I duck my head into the Homestead, my eyes wandering about. I've only been in this part of it when Ben attacked me.
I hear groaning coming from one of the rooms and I peer my head into the door, looking around. On the cot lays Alby, his body sweating and shaking as his restraints hold him down. He groans out as he shakes the cot underneath him.
I look past the door and into the room the new girl occupies. Newt, Minho, Thomas, and Jeff already fill it.
"Brooke?" Jeff asks.
"I came to check on her." I say, pushing my way through the three boys and peering down at her. Newt watches me carefully. "Has she woken up yet?"
"No." Jeff answers.
"Do you recognize her?" Newt asks Thomas.
"No." Thomas shakes his head.
"Really?" Newt asks, his voice rising. "Because she seemed to recognize you."
"Newt.." I warn, my eyes softening. Newt's eyes find mine and I give him the 'calm down' look.
"What about the note?" Thomas asks, trying desperately to change the subject.
"We'll worry about the note later." Newt mumbles.
"I think we should worry about it now." Thomas argues.
I sigh loudly, running my hand through my hair as I realize Thomas is just pressuring Newt more...angering him more.
"We have enough to deal with right now!" Newt argues, his voice rising to a yell.
"He's right, Newt." Jeff interjects. "If the Box isn't coming back up, how long do you think we can last?"
Newt's jaw clenches, "No one said that. Let's not jump to any conclusions...we're just.." Newt's eyes drop again. "We'll just wait until she wakes up and see what she knows. Somebody's got to have some bloody answers around here."
Thomas looks around at us before mumbling, "Okay." And walking out.
"Thomas, where are you going?" I yell after him.
"Back into the Maze." Thomas answers, not turning around.
Newt looks up at Minho and I before nodding towards the door. I take off after him, Minho right behind me.
"Hey, Thomas!" I yell after him, running to catch up with him. Thomas doesn't stop.
"Hey!" Minho yells, placing his hand on Thomas' chest, stopping him. "What is this with you? A death wish? You just got out...now you want back in?"
Thomas sighs, "Newt said that no ones ever seen a Griever and lived to tell about it, right? Well, now we have one! You're telling me the two of you aren't just a little bit curious."
"Not really, no." Minho answers.
I quiet down slightly, and they both look at me. "What?" I ask.
"Well?" Thomas asks.
"I am. I'm a little bit curious." I confess. I tip my low and drop my voice. "So what's the plan?"
Thomas smiles slightly. "I think it's time we find out what we're really up against."
Minho nods, "Alright. You two aren't going back out there alone."
I feel the corners of my mouth tug up as I look over at Minho.
"Meet in the woods in half an hour." Minho says, before walking off.
Thomas couldn't hide the happiness in his face. But it goes away slightly as his eyes fall on something.
"What're you looking at?" I ask.
"The rest of the Runners." Thomas answers.
I follow his gaze and see the rest of the Runners perched on a fallen tree, talking to Gally. "They all quit this morning." I tell Thomas. "After what happened to Alby..." I trail off.
Thomas' head shakes slightly before looking over at me. "You sure you're up for this?"
"Thomas, I just ran into the Maze during the night, tied a 200 pound, pure muscle boy twenty feet in the air, ran from a Griever through miles of Maze, and then carried him all the way back to the Glade...I think I can handle this."
***
I stand with my back up against a large oak tree, waiting for Minho and Thomas' arrival. A few sticks crack and Thomas joins me, leaning up against the tree. After a few moments filled with silence, Minho turns the corner, coming into sight. Following Minho are Frypan, Winston and Zart.
"This be enough?" Minho asks.
"Fry?" I ask, concern written on my face.
"At your service, my lady." Frypan laughs, doing a bow.
"Okay. Let's go." Thomas nods.
***
My combat boots click hard against the concrete floor of the Maze, bringing back flashing memories of last night's events. The vines align the walls of the Maze perfectly. I swear at one point I saw Alby hanging from one of them...but then I blinked and he was gone. We turn multiple times, Thomas taking the lead. Minho and I stay at about the same pace and Fry, Winston and Zart are a few feet behind us...struggling slightly to keep up.
Suddenly, Thomas stops, peering down one long path of the Maze. On the side of the path a long and very large and spiky leg pokes out of the concrete. Minho looks over at me, unsure, before walking foreword, leading our group over to it. What looks to be a mixture of the slime the Griever's produce and blood, is splattered all over the wall.
"That's disgusting." Zart mumbles.
"There's something in there." Thomas says.
"You mean besides a Griever pancake?" Frypan asks.
I look between Thomas and Minho, before Minho steps forward towards the Griever.
"Woah, woah, woah." I say, stopping him. "What're you doing?"
Minho doesn't answer me, he just stares at me, before sticking his arm down in between the crack in the wall that the Griever rests. Minho's forehead is beaded with sweat and I can see the fright coming off of him as his arm goes further down.
Suddenly the Griever's leg jots backwards, causing Minho to jump backwards, along with everyone else. I grab Minho's backpack and yank him backwards, just out of the reach of the Griever.
"I thought you said it was dead!" Frypan yells.
"Was it reflex?" Zart asks.
"You hope!" Winston answers.
"Okay, we need to try and pull it out." I say, staring down at the Griever.
"What? Are you crazy?" Frypan asks, astonishingly.
"I thought we already knew this...yes!" I laugh. "I mean the leg."
Frypan chuckles before everyone crouches down and grabs a bit of the leg.
"On three." Thomas says. "One, two, three."
I pull with all my might on the leg of the Griever. Groans come from the boys as we all are pulled up to a standing position. The black metal of the leg rubs against my palms. Finally, a large cracking noise echoes and the leg comes detached, throwing us all backwards.
"You okay, Fry?" I ask, extending my hand out to him as I pull myself up.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks." Frypan answers, grabbing my hand and lifting himself up as well.
Minho steps forward and examines the Griever leg, looking it up and down before his eyes fall upon something. He reaches down and pulls something covered in Griever guts. There's a red light blinking on it and it's making a slight clicking noise. Minho pulls the thing out of the Griever guts, causing me to look away in disgust.
"What the hell is that?" Thomas asks, watching Minho concentrate on the thing in his hands.
"Okay, whatever it is can we take it back to the Glade?" Frypan asks. "Cause I don't wanna meet this guy's friend."
"He's right, Minho. It's getting late." I agree.
Minho nods, "Come on."
We all follow him, Minho taking the lead this time as we all run towards the Glade.