𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐
"Looks like my bed has been placed next to yours Thomas." Paige said noticing the Greenie was walking behind her.
"Chuck picked it out." Thomas replied.
"Chuck puts everyone's bed around his. He doesn't like being alone. At all." Paige smiled taking off her shoes, leaving her socks on.
"You going to bed?" Thomas asked.
"What do you think I'm doing? Taking my shoes off for pleasure." Paige chuckled.
"Alright fine." Thomas would start taking his shoes off sitting on his hammock.
"You don't have to sleep now just because I am Tom." Paige said lying down on her hammock.
"I want to." Thomas replied doing the same thing.
"You mean you want to be with me?" Paige asked smirking. Hearing that, Thomas lifted his head looking at her.
"You're the only one who's been nice to me." Thomas said.
"Chuck? Alby?" Paige looked at him.
"You're the only one I feel comfortable with. And I don't know why." Thomas said. Paige looked at him making serious eye contact.
"Same for me Tom." Paige said. "Ever since you came I've stopped."
"Stopped what?" Thomas asked.
"Thinking of ways to get out of the early. Peacefully." Paige said looking up at the sky through the cracks in the bamboo ceiling of the shelter.
"Good." Thomas said as the others came to their hammocks.
"You alright Chuck?" Paige asked sitting up.
"Yeah just cold that's all." The young boy said shivering.
"Here." Paige got up and walked 2 steps to the right to Chuck's bed and took off her jumper and placed it on him. "Get some rest Chuck".
"Night." Chuck said dozing off to sleep straight away.
"What about you?" Thomas asked Paige who was climbing back into her hammock.
"I'll be fine. We have the fire." Paige said turning towards Thomas's hammock so she fell asleep facing the fire. Facing Thomas. Noticing she had fallen asleep, so did Thomas.
•••••
Images flashed in his mind. "Wicked Is Good" A voice said over and over and over again. A women appearing in all white walking down a runway with computers everywhere. A grid. Cameras. But it was all blurry. Thomas couldn't make out what it was.
BOOM!
Nothing.
Gasping for air, Thomas woke up startled. A hand covered his mouth as his eyes widened. The first thing he did was look over at Paige's bed. She wasn't in the bed... Sharply, Thomas got up but noticed three figures standing with Newt. Minho, Alby and Paige.... Relaxing, Thomas took a deep breath in. The maze doors were just opening for the day, with enough room to run through. All three of them ran off leaving Newt standing at the entrance.
"Okay but why would Alby go in the maze? I mean he's not a runner? And three of them? Why did Paige have to go?" Thomas asked fiddling with the sharp sword in his hand. Sitting next to Chuck on a fallen down tree he would look over at Newt who was trying to chop down half of a tree.
"Things are different. Alby went to trace Ben's footsteps. Are you going to help?" Newt asked his tone annoyed.
"Okay so he's going to go back where Ben was just stung?" Thomas asked.
"He's knows what he's doing alright. He knows better than anyone." Newt answered. "Plus he has Paige with him."
"What does that mean?" Thomas said as he stuck his sword into the ground.
"They send a new Greenie up into the box every month right?" Newt said as Thomas nodded. "So someone had to be first. And that was Alby. It must have been hard at first but then as soon as the other boys came up he started joining the dots. And Paige.. well let's just say she's the fastest. Smartest. And bravest out of all of us. She doesn't go anywhere without Minho." Newt explained.
"Why isn't Paige the Keeper of the Runners then and Minho is?" Thomas asked.
"Paige didn't want it. She wants to be in the background figuring stuff out. That's when she works best, in quiet places. Normally somewhere high." Newt said.
"The Tower." Thomas said quietly.
Newt nodded in agreement.
"Now are you going to help me or not?" Newt asked.
Getting up, Thomas would get on one knee and start hitting the roots of the tree with the sword. Straight away, ominous, dark blue, rumbling, spine-chilling clouds came overhead. The wind picked up as the Greenie looked up at the sky.
