dandelions || 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘰 (COMPLETED)

xviii - elation evanesces

"who is he?"

"i don't know." lyn replied. "none of us know who we are. we can't remember. hey, do you want to come down? you're surely hungry. and minho and thomas should be back soon, so you can meet thomas then." teresa nodded at her and took lyn's hand and accepted her help back across the roof, where they both made their way back down.

~

the two runners returned shortly after. lyn had been sat with teresa, still trying to calm her down, and she'd also been introduced to chuck. "you're still my favourite though," he whispered to the original girl when he was leaving the two to go and do slopper duties.

lyn pointed thomas out to teresa as he and minho approached them. the 'lovebirds' (as they'd been dubbed by their fellow gladers) walked to the deadheads and left the newly acquainted (or not) pair to talk privately.

minho told the girl all about the progress they'd made in the maze with the help of the strange device, which was a lot. when he told her they might have finally found a way out, she was overjoyed and flung her arms around him.

"but anyway, i'm going to check on alby with thomas. you can come if you'd like, but i don't think it'll be pretty." lyn did go, and so did teresa.

~

alby was in a horrendous state.

he had purple sores across his body, each one with deep indigo streaks protruding from it. it was as though his veins were popping out from beneath his skin, and his blood was mauve rather than maroon.

he was writhing and wriggling against the restraints clint and jeff had constructed. in fact — writhing and wriggling was a complete understatement — he was thrashing and doing everything in his power to try and escape, all the while moaning in agony.

"these came up with teresa," newt told them, holding up a couple of cylinders with long needles coming out of them.

"syringes," lyn said. "they could help him."

"yeah, or they could kill him," teresa interjected.

"he's already dying; there's not much that could make him worse. just take a look at him!" minho backed lyn up.

thomas nodded in agreement and said, "the worst that could happen is we end his suffering sooner. the best — he gets better. i say we take the risk."

so thomas took one of the two syringes from newt's hand, and edged closer to the dreadful sight of alby. he was about to force the syringe into his shoulder when alby violent grabbed him and began shouting.

"you shouldn't be here!" he screamed, throwing thomas around in his fit of fury. minho, clint and newt suddenly sprung into action and restrained him, whilst lyn grabbed the syringe at the instruction of thomas and plunged it into his upper arm.

he fell limp and the boys let him go, as teresa hurried over to thomas to ensure he was alright.

"well, that worked," jeff remarked while everyone caught their breath.

an hour later, alby was awake and seemingly well — though still bed-ridden and not happy at all. lyn, minho, teresa, thomas, newt and gally all went to see him.