Defender - The Maze Runner (Book 1)

Chapter 36: Anxiety

Jeff took over for Alex after lunch. She was feeling restless, not being able to sit still, or able to concentrate for long on any task. Bark seemed to feel it too, she was doing a lot of pacing and whining, Alex was the same.

Alex finally settled with sitting with Chuck and Matt who was still nursing a hangover. Thomas, Newt and Zart were trying to chop and move a huge stump that was in the way of the new field. Thomas wasn't doing much, except asking stupid questions. Chuck was busy carving something, and Matt lay in the grass groaning and Alex was happy watching him. Her mind was still reeling from what she saw this morning.

"But why would Alby go into the Maze? He's not a runner!" Thomas asked again.

"Things are different now. Alby went to check out that dead Griever Alex and Minho found.." Newt answered calmly, he was always so patient.

"I was supposed to, too!" Alex muttered bitterly, as she glanced again at the maze doors.

"So he'll go back in there after 2 kids got stung recently? After a Monster that tried to sting your sister?" Thomas asked again, glancing at Alex, who had twisted to try and see the other 3 maze doors.

"Alby knows what he's doing...all right? Him, better than any of us." Newt answered, he had stood up for a moment, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"What?" Thomas asked again.

"Well, it's like you have heard, yeah?" Newt pointed his machete at Thomas. "Every month, the Box sends up a new arrival. But someone had to be first, right? Someone had to have spent a whole month in the Glade. Alone. That was Alby." He let his arm flop back down, placing his other hand on his hip. "I mean, it can't have been easy. When those other boys started coming up, one after the other... he saw the truth. And he knew that the most important thing... is that we all have each other. Because we're all in this together. He leads us, so when something changes he makes sure he knows what's going on so he can lead us best he can. Ya?"

That seemed to have finally sunk into Thomas's head, because he finally stopped asking questions and started to help.

"Pretty sure I told you the same shuck thing your first week here, you shank!" Alex said, rolling her eyes.

There was a loud boom, making everyone jump, and Matt moan, holding his head. It made Bark whine even more and she was shaking, nothing made her shake.

"What was that?" Alex asked, looking around, along with everyone else, except Newt. He was looking up.

"It's raining! It's bloody raining! That was thunder!" He laughed, from deep in his chest.

Alex, on the other hand, had a bad feeling. She frowned, looking at the sky. It started raining so hard they couldn't continue working. Everyone took refuge under the Gladers lean to or in the Homestead. There wasn't much to do but wait it out. With nothing to do to keep her busy, Alex's anxiety started to increase.

Alex sat leaning on a pole watching the maze doors chewing her thumb nail. After a few minutes she had to changing positions, standing to sitting, sitting to standing. When she was sitting her knee bounced. If she was standing she was pacing. She kept running her hand through her hair, twisting it around her fingers. Spinning every few minutes, trying to see all four doors. But they remained looking big black and empty. She also ended up chewing the inside of her bottom lip to shreds.

Thomas leaned over to Chuck and whispered not so quietly "What's her problem?"

Chuck whispered back, "Minho and Alby ain't back yet.. But she's mostly worried about the Keeper of the Runners. She misses him so shuckin much, and she only realised now how much she actually cares about him and-"

"-Chuck I can hear you!" Alex hissed.

"Good. You were supposed to" He retorted.

Matt frowned at Chuck and shook his head, "it's not funny, shank. The maze is no joke."

But it was true. Alex was extremely worried, she was getting more anxious by the minute.

"They should be back by now!" she whispered to no one in particular.

"What if they don't make it?" Thomas asked, looking at Newt.

"They're gonna make it." Newt replied without looking at him, he was also worried. His two best friends were out there, it shouldn't have taken this long.

"What happens if they don't?" Thomas was being very unhelpful.

"They're gonna make it." Newt said, more to try to convince himself then reassure anyone. Alex felt like throwing up.

The rain eased up and Alex was the first one to head out, she saw each running pair enter the Glade. She headed to the East doors, where Minho and her had found the dead Griever yesterday.

"Come on, guys, can't we send someone after them?" Thomas was trying to be helpful.

Alex was getting more and more anxious and upset with each question. Breathing was starting to get difficult.

"No. That's the rules. Either they make it back or they don't." Gally replied with zero emotion and a deadpan face, he had crouched down, waiting.

"Even runners? They can't go out there to look?" Thomas suggested.

"We can't risk losing anyone else. Doors will close in 2 minutes'' Newt said quietly, looking at Alex. She was white as a ghost and hardly breathing.

"Newt?" she whispered softly. She felt the burning hot tears of desperation and despair forming in her eyes.

Newt came over to stand beside her.

"I can't lose him." her voice broke, "I never.. told him....I.. never told him, Newt! ... I love him. Newt..I..love him!" The tears finally escaped and fell over her lashes and down her pale and stricken face.

Newt's heart broke for his sister.