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Disclaimer: In its use of intellectual property and characters belonging to James Dashner, Dell Publishing, Wes Ball, TSG Entertainment, Temple Hill Productions, The Gotham Group, et cetera, this work is intended to be transformative commentary on the original. No profit is being made from this work. Any similarities to other fanfiction stories are completely coincidental.
It was barely sunrise, and the Maze's doors had already clanked open. Most of the Gladers had grown used to the sound and slept right through it, however Minho, Alby and Newt were already positioned at the Northern doors. Unbeknownst to the rest of the sleeping boys, the three had risen early and gotten ready without waking their friends so that they could start their mission with no disturbances. It had been established that Newt was to be in charge for the day, and was to deliver the information that no other runners were to leave the Glade that day besides Minho and Alby. Newt was also put in charge of containing Inka, who without a doubt would protest this temporary rule and be upset about the fact that the two had gone off to look for Ben's location – or possible remains – without taking anyone else with them. As it turned out, their assumptions were correct. As soon as the wake up call was given, Newt announced to the group of quite groggy boys – and one very sleepy girl – that Alby and Minho were going to be absent for the day due to the fact that they were retracing Ben's footsteps before he had gotten stung.
"What?" Inka had darted out of her bunk in a matter of seconds, reaching for her pack she stored underneath the cot and quickly suiting up. "That's bloody insane. I'm going in."
"No," Newt stopped her, fully expecting this kind of response. "Please – it's not safe, Inka."
"It's never safe," She growled, a fire lighting behind her eyes as she challenged his dominance, not recognizing it as protection.
"You're not going," The second in command ordered firmly, towering over her frame as his eyes darkened considerably. "That's a direct order from Alby – and from me."
She stumbled back slightly, blinking rapidly as if he had offended her in some way, before scoffing and bumping past him rudely. He didn't hear what she muttered when she walked out the door of the homestead, but he could vaguely make out her distinct grumblings. He did not think much of it, however, and moved to continue waking the rest of his friends. As soon as the boys were up he instructed Zart to monitor her, assuring his friend that he would be with the Track-hoes momentarily after checking to make sure that Chuck knew what his slopper duties were for the day. Newt didn't trust Inka not to go running off into the maze herself, as he knew her and her tendencies quite well at this point. She had an insatiable desire to help the situation the Gladers were in, even if it meant risking her own safety – and Newt's mental well-being, for that matter. Inka could be upset with him all she wanted, just as long as she was safe in the enclosure that was the Glade until Alby and Minho figured out exactly what was causing the Grievers to come out during the day. Newt didn't know how long they would be, so he prepared the entire day around their absence just in case and headed to the fields to regroup with the Keeper of the track-hoes as soon as he could.
"How's she doing?" Newt asked Zart as soon as he spotted the boy trucking off towards the water pump. He didn't bother to ask for specifics, considering Inka was the only girl and it was obvious that she was frustrated.
"See for yourself," The Keeper of the track-hoes chuckled, continuing on his way. Puzzled, Newt carried on towards the area where Zart had been scheduled to collect more wood off of damaged trees in the Glade. What met his sight was a very obviously upset Inka who had taken to violently chopping the base of the tree with all her might, which was a sight to be seen considering her tiny stature. It was almost comical, especially when Newt spotted Thomas and Chuck on an abandoned log several feet away, wood carvings completely forgotten as they stared open-mouthed at the raging girl before them.
"Stupid...slinty-whatever...incorrigible..." Newt nearly grinned as he heard her attempts at chanted curses, and quietly neared her position. "Shucky shuckhead...BOYS!"
She cried with a particularly rough slam of her machete, impaling it into the log and grunting out in frustration. Upon turning around to undoubtedly go take her anger out on another poor defenseless heap of nature, she jumped about a foot in the air and let out a shrill yelp when she came face to face with Newt, who looked rather amused.
"Having fun there, love?" His cheeky grin set her off once more, and she grimaced.
"You can take your stupid rules and shove them," She growled. "What if your friends don't come back? Huh?"
"They'll come back," Newt assured her, straightening his face once more when he realized that her anger was still obviously palpable.
"What if they come back like Ben?" She narrowed here eyes, pushing her British partner. "Huh? What about that? Wouldn't it be nice to know that there's more of us running about to protect each other rather than just two?!"
"Not if it means more bodies," Newt replied honestly, picking up his own machete and beginning to chop away at the wood, hoping to distract her back into work. "We can't risk losing anyone else."
"So what?!" Inka spluttered, some of her anger fading. "You send out your best and strongest without any protection?"
"Alby knows what he's doing," Newt gazed at her, stopping his efforts for moment and reminding himself to be patient with her. "Have faith in him, alright? He just wants to keep us safe."
