Sapphire Stones

''They're alive, ALIVE!''

I force myself out of bed the next morning. I didn't sleep at all last night. Every time I tried to sleep, all I could see was Logan being crushed, Minho being stuck out in the Maze, or Ben being sent to his untimely death. The three boy's faces haunted my mind, making it impossible for me to even close my eyes without seeing them.

My feet drag across the grass, the early morning dew wetting my old, dirty combat boots. The sun hasn't risen yet, but I know it will be soon. I place myself right in front of the doors, my eyes wide open and glued to the stone. 

Not long after, I feel a presence beside me. I look over and see Chuck, dark circles under his eyes  and his curly hair extremely disheveled. He must not have slept much either.

"Do you think they made it?" He asks, his voice quiet but hopeful. He looks up at me, his doe eyes meeting my exhausted ones. I reach out and take his hand, gripping it tightly in mine.

"I'm not sure, Chuck." I reply softly, my voice barely even audible. I'm only now realizing how dry and sore my throat is. Between me crying my eyes out for two days, hardly sleeping at all on top of that, and having little to no water the past few days, I know I need to drink something.

Despite my sore throat, I don't move from my spot. Chuck and I continue to stand in silence in front of the doors, both of us anxiously awaiting the moment they'll open.

"If anyone could survive a night in the Maze, it's Minho." I mutter, desperately trying to convince myself of something I can't bring myself to believe. My own cruel mind makes me doubt myself every time I start to have an ounce of hope.

I look up, my eyes watery. The sun is beginning to rise. The sky is turning different shades of orange, pink, and yellow. If it weren't for the circumstances, I'd want to look at it for hours. All it signifies for me right now is the fact that those doors will be opening shortly and my friends might not be on the other side.

I feel a hand on my lower back, causing me to jump slightly. I look around to see Gally, a solemn look on his face. If it weren't for our situation right now, we'd both probably be laughing. Neither of us can bring ourselves to even crack a small smile.

I don't say anything. Instead, I turn back around to face the walls, Gally standing beside me and doing the same. Slowly, the rest of the Gladers join us, all of us waiting for the moment the doors will begin to open.

A low rumble shakes the Glade as the doors open. Anxious butterflies erupt in my stomach as I peer into the small gap between the doors. 

There's no trace that a young kid was crushed between them last night. There's no blood. It looks the same as every other day. I feel my heart sink at the thought that Logan's gone forever and there's not even a trace that he was here.

Chuck squeezes my hand tightly, both of us squinting into the Maze for any sign of life. All we're met with is the gloomy, depressing, endless stone walls and ivy.

No Thomas.

No Alby.

No Minho.

"They're not coming back, are they?" I ask, my voice just above a whisper. I can feel Gally's hand running gently up and down my back in an attempt to comfort me, but if anything, the action does anything but.

I don't want to be comforted anymore. I don't want to cry or mourn. 

I want to fight. I want to go out there and find my friends and bring them back, dead or alive. At least if they're dead we'll have bodies to bury. Without that, I don't get closure. I'll just be stuck in this state of forever wondering what really happened to them.