Chapter 2

Chuck led Thomas towards a collection of buildings, "This is where you sleep." The buildings were wooden. Some were two storeys, some only one. "It's called the Homestead." The boy smiled at him. "It's… well, it's not much, but you get used to it. Ya know this stuff was all hear when the first gladers came to the glade." He sounded pretty happy, but Thomas knew that people weren't always as they appeared. Not that he really remembered anyone.

He didn't remember anything at all.

A sudden sickness overcame him, and he fought the urge to vomit.

"Hey, Thomas?" A hand rested on his shoulder.

Thomas looked up at Chuck. The smile on his face had been replaced with worried frown. "You okay, buddy? You're kind of shaking."

He tried to quell the tremors coursing through him, sucking in a quivering breath. "Yeah." He managed to gasp. "I'm fine."

Chuck's hand stayed on his shoulder. "It gets better you know." His voice was quiet, as if he were speaking to a wounded animal. "The other guys will be good to you, 'specially 'cause you're so little." He pulled Thomas into one of the buildings, into a room with two beds stacked on top of each other. The bottom bunk was clearly used- the blankets were strewn half across the floor- but the top remained neatly made. "We're rooming together, I hope that's okay and all. It's 'cause we're the closest in age here."

Thomas nodded. He liked Chuck. He was kind and friendly, and he seemed like he cared, which was nice. "It's okay." He said quietly.

"Good," Chuck said, and smiled down at him. "Hey, you wanna sit down?" He motioned to the bottom bunk, "You look a bit wobbly, kid."

Thomas collapsed with gratitude onto the thin mattress. "Thank you." He mumbled.

Chuck sat next to him, his expression thoughtful. "You know, I meant what I said. It does get better. You adapt, and quickly too." He snorted, "Not too difficult when you don't remember anything else."

"Yeah." Thomas breathed shakily. "Okay."

They sat in silence for a moment, and then-

"Chuck?"

The older boy turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

"What was that screaming earlier?"

Chuck visibly winced. "I don't know if I'm meant to tell you just yet-"

"Please?" Thomas begged, suddenly feeling as though he had to know. "I'm sorry, it's just it scared me and I think I'd find it less scary if I knew what it was."

Chuck blew out a breath slowly. "I dunno about that, kid." He said hesitantly. "But if you need to know that badly I'll tell you." He continued without waiting for a cue from Thomas. "One of our gladers, Ben, went outside the walls, an' he got stung by a griever. Grievers live outside the walls, normally at night." He shuddered. "If it had got him during the night he wouldn't be alive."

"How come he was attacked during the day?" Thomas asked. "If they only come out at night?"

Chuck shrugged. "Sometimes they're out during the day, but there's less of them. That's why we have runners. They run and map out the maze- they have to be good at running because the grievers'll get them if they're not. 'S'why it's dangerous in the maze at night. The doors close and no one can run that long. Nobody ever comes back from a night in the maze."

"Oh." Thomas felt his chest constricting. That was actually really frightening.

Monsters in a maze. That sounded familiar.

Chuck saw his expression, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry." He squeezed the twelve year old's in a hug. "You won't get stung. Ben was a runner- he just wasn't fast enough, but you'll never be a runner. You're far too young. And 'sides," he added as an afterthought. "It barely ever happens. And when it does you normally die. Gally's the only one who has survived the sting. He went through the changing, instead of just-"

"The changing?" Thomas asked, not really wanting to know.

"It's what's happening to Ben right now." Chuck said, "It's called that because- well, there's only one way to cure the griever sting, and that's the grief serum. The med jacks inject you with it, and, well, it changes you." He hesitates. "Least, that's what happened to Gally. He remembers, I think. Bits and pieces from before the maze. Not much though- but it was enough, you see. He's completely different to how he was before he got stung. He got mean."

Thomas nodded slowly, taking it in. "If you don't get the serum." He said quietly, "You die, don't you."

Chuck nodded. "It ain't nice."

The screaming started again, shrill and agonising, and Thomas could see Chuck flinch at the sound.

Did he know Ben well? Was he friends with him?

Thomas felt his chest tighten again, suddenly feeling very small. Where was he? What was going on? He felt as though he'd only been alive for a few hours- that was how far his memories stretched, and yet all of this seemed achingly, horrifyingly familiar. The people seemed familiar. Some more than others. "I want to see Newt." He mumbled. Newt had- well he'd been comforting, like he'd known exactly what to do. Like he'd done so before. Had they known each other before the glade? Thomas wasn't sure. But though the gladers had lost their memories, they didn't appear to have lost their skills. They knew the basics of how to live life, and Thomas wondered if maybe comforting children was a skill.

Children like him.

He'd never felt more like a child than in that moment.

"I don't know." Chuck said, sounding reluctant. "He's probably busy-"

"Please?" Thomas looked at the older boy beseechingly. "We can come back if he's too busy I just want- I just need-"

He didn't know what he wanted.

"Yeah." Chuck didn't sound sure, but he pulled Thomas up from the bed. "We can go and see- he normally spends more time with the greenies, he's better at this than me. It's just 'cause of Ben this time."