"What happens if they don't make it?" Thomas asked. "They should be back by now."
Rain poured down like cats and dogs.
"They're gonna make it." Newt said staring off at the maze walls.
•••••
In a large crowd, the Gladers stood at the maze door as it started to shut.
"There!" Thomas shouted seeing Minho and Paige dragging along a body.
"Wait no. Somethings wrong." Newt said.
"Come on Minho you can do it!" Chuck began to shout.
"Come on Paige!" Frypan shouted.
"You got to leave him!" Gally shouted.
The maze doors picked up speed.
It all happened so quickly, without thinking, Thomas squished his way through the closing maze walls into the maze.
"Thomas!" Paige shouted breathing heavily with Minho.
"Good job you just killed yourself." Minho said sitting down.
"What happened to him?" Thomas said making his way to Alby.
"Stung." Paige replied
In the distance, sounds of creatures echoed around. Making it impossible to see what direction they were coming from. Cracks, ivy along the daunting walls.
"We got to move." Minho said already exhausted but getting up.
"We can't just leave him here." Paige said getting up with the help of Thomas.
"What are we supposed to do Paige huh? Drag him around the entire night?" Minho asked getting furious.
"We use the ivy. Tie him up. So whatever I just heard can't see him." Thomas said looking at Paige then Minho.
"You heard him Minho." Paige said picking Alby up with Thomas.
"Right. Let's go." Minho said leading the way.
Night grew, and the maze got ready for the game.
Let the games begin.
After hours of walking, the three of them got tired of carrying Alby round.
"Okay just sit him down. Sit him down." Minho said as Thomas and Paige put Alby down against a wall. "This isn't going to work. We have to move."
"We have to tie him up. Right now. Then run." Paige said looking around. "Here."
"Come on man." Thomas said picking Alby up with Minho.
"You don't get it! We're already dead! Look around!" Minho said pinning Thomas by the collar on the wall. Then he backed away. "You don't get it. We're already dead."
"HELP MINHO!" Paige said grabbing an ivy from the wall. Keeping on look out, the boys put all their power pulling Alby up. Looking out into the distance, Paige saw something move. A griever.
"We got to go." Minho said seeing it too.
"Just a little tighter." Thomas said.
"We got to go." Minho repeated.
"Thomas..." Paige shouted.
"Done!" Thomas said before getting pulled up slightly into the air. Turning round, Paige saw Minho was already running. On the other hand, there was a griever. Coming straight for Thomas and Paige.
"Thomas!" Paige would knock Thomas on the ground and hide under a slot under the wall with Thomas still holding onto the ivy keeping Alby up.
"Stay quiet." Paige said as she looked up to see, rusty, robotic, metal legs with wires all around.
"Griever." Thomas whispered.
"Yeah." Paige said back as it passed. Thinking to soon, Thomas was about to go out when Paige's cold hands pulled him back. "Wait." As soon as she said that, two grievers came running back past them following the screams on Minho running away.
"Now." Thomas said getting out and helping Paige out. Tying the ivy around a solid piece of vines, Paige would yet again look out. Her eyes not resting, scanning everywhere.
"Okay let's go." Paige said as she and Thomas started to run. Turning their first corner, the worst thing could happen. A griever. Half machine, half inhuman, an experiment. Gooey substance surrounded its large mouth, with pointed teeth as sharp as a knife. On its legs rested needles, wires. Behind it lay a large tail with a claw on the back, waiting for its next target. The rest on it was like a spider. Large head. But it had 6 legs. I guess the tail counted for the two extra legs a spider has. Roaring, the two young vulnerable children ran. They kept on running.
"Thomas! Keep up!" Paige shouted looking back.
"Paige! Dead end!" Thomas shouted.
"Jump!" Paige screamed jumping of a very tall something. Thomas followed without question. So did the Griever. Attacking the ivy like it was nothing, Thomas and Paige got up and ran.
"AHH!" Paige screamed as she ran into a warm body.
"You crazy sons of bitches!" Minho shouted. "Come on!"
