𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒, thomas ✓

three.

03

GRIEVER STING

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Rosa yelped as Ben turned them over so that he had her neck in his hands with his nails cutting into her skin. She could feel the soil and twigs digging into her back as he lifted her head off the ground by her neck and slammed it back down again; she tried to gasp, call out or anything for that matter, but she couldn't. She looked over to see Thomas, paralysed in fear, doing nothing but stare in shock as the scene unravelled before him.

As she struggled to breathe, her head began to get dizzy; her body beginning to give up before her mind could register it. Her hands managed to grip an animal skull and strike Ben in the head with it, giving off a satisfying clink; giving her enough time to regain her breath and jump up, now with some oxygen in her lungs. She pulled Thomas with her as she ran by gripping his arm tightly in her hands and dragging him, with Ben right behind them and sprinted through the forest and Thomas now yelling for help as Ben continued to blame them both and growl at them.

He managed to catch up with the two, knocking them down a hill as they tumbled and rolled, bumping into each other. Rosa, still lacking oxygen, felt her head make contact with a rock on the ground. She couldn't even yelp as Thomas pulled her back up and they were running again - their feet moving at a pace too fast for their bodies to handle. He screamed for help and Ben screamed twice as loud at them; drowning out their cries.

They both felt the ground being ripped from beneath their feet as he gripped their legs, she grunted as her chin smacked the ground below them. But all Rosa could do was watch as Ben targetted Thomas, standing up quickly she took the closest tool, which happened to be a shovel, and struck Ben in the head as hard as she could to get him off Thomas and away from them both.

The Gladers around them struggled to hold Ben down on the ground as he regained consciousness, blood trickling down the side of his head in a fury of red lines.

Frypan, who was completely confused and in shock, began to shout, "What the hell happened?"

"He just attacked me!" Thomas replied, leaning on Chuck for support.

Rosa coughed, her hands going to her bruising throat where Ben had strangled her. Alby came over to her, helping her stand as she put her hand to her bleeding head and then her busted lip. He looked concerned, to say the least, checking her over once again to check for any other injuries.

But she wasn't looking at him, she stared at her and Thomas' attacker. She had seen something identical; when George and numerous other Gladers had been bitten. His symptoms were the exact same; the sweats, pale skin and irritated eyes - not to mention the erratic, brutal behaviour that caused them all to attack their fellow Gladers.

Alby seemed to pick up on the situation, "Lift his shirt!" he repeated until Newt and Gally lifted Ben's shirt up to reveal the Greiver bite; purple veins full of poison surrounded a single puncture wound from a Greiver stinger. Everyone backed up, knowing the severity of the situation.

Rosa felt light-headed, most likely as a result of the lack of oxygen and the possibility of a concussion. She could hardly hear the conversation around her, only picking up on Alby telling the Gladers to 'put him in the pit.' She winced slightly, catching her falling head with her hand as she watched the Gladers around them disperse, but Thomas looked at her, more specifically at her wounds.

Jeff stayed behind with her, helping her to the medical bay where he would work and treat the other Gladers. He had to help her walk for a few strides as she would practically fall over her own two feet if not; but it wasn't long before she could do it by herself.

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When Rosa had woken up, she groaned and turned on her side to see Chuck and Alby sitting on the chairs by the bed. When she moved, they both stood up to see if she was okay. Which she was, and to show them she waved them off with her hand.

"I'm fine," she managed to get out, her voice raspy and weak, hardly above a whisper, "Is he in the Maze yet?"

Alby nodded, "We thought that it was best that you slept instead, Gally and a few others are about to go to the name wall."

She nodded, standing up to put her shoes on. Chuck stood forward to help her whilst Alby tried to stop her, "I can do it!" she tried to shout, but came out as raspy once again, "I want to be there when they scratch his name off," she muttered before walking out and following the trail of the other Gladers that wanted to show their respects.

When she arrived she saw that Gally had already put one line through his name with a dagger, she stepped forward and put her hand on his arm to make him turn around. He nodded, without even asking, and handed it over so she could do it instead.

This wasn't the first time that Rosa had to remove a name from the wall, and it certainly was not going to be her last. She used the baton to hit the end of the dagger, chiselling lines through Ben's name. Everyone else stood around them in a small circle in silence, grieving the loss of their friend and Glader.

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"Mom!" she screamed, her hands tied at her side on the hospital bed, "Mom! Please!"

She looked around, flashes of blue and white flooded her vision in a confusing manner to overload her senses that were already filled with the strong stench of bleach and cleaning products, the room was dead silent and echoed her sobs around her from wall to wall.

The door opened and slammed behind her, the figure still is hidden from her sight and standing quietly behind her.

"Please! I didn't mean to help them- I won't do it again!" she sobbed louder until she felt a sharp sting in her neck that caused her to wince before her head began to feel heavier and heavier and fell in front of her with tears dripping down her cheeks.

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Rosa woke up early the next day after her nightmare kept her up half of the night, so she decided to join Alby and Minho on their runner trip today. Jeff had advised against it at first, already knowing that the girl would not listen to his warnings. 

"Rosa- No, you are not coming. You are concussed and wounded, you need to rest more so your body can heal!" Alby tried to protest, Minho watching awkwardly from a small distance, Rosa just glared at him and rubbed her bruising shoulder.

All three of them entered the Maze at first light, starting off with a light jog to pace themselves. She could tell that Minho and Alby slowed their pace to help her out. Rosa was thankful. 

From his hammock, Thomas watched as they left. A small pit of envy taking up in his chest, he had only been in the Maze for a few days and he was already feeling cramped and claustrophobic.

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In different news, who do you think Rosa is named after? The Gladers are named after famous scientists (Thomas is named after Thomas Edison, Newt is named after Isaac Newton, etc).