Meant to be | A maze runner story

Chapter 8 - Council Hall

Everyone still remains quiet.
- "Clint. Jeff. Take her to your place and make sure she's alright." I say.
They both jump into the box and a few others help them. They get her out and Clint and Jeff bring her to their house.
- "Minho, Thomas, Newt." I say.
I wait a few seconds for other boys to disperse, in order for us to be alone.
- "I know the four of us are on the same page." I say. "Before we jump to any more conclusions, follow me."
The three of them look at me, unsure.
- "Come on!"
I turn around and walk towards the Med-Jack's house. I walk inside and the three of them follow me. I take a deep breath when I see Alby. He isn't getting any better.
- "Jeff." I say. "What's going on?"
The four of us are standing in front of the girl who is lied down.
- "What's the matter with her?" Newt asks. "Why won't she wake up?"
- "Hey man. I got my job the same way you did."
Newt and I look at Thomas.
- "Did you recognize her?" Newt asks.
- "No." Thomas answers.
A part of me is not so sure whether I believe him or not. But at the same time, I didn't recognize her, but she recognized me, so chances are, he didn't recognize her either.
- "Really? Cause she seemed to recognize you." Newt says.
I shake my head, agreeing with what Newt says.
- "What about the note?" Thomas asks.
- "We will worry about the note later."
- "I think you should worry about it now."
- "Yeah Newt...I think we should worry about it now." I say.
- "They are right Newt." Jeff says. "The box isn't coming back up. How long do you think we can last?"
- "No one said that."
I look at Newt with a worried look. I know he knows we're right, but Newt has always been an optimistic person.
- "Let's not jump to any conclusions. Let's wait until she wakes up and see what she knows." Newt says.
- "Newt..." I say.
- "Someone needs to have some answers around here."
- "Ok." Thomas says.
He runs around and walks away.
- "Uh. Where are you going?" I ask.
- "Back into the maze."
He walks away. Minho and I look at each other and run to follow him. Minho passes him and stops him.
- "What is it with you uh?" Minho asks. "A death wish? We just got out, now you want back in?"
I look at Minho and a part of my wants to answer yes to him.
- "Newt said that no one has ever seen a griever before and lived to tell the tale about it. Right?" Thomas says. "Now we have one. You're telling me you're not even a little bit curious?"
- "Not really no." Minho answers.
- "Oh I'm hella curious." I say.
Minho turns around with an angry look. Thomas walks again but Minho stops him.
- "So. What's the plan?" Asks Minho.
I smile.
- "You're going to go in there and dissect that thing by yourself?"
- "I will if I have to. Have the other runners left yet?"
Minho and I look at each other.
- "The other runners quit this morning." I say while turning around to face the other runners.
- "After Alby got stung, they are not in a hurry to get back out there." Minho says. "Why are you?"
- "I think it's time to find out what we're really up against."
- "Alright. But you're not going back out there alone. Meet me at the place in the woods in 30 minutes."
- "The place?"
- "Yeah, we'll meet you there." I say.
Minho leaves.
- "Come on." I say to Thomas.
He follows me very closely.
- "Whats the place?" He asks.
- "It's just a meeting spot we meet before going to our secret house."
- "Secret house?"
- "When you become runner, I'll tell you. But first, we got to get my backpack. I left it next to my hammock this morning, instead of bringing it back to the runners house."
We finally get to my hammock and I grab my backpack.
- "Alright lets go." I say.
We head in directions for the woods. I look at Thomas and memories of us flood my head. One day, I might tell him, but I'm not too sure.
- "Y/n?"
- "Yeah?"
- "You didn't seem angry with me wanting to go back into the maze."
- "Thats cause I'm not."
- "Why?"
I sigh.
- "I don't know if you've noticed or not, but you and I are much more alike than you think."
I once again think about all of our past experiences and how we've always thought about the same things at the same moment. Honestly, it is quite scary how similar we are to one another. We finally get to the woods. We walk a little more and finally get to the runners meeting place. Thomas leans his body on the wall. He is shaking.
- "Hey." I say. "Calm down. Minho will be here."
Minho shows up with Fry, Winston and Zart.
- "I told you." I say.
- "Will this be enough?" Minho asks.
And then, out of nowhere, Chuck comes in front of them. I look at Chuck and smile. He isn't usually the bravest, and I am very proud to see him here.
- "You guys all know what we're doing here right?" Thomas asks.
- "Minho and y/n trust you. Thats good enough for me." Says Winston.
- "Ok." Thomas says looking at me. "Let's go."
He starts running and everyone follows. We all run as quickly as possible towards the entrance of the maze in order to not be seen, especially by Gally. We enter the maze and I turn around and notice Chuck stopped. The boys turn around too.
- "Chuck you ok?" Thomas asks.
He walks up to him and places his hands on Chuck's shoulders.