All three of them ran, the maze changed and one section was closing. Pausing, Thomas waited for the Griever as the section closed.
"Run Thomas!" Minho said getting to the end.
"Thomas!" Paige shouted.
Looking at Paige, then at the Griever Thomas smirked.
"Come on!" Thomas shouted antagonising the Griever. Following his orders, the Griever went for Thomas. Running as quick as a cheetah, Thomas ran. Straight down. The wall came closer. And closer. The wall was nearly shut. Closer. Closer. Closer.
BOOM!
•••••
The next day, the maze doors opened and all the remaining Gladers got up form the floor to the maze entrance.
"Told you Chuck they're not coming back." Newt said as everyone started to walk away. Not giving up though, Chuck kept looking for anything.
"Yeah!" Chuck said as he started clapping. Limping out of the maze was, Paige, Minho, Thomas and Alby in the boys arms.
"What the hell!" Newt said looking at Alby.
"Stung." Thomas said.
"You saw a Griever?" Chuck said interrupting Newt and Thomas.
"Yeah." Thomas said.
"He didn't just see it. He killed it." Minho said smirking. All eyes fell on Thomas. Paige looked down at Alby.
"Get him to the med-hut." Paige said taking off her runners padding.
"Clint Jeff." Newt said making way for the first aiders to take Alby.
"Got it Newt." They said carrying him away with help.
"Any of you need medical assistance?" Newt asked looking at the all up and down.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Galy said coming up behind Newt pushing Thomas on the ground. "He's a Greenie. Not a runner"
"He saved us. He saved Alby." Minho said. "And now we have grown closer to getting out of this shithole. Cause he killed a Griever."
"Bullshit." Galy said.
"Do you want to go and see it Galy?" Paige asked stepping in front of him between Thomas, who was collecting himself up from the floor, and Galy. "Or are you too scared to go in the maze?"
"Back off Paige". Galy said moving to Thomas.
"Hey Galy." Paige sniggered. As soon as Galy turned around, Paige's first made direct contact with Galy's face.
"Ooo." Minho said chuckling.
"Don't touch him. Go near him. Talk to him. Or even look at him again! I don't care about these rules about not hurting another Glader. Alby isn't well enough to witness it. So what just happened it I just tapped you." Paige smiled. "Got that?"
Shocked and holding his cheek Galy nodded and walked off opening and closing his mouth.
"Thanks Paige". Thomas said.
"He's an ass". Paige said.
"Thomas you should become a runner. I mean me and Paige think it's a good idea. Paige told me you want to be a runner." Minho said.
"Is that okay?" Thomas asked looking at Paige.
"But you will have to be punished." Newt said coming from the crowd of Gladers.
"Like what?" Minho asked.
"A night in the pit and no food." Newt said. "Tonight."
"Alright fine." Thomas said.
An alarm sound. Releasing what it was the Gladers ran to the box, why was it coming back up? It hadn't been a month.
"Go." Paige said.
Nodding, Newt and Minho would run towards the box followed by Thomas. The other Gladers followed curious.
"Where are you going?" Minho asked shouting at Paige running off.
"Back into the maze." Paige said.
"Wait what." Minho and Thomas would stop.
"No one has killed a Griever right? Well now we have one." Paige said. "We need to know what we are up against."
"Alright fine. But you're not going into the woods alone." Minho said. "We'll go in 10 minutes."
10 minutes passed, and soon the three Runners left would jog through the maze towards the squashed Griever.
"There's something in there." Thomas said.
Reaching in, Paige would see a flashing light.
"Careful." Thomas said right behind her.
"Chill out." Paige said. "It's so gooey."
Suddenly, the Griever would jolt and a needle would go into Paige's arms as she winced in pain jumping backwards.
"Paige! Minho grab it." Thomas said catching Paige.
"It's a machine. Number 7." Minho said.
"Let's just take it back. It's getting late." Paige said looking at her arm. "Please."
"Alright fine. Let's go." Minho said as they started to run back.