This seemed to deflate the anger inside of the girl, as she realized that she did not want to go against these boys wishes to keep her safe especially considering the fact that she had built positive relations with them up to this point. She was helping them, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to help them if they did not trust her first. Building trust required her to respect rules so that they would listen to what she had to say, and this did not happen from rebelling. So, she picked up her machete, muttered a soft apology to a very surprised Newt who openly stared at her, and continued chopping with a much calmer persona. When Zart came back he nearly fell over his own two feet, and looked towards Newt with an expression of disbelief that the second in command had once again managed to calm the she-bean down. Newt seemed to be the only person Inka truly listened to.
"Calm after the storm, eh?" He teased, noticing how Inka rolled her eyes and let a small smile grace her lips when she heard Newt's chuckle of laughter.
"Slim it," Newt muttered, the tips of his ears turning pink.
"Sorry guys, but why would Alby go into the maze?" Thomas suddenly blurted from his spot beside Chuck two feet away. He had heard the ordeal between Inka and Newt, and was rather curious especially after having seen Alby and Minho disappear into the maze that morning himself. "I mean, he's not a runner."
"Things are different now," Newt explained, watching as Zart replaced his machete for a shovel and began to collect soil. "Alby went to retrace Ben's footsteps before sundown – look, are you going to help?"
The British boy squinted up towards Thomas, who was still sitting on the log and clearly much preferred pondering the maze and who was in it as opposed to chipping in around the Glade.
"Okay, so he's gonna go back to where Ben was just stung -" Thomas ignored Newt's subtle hint to get off his arse and work, and the second in command grew frustrated.
"Alby knows what he's doing, all right?" Newt held his machete out towards the greenie while he made his point. "He knows better than any of us."
He was suddenly interrupted as Inka grunted in what seemed to be pain, and he turned to her to find that she had grasped a stubborn piece of root with her hands and was tugging on it. The action sort of reminded him of a dog with it's chew toy somehow, and he let out a small chuckle despite the tense conversation he was having. The situation was almost comical; Inka using her entire body weight to try and fruitfully win the battle with the dead tree. Quickly reaching down to assist her, he enveloped Inka's small hands within his own warm ones and both of them tugged on the root until it gave out. The result knocked the tiny girl onto her backside, and he grinned at that as well before helping her back up. She thanked him sheepishly, almost feeling foolish that she had tried so hard for such a difficult task. If it had not been for the large pieces of wood that splintered with the root and made it easier for her to chop away, her efforts would have been pointless.
"What does that mean, 'he knows better than any of us'?" Thomas resumed the conversation seconds later after the incident, much to Newt's annoyance. He chopped at the spot that Inka had freed before explaining the process to Thomas, who he was really hoping would shut up and come help at some point or another.
"All right, it's like you've heard, yeah?" He began to explain from the beginning. "Every month, the box sends up a new arrival. But in the beginning they all came in one big batch. Alby was part of that group – Nick and George were a couple others."
Thomas tensed, remembering the name he had found on the tombstone in the deadheads before Ben had attacked him.
"They would have had to have spent a whole month in the Glade," Newt continued, chopping away again. "Wondering what the bloody hell was going on, and trying to figure things out. It was pure chaos. Everyone was running into the maze left and right, and a lot of boys were lost. Then when the box started coming up monthly and Alby took charge, things started evening out."
He paused again to chop away more wood, not wanting to leave Zart alone and Inka alone in the work they had been doing.
"Either way," He kept talking after twenty seconds of silence, realizing that Zart, Chuck and Inka were listening as well. "Alby taught us that the most important thing is that we all have each other. 'Cause we're all in this together – we're all we have."
At his words, Inka stopped for a moment and acknowledged that this was the sole reason she had turned around in the maze and was determined to go back and help those boys. She was certain that if she had kept going she would have made it out far, but the civilization in the place she had come up in looked so closed off and contained that she couldn't help herself. She knew that she had been placed there for a reason and despite her fears about it, she had headed back with a sole thought in mind; to help these boys leave this dreaded place they had been stuck in for so long. Inka continued chopping after a moment, and vaguely noted that Thomas had gotten up and begun to help as well – apparently inspired by Newt's little speech. The day, however, did not continue to increase in positivity, and unfortunately got worse as the hours went by. Shortly after Thomas joined their working circle there was a rumble in the distance. It took awhile for the Gladers to understand, but as soon as they realized what was going on most of them ran for cover. Inka, on the other hand, was not so quick to leave her post.
"Rain!" Inka's eyes widened as she looked up at the sky, smiling brightly at the first positive thing that had happened today. "It's raining!"
"Yeah..." Newt scrunched his face up, a slight grin lighting up his face when he realized how excited she was about it. "Why? Do you like it?"
