INNOVATION -
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
⚘ RETURN OF THE RUNNERS ⚘
Tyler was dead.
He couldn't have been older than 17, but sometimes his wide blue eyes made him look younger. His small, scrawny form would never move again, his fearful, but reassuring attitude would become lost in a sea of memories. Tyler would never get to go home. Never get to meet his family, never get to take down Wicked, never get to access his old memories, if that was even possible.
It made Kalisa angry more than anything else. The first several hours after the night had faded, she'd sat on Newt's bed with her knees pulled into her chest, staring deep holes into the wall before her.
Why had Wicked done this? Why were they so cruel as to not only rip children from their families, but to also wipe their memories and send them off for death?
Death. It had been a reoccurring thought in her mind ever since she'd first arrived here. Everybody died eventually, if you were lucky maybe you'd get to experience a satisfying life and live to be 100. But not them. They died when Wicked wished so.
In the beginning Kalisa had known she'd be in danger here, but she'd chose to trust those around her. To work hard and hope that the others would find a way out.
She knew better now. Death would come for all of them.
So then let it come. She'd be ready for it.
By now it had to be around 8 o'clock, still early, but time seamed to have stopped since Tyler died anyways.
Most of the Gladers had started repairing the Homestead, working off of a small ration of Fry's oats. The Cook had taken the event harder than anyone else, but Kalisa couldn't blame him. Fry and Tyler had been inseparable. Best friends.
There was a sharp knock at the door. "Kali, I know you're in there."
It was Newt of course. He'd been devestated at the loss, just as everyone else had been, but he had also been exceedingly worried for Kalisa, which was annoying, but also sweet and comforting to know that he still cared.
She heard him sigh from the other side of the door. She could imagine him clearly, his upper body slumped against the frame, head ducked as if he was trying to mask his exhaustion so that the other boys wouldn't fret. "I'm coming in." He called, before opening the door.
Kalisa realized she still hadn't moved from her spot on the bed, but gave up when pain erupted across her entire body. The Griever had got her good.
"You alright?" Newt raised an eyebrow, coming to sit beside her.
"Yeah." Her voice certainly didn't do much to convince him. "You?"
"Yeah." He leaned back and closed his eyes, clearly tired from the long night. "Clint and Jeff wanna check up on you, just incase."
Kalisa had expected this and just nodded, wishing she could lock Newt and herself up here for the rest of time. Then she felt shame. Newt surely wasn't having and thoughts like this- ditching the Gladers and running away. Newt wasn't that type of person, he would be the last to leave if it meant everyone else got out without a scratch.
The two sat in silence for a while. No words could really describe how she was feeling. She was heartbroken over the loss of Tyler, enraged towards Wicked and their stupid Grievers, and guilty about letting the boy be ripped from her grasp. If she had held on a little tighter maybe he would still be here.
"Don't let go Kalisa! Don't let it take me!"
She stood from the bed suddenly, heart racing at the last memory she would ever have from her first friend here. Kalisa walked over to the window and leaned against it, trying to get Tylers voice out of her head.
She had failed him, and he payed the price by dying.
Kalisa let out a slow puff of air, watching the Gladers work outside. They should be out there helping, but neither of them wanted to move just yet.
When Kalisa looked back at Newt, who still sat on the bed, she was surprised to see tears on his face. He was staring blankly at the floor, unmoving. His eyebrows were scrunched together, making him look much older than he really was. Kalisa frowned and moved away from the window, sitting back down beside him in worriment.
Kalisa hesitated a moment, unsure of how to help him. She thought of all the times she'd been upset, and every single time it had been Newt who'd made her feel happy again. If Newt could do that, then so could she.
She scooted closer to the blonde boy and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, allowing him to burry his head into the crook of her neck. She held him tighter, especially when he started to cry harder.
Kalisa didn't know what to say, so she said nothing. Newt didn't seem to mind though, he was too busy hiding his face in her embrace.
After a moment Newt turned his head so he could speak, but he didn't pull away from the girl completely. "I'm a pretty shuck leader eh?"
Kalisa frowned and absentmindedly brushed Newt's hair back with her fingers, finding the motion calming for the both of them. "No. Not at all."
Newt sighed as if he didn't believe her words. "It's okay, everyone else thinks so. I mean- can't really blame 'em, I've been in charge for what? A couple days and everything's fallen to shit."
