Shadow of the Maze | Maze Runner [1]

FIFTEEN

[ MINHO ]

❧

Walking away from the Slammer, Minho looked back and flashed an apologetic smile at Electra. He could barely make out her glare within the darkened hole in the ground but could almost feel the frustration she harboured towards Gally.

Minho had his own frustrations with the boy so he could understand how she was feeling in that regard. Gally strutted in front of Minho with an overconfident essence seeping from him. Minho fought the urge to make a petty comment. Luckily, Newt rushed up to them before he fell into temptation.

"C'mon, we should hurry. Those bloody Grievers could come back any minute." Newt ushered them forward while casting a nervous glare at the open Doors, and Minho studied the expression on his friend's face. Newt's mouth curled into a frown and the wrinkles on his forehead were deep.

"Does Gally have to be there?" Minho asked roughly and caught a glare from Gally. "I mean, this doesn't really involve him, now does it?"

"Nice try, Minho," Gally said. "Newt's called a Gathering. You'll have to defend your case in front of all the Keepers and, just so you know, it's not looking good for you."

"Slim it, Gally," Newt piped up, and the stress was evident in his voice. "We don't have time for this."

Newt led them across the Glade and around them the Gladers were bustling with business. Most of them worked on reinforcing the Glade, paying special attention to securing the Homestead, but others were scattered throughout the entire landscape, tending to other tasks such as retrieving crops or gathering supplies.

As they passed groups of boys, Minho overheard their conversations. Without fail, all of the boys were talking about a specific girl. Electra.

"Finally some good news around here. They keep sending us girls."

"Ehh, I wouldn't get too excited about this new one. She's not much of a looker, is she?"

"Who cares, man? It's another girl!"

Minho walked past the first group of boys, rolling his eyes at their comments. When he neared another group, they were also talking about his best friend.

"Did you see how crazy she is? When she arrived she was covered in Griever slime and blood. She looked like a complete lunatic!"

"I mean, she comes from the Maze, doesn't she? Ya gotta be insane to survive out there."

Again, Minho walked past the group of boys without even turning to look at them. How did they already know so much about her? She'd just arrived, and Minho had only really mentioned the bare details when Electra had first arrived and all the boys swarmed around her.

Word travelled fast in the Glade and Minho felt bad that his friend was caught in the middle of all the gossip.

Newt led Gally and Minho to the Council Hall. Upon walking into the room, Minho immediately noticed the torn wall from the night before and he remembered when a Griever had broken through the wood and grabbed an innocent Glader, then attempted to grab Chuck, and was finally successful in killing Alby.

Alby. The Council Hall had an awkward vibe of silence. None of the Keepers seemed ready to accept the events from the night before. Alby had been only one of the casualties, and Minho pushed away the hot feeling of shame. Throughout the chaos, he'd never bothered to learn who else had died the night before. All he knew was that the Gladers closest to him had survived.

Minho sat down on a chair nearest to the broken wall and Gally sat down in the only empty seat right beside him.

"As leader, I declare this Gathering begun." Newt stood from his chair and looked around at the Keepers in front of him. "Let's not waste any time. Minho, every Glader is losing their bloody mind over the sudden appearance of your new girlfriend. Explain yourself, right now. Once you've said what you want, we will discuss the proper form of action."