"I think I used to like it," She slid her machete back into the back pocket of her pack, enjoying the feeling of the droplets of water hitting her skin as they slowly made their way towards an enclosure. " I remember this feeling..."
He didn't say anything in response, instead choosing to look down at her curiously as they walked.
Unfortunately, upon their arrival in one of the main enclosures, Thomas' questions brought down her mood. The greenie was questioning Minho and Alby's return, mentioning that they should have been back by this point and voicing his concerns about whether or not they were going to make it. The other boys watched the Northern Gates anxiously, hope visibly etches onto their features but fading minute by minute. Inka, who was grasping one of the large support beams and staring at the entrance to the maze intensely herself, debating making a run for it but decided against it when she acknowledged how mentally damaging it would be to all the boys she would leave behind. Newt seemed to refuse the fact that it was possible for Alby and Minho not to make it back, as his statements proved, and he continued to assure the greenie that the two were going to return. Inka found that this was his way of maintaining hope and keeping composure; refusing the option of failure in an extreme case. Unfortunately, deep down inside he most likely knew that there was a chance they wouldn't come back, but he was adamantly denying it due to the fact that he did not want to accept the possibility of losing two very important people in his life in that moment.
Around an hour later, after waiting for the rain to stop and realizing that the time was drawing near for the maze doors to close, the Gladers crowded around the Northern door with rapidly growing concern. Inka stood near the center of the crowd shielded by Newt, who had a bad feeling about her intentions in case the running pair did not show up. She had a habit to be brash and make decisions on the spot – as she had displayed very well in her first several days in the Glade – so he wanted to make sure that she did not dart off in the case of an emergency.
"Can't we send someone after them?" Thomas was clearly nervous, as he was bobbing back and forth from one foot to another and could not stay still.
"It's against the rules," Gally answered him from his crouched position near the ground, which was surprisingly relaxed and calm. "Either they make it back or they don't."
Inka glared at the boy, fighting a war in her head that was telling her to make a break for it and hold herself back at the same time. She hated that there was no back up plan, she hated that someone had had the power to subject these poor people to this, and she hated the fact that there was a good chance at the moment that Alby and Minho were going to be lost to the maze.
"Can't risk losing anyone else," Newt added, fixing Thomas with a stern gaze. He then faced Inka with the same expression, but found that she stared back at him with the exact same amount of frustration he had built up inside of him. Suddenly, the familiar creaking began, and the maze doors began their daily routine of closing as ominously and loudly as possible. Many of the boys stared up at the terrifying structure in horror, looking even more desperately down the corridor as they watched for Alby and Minho's forms to come jogging around the corners.
It took five seconds until the two showed themselves.
As soon as Inka saw Minho's form rounding the corner, she knew something had gone horribly wrong. Alby's unconscious body was being supported solely by the Keeper of the runners, who looked as though he was going to collapse at any moment. The Gladers watched, open mouthed in horror, as the unconscious body of their leader was pathetically supported by Minho's significantly smaller fatigued frame. Not thinking, Inka tried to dart past Newt and Gally to make it inside and help the two boys, but her British counterpart – who had been expecting something like this – managed to grab her by the waist just in time and held her in a tight hold with the help of the Keeper of the builders. Thomas stared at her in surprise, watching as she fought against their grip.
"Hey!" She cried out, struggling against their iron holds, bewildered by their actions. "Hey, get off! Are you blind?! GET OFF! HELP THEM!"
"They're not gonna make it," Newt spat out bitterly, watching as the Keeper of the runners friend struggled with their leader. Inka gaped at him, furious that he wasn't even acknowledging her words. It was as if all of these boys had some sort of barricade stuck in their minds that prevented them from helping the situation
"You've got to leave him!" Zart cried out to Minho, crouching down near the ground as the rest of the boys began to yell.
"Come on Minho, you can make it!" Chuck's shouts were drowned out by the other boy's cries of encouragement and panic, and the girl stuck in the arms of the boys shouted just as loud when she realized just how desperately she needed to assist Minho in that moment. Ironically enough, the only people she had come back to help were the only things holding her back, and this only made her thrash more violently.
Inka squirmed even harder upon realizing that the maze doors were closing far too fast for Minho and Alby to get there on time, and cried out in fear for her running partner. She did not want them to be locked away for a night in the maze, and knew that if anything she could do a better job protecting Alby alongside Minho. He was not going to survive in there if he didn't leave the body behind, and if he waited for too long it was possible that Alby could become conscious and violent. The fact of the matter was that she knew what terrors lay in spending a night in the maze, and the walls were closing further and further by the second. She nearly thought that she was going to have to break one of the rules to get away from Gally and Newt long enough to jump into the maze, but suddenly there was a movement from her right and Thomas darted forward. Newt, having been preoccupied with holding Inka back, only reached an arm out to try and stop the new arrival from moving in, but was too late.
