Her || The Maze Runner

Forty Four

Surprise double update because Christmas Eveeeeeeeeee!:

On most nights the majority of the Gladers slept outside, so packing over sixty boys and Mara inside the Homestead was a very tight fit. The Keepers, along with Alby and Newt, organised Gladers into different rooms, allocating each of them one blanket and one pillow each. It was the first time Mara had seen every Glader so disturbingly silent. They were trying avoid drawing attention to themselves by not moving a single muscle.

After helping the rest of the Gladers settle down Mara joined Newt, Alby and Minho in their shared bedroom. Mara sat on her bed with Newt, and opposite them sat Alby, Minho and Thomas, who joined them a few minutes later. The energy between them was much different to the energy flowing through the rest of the Gladers; instead of being frightened the boys were calm, and Mara was glad. If they had been panicking, it would have made Mara panic herself.

"Closest I've come so far to hangin' it all up." Newt started. "Shuck it all and kiss a Griever goodnight. Supplies cut, bloody grey skies, walls not closing. But we can't give up, and we all know it. The buggers who sent us here either want us dead or they're givin' us a spur. This or that, we gotta work our arses off till we're dead or not dead."

Everyone nodded in agreement, everyone except Alby. Mara watched the boy who did nothing but stare at the floor, lost in thoughts. His face wore a depressed expression and his eyes were baggy and sunken. Ever since the Changing he had been a completely different person. It really had changed him.

"Alby?" Newt asked with a worried tone. "Are you gonna pitch in?"

The boy looked up in surprise, as if he had forgotten that he wasn't alone in the room. His eyes wandered between Newt and Mara, and then Minho and Thomas. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. Good that. But you've seen what happens at night. Just because Greenie the freaking superboy made it doesn't mean the rest of us can."

Mara saw Thomas roll his eyes from the corner of her sight. Alby was being harsh on him, but it wasn't his fault. The changing controlled him, however he could have at least tried to be a bit nicer.

Minho met Mara's eyes and smirked. "I'm with, Mara, Thomas and Newt. We gotta quit boohooing and feeling sorry for ourselves." He rubbed his hands together and sat forward, leaning closer to Mara. "Tomorrow morning, first thing, you guys can assign teams to study the Maps full-time while the Runners go out. We'll pack our stuff shuck-full so we can stay out there a few days." 

She nodded, and so did Thomas and Newt, but once again Alby disagreed. ""What?" He scoffed. "What do you mean, days?"

"Days, Alby. What else would he mean?" Mara shrugged. Days meant days, what didn't he get? "Now that the Doors aren't closing what's the point in comin' back here for the night? We can spend as much time as we need out there now, without worrying about being back by sunset."

"It's time stay out there and see if anything opens up when the walls move. If they still move." Minho added.

"No way." Alby shook his head. Why didn't he agree now? Mara thought in annoyance. She was starting to feel Tommy's aggravation herself. "We have the Homestead to hide in—and if that ain't workin', the Map Room and the Slammer. We can't freaking ask people to go out there and die, Minho! Who'd volunteer for that?"

"Me." Minho said. "And Mara and Thomas."

Mara nodded, then looked to Thomas who did the same. Alby unsurprisingly rolled his eyes at the idea, but Newt smiled warmly and patted Mara on the back. Sure, she was scared to go out there at night, but they had to do it. They had to do all they could to find the exit.