You're Different From Everyone Else Here - Thomas - The Maze Runner

Where's the Actual Leader Anyway?

Newt and I get back to the room without another word.

"Where's Chuck?" I ask, when I don't notice him on the entire way hear.

"I think he went to the slammer. He's upset. Wanted to be alone. The griever... It was trying to take him. We all fought it, but Ably... He attacked the arm, beating at it so much it almost came clean off. So it grabbed him instead. I think Chuck blames himself,"

"I'm going after him," I says before walking out of the room. I run to the slammer. Chuck was in there, so I climb down into it.

"Hey, Chucky," I say, sitting down next to him. He looks up at me with tear-filled eyes. I open my arms for him, and he falls into them, crying against my chest. He crawls close to me, sobbing his little heart out.

"Aw, Chucky. It's not your fault," I whisper.

"Yes it is!" He sobs. "It's my fault Alby's dead! It's all my fault!"

"No, Chucky, it isn't. It's the creators. They're the ones to blame. They sent the grievers on us. They trapped us in here in the first place. Everything falls back to them. It's not your fault, Chucky. I promise it's not your fault," I say, rubbing his back. He continues to cry, his tears falling on my shirt. I gently pull him away, staring into his eyes as my own tears came back.

"Chuck. I swear it's not your fault," I say, gripping his shoulders tightly.

"I told Alby to hit harder. I told him to help me. To fight harder...."

"But you didn't tell him to sacrifice himself for you. You didn't tell him to attack right next to where it could grab him. You were a victim, it wasn't your fault," He cries, the tears not stopping, but he nods. I pull him up and out of the slammer. We walk back to the room, are tears still flowing strongly out of our eyes. Once he sees the other boy in the room, he masks his tears, crying into a pillow so Newt wouldn't see the actual tears, and so it would muffle his sobs. I lay down next to him, gently placing a hand on his back. He looks up at me before sobbing more. I gently pull him to me, trying to call him down.

"It's my f-fault!" He sobs.

"Chucky, how many times do I have to say this? It's not your fault," I say, holding back my own tears. He continues to cry. I start crying, not being able to hold my own back anymore. Newt comes over and lays behind me, hugging me to him, while placing his hand comfortingly on Chuck's back. I look over to see him with tears in his eyes. We all tangled together and cried together.

----

I woke up with a sharp pain in my stomach. I get out of bed, untangling myself from Chuck and Newt. I knew what it was. I go into the bathroom, and pull down my underwear. Sure enough, a small red stain had taken place. I put a piece of toilet paper down while I go out and get a new pair. I use a tampon, and put on a pad. I've been using both, recently. Just in case. After I bled through, I always used precaution. I took pain killers, and climbed back in bed. Luckily, the blood didn't go through my pants. Chuck cuddled up to me in his sleep, and Newt rolled away from both of us, hugging a pillow to him. Thomas and Minho walk in, Minho silent and blank-faced, Thomas upset and broken down.

"Hey, Sydney," Minho whispers, sitting in a corner and working on a bag. We were almost done. We had 6 more backpacks to make. The rest were done. Posey wandered in after the boys, and jumped up on the bed with us. I gently pet him, but keep my arms close around Chuck. Thomas slightly smiles at me, but stays silent. I gently hug Chuck closer, letting my eyes close again. I was tired of everything. And everything went away when I slept.

---

A boy named Scott wakes me. Not purposely, but he wakes me. Him and Clint.

"How come Chuck gets more boobs then I do?" Scott asks. Yes, Chuck was cuddled up into my chest, but I didn't care. He was an innocent kid, one who didn't deserve everything that's happened to him. And since I'm able to comfort him, I'm going to - even if it means his face getting awful close to somewhere only Thomas was allowed. I pull Chuck closer, somehow wanting to comfort him in his sleep.

"With how easily she's cuddling Chuck, I bet she's the big spoon between her and Thomas," Clint says, laughing.

"Yeah. The little wuss of a runner has to be comforted his man of a girlfriend," What they said hurt, but I wouldn't let it effect me.

"God. What a pathetic group. Gally was right. They have no right to lead us,"

"Where's the actual leader anyway? Alby hasn't been around for a while," The dog comes and jumps on top of me, pawing at my shoulder. I open my eyes at that, pulling away from Chuck.

"What the hell are you two doing?" I mumble. "You know the rules. No ones allowed in here without my permission,"

"Wow. Sorry, Syd. Maybe we wanted to ask why we've been trapped in here with no one telling us really anything for days," Clint says.

"Sydney to you, you little rat. And maybe you should mind your own business. If you needed to know, you would. Now get out before I wake the boys,"

"Wow, I'm so scared," Scott says sarcastically. I roll my eyes and get out of bed, quickly waking Thomas and Minho.

"What the shuck...?" Minho mumbles.

"They're not leaving. They're breaking the rules," I state. Minho rolls his eyes and gets up, walking up to the two boys.

"Out," he barks.

"Like you have any effect on me,"

"I should. Want me to make you runners? Go out there when grievers are at their peak? Leave you for dead if you're not fasts enough? Or should I pound you into a welcome mat and set you outside?" Thomas comes up beside him, making the threat double. They groan and Clint walks away. Scott punches Minho in the chest, but Minho stands unfazed. He throws one at Thomas, but he catches it before he can even reach his chest. Scott lets out a defeated sigh and walks away. I sit on my bed, next to Chuck, leaning against the headboard. Minho closes the door and Thomas comes over to me, kissing the top of my head.

"There. It's fixed," Minho says, before curling up in a ball in the corner again, leaning his head on the wall. Thomas lays down on a thin pallet, made of two blankets. Newt woke up sometime during all the commotion, and was leaning against the headboard of the bed, no emotion on his face. Silence falls over us and no one says anything as Chuck continues to sleep. I play with his curls - again trying to calm him in his sleep.

"When should we tell the others about Alby?" I whisper, breaking the silence.

"They need to know," Newt says. That's the first thing he's said for hours. I hadn't even heard Thomas talk today.

"We can hold off. We deserve grieving time," Minho says.

"Minho - we can't hold this from the glade. They would want grieving time, too,"

"But-"

"She's bloody right, Minho. They need to know," Newt interjects. Thomas still stays silent.

"Fine. How do we break Alby's death to-," Minho starts. Chuck slowly wakes up and I shut everyone up.

"Go to the map room. I'll meet you there," I say, as he sits up. They all nod and shuffle out.

"Why're they leaving?" Chuck mumbles.

"It's nothing, Chucky. Go back to bed," I whisper as the door shuts.

"I'm not tired. I keep dreaming of Alby. The memory keeps playing in my head," he says, saddened.

"Then why don't you go shower? You're stinking up my bed, kid," I joke, ruffling his hair.

"I don't want to go face the other guys. If I start crying they'll make fun of me,"

"Then shower in mine," I say. He looks at me confused. I open the door to my bathroom and motion in. He gets up from the bed and trudges inside.

"Just don't use that much soap. I'm on a low supply," I say. He nods and I close the door to let him be. I walk outside and get ready to face the entire glade with terrible news that made us seem like terrible leaders for keeping it from them.