"No, no, no, NO, NO!" Inka cried as the doors slammed shut behind Thomas, sealing the three boys into the stone death trap for the night. "NO!"
It was then that she managed to twist away from the holds of her capturers, flipping around to face them in disbelief and agony.
"WHY?!" She gasped, furiously spitting at Newt and Gally. "Do you have any idea what it's like to spend a night in there?! I'm a runner – YOU CHOSE ME TO DO THAT!"
"We couldn't risk it," Gally tried to argue, mimicking Newt and holding a hand out to calm her down. "This is to keep you safe!"
"I c-could have helped!" She cried, shoved the boys hands away, letting her sobs shake her body. "I w-would have helped! You – you awful, t-terrible people! Why do you have these s-stupid rules?! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
She was screaming hysterically at this point, pointing back towards the maze and panting wildly as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks. There was no worse feeling in the world, as she was discovering just now, than the feeling of helplessness. Newt could not utter a reply as he watched at her outburst with sympathy, not knowing how to console the girl this time considering he had been part of the problem. Gally seemed shocked if anything at the sight of her heightened emotions, and chose to quietly usher the rest of the solemn Gladers away from the door. When he turned back towards Inka and Newt, he found that she had sunken to the ground and taken to pounding at it in anger. The second in command still hadn't moved, and at this point Gally couldn't do anything but stay put in case he needed help to move the she-bean. The Keeper of the builders took pity on her strong emotions, finding himself particularly moved by her desire to help her friends. Nevertheless however, there were still rules set in place that needed to be followed to keep the Gladers safe – if he and Newt had not held Inka back the casualties in the maze could have been four instead of three that night. And for some reason Gally knew that if the Glade lost the little female British spitfire, much hope would be gone.
"I would have helped," She muttered weakly, voice muffled from her place on the ground in a child's position where she clutched at her short strands of scruffy hair. It was a couple seconds before Newt realized that all the boys had settled themselves a ways away, sitting down on the wet ground and refusing to move. It was a physical lament to mourn their losses of the moment, he acknowledged, and he did not protest or request for them to shift their position.
They stayed that way until night fell, not making a noise or movement unless it was to shift to scratch an itch or to brush a tear away. Eventually, when they did move to settle into more comfortable positions to sleep on the dewy grass, Newt made his way over to where Inka had been laying – in the same vulnerable position – for hours. He had regarded her silently every now and then up to that point, and was growing more and more guilty by the second even though he knew that he had done the right thing. There was no knowing if she would have been able to survive a second night in the maze, and he did not want to risk her – or any of the other boys – lives. Although it sounded terrible, it was better to lose three than any more.
She did not react when he placed a hand on her back at first, feeling a slight tingle when her spine came into contact with his palm. He began to stroke meticulously, not knowing why at first but then realizing that it had come from a place of knowledge. Previous knowledge – one that he had held in his mind locked away somewhere in a large box alongside the rest of his memories and splattered in mental graffiti that the creators had most likely tainted with.
It was then that Newt realized he was having his first real memory.
It was not a flashback or a dream or anything of that sort, but he was remembering a specific action that was soothing, and it was working. Inka's muscles un-tensed, and although he was not certain if she was sleeping or not, he continued his action because it was the only thing he was certain about in that moment. The only thing he concentrated on was the feeling of her spine, the material of her shirt, and her breathing that matched with his own. He knew, far away in a corner of his brain, that this action had taken place before in a strand of time that no longer existed in his mind; erased, like everything else but his name. His breaths seemed to grow heavier and heavier by the second as the whole feeling and physical memory of his particular comforting action consumed him. Even though the bridge that linked to the answer as to why he was so familiar with this type of closeness was missing, he continued to strive for it. It was the most infuriating thing, knowing that the answer was somewhere out there floating in the realm of his lost memories; so close yet so far. He now knew why Inka was so frustrated with her brain as well – it was because the answers were right there on their fingertips, but at the cruel hands of the creators they were ungraspable.
Newt moved to lay beside her after a short while, finding himself utterly exhausted after such a stressful and strenuous day and wanting to sleep to recuperate his mental strength. He did not cease the movement of his arm until he felt all of her back relax, and it was only then after he himself began to drift off to sleep that his arm moved to rest against her thigh. That was the way they woke the next morning, still connected and not having moved. Inka lifted her head groggily when Newt's hand twitched against her thigh, and her eyes darted open to assess her surroundings. The flashbacks of the previous day came to haunt her immediately, pounding the message into her head to get up and go check if the doors had opened yet. Newt was still asleep, facial muscles relaxed and angelic despite the small frown his brows displayed. His comforting touches had helped her relax last night, and she felt as though the familiar actions were like a bell that rang out in the dark. She regarded him for a moment, finding that although all her anger towards him and Gally had dissipated overnight, she was both emotionally and physically exhausted.
