Trigger warning- suicide
Disclaimer: all characters apart from Peyton and Alex belong to James Dashner.
Alex sat in the Homestead with Jeff in silence, the only noise coming from Sonya. Alex could tell the Med-jack was nervous about being alone with her, which she was grateful for. At least he wasn't doing a bad attempt at flirting like most of the Gladers.
Outside, Alex heard uneven footsteps approaching the Homestead. Jeff stood up as Chuck, that month's Greenie, appeared at the doorway. Alex couldn't see him too well, but it looked like he was clutching his hand. She heard some groans come from the boy.
"What the shuck did you do to your hand?" Jeff asked, carefully taking the younger boy's hand in his.
"I- I was working with the Slicers." The cracking in Chuck's voice told Alex that he was on the verge of tears. "M- my hand slipped and I-"
He burst into tears.
"Calm down, Greenie." Jeff's voice was surprisingly calm. "It's no big deal. I'll just bandage you up and you'll be all set." He led Chuck further into the Homestead. "Stay here. I gotta go get some bandages from upstairs." He dashed up the rickety stairs, leaving Alex and Chuck alone with an unconscious Sonya, who was still muttering things.
"Hi," Alex heard Chuck say, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Hey."
"So..."
"If you try hitting on me, it'll be the last thing you ever do."
Chuck's ears went red. "I- I wasn't gonna-"
Alex laughed. "Relax, I can tell you're not like the rest of the sticks here."
"'Sticks'?"
"It's our slang. Just like how you guys say things like 'Greenie' and 'shank,' we say things like 'sticks.'"
"Oh." Alex noticed how much Chuck fidgeted.
"So when'd you get here?" She tried a different approach.
"Around noon yesterday. You guys came when Newt was telling me about the bonfire they have for Newbies." He relaxed slightly, but tensed up when Jeff came back in.
"Alright Greenie," the Med-jack told him, "I need you to stay as still as possible. This is gonna sting a little."
He poured water onto Chuck's hand and the boy recoiled, almost pulling his hand away.
Alex knew from experience that wounds like this would only hurt more if he moved so, out of instinct, she grabbed Chuck's good hand and squeezed it. He looked at her, his pleading brown eyes reminding her of someone.
Alex almost let go of Chuck's hand as Peyton's cries rang in her ears.
warning: suicide
"You know, I don't think we'll ever get out of here," Peyton was saying.
"Yes we will, we have to." But Alex didn't sound too sure herself.
"It's funny, we've all wanted to give up at some point but we've been ignoring the obvious options."
Alex looked at her; her best friend; the only one that could calm her down.
"What do you mean?"
Alex watched in confusion as Peyton pulled her knife from its sheath. When she realised what her friend was doing, Alex's look of confusion turned to one of horror.
"W- what are you doing?" she asked, hoping that her assumption wasn't true.
"There's an easy way out, Allie, and it's right here." Peyton smiled, but it wasn't her usual smile that Alex loved to see. It was one of madness, hopelessness, and fear. "All this time, it's been on my hip."
"Pey... no..." Alex whispered, too stunned to move or speak.
"It's okay, Allie. This is what I've wanted." She touched Alex's hand, but her hand wasn't warm like it usually was. It was cold and clammy, and Alex felt it shaking. "There's no way out of here. But with this-" She waved her knife in Alex's face "-I can be free. You can come too. Come with me, Alex. We'll see Ximena when she dies, and everyone else too, because they'll all die too."
"Peyton," Alex pleaded, trying to ignore the fear in her voice. "Please don't do this. This isn't what you want. We'll escape from here together, like we said, and- and- and then we'll actually be free. We'll find whoever sent us here and give them hell. Just please don't do this. Don't do this to me."
Peyton's horrifying smile widened. "This is my choice. I've already made my decision, Alex, and there's no changing my mind now. If you're really my friend, you'll join me."
Alex panicked. Moving faster than she ever had, she reached for Peyton's knife, which was clutched in her hand tightly. She tried prying her fingers off the handle, but they didn't budge.
"Alex, stop it!" Peyton yelled, but Alex didn't listen. "Let- go- of- me!"
"No! I'm not letting you do this!" Alex hoped that their yelling had attracted the attention of some Icers, but she didn't see any come.
"This is my choice, my decision! I don't want to be here!"
"Pey please, for me."
Peyton's mouth curled into a scowl. "Why would I ever do anything for you? I hate you!"
Alex's grasp on her friend's hand loosened at her words. "W- what?"
"You heard me! I- hate- you!"
Without meaning to, Alex lost her grip on the knife and Peyton took the chance to make her move.
Pointing the knife at her chest, she injected the blade into her body, and it was obvious that she'd hit what she wanted to; her heart.
With a horrifying thump, she fell to the ground, her limp arms falling to her sides. Blood poured out of her chest where the handle of her knife stuck out of her body. Alex screamed and fell to her knees by Peyton's side.
"Al-ex..." she muttered, her lips barely moving.
"Peyton, stay with me." Alex put her hand under Peyton's head, raising it off the snow slightly. "Stay with me!"
"I'm free, Allie, I'm free." Her whole body shook as she let out a cold laugh. "Can't you see? It's so close. It's all so close." Her eyelids seemed to vibrate closed, but it might have just been from Alex's trembling body.
"No, keep your eyes open. Don't close them!"
"I'm... just... going... to... sleep." Peyton's body gave one last shiver, "I'm sorry."
She went still. Alex screamed again, tears pouring down from her eyes.
"NO!" she screamed, resting her forehead against Peyton's. Lowering her voice to a soft whisper, she said, "I love you."
Mutters and footsteps against the snow told her that she'd finally gotten the Icers' attention.
"Let me through! Let me through!" Harriet dropped at Peyton's side opposite Alex. "What happened?"
"What do you think? She killed herself!" Alex cried. "Peyton killed herself!"
Harriet didn't say anything, she just looked at Peyton's lifeless body.
Alex didn't know how long she stayed there, crying at Peyton's side. Some parts of her body went numb, but she didn't care. Tears stung on her cheeks, but they never stopped coming.
"I love you, Peyton. I'll always love you."
"Alex? Alex!"
She snapped out her memory, only to be met with Harriet's worried face. Her hand hurt and felt sweaty; she looked down and saw that she was squeezing Chuck's hand so hard his fingers were turning purple.
"Alex! Are you okay? What happened?" Harriet was saying, but Alex wasn't fully listening. Her mind was stuck on how Chuck reminded her of Peyton, the one and only person she ever loved. She felt a few tears roll down her cheeks.
Someone pried her fingers off Chuck's, but she barely felt it.
Harriet turned to look at someone Alex couldn't see. "Can someone get her food?"
"Be right back," she heard Newt's voice say.
"Alex, look at me." Harriet turned back to Alex, her hands cupping her cheeks that were wet with tears. "What happened?"
"Peyton," she heard herself whisper quietly. Harriet's face told her that she understood, and she stood up, giving Alex some space.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Harriet asked. Alex shook her head, taking deep, shaky breaths. Someone appeared at the doorway.
"Frypan had a little left over," Newt informed them, handing Aris some food. The Icer walked over to Alex and handed her the food.
"Eat."
Alex didn't want to, but she knew that Harriet wouldn't stop until she ate. She reluctantly raised an apple to her mouth and bit into it, the fruit's juiciness filling her mouth. Before she knew it, Alex had finished the apple, a biscuit, some tomato soup, and two cups of water.
"So what happened at the Gathering?"