- "Whats going on bud?" He takes a pause. "Hey its ok. You know what. I need you stay here anyway. I need you to guard and make sure no one knows we're gone."
My heart melts. He really is the best.
- "We will be back." Says Thomas.
Chuck nods and looks at me. I smile to him. Thomas turns back around and we start running. I stay at the end of the group to make sure no one gets lost. I notice how Zart, Winston and Fry are looking around. It is their first time inside the maze. Minho slows down and turns to the right. I see the griever's leg coming out of the wall. We walk towards it.
- "Well that's disgusting." I say.
- "There's something in there." Thomas says.
I lean in closer and see a red light beeping. Minho steps closer to it.
- "Wait. Wow wow wow. What are you doing?" Asks Zart.
Minho sticks his hand into the griever, trying to pull the thing out. The leg moves and Minho jumps.
- "I thought you said it was dead." Says Fry.
- "Was it reflex?" Asks Zart.
- "You hope." Says Winston.
- "Come on. Let's try and pull it out." Says Thomas.
All of the boys grab onto the leg and pull it as much as possible. The leg finally falls on the ground and the guys let go. Minho grabs the thing. He pulls out a metal object that is inside some slimy stuff. I walk up next to Minho to get a closer look.
- "What the hell is that?" Asks Thomas.
Mimho turns the object around and I notice the letters W.C.K.D, the same letters we get in the supplies every month. Right above it the number 7 is displayed. Number 7 was the section that was opened yesterday.
- "Interesting." I say.
Minho looks at me. He is thinking the same thing I am thinking.
- "Can we take this back in the glade? Cause I don't want to meet this guys friend." Says Fry.
- "Hes right. It's getting late. Come on." Says Minho.
Minho walks past the guys and we start running towards the glade. We get to the entrance where Chuck is waiting for us.
- "Gally found out you guys left." Says Chuck. "He called a meeting of the Keepers."
- "What?" I angrily say.
- "Everyone is at Council Hall."
We turn around to Council Hall and see guys waiting outside. I look at Minho and we start running towards Council Hall. We walk inside when Jeff and Clint are leaving.
- "Nice of you to join us." Gally says. "You guys enjoyed the little field trip?"
- "What the hell Gally." Minho and I say at the same time.
- "You think you can call a Keeper meeting without us?" I say.
- "Last time I checked, the greenie wasn't a Keeper." He points to Thomas. "You mind waiting outside?"
- "He stays." Minho angrily says.
I look at Gally with a smirk on my face.
- "Whats the point of all this?" Asks Minho.
- "We got two hours till sundown," Say Newt, "We got to figure out what to do with Alby."
- "You want to banish him." Says Winston.
- "No." Answers Gally. "No one wants to banish anyone, but he's stung. We don't have a choice."
- "Yes we do." Says Thomas.
- "You say something newbie?" Gally says.
- "Why don't you shut your mouth Gally and let him talk. Uh?" I say.
Gally's jaw opens wide.
- "Yeah we have a choice. We don't have to banish Alby." Says Thomas.
- "Right. And how is that?"
Thomas grabs the metal object from Minho's hand and gives it to Newt.
- "We found this." Says Thomas. He turns around to face Gally. " On our field trip."
Newt looks at it.
- "It was inside a griever." Says Thomas.
- "It's the same letters we get in our supplies." Says Newt.
- "Yes. Exactly." I say.
- "Whoever put us here obviously made the grievers." Says Thomas. "And this is the first real clue, the first any clue you have found in over three years, right Y/n and Minho?"
- "Right." Minho and I answer.
- "Newt. We gotta go back out there." Says Thomas. "Who knows where this might lead us?"
Gally looks at Newt.
- "You see what he's trying to do right?" Asks Gally. "First he breaks our rules and then he tries to convince us to abandon them totally? The rules are the only thing that has ever held us together. Why are we now questioning them? If Alby was here, you know he would agree with me. This shank," He points to Thomas, "needs to be punished."
Newt gives back the metal object to Minho.
- "You're right." Says Newt. "Thomas broke the rules...One night in the pit and no food."
I look at Newt smiling. This is no punishment at all. Usually, the consequences would of been much more severe.
- "Oh come on!" Says Gally. "One night in the pit?! You think that's going to stop him from going in the maze ."
- "No." Answers Newt. "And we cant just have non runners running into the maze whenever they feel like it. So let's just make this official."
I look at Newt confused.
- "Starting from tomorrow," Says Newt, "you're a runner."
Minho and I look at each other smiling.
- "Wow..." Gally says.
He walks away in total anger. Everyone leaves expect for Newt, Thomas, Minho and I.
- "Thanks Newt." Says Thomas.
- "I did it for Y/n." He answers.
I smile and Newt leaves. Minho looks at me and I nod. We're going to show him.
- "Thomas. Come on. We're going to show you something." Says Minho.