Despite her state however, she managed to rise silently and glumly walk over to the Northern doors where she waited in absolute silence for them to begin to open. She stood for what seemed to be the better part of an hour, watching the stone wall with as much hatred as she could possibly muster until it finally gave a small creak. It was then that she heard the rest of the boys begin to wake, disturbed by the rising sunlight and the rushing of memories reminding them of what had happened last night. They quickly crowded around the entrance, eyes darting around the corridor to search uselessly for the boys they knew were most likely dead. Inka had half a mind to dart in once again, but reconsidered when she thought about the impact that it would have on the community if one other person sacrificed themselves in the darkest hour.
"I told you Chuck," Newt looked down at the younger boy with sympathy as the corridor stayed silent, trying not to let his despair seep through his features. "They're not coming back."
Inka placed a comforting hand on Chuck's shoulder as he turned around to look at all the boys beginning to retreat back to their posts for the day, desperate for some kind of consolation. The only thing she could give him was her presence, so the two turned back towards the maze and stood separate from the others. Newt was about to coax Inka back towards the fields when he heard Chuck's sudden gasp, and when his eyes flitted back towards the maze they were wide open.
It was Thomas and Minho, and they were both supporting Alby's body as they slowly made their way towards the exit of the maze.
Without thinking, Inka dashed forwards whilst the other boys began to cheer, quickly replacing Minho's body with her own as he looked as though he was about to collapse. The oriental boy grunted as Inka took over, stumbling alongside her whilst she pulled their leader to safety. Her unparalleled relief gave her a large boost of energy, positivity flowing through her veins at the fact that the boys had survived the night. Although Alby was heavy, she managed to support his taller frame and assist Thomas for the last several feet of their journey until they finally crossed over into the grassy Glade.
"Easy easy," The other boys immediately reached their arms out, beginning to assist with the injured leader.
"I got him," Newt took Alby from Inka's grasp and helped set him down onto the ground. "I got him."
"What happened out there?" Questions were immediate as the boys, who began to crowd even thicker around the incident.
"How'd you guys make it out?"
At first, there was no answer from the panting boys – but as soon as the Gladers spotted the sting mark on Alby's chest they looked up at the two runners in horror.
"You saw a Griever?" Chuck questioned, eyes flashing as he looked towards Thomas.
"Yeah," Thomas nodded, looking around the circle of boys uncertainly. "I saw one."
"He didn't just see one," Minho added, meeting Inka's eyes. "He killed it."
There was a momentary silence as they all looked towards him in shock before turning to Inka. Thomas met her eyes and the two shared an uneven gaze, knowing that at one point or another the whole situation would have to be addressed.
"Another one?" Newt looked between the two, nerves bouncing in his stomach. The situation was getting worse and worse; it was almost as if some invisible force was causing situations to try and push them to leave the only safe zone they had known for all these years.
Although the second in command did not receive a response to his question, he ordered for Alby's body to be shipped to the med-jack hut and called and immediate, mandatory meeting. He hated the fact that it was his responsibility to be in charge but knew that these steps were necessary to help figure out what to do; they needed a leader and it was his responsibility to fit that role when the situation demanded it. As of right then and there, the situation required for him to listen to Minho's recollection of the story as well as the other boys' – plus Inka, who had a fairly large voice in this considering she had been the only other Glader to see or kill a Griever – reactions and decide the appropriate measures to take. Unfortunately, several of the boys did not enjoy the story that Minho had told.
"Things are changing," Gally interrupted the chatter of the boys as soon as the oriental runner had finished talking. "There's no denying that. First, we get a crazy she-bean shipped up to us for no reason who runs amuck and kills a Griever, second we get Grievers stinging in broad daylight, and third we get our lovely greenie running into the maze just because he feels like it."
Gally gave Inka a pointed glare, one which she returned whole heartedly. If he decided to blame her for the incident in some way shape or form, so be it. But she knew that figuring out the answers to this problem lay in the maze, and if Gally wanted to live here for the rest of his life he could ignore that fact. There was no denying the reality of the situation, and she was glad that her eyes were open.
"Unlike this one," Gally continued, motioning to Inka who shifted closer to Newt in discomfort. "Thomas knew the rules. This is a clear violation of them."
"Yeah," Frypan muttered from his place behind Inka. "But he saved Alby's life."