"Thats not your fault." Kalisa said quietly. "Don't hold yourself accountable for things we can't control, remember? We might be suffering now, but I know that the Runners aren't going to let us down."
Her voice grew slightly stronger as she continued. "That might mean we loose some friends along the way. And that sucks, believe me, I know it does." Kalisa took a shaky breath as Tylers wide and pleading eyes filled her vision.
"But we can't have it all be for nothing. I can't have it all be for nothing. Tyler, Ben, Gally, every single person who's laid their life down for us. We need to escape for them." Kalisa didn't process the words that spilled from her mouth. She was shocked at how true they were, she hadn't come to this revelation internally, but it had somehow just always been there.
This had always been the goal: escape. No matter what. But now they weren't just doing it for freedom. They were doing it for the lost lives. For the ones that couldn't be there with them today.
"Don't look back." Kalisa finished, facing Newt, who had lifted his head from her shoulder to stare at her with his intense brown gaze.
"Don't look back." Newt muttered back, thinking the phrase over. "You're right. Of course you're right."
Newt sighed and held his face in his hands, subtly wiping his tears away. "You know- you're pretty bloody good at that. Inspiring us- me. You always know what to say."
Kalisa gave a soft smile and used the pad of her own thumb to clear away his remaining tears. It hurt her to see him so down, doubtful of himself, regretful of his actions. Newt wasn't to blame for anything that had happened, but that didn't matter to him. As long as he was in charge, Newt would always feel responsible for the lives of his friends.
"I don't really think about it." Kalisa admitted. "Its just- I know we can't give up. Not now, when we've come so far and lost so much."
Newt nodded, looking off towards the window before grabbing her hand and standing up. "We won't give up. Ever." He decided, starting for the door.
"We'll find Wicked, like we've always said we would. And it won't be for nothing. I swear it." Newt stopped on the stairs of the Homestead, seemingly inspired by what she had said. He held a new sense of authority to him, a yearning that wasn't there before.
"Then we better get out there and help," Kalisa tilted her head towards the Glade where the boys were preparing for the next night. "I have a feeling we'll need to take a closer look at that Code. Something tells me theres more to it, I just don't know what."
"Well, maybe we could start by talking to them. Maybe they found something that could help." Newt nodded out the door towards two new figures re-entering the Glade from the Maze.
Thomas and Minho were back.
༻✧༺
Kalisa and Newt ran over to meet the two Runners, they were surprised to see a look of defeat on both of their faces.
"'Bout time you guys got back," Kalisa greeted in a light joking tone, trying to hide her wariness. "We were beginning to think you escaped without us."
"You're the first to come back," Newt explained. "What happened?"
"Tell me you have good news." Kalisa added.
Minho shook his head, staring solemnly into the ground with his half dead eyes. "Nothing. The Maze is a big freaking joke."
Newt's hopeful smile faded as he faced Thomas. "What's he talkin' about?"
Thomas gave an exhausted shrug. "He's just discouraged." He paused before explaining further, "We didn't find anything different. The walls haven't moved, no exits, nothing. Did the Grievers come last night?"
Thomas's brown eyes were staring at Kalisa awaiting an answer- then she blinked and they turned a pale familiar blue.
"Don't let me go! I don't wanna die!"
One second Tyler was there, the next she was back in the Glade, standing before Minho and Thomas as they anxiously awaited her answer.
Newt noticed her grief stricken face, and came to her rescue. "Yeah. They took Tyler."
The boys were quiet as they processed the news, different emotions present on each of their faces. Thomas looked guilty and pained, as if he wished he could have somehow prevent the death from happening. Minho, however, looked dangerously pissed, yet beneath his mask Kalisa could see a mournful sorrow.
"I'm sick of this!" Minho cried out suddenly, veins popping in his neck. "I'm sick of it! It's over! It's all over!"
Kalisa flinched as he took off his Runners pack and threw it to the ground. "Theres no exit, never was, never will be. We're all shucked."
Then he stormed off towards the Homestead, leaving the rest of them behind, shock and pity in the pits of their stomachs.
After a moment, Newt grabbed Kalisa hand and gave it a light squeeze, not even meeting her eyes, before letting go and following after his friend.
She watched as the boy she had grown to care so much for, limped hurriedly after the Runner, ashes falling around him like deadly confetti. Kalisa was glad he had fallen so easily back into his role as leader. They all needed him. Whether Newt admitted it or not, the Gladers would listen to him. Minho, would listen.