Thomas nodded. Chuck was very talkative, something he kind of liked. He was scared and shy, and everyone kept staring at him. Chuck's flow of speech distracted him, meant he didn't have to talk too much. "Thank you." He mumbled.

Chuck didn't say anything. He took his hand and led him towards another building a little bigger than the one they'd just been in. A few gladers were dotted around the entrance. Friends of Ben?

"It's where the important gladers sleep." Chuck said. "And where they keep the sick people, and the ones going through the changing."

Thomas just nodded. The closer they got to the building, the louder the screaming was. It sounded desperate and unhinged, and he wondered with a sick feeling in his stomach whether this was a mistake. They were only a few feet away when he stopped, digging his heels into the ground. "I don't want to." He whispered shakily.

Chuck turned to him, a look of concern on his face, mouth open as if to say something, but someone else got there first.

"Hey Chuckie, where're ya takin' the greenie?" One of the loiterers split off from the rest of the group, making the few metres journey to stand beside them. He was tall and hard-looking, with his mouth set in a scowl. His voice was harsh and nasally, and medium pitch.

Chuck wrapped his arm around Thomas. "Don't shucking scare him Gally." His voice was sharp, and Thomas couldn't help but admire him. The man in front of him was at least six foot and could probably lift more weight than the two of them put together. "He's a kid."

"I know." Gally looked down at Thomas, reaching out and tucking his finger under the boy's chin. "Look at me, boy."

Thomas turned his head away. Something about Gally made him feel uneasy. He couldn't tell whether that was just because of what Chuck had said about the man, or if he was in himself just frightening.

"He ain't polite." Gally said to Chuck. "He's lucky he's just a kid."

"Okay." Chuck said. "Okay, Gally. Let us past, we've gotta talk to Newt."

"You're not allowed." Someone else interjected. "Newt's dealing with Benny."

"Thomas only just got here," Chuck snapped. "He needs to talk to Newt. Don't y'all remember what it was like when you first got here?" He pulled Thomas forward. "C'mon kid." He muttered.

Thomas resisted slightly. "I don't know." His voice caught in his throat. "Chuck, I don't want to any more."

"Come on Chuckie." Gally put his hand on Thomas's shoulder. "Don't make the kid cry." He leaned forward trying to look the boy in the eye.

Thomas turned away, it was like every fibre in his body was chanting 'don't look, don't look, don't look…'

Gally grasped the child's chin and forced him to look up.

"Hey!" Chuck's indignant tone was lost on the man. "What the shuck?"

"I ain't hurting him." Gally said impatiently, his eyes searching Thomas's face for something. "You know kid, I feel like I know you."

There were murmurs from the surrounding gladers.

Thomas trembled. "I've never met you before." His voice shook. He wasn't sure if he was telling the truth.

"Oh for shuck's sake." Gally muttered, letting go of his face, his hand sliding to rest on Thomas's shoulder. "I'm not going to shucking hurt you kid. But I've been through the changing, y'know. I remember. And I think I remember you." He frowned. "You were very little."

Thomas began to shiver. "Please let me go." Tears started to track down his face.

The same glader who had spoken before said nervously. "Maybe you should, Gally. I think you're scaring him."

Gally's gaze became searching. "I won't hurt you." He repeated, and then pointed with his other hand at the building. "You hear that, kid?"

It was hard not to, the sobbing and screaming was nonstop at this point. Thomas nodded vigorously.

"That's the changing." The man's face was grim. "I've been through that, kiddie. I remember you. I don't know why. Maybe Ben will remember more. He's going through it now, ya see. I remember you. I bet you anything he will too."

Thomas started to cry fully then- he wasn't sure why, maybe just from the shock of it all, from everything. "Let me go, please." He begged.

Gally released him, something akin to concern covering features. "Ya know kid-" he started.

Thomas didn't hear the end of it. Blinded by tears, he ran, past the group of gladers, past Chuck. His thoughts were jumbled and confused, and his chest was heaving. He ran through the door, up the stairs, towards the screaming.

Paradoxically towards safety.

Perhaps more accurately towards Newt.

He came to a stop outside a room. The door was closed, but the terrible sounds from within told him it was the right one.

He leaned back against the wall behind him. A sick feeling spread through his stomach as he choked on tears and snot. His whole body ached, it felt like the whole thing was one big bruise.

The door opened, and Thomas leapt towards the person it revealed. "Newt!" He sobbed, clinging to the man's midriff.

Newt stumbled slightly from the force of the hug, but righted himself quickly, "Thomas what-" he paused as if to collect himself. "What's going on?"

Thomas opened his mouth to respond, but something through the open doorway caught his eyes.

A young man- perhaps a teenager- was lying on a bed. He'd ceased making noise, but he was still a nightmare to behold. His veins were taut against his skin, and showed a shocking green colour. His skin itself was ghostly- pale, almost translucent. His eyes were rolling back and forth as his eyelids opened and closed, and his mouth lay open, saliva dripping from the corner.

Alby sat next to the man, and Thomas met his eyes. He wasn't angry- or didn't seem to be, not like Thomas had thought he would be anyway. Perhaps it was the twelve year old's tear stained face, but Alby looked worried.

