feeling of familiarity. Like he'd called her that before. She frowned, shrugging it off. She was probably overthinking it anyway.