"Did he?" Gally questioned, reminding all the boys of their leaders current state. He was not going to survive for long, and although he had already been stung when Minho had tried to bring him back into the Glade it was not Thomas' fault that Alby was on his deathbed at the moment. "Listen – I've said this before, and I'll say it again. For three years, we have coexisted with these things. Now, we've killed two of them. Who knows what this could mean for us?"
"They tried to kill me - they tried to kill Thomas and Minho!" Inka protested, blurting out before she could stop herself due to the anger that had built up inside of her after hearing the same repeated words. Gally turned to glare at her some more, but she continued to speak and matched his expression. "That isn't coexisting! These things are there to stop us from trying to run!"
"What would you suggest we do, Gally?" Newt spoke coolly from his spot leaning on one of the wooden beams that supported the gathering hut. His tone was slightly condescending, as if he was testing the Keeper of the builders to see how he reacted.
"He has to be punished," Gally shook his head and spread his arms, as if his opinion was the most obvious thing in the world. The Gladers erupted in stead of the suggestion, spouting out how he had helped the situation instead of hurt it and killed one of the harmful beasts.
"Minho," Newt ignored the chatter of the boys in the hay seats, instead choosing to regard his friend. Inka gave him a side glance, wondering how he was managing to hold his composure for this long without blowing his top. "You were in there with him. What do you think?"
Minho sighed before speaking, regarding both Inka and Thomas evenly.
"I think..." He began, stepping forward slightly and looking towards Thomas. "That in all the time we've been here, no one has ever killed a Griever – or two for that matter – before. When I turned tail and ran, this dumb shank stayed behind to help Alby – and the first day Inka was here she saw that the maze was the only way out. And both of 'em risked their lives to help us. I don't know if these two are brave or stupid, but whatever it is we need more of it."
There was a beat of silence as the boys looked towards the two trouble makers who had changed so much in their short time in the Glade.
"We saw the exact same pattern with Inka," Minho pointed to the female runner who gazed at him with respect, happy that he was retaining a dosage of realism despite the heightened emotions that surrounded him. "And she found the first shucking clue in three years – so let's not make a mistake here. I say we make Thomas a runner too."
The boy in question snapped his gaze back to the Keeper of the runners, who met his stare evenly and nodded once.
"A runner?" Winston scoffed, not wanting to accept that yet another greenie had been recruited that fast. "What?"
"Minho," Frypan cut in, ignoring Newt's slight grin as he looked towards his best friend. "Let's not jump the gun here all right?"
"Inka?" Newt turned to her to ask for her opinion and causing a silence to fall over the gathering hut. "You're the only other who's survived a night in the maze and killed a Griever. What do you have to say?"
It took her a minute to respond as she furrowed her brows, the gears turning in her head.
"I think it was risky," She admitted, chastising herself for the comment when she saw Thomas' face fall slightly. "But I would have done the same if these two hadn't been holding me back."
She motioned towards Newt and Gally – one of which who was giving her a very discontent look that would have had her dead on the floor in seconds if looks could kill – and then continued.
"It's not fair to punish someone who just wanted to help – Minho might not have survived if it wasn't for Thomas, so I agree with him."
Minho allowed a small smile to coat his features as soon as the words left her mouth, and Inka found herself smiling back. They knew the changes that were taking place and they knew that they were one step closer to finding a way out, which meant that the arrival of the greenie and his capability to survive was a directly positive placement into their society. He had saved three lives including his own in a night in the maze, and both Inka and Minho recognized that that was a skill that did not come up often in the supply box.
"We put Inka in the pit when she tried to run, remember? She hurt Alby too - why is this any different?" Gally defended his logic and cut the chatter once more, holding his arms up as an expression of innocence. Inka snorted, crossing her arms and shaking her head in disappointment. It made no sense to punish the boy who had clearly helped Minho survive and get Alby back, even though he had put himself at risk to do the task.
There was a chorus of shouts and yells as the Gladers disagreed with him, trying to push the Keeper of the builders to go easier on the greenie.
"If you want to throw the newbie a parade that's fine," Gally cut in angrily, clearly frustrated that no one had seen it from his perspective. "Go ahead. But if there is one thing that I know about the maze, it is that you do not -"
Suddenly, he was interrupted by a large buzzing noise that echoed in the Glade, causing all the boys to look at each other in confusion. Inka, who was rather startled by it, heard several muttering that 'the box was not supposed to come up before the end of the month'. She knew about it's pattern, but did not understand why it was such an alarm until she caught an eyeful of Newt's concerned glance. It was then that she began to follow the large flow of boys with worry, running towards the only metal contraption in the Glade and reaching it alongside Gally. The bellowing buzzer did not stop ringing until the cage doors opened, and Inka quickly helped to assist Gally in opening one of the doors she had exited from herself not nearly two months ago. What she saw when she gazed inside of it shocked her for a good second or two.
It was another girl.
