This chapter is set just before Thomas and Rachel arrived and explores what happened to Nick and Ximena, leaders before Harriet and Alby. I'm going to do chapter 23 of the main story from Rachel's POV, I'm avoiding using Aris and Teresa's for a while.

Alby

Running the Glade wasn't actually that hard to do, everyone was working hard and few had noticed that Nick and Ximena weren't around. Alby and Harriet had been left in charge, they were the seconds anyway. Nick and Ximena had gone to investigate the Cliff, Hank thought he had seen something odd there and anything odd in the Maze had to be investigated, it could be the way out. There had been so many times they thought they had found something that Alby wasn't hopeful.

"A bit late for them not to be back." Sonya remarked, pushing her hair out of her face. Alby could tell what she was thinking, the day they had found Newt, after he had jumped off the wall. Sonya had given up being a Runner for him, and never complained.

Alby didn't have time to answer before he heard Harriet yell from by the East Doors, sprinting towards the sound.

Harriet had obeyed the rule not to go into the Maze, but obviously wanted to, two figures were making their way down the corridor, towards the Glade. One leant heavily on the other but both looked injured, in the darkening evening light it was impossible to tell which was which. Alby's mind screamed for him to help but he didn't, they would be back in time, and breaking whatever rhythm they had wouldn't be helpful.

The two figures got closer, and Alby could see that it was Ximena supporting Nick, who was unconscious, there was a terrifying amount of blood on both their clothes.

The pair stumbled to the Doors and Alby instinctively moved to take Nick, he didn't seem to have been Stung, just attacked, which Grievers had been known to do on occasion.

A small crowd had gathered and Alby was aware of Harriet shouting for someone to get the Medis, having lowered Ximena onto the grass. She was in a bad way but not as bad as Nick, who Alby doubted would even live. Knowing them well he would guess that Nick had put himself in the path of the Griever to protect Ximena, it was the sort of thing he would do for anyone.

The Medis were there quickly, helping Alby and Harriet carry them up to the Med Room in the Homestead. Alby wanted to stay and watch what happened to his friends but Harriet pulled him away, saying they needed to have dinner and change out of their now bloody clothes. He didn't know what he'd do without her, always calmer and stopping him from doing anything too stupid. Harriet was also great at providing comfort, Alby knew, remembering how she had held him and Sonya after Newt's 'accident'.

That night Alby couldn't sleep, sitting on the floor of his room in the Homestead. Around midnight Harriet came in, she didn't say anything, just sat beside him and let him cry on her shoulder. What had he done to deserve her?

Neither Nick or Ximena had been stung, just attacked with every other appendage the Grievers had in their arsenal. Nick was certainly the worst off, and despite having lied through his teeth to the rest of the Glade, Clint told Alby without hesitation that it was very unlikely that he would survive. He had lost a significant amount of blood, and had some nasty internal injuries, something about a crushed spleen.

But he did say that it wasn't impossible, and there was still hope for Ximena, Nick was comatose but she was awake, talking. It was quite likely that she would recover.

Nick died a week later, they buried him in the Deadheads, carving his name onto a piece of wood. Alby cried shamelessly, so many died who didn't deserve it. He had long ago resolved to keep attachments to a minimum, he was closest to Harriet, followed by Newt, Nick, Minho, Sonya, Ximena. Those were the only people Alby had allowed himself to care about at all, he had never really managed to get on with Miyoko, not that he disliked her.

Ximena took a turn for the worst after that, an infection that they had thought minor suddenly rearing up with a vengeance. When Alby asked the Medis he was told it was blood poisoning, something they did not have the facilities to treat. He wrote a note and put it in the Box, begging for antibiotics to treat sepsis.

Nothing came, and Alby hated the Creators more than he already did, much more, which he wouldn't have thought possible. They would let a girl die, when they could so easily have saved her.

Alby and Harriet had now taken on the Leader roles, and Alby had appointed Newt as Second. He hoped that they didn't have to appoint Sonya.

Ximena fought the infection with all the strength she had, which was a considerable amount, and the Medis tried everything. Everything they had tried on infections before, everything they knew wouldn't help Nick, some things they had never tried before.

Most would have died within days, but Ximena held on for two more weeks, sometimes well enough to give advice on issues in the Glade, sometimes not even able to speak.

A few days after Nick's death, however, it became obvious she would die.

The mood in the Glade was the blackest Alby had ever known it.

Ximena died five days before the Box came with new Greenies. There was a crate full of antibiotics, Alby wanted to throw them back in the Creators' faces.

A/N: These seem to have taken a depressing turn don't they? I should really be doing my English homework instead of this. Please review if you have any ideas for what I should write.