"Jeez," Thomas let out a breath. Kalisa jumped, having almost forgotten he was there. "If Minho gives up... we're all in big trouble."
She feigned confidence by giving an easy shrug. "Nah, Minho's just got a short temper. Can't blame him, I'd be cranky too if I'd just spent almost a whole day in the Maze."
Thomas nodded along, though he still looked slightly worried. Kalisa frowned and stared off at the West Doors. "You guys really didn't find anything out there?"
"Nothing we haven't seen before." Thomas shook his head, looking frustrated now. "But... when we were crossing through Section 7, we saw something on the wall. World In Catastrophe - Killzone Experiment Department... Wicked."
Kalisa let out a puff of air, running the words over in her mind. She could easily point out many words that rang out to her as a problem; catastrophe, killzone, experiment. And they seriously couldn't have come up with a nickname that beat Wicked? Were they trying to gain public support or fear?
Probably both.
In the end Kalisa settled on saying, "Well, thats awfully cheerful." She pushed herself away from the Maze wall and started off in the direction Minho and Newt had gone, though for an entirely different reason.
"Hey wait! Where are you going?" Thomas called, chasing after her.
"Back to the weapons room." Kalisa stated, then realized who she was talking to. "Oh, I forgot you weren't here. Teresa said they figured out the code."
At this Thomas looked much more interested, "You're kidding. What is it?"
"Float, Catch, Bleed, Death, Stiff, and Push." Kalisa stated from memory. "I haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet, but if you guys had no luck out there, then right now this is our best bet."
Thomas nodded clearly in agreement, mulling the words over in his mind. "Could it be a code within a code? Or maybe we missed something... maybe we have to-"
Kalisa heaved an exasperated sigh, "Well we aren't gonna figure it out from over here. So, you comin' or not?"
The brunette fell silent after that, but Kalisa could tell he was still deep in thought. She just hoped he would be able to figure out what they couldn't.
She couldn't last another night here. Not if it mean more of her friends dying.
༻✧༺
When Kalisa and Thomas entered the Weapons room, they found Teresa already inside, along with Henry, Zart, Winston, and two other Track Hoes named CJ and Dominic.
They were gathered around the wooden table, the familiar Maps scatted about in a seemingly meaningful order. Their eyes looked sunken and glassed with exhaustion, as if they had been pouring over the papers for an eternity.
Kalisa glanced around the room again, noticing Newt and Minho's absence. Henry noticed and said, "We heard Minho storm in... I'm sure he and Newt'll be here in a bit, but for now I'd give him some room."
Kalisa nodded and hoped Newt would be able to lift the Keeper of the Runners spirits. "Find anything new?"
Teresa shook her head, "Not since yesterday. Each time, after the word Push, it goes a full week without showing any letter at all, and then it starts over again with Float. So we figured thats the first word, and thats the order."
Thomas leaned against a shelf beside Teresa, looking at a loss for words. Henry sighed, "I don't think I like whatever it is this message is saying."
"Yeah, me too." Thomas replied with a frustrated groan. "We need to get Minho down here- maybe he knows something we don't."
Thomas began pacing, "If we just had more clues..." He stopped suddenly, mouth dropping as his eyes flashed with a realization.
He didn't say anything for a moment, just simply leaned against the shelf as he stared ominously off at the rooms walls. Finally, Kalisa decided she had enough, "What's wrong Thomas? You just went white as a ghost."
Thomas blinked and turned his attention back towards the group. "Oh... nothing, sorry. My eyes are hurting, I think I need some sleep." He yawned and rubbed his eyes, truly looking drained.
Lie.
There was something else. Thomas wasn't telling them something. Kalisa could tell by the way his body never returned to its regular relaxed state, the way a very thin sweat had broken out on his skin.
But she held her tongue and watched as he met Teresa's eyes, looking almost joyful to see her worried.
When she realized no one else was going to say anything Kalisa let out a breath, "Well, you did spend the whole night out in the Maze, again. Go take a nap- we're gonna need you alert for tonight."
At mention of the night Thomas only grew paler.
Kalisa narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but kept her thoughts to herself. Maybe Thomas really was tired, after all surviving a night in the Maze was no easy feat. But there was an awful nagging feeling in her gut, one that she couldn't just ignore.
However, she didn't receive another opportunity to to question him. The whole rest of her day was spent creating another barrier for the Homestead to replace that of which the Grievers had destroyed the previous night.
