Malevolent Maze// Minho

Runaway

I pursed my lips and brushed her hair out of her face before picking up the book on the bedside table. There was a couple of new lines like

Scorch
Flare

Words that meant nothing to the Gladers but words that made me swallow hard. I put the book back down and restlessly stood up. I walked out the door and peered in on Thomas and Minho. They were both sound asleep, snoring lightly. I smiled and headed back to Teresa's room.

Sighing, I dropped back down into the chair next to her. "Well, I wish you would wake up." I said out loud to her. "I want to talk to you. It's weird being around all these guys." Teresa of course, didn't reply.

And so the day progressed with Jeff, Clint and I rotating from Teresa, to Alby to relaxing outside. Except, whenever it was my turn to kick back, I always found myself biting my lip and thinking about Teresa, Thomas, Alby or Minho. I wanted to know what happened to them out there and I wanted Teresa to wake up. Everything was so hectic right now. I bet W.I.C.K.E.D was running around in circles with all these variables.

It was late afternoon when it first happened. I had just begun to head back upstairs to trade off with Clint for Teresa when I heard groaning downstairs. Clint appeared at the top of the stairs, his face grim. "It's staring." He began walking down towards me. "Might want to wake those two up before he starts bloody screamin and makes them klunk their pants." I laughed nervously as I moved up the stairs.

I sat down on Thomas' bed because he was curled up on his side, while Minho was splayed out. I shook Thomas gently and he squeezed his eyelids together before opening his eyes and blinking several times. "Hi." I said gently. "I'm sorry for waking you but you two need to eat." I reached over, and touched Minho's arm gently. He reacted almost immediately, grabbing my arm and reaching for something on his belt. A knife. "Minho!" I exclaimed. He paused and seemed dazed. His blade was inches from the skin of my arm.

"Gods Mallory." He murmured, relaxing and sheathing the knife before letting go of my arm. "You buggin scared me."

"Why were you gonna stab me?" I countered. "Do you stab everyone who wakes you up?"

"No, I thought.. I don't know." He shook his head, running a hand through his dark hair, making it stick out at crazy angles.

"Did you have something to tell us?" Thomas asked. I looked back at him firmly and nodded.

"Alby's alive. We gave him the Serum and the Changing.. It's starting." As if on cue, Alby began to scream.

Chuck and I sat with Thomas and Minho while they are but while Chuck was occupying Thomas, I was with Minho. Alby was still screaming up a storm and I hadn't been back into the a big house since it happened. I hadn't even looked in on him yet. I felt bed leaving Clint and Jeff only with him and Teresa but she was in a coma and he was tied down. Neither of them could do any real harm. It just must have been stressful.

"So what happened in the Maze?" I asked him quietly. Minho's glanced up at me tiredly. His face and arms were no longer streaked with dirt. I basically made him and Thomas shower before eating because I knew it would make them feel better and it did. Thomas seemed s bit more refreshed and Minho's skin glowed a bit now.

"Why?" He asked dully.

"I want to know."

"Is that all? Just an interesting story to you?" He sounded a bit angry and I frowned.

"What? No. I was worried about you Minho. And Thomas." I added after a thought. "I want to know what happened because it happened to you guys." It was probably awfully. Absolutely horrifying. The Maze is scary but at night, it's worse. He scowled a little and looked away from me. "What is it? Whatever happened you can tell me." I didn't think he was going to say anything at first and I was ready to drop the subject entirely until he said,

"I shucking lost it."

"Lost it?" I questioned. He looked up at me, his eyebrows arched down, he was frowning.

"I went nuts. I flipped out. I left Thomas alone. I left Alby to die." He hissed. My eyes were wide with surprise.

"You didn't really.." He cut me off.

"No. I did. As soon as those doors closed, I lost it."

"You looked.." I paused. "Okay." He shook his head at me and rolled his eyes like he knew I was only trying to make him feel better.

"Well I wasn't. I nearly had a shucking panic attack. Then I screamed at Thomas, and ran off. I don't know how he kept a level head but.." Minho glanced over his shoulder at Thomas who was talking intently to Chuck about something. That was Thomas though, always clear minded. "He handled everything way better than I did. He saved Alby and killed four Grievers."

"Four?" I demanded, shocked. He smirked a little.

"Impressed girly? Yeah, four. You should have seen it. Like a regular superhero." I grinned.

"How'd he do it?" Minho shrugged, shoveling more food into his mouth before replying.

"Did this whole wait and dive thing. It was my idea to make them fall off the Cliff but Thomas figured out that they aren't too good at slowing down once they get rollin'." I nodded my head slowly. It was one of the Grievers flaws. Never thought Thomas would use it against them. Maybe he remembered more than he was letting on.

"So you helped kill them too. It was part of your idea and his." Minho shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. All I know is that kid is one of the bravest shucking Shanks in this whole Glade." I stood slowly, smiling and touched his shoulder lightly.

"I think you're pretty brave too." My hand lingered on his shoulder before moving slowly down his arm before falling at my side. I had to get back to the Homestead and help my fellow Medjacks. It sounded like we were in for a long night.