[2] Remember Me ➝ The Maze Runner ✓

*Surrender your Noses*

*Surrender your Noses*

Silence hung like a curtain of velvet, thick and melancholy. A web of fear enveloped my heart as a single question churned through my thoughts: what now?

I remained in Thomas' arms for what felt like forever - each second dragged out blissfully slow as I leaned against his toned body. Blood pounded through my temples as a heavy throbbing began behind my eyes.

My eyelids remained clamped over my eyes like a blindfold, leaving me patently unaware of all that was transpiring around me... until someone grabbed my shoulders in a tight grip and hauled me from the floor. A scream spilled from my mouth as my eyes fluttered open and I came face to face with the deformed face of a middle-aged man. Half of his cheek was missing, spilling blood and clumps of flesh - as if someone had literally grabbed a handful of skin and yanked it from his face. His eyes were bulging from their sockets, bloodshot and bleak. His thin lips were tugged into a grim smile as he suddenly snorted at me. Nausea gripped sharply at my gut; I was paralysed. In the split second I had before he fully advanced on me, Thomas managed to jerk me out of the way and grab my arm.

My head swimming with disorientation, I spun on my heel and raced after Thomas. Gun shots fired continuously from behind as we bolted after the fleeing gladers. It took me a long second to work out what was happening; Cranks had obviously overrun the other courtyard. And now... now all hell was breaking loose.

There was a chilling scream - shrilling through the air like a banshee - and I felt the colour drain rapidly from my face as I propelled myself forward. Axel and Azela were nipping at my heels, their breathing laboured as we struggled to evade the disfigured limbs of the dozen or so monsters rampaging behind us.

My pace slackened and I allowed Azela and Axel to pass, before spinning on my heel and facing the man from earlier. His amber orbs were glassy as he craved for a taste of flesh. I glared directly into them, closing an invisible hand around his unhinged mind and crushing it under my envisaged palm.

The crank's eyes rolled upwards, before collapsing with a sickening thud. Three more advanced, with Soldier directly behind them. As he levelled the gun at the one on the left, I sucked in a sharp breath and sent the other two tottering to their demise.

With a sudden ripple of fatigue, I stumbled after Soldier and into the room in which the gladers were assembled. Kyle rammed the door closed with his foot and turned the lock. With the aid of three random guys, he set up a barricade of grating plastic chairs and leaned sluggishly against the wall with a drawn-out sigh.

I impatiently tucked a strand of greasy hair behind my ear and skimmed the room. It was a relatively large room, with a stack of tables and chairs pushed to one side, and a monitor of computers on the other. Three hummed softly, their screens a mass of static waves, whilst the other two hung loosely with their screens peppered with bullet holes. Glass was scattered along the desk beneath it, along with several specks of crimson.

Drawing my eyes away from the obvious traces of blood, I focused on rooting out a familiar face amongst the mob of stricken teenagers. Two simple, yet eloquent emotions fogged the air - fear and panic. And some of it was most likely directed toward Axel, Azela and I. Because we were freaks.

"Rowan," a soft voice spoke behind me. Of course, Thomas was hovering sheepishly, his hands tucked into his pockets. I smiled and nodded gratefully as he asked if I was okay.

Axel and Azela appeared beside me a moment later, their faces languid and pale. "What now?" Axel asked, his probing gaze skimming the panicked crowd.

"I don't-" I was cut short by a loud thud against the door. Followed by another, and another. The entire doorframe rattled and groaned under the pressure of each slap.

"Shuck," Thomas cursed. "They're trying to get in."

My eyes bulged in horror as the door began to give way, jolting the stacked chairs farther away from the door. The cranks were piling against it on the other side, scrabbling past one another in an attempt to claw their way through.

The gladers backed right up to the wall, a mass of stricken teenagers with their eyes glued to the trembling doorway.

Kyle and Soldier positioned themselves in front of them - Solider has his gun locked at the door, and Kyle had rooted out a small handgun from one of the desk drawers, and was now clutching it with trembling fingers.

I pushed Thomas behind me and stood side by side with Axel and Azela, my fingers clenching and unclenching anxiously by my side.

The door was about to break any moment...

The chairs were flung across the room, skidding into the teenagers and sending them screaming like wild pigs. The cranks poured in rapidly, and gunfire rang shrilly through the air. It was quickly drowned out, however, as a scream that would render even a banshee shameful wailed over our heads.

That shank, Alyssa.

Clenching my knuckles until they turned white with strain and began aching, I propelled a surge of anger into my thoughts and sent four cranks sagging to their knees simultaneously. Axel and Azela followed suite, and the fallen cranks began to pile up against the walls, barely even making it metres into the room before we sent their knees buckling.

Then, silence dropped like ash, heavy and melancholy.

The doorway was empty, save for the protruding limbs from the heaps of bodies. Blood pooled and curdled along the floor, making me blanch and turn away.

The others were breathing heavily, their eyes darting wildly to the cranks, and then to us.

Chuck abruptly stepped forward, staring at me sheepishly, and then flung himself into my arms. I stumbled back in surprise as he enveloped me in a tight hug.

Looking down with widened pupils, I awkwardly patted his shoulder and returned the gesture.

Then he hastily pulled away, his eyes glossy. "Thank you," he whispered, retreating back into the crowd. I smiled at him gratefully, and stared at the floor.

My eyes slowly inched up and skimmed through the room, looking for a solitary figure...

And there he was. Crouched in the corner, hovering over his girlfriend. My jaw clenched as I watched him help her off the ground and pull her into a loving embrace, stroking her hair and whispering in her ear. My heart panged wildly with envy and longing. I remembered what it felt like to be in those arms. My mind spun as the memory surfaced.

I couldn't peel my eyes away from the two loving figures. My head pounded, and the gladers began to stir and emerge from their shock, but I couldn't look away. Not even when Newt cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly.

But then the last string broke, and my heart practically fell apart, tumbling into millions of broken shards. He'll never remember me again. He'll never love me again. And that was the harsh truth.

With a sharp breath, I spun around and found Thomas lingering behind me, staring solemnly over my shoulder. Then his eyes locked with mine, and I felt a spark of attraction prick my skin.

"Rowan, I'm sorry. You know he doesn't really love her. It's just these stupid shanks messing with his-"

He was cut short as I suddenly grabbed his shirt and yanked him forward, pressing my lips against his.

His eyes bulged in surprise, and he remained paralysed for a long second. And then he relaxed, gently slipping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.

My hands fell onto his neck, subconsciously tangling into his hair, as his lips worked softly against mine. The heat from his body pressed against my chest, making me flush suddenly.

Everything melted into the backdrop - a distant warble of voices. But for now, it was just Thomas and I. My heart slowly picked itself from it's shattered state. Because now I had someone else. I didn't need Newt. I was too blinded by my memories to notice that there had always been someone else. Someone who was there for me, just as much as Newt was. And I realised that now.

Thomas.