the fan runner ⇒ the maze runner fanfic

eight - the traitor theory

[ Trust is more complicated than it seems. ]

^'°

"We'll let you stay." Alby nodded. "Just follow the rules, you know the drill."

"No shucking way!" Allie screeched, making a few Gladers laugh.

"It's for the greater good. We want to get out, and I know you'll be vital to our escape." he said, his voice steady. "Don't try anything stupid, shank. I have a feeling you know what'll happen if you do."

Allie agreed. "Yeah. Slammer."

"Right." Alby confirmed, and Allie took a minute to let it all sink in. The Gladers were letting her stay here, with Newt and Minho and the others. Soon enough, she would see Chuck and Thomas, and seeing Thomas meant Newtmas. So much Newtmas.

"And," he paused. "We expect you to help out around here, along with the other Greenies."

"Yeah!  Make 'em work!" Allie heard Matthew cheer, along with his other cronies. 

"Shut up, Matthew. Of course I'll do my job." she told them, fists clenched.

The boys began to disperse, ambling to their jobs, and Allie was still smiling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Evan jogging towards her, Em by his side. Allie squinted, wondering about their haste.

"Hey, Allie. We want to talk to you for a second." Em beckoned to her, and the three began walking.

"Deadheads?" she asked, and Allie nodded.

"You know what happened last time Thomas was here. Watch out for Ben." Evan warned jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Stop with your movie references. It's not amusing." Allie groaned.  "I can't even with you."

The group sat down under a vast tree, their backs resting on its' wide trunk.  Em played with a piece of her hair, twisting it around her pointer finger, fidgeting nervously.  Evan's eyes darted around the landscape.

"So, we know we're here. We know we're fans, and we know that and why we all see the Glade differently. As crazy as it sounds, your escape plan might work, and to be honest..." Em inhaled a sharp breath, smiling slyly. "I really want to meet Thomas."

"Doesn't everyone want to?" Allie chimed in, and they shared a laugh. Evan, on the other hand, looked uncomfortable, picking at the grass and staying silent.

"What's wrong, Evan?" Em said gently.

"Guess I'm just... not needed here." he said, his voice cracking.

"What are you talking about?" Allie asked, confused at his sudden change in mood.

"I told you. I'm excited to be here and all.  It's a break from my head injuries. But why I really wanted to talk to both of you is because I might have figured out something that's kind of weird."

"Why haven't they put us to work yet? Haven't you been wondering?" Evan pondered.

Allie thought about it, and she couldn't come up with a viable answer. One look at Em told her that the other girl couldn't think of anything either.

"Because they're planning to use us as slaves." Evan answered his own question, quite proud of his theory. Em let a gasp escape her mouth as Allie stared at him, stunned, waiting for him to go on.

"First of all, we know too much all ready. We don't need to be briefed and situated like the normal Greenies. Second, we know how to escape. They don't. The Gladers barely have a reason to trust us. They probably think we're stalkers, or we work for WCKD. They may be WCKD's test subjects, but we're their test subjects." he exhaled, biting his lip.