It was getting tiresome. For everyone. Rebuilding the damage, while knowing that it would just happen again the next night. Kalisa was quite sick of it.
But they didn't have much of a choice. So Kalisa forced herself to stay beside the other Gladers as they hammered wood together, only stopping occasionally for food and water.
By nightfall they had managed to create a brand new barrier, and just in the nick of time.
After a quick dinner of beans and sausage links, the Gladers piled back inside the Homestead for another night of tossing and turning, just waiting for the monster to arrive and claim one of their lives.
Alby had finally been cleared by the Med-Jacks to leave his bedrest, and as much as Kalisa wanted to chat with him about the fire, it simply wasn't the right time.
Instead she went to her assigned room, along with Newt, Chuck, Fisher, and a few other boys she hadn't met.
The first half of the night was the same as usual, quiet, uncomfortable, and filled with anxiety. Kalisa tried to sleep, as she always did, but found it exceedingly difficult, especially with the fresh memory of Tyler in her mind.
However, as the time reached late, late night, as expected, the close cry of mechanical whirls sounded.
Kalisa had gratefully grasped onto Newt's hand as they snuck down the stairs, into the main room where the Gladers were all huddled as far away from the windows as possible.
Chuck held tightly onto her other hand, his eyes squeezed shut, the anticipation of the attack clearly killing him.
Then, before she was truly ready to lose another one of her friends, there was an earthshaking boom, followed by the sound of breaking glass from upstairs.
There were distant screams from one of the rooms upstairs, then the thundering sound of footsteps dashing down the steps. "It's got Dave!" A boy shouted, voice high pitched with terror.
Kalisa still held tightly to Newt and Chuck, as if letting them go would cause them to be taken next.
There were a few more explosions of wood crashing together, but then it stopped. The Grievers had had enough destruction for one night it seemed.
Just when Kalisa was beginning to think it was over, Thomas launched up from his spot on the floor and ran for the front door, no hesitation in his steps.
"Tommy!" Newt yelled, racing after him as the Gladers cried out in shock and horror around them.
"Stay here." Kalisa faced Chuck, feeling faint. Then she ran after the others, needing to at least try and save them before it was too late.
What the hell did he think he was doing?!
Kalisa easily caught up to Newt, as he had slowed in his tracks, only able to watch in anguish as Thomas threw himself onto the Griever that held the boy named Dave.
"THOMAS!" Kalisa shouted, eyes wide in fear as she watched her friend was swarmed by the creatures. She and Newt began to run again.
"RUN TOMMY! GET OUT OF THERE!" Newt cried out, pushing himself to sprint harder. But it was no use, they wouldn't make it in time.
Thomas wasn't even visible at this point as the Grievers flooded around his body, driving their stingers into his arms, legs, and torso.
Just when they reached him, the Grievers cleared away, retreating back into the Maze, Dave in their clutches.
Newt dropped to the floor beside Thomas, checking his pulse. "Get his legs!" He ordered, grabbing his shoulders up off the ground.
Fry ran forward and helped Newt carry him all the way back to the Homestead, where he was then thrown down onto a med bed. Kalisa followed the whole time, the rest of the Gladers behind her as they watched in horror.
Thomas was barely conscious at this point, he was battered and bruised, with fresh blood all over his face. From beside her, Chuck was softly crying. Kalisa wrapped an arm around his shoulders and held him into her chest so he wouldn't have to watch as the Med-Jacks cut open Thomas's shirt and revealed the full extent of his injuries.
Kalisa thought that by now she would have been used to the blood. But seeing Thomas lay so still and lifeless, covered in the familiar scarlet was unsettling.
Kalisa held Chuck tighter.
They watched as Newt barked orders and held Thomas down for the Med-Jacks. They watched as Thomas attempted to say something, then gave up. They watched as Jeff prepared the Grief Serum, and stabbed it into Thomas's arm.
He had done it on purpose.
Kalisa knew she had to be right. Thomas was one of, if not the most dedicated to escaping this place. Why would he purposefully give his life.
There was a reason behind it. She just hoped it was worth it.
Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, for some reason it took me forever to write! Also- tell me why I literally forgot Thomas gets stung?! Anyways, thanks for reading as always, hopefully the next part will be out soon! By the way, I went through on all my chapters and changed the format because my Wattpad wasn't working right. I liked the other way better but oh well- not much I can do. Happy reading!
2/22/24
3629 words