She quickly jumped down inside before any of the boys could recover from their surprise, eager to try and assist one of her kind, but quickly realized that the girl was unconscious and quite possibly hurt.
"Inka? What do you see?" Newt's voice echoed from above.
"It's a girl," Inka murmured in response, trying to brush away the hair on the sleeping girl's face to get a better look at her.
"No way," There were murmurs of wonder as the boys stared at the two women down in the cage. One might have been a stretch, but if they had sent two it showed that the creators must have had a completely ulterior motive.
"What? No."
"Impossible."
"Is she dead?"
"No," Inka shook her head, listening for the girl's breathing and letting the feeling of relief wash over her when she could feel the other girl's breath on her ear. She quickly checked her pulse as well, feeling if the beat was sluggish or too fast. Surprisingly enough, it was steady, and the only thing that seemed to be wrong was that she was out cold. "No, she's not dead."
"What's in her hand?" Gally's voice called down to her, and Inka's eyes immediately shot towards the girl's extended right hand.
She quickly picked out the small piece of paper, slightly scruffled and obviously wrapped up very hastily, before opening it. The message she saw sent a chill straight down her spine.
"'She's the last one ever'," She read in a shaky voice, looking up towards the boys in confusion. "What the bloody hell does that mean?"
She unfortunately did not get an answer, as the girl suddenly woke with a gasp. In result, Inka threw herself against the far side of the cage in panic, prepared to protect herself if needed whilst letting out a rather large yelp. The girl made no move however, and instead focused in on the sky as Thomas' name fell out of her gasping lips. Then, as quickly as she had woken, the girl was out again and her eyes rolled back into her head. The surrounding group took a moment to recover from their own shock as they stared at Thomas in fear, wondering what this behavior could possibly mean and the girl she knew Thomas' name without even having asked it.
"You still think I'm overreacting?" Gally's sarcastic tone shot out through the shocked silence, looking towards each and every individual Glader.
"Slim it Gally," Inka growled, proud of herself for having memorized her first foreign insult and moving forwards towards the girl once again. She did not want to hear Gally's unhelpful comments at the moment, especially not in this particular situation. For a reason Inka did not know of, she could not find fear in her system at the moment. She was a little bit shocked at the girl's outburst, but was certain that she wanted to help the poor thing and recollected her thoughts as quickly as possible. She quickly collected the girl in her arms, surprised at her own strength in being able to lift a girl that was significantly heavier than her – she supposed she had Minho's strength training to thank for that – and began to move her towards the edge of the cage. The unconscious girl was going to have to be placed in the med-jack hut until she woke up, and Inka had a suspicion that she was going to be rather shocked when she did.
"Help me with her," She uttered to no one in particular as she began to lift the girl upwards.
Newt came to her rescue alongside Minho, who took the girl into his arms and began to transport her with Clint and Jeff's help towards the med-jack hut. Newt bothered himself with assisting his tiny British counterpart out of the cage, and quickly noticed that there were no boxes or supplies in the large metal contraption either. If this girl was the last one, did that mean no more supplies were coming up? His stomach fluttered in nervous fear once more as he realized just how many things had changed in such a short time span. Perhaps the creators were getting frustrated with their lack of progression and wanted them gone, but that seemed rather ominous and sick considering two of their friends had recently gotten stung by daytime Grievers. Who were they to plop the boys down into a Glade for three years and then force them out of it? Who was doing this?
Thomas, who was still in slight shock over his own name – the only thing he had left in his brain to remember – being called by the mysterious girl who had popped up, had still not moved. It was only when Chuck nudged him that he snapped out of his daze and went dashing after Minho, eager to try and discover anything else about the long haired brunette. Newt on the other hand, stayed behind and ordered Clint to let him know if she woke up anytime soon – it was possible that she had more information on her other than the paper, and they needed to know it as soon as possible. He also ordered that no one entered the maze until Minho gave orders, knowing that Inka would have been very curious and most likely brash enough to try and make a run for it as soon as she had the chance. The good news was that she was beginning to see things from a safe point of view, and this meant that she was truly becoming a part of their makeshift society.
"Where do you want me for the rest of the day?" Inka's voice startled Newt slightly, but he held his composure and assigned her back to the track-hoes so that he could keep a close eye on her just in case of anything.
She did not seem particularly upset about another woman arriving, although he could see glints of curiosity in her eyes as she occasionally looked towards the med-jack hut. He imagined it would have been a relieving feeling to finally see another person of the same gender after having spent a month surrounded by boys with no memories, so he tried to see it from her point of view and did not reprimand her for being distracted in the next several hours. They worked silently, planting cabbage and carrot seeds in the shady covering they had created. Several times Newt would look over at Inka and watch her silently as she worked, noticing the sweat on her brow and the way her tiny fingers would handle the plants so gently she gave the impression they were made of glass. It was easy to get lost watching her, so after several times Newt mentally chided himself and tried his best to focus.
