Tricked (t.m.r.)

1.17 - Alive

Thomas had been monitoring the screens more than ever since WICKED sent Primrose into the maze. Cups of coffee were sprawled over his usual station; a few of them laid spilled on the floor. Dark circles had formed underneath his light brown eyes as though he hasn't slept for days and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead due to his nervousness for the past few hours.

"Just a few more hours." He mumbles under his breath before biting his lip to chase off the sleepiness that was creeping up on him. He wasn't sure if he was telling himself he could go to bed in another couple of hours or if he was silently encouraging Primrose to continue to run for her life until sunrise. The Sun wasn't even real. It was just a big beam of light created to make the gladers think it was the Sun.

"Come on, run faster." Thomas kept his thoughts to himself as he glued his eyes on the brunette that was trapped inside the maze for the night. He knows that she was a fast runner, he has seen them training her in the WICKED's centre ever since she was a child. Primrose was not given the name of a noble historian and he had no idea why Chancellor Paige lets her keep her name, seeing none of the rest could. Not even himself.

The maze was still shifting but Primrose was missing too many exits that could lead her to safety since they had been sealed shut before she could reach any of them. The grievers are chasing after her and they would catch up to her soon if she doesn't hurry up and find the nearest exit. Seeing her struggling to live while he himself could do nothing except watch her behind a screen sends a desperate emotion coursing through his body.

One of the grievers caught Primrose when she involuntarily presents herself to it. There was nothing Thomas could do about this, as one of the higher-ups had activated the controlling chip in her body to run towards a griever before he went to bed. Thomas had been waiting for this moment to happen, hoping he could intercept in some way to pull Primrose back from her arranged death. It wasn't a fair fight, and if he was caught intercepting, he will accept the consequences. 

It made a grab on her using its mechanical tail, drowning out Primrose's screams in its screeches. Thomas yelps before quickly projecting the griever, succeeding in avoiding it from plunging its needle into Primrose's flesh. The griever spazzed out for a moment and wobbled on its legs as though it suddenly finds its weight too heavy for its legs to bear. The griever's system seemed to corrupt and Thomas realized the only thing he could get the griever to do at that moment was to throw Primrose.

"Sorry Prim." He says with a painful tone before pressing a button. Instead of throwing Primrose's body towards the ground as he had hoped, the griever continues to stumbled around like an infant that was learning how to walk and Primrose was thrashed into walls carelessly three times before it finally lets go. The griever scrambles down the opposite way.

Thomas's hand immediately reaches out and pulls down a screen to check on Primrose's vitals. She had lost more blood than he expected and he was surprised she hasn't died due to the amount of blood she had lost. His mouth dropped open when he saw that she found the strength to move and curled herself up into a fetal position before she lost consciousness in the middle of her pool of blood. There was half an hour left before the doors would open for the runners to enter and maybe Primrose really has the chance to survive. And she wasn't too far from the centre of the maze where they call the glade, unlike earlier.

He laughs to himself before hiding his face behind his palms so no one could see the tears that were threatening to fall, even though no one else was there with him. Primrose was alright, and she will be safe until sunrise if she doesn't bleed to death.

"You alright?" He hears Teresa ask him telepathically.

"Yes." He answers back and Teresa could hear the relief in his voice.