chaos ⇢ the maze runner / thomas [2]

Chapter Four

"And it's one, two, three, four times that I'll try for
one more night, light a fire in my eyes. I'm goin
out of my mind. Whatever happens, even if I'm
the last standing, imma stand tall."
—Julie and the Phantoms, Stand Tall

CHAOS,
CHAPTER FOUR

A/N: hey my loves! i know i promised an update in may, but, unfortunately, my grandfather ended up passing away that month and i just wasn't able to write for a while. it wasn't until last month that i was updating regularly. please forgive me 🙏🏽 starting today, i intend to stick to the weekly update schedule as intended. please, enjoy the chapter!

RUBY HAD BARELY slept that night, and it wasn't just because she was cold. (Besides, she'd slept on Thomas's chest for most of the night. He was firm, and warm, but most importantly, he was solid. She didn't have to spend the night restlessly wondering if he was there. She also didn't have to wonder if she was still there. It kept her tethered.) Still, she had nightmares all night. Every image that flickered behind her eyes was more horrific than the next. She just couldn't shake it. She wished she'd gotten more sleep than she did. But unfortunately for her, Thomas woke up quickly, one strong arm around her waist as he quickly sat up to shoo away the bird that was picking at the food in his bag. "Hey! Hey!"

"Leave it alone. It's probably just hungry", Ruby groaned, resting her head on Thomas's shoulder. She hated waking up early in the morning. Life in the Maze had been hell for her. She'd thought that life was behind her.

"So are we!", Thomas pointed out. He gently lifted Ruby out of his lap, standing to survey the area. It looked a lot different here in the light.

"Are they gone?", Newt asked sleepily, referring to the Cranks.

"Yeah", Thomas answered after a second. "I think we're safe for now. We should still get moving."

Ruby groaned again, louder this time. "But it's so early!", she protested. "I don't wanna walk this early!"

"Would you rather get gnawed on by those freaks back there?", Minho asked, raising a brow. (At least they'd grown back after he got struck by lightning. He looked weird without them.)

Ruby immediately sat up. "Never mind, I can't wait to walk. I love not even having breakfast before I partake in exhausting things!"

"Good", Thomas nodded, "let's pack it up."

She gently shook Dimitri awake, the small boy groaning. "I don't wanna go", he grumbled.

"I know", Ruby sighed softly. "But you have to. Too dangerous to sleep in."

"Can we go back to the Maze? At least I could sleep there."

The words made Ruby flinch, like a hot knife was shoved straight through her fault. "No. No, we can't", she said softly. "I'll carry you, okay?"