𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐃| 𝐓.𝐌.𝐑. (𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐭)

2: Shankette

"Light her up!" I hear Alby yell.

I then turn my head to see twigs and sticks on fire. The boys throw them into a pile and they start cheering. I roll my eyes and turn back, just staring at the black sky.

"Hell of a first day, Alana." A voice says and I look up to see Thomas.

"Can I just be alone?" I tell him.

"C'mon. You can't tell me your mind isn't flooding with questions." He says, taking a seat next to me.

"Like you'll give me the answers I want. You'll just tell me what I want to hear." I scoff.

"You don't know until you ask. Give it a shot, Alana." He tells me.

"You and Chuck are the only ones who actually call me by my name." I mutter, looking down at my hands.

"Here." He says, holding up a jar. "I assume girls don't grow hair on their chests. So, make yourself look taller." Thomas says as he hands me a jar of a honey like substance.

I slowly take a sip. It hits my tongue and I gag. I then close my eyes and swallow fast, holding in a cough.

"Fuck. What is that?" I ask, giving him the jar back.

"I don't even know. It's Gally's recipe. It's a trade secret." Thomas chuckles.

"It's probably his piss." I say and Thomas laughs. "And yeah, well, he's still an asshole. Just like your British friend, Newt." I roll my eyes.

"He saved your life today." He nods at me. "Trust me. The maze is a dangerous place. And Newt isn't a bad guy." He tells me.

"I'll believe it when I see it." I tell him. "We're trapped here, aren't we?" I then blurt out, leaning my head back head back.

"For the moment. But...you see those guys? There, by the fire?" He says, pointing his finger.

"Yeah." I nod.

"Those are the Runners. That guy in the middle there, that's Minho. He's the Keeper of the Runners.
Every morning, when those doors open, they run the maze...mapping it, memorizing it,trying to find a way out." Thomas says.

"How long have they been looking?" I ask.

"Three years." He tells me and my eyes widen.

"And they haven't found anything?" I say.

"It's a lot easier said than done." He tells me with a tiny grin.

"Yeah. A lot of things were easier." I mutter, shaking my head.

"Listen. Hear that?" Thomas says, putting his finger up and I hear the sounds of metal clicking.

"The hell?" I say.

"It's the maze, changing. It changes every night." He says.

"How is that even possible?" I ask.

"You can ask the people who put us in here, if you ever meet the bastards." Thomas says.

"Oh, trust me, I will." I nod at him

"Listen, the truth is...the Runners are the only ones who really know what's out there. They are the strongest and the fastest of us all. And it's a good thing, too...because if they don't make it back before those doors close, then they are stuck out there for the night. And no one has ever survived a night in the maze." He tells me.

"What happens to them?" I ask.

"Well, we call them Grievers. Of course, no one's ever seen one and lived to tell about it. But they're out there." He trails off, sipping the gross honey like substance.