"Newt." The man clearly in charge spoke up. "Get him out of here and clean him up, will you?"

Newt hurriedly closed the door behind him, and ushered Thomas into another room, identical to the one he'd just seen.

"These are rooms we use for the sick." He spoke, guiding the sobbing child to the bed to sit down. He pulled him flush against his chest, rubbing his back slowly. "Try to breathe Tommy, yeah?"

Thomas felt like he was swallowing air he was choking so much. Every breath was a rasping sob, and his airways felt tight.

"Okay." Newt levered the boy upright, so he wasn't leaning over as much. His tone was a forced calm. "Slowly Thomas. Copy me, okay?" He made the rise and fall of his own chest conspicuous, and Thomas felt his breathing gradually even out. His throat still made a wheezing sound every time he took a breath, but it became a little less tight and his trembling stopped.

The tears still ran down his face like a flood.

Newt pulled a scrap of cloth from his pocket, and mopped the child's face. "It's okay." He murmured. "You'll be okay."

Thomas sniffled. "I'm sorry." He whispered. He used his fists to swipe away the last stray tears from his cheeks. "Sorry for crying. Sorry for hugging you- you don't really know me."

"No." Newt shook his head. "You don't- shuck Tommy, you're a little kid. I'd be worried if you weren't crying- all that's happening right now."

"I'm not that little." Thomas burrowed further into the hug.

Newt nodded, and for a moment there was a hint of amusement in his tone, "Okay sure." He shook his head. "As for not knowing me- well, actually Thomas, you probably do." Thomas looked up, confused.

Newt looked down at him. "Gally remembers some of us from before. He went through the changing, you know. What's happening to Ben right now."

"He remembers me." Thomas said suddenly. "He says I was really little."

Newt gave him an odd look. "When did you get a chance to speak to Gally?"

Thomas looked at his shoes. "Outside." He mumbled. "I got scared, I'm sorry. It wasn't his fault or anything really. I just got scared."

"Wasn't his fault?" Newt's tone was light, but there was an undercurrent of weariness.

Thomas hesitated. "He scared me a bit but I don't think he did it on purpose. He made me look at him."

"Right." Newt sounded irritated. "Shuck."

"Sorry," Thomas mumbled.

"No, not you Tommy." Newt shook his head, "Gally has the subtlety of a brick, he's just as insensitive too. "Course," He muttered under his breath. "It doesn't take too much common sense to know not to terrify children."

Thomas though about objecting to being called a child again, but he was tired of thinking. And he was technically a child- he wasn't even a teenager yet, so instead he simply asked, "How come you call me Tommy?"

Newt raised an eyebrow, "Do you not like it?"

"Well- actually I kind of do. I was just wondering why."

"It's-" Newt started, "It's weird, Tommy. It's like I knew to call you that. I'm not sure why-" His expression took on a slightly dazed look, before he blinked and it was gone. "Come on kid." He stood up, pulling Thomas with him. "Alby'll probably need me soon. The medjacks normally deal with this sort of this, but some idiot got a garden fork stuck in his thigh, and they're trying to sort him out." He led Thomas back down the stairs and into the bright sunlight.

Gally was still there- so was Chuck, but everyone else had left.

"What the shuck, Gally?" Newt let go of Thomas, going toe to toe with the other man. "Of all the people to terrorize, you chose a shucking child."

"I didn't terrorize him." Gally snapped. "But you gotta think its a little odd. The creators sending up a little kid. I wanted to see if I recognized him." He looked almost triumphant suddenly. "And I did. I think he was important."

"Okay." Newt said. "Okay, yeah it's weird, but he is just a kid. It's not like he's a shucking threat. You didn't need to be- well, whatever you were. I'm almost certain you were too much of something."

Gally just raised his eyebrows at Newt, "I'm gonna go now." He said.

"Why didn't you before?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to make sure the squirt got out safely." He looked quizzically at Thomas. "He's kinda wheezing Newt."

Newt nodded. "It was worse before. Listen Gally, just think before you open your trap, okay?"

"Whatever." The man turned and walked off.

Newt sighed. "Chuck I gotta go back to help Alby again, I have a feeling this changing ain't over yet. Look after Thomas, okay? Make sure he can shucking breathe."

"You got it." Chuck looked a little alarmed at the request.

Newt turned to Thomas, "You'll be okay, right?"

Thomas nodded, "Yeah." He whispered.

"Good." Newt ruffled his hair, before turning and going back into the building.

This left Thomas and Chuck.

Chuck spoke first, "You hungry? It's not dinner yet but I bet I could get Frypan to give us something."

Thomas wasn't hungry, he actually felt sick, but he was too tired to say no so he just nodded.

"Alright." Chuck took his hand, "Come with me, kid."

Thomas let himself be pulled along, the image of the man with the bulging eyes and ugly green veins etched into his mind. He shuddered, shaking his head to try and get the memory out of it. It was clearly possible since someone had already done it to him prior to the lifts.

He remembered what Chuck told him about grievers hunting at night.

He suddenly felt very afraid of the darkening sky.