Several hours went by, and soon enough Clint came jogging through the fields to inform the second in command that the girl just wasn't waking up. The med-jacks had tried everything they knew of to wake her, but her unconscious state did not shift and they were growing concerned. Everything that Inka had checked before – her heart rate, skin condition and breathing – were completely fine, except for the fact that she just wouldn't wake up.
"Jeff...what's going on?" Newt questioned as soon as he, Minho, Thomas and Inka had entered the med-jack hut. He had brought the two boys along for extra strength in case of incident, but he had brought Inka along because he knew that just in case of emergency, the other girl would be more comforted to see one of her own gender instead of all men. "What's the matter with her? Why won't she wake up?"
"Hey man, I got my job the same way you did," Jeff began, placing his hands on his hips and hinting that he could not figure it out why the girl would not rise.
"Well?" Newt caught Thomas staring at the girl's face, and frowned towards him. "Do you recognize her?"
"No," He admitted, shaking his head and blinking rapidly as if it would help the situation.
"Really?" The second in command asked somewhat sarcastically. "'Cause she seemed to recognize you."
"What about the note?"
"We'll worry about the note later," Newt shook his head, regarding the mysterious girl curiously for the first time. Her thick brown hair shielded her face from view, although it did not hide her upturnt nose and thin pink lips. She seemed to be of average height and weight and healthy, unlike Inka who was still underweight and rather jumpy both physically and mentally.
"I think you should worry about it now," Thomas added for good measure, interrupting Newt's thoughts and looking between him and Minho.
"We've got enough to deal with at the moment," Newt reminded him, crossing his arms stubbornly and not caving.
"He's right Newt," Jeff butted in, trying to vouch for Thomas' opinion while hopelessness coated his features. "If the box isn't coming back up, how long do you think we can last?"
"No one said that," The British boy tried to reassure himself and the other boys in the room, knowing fully well that the box not arriving on schedule each month was a very likely risk but not wanting to confront it at the moment. "Let's not jump to any conclusions. We'll just...we'll just wait until she wakes up and see what she knows. Somebody's got to have some answers around here."
Newt looked around for Inka, who had disappeared for the time being. He frowned, leaning backwards to check the other separate rooms and spotted her near Alby's form looking at his wound. Looking at her for a bit, he noticed that she had a very rough grimace on her face and regarded their leader somewhat helplessly. For a moment he was consumed in watching her and her emotions, trying to see why she felt that way and if there was any particular reason why she had chosen to visit Alby instead of the girl. For her sake he hoped that she had been listening to the conversation, because it was important that she was notified if the girl woke up. Alby, on the other hand, had little chance of 'waking up'. He did not even realize that Thomas had begun to take off until Minho made a noise, and Newt quickly questioned where the new greenie was headed.
"Back into the maze," He explained simply. Minho sighed and shared a gaze with a very passive Newt, who nodded at him before he took off after Thomas and pulled Inka along with him. The second in command regarded their retreating figures for a split second before deciding to head back to the fields, wanting to work away his stress and fears for the rest of the day if possible. Minho, on the other hand, had taken it upon himself to question Thomas' choices and tried to stop him as he took off on a slow jog towards the Northern exit.
"What is this with you, huh Thomas?" The oriental boy had stopped the new arrival, placing a hand on his chest. "Death wish? You just got out, and now you want back in?"
"Newt said that no one but Inka has ever seen or killed a Griever," Thomas defended his choice, a fire lighting behind his eyes. "Now we have another one, and you're telling me that you're not curious about it?"
"Not really, no," Minho deadpanned, not the least bit excited to discover the body of another one of the terrible creatures he had spent years trying to avoid.
"He's right," Inka sided with Thomas. "You wanted to see mine, remember? We might find something different in his."
"Something different?" Thomas frowned, looking down at the smaller girl who shared an uncertain glance with Minho before pulling something out of her pack.
"We found this," She showed the greenie the cylindrical object with the bright light that still shone red, and watched as Thomas took it from her hands and twisted it until he caught sight of the yellow plating that read 'WCKD' in black font. "We don't know what it does, but we might find something else in your Griever."
"Come on Minho," Thomas shook his head at this information, and begged the Keeper of the runners to agree with his idea whilst he handed the object back to Inka. "You can't ignore this."
"Alright, alright. So what's the plan?" Minho finally caved, crossing his arms and standing in between the two troublemakers of the Glade. "Are you gonna go out and dissect the thing all on your lonesome?"
"I will if I have to," Thomas looked between the two runners as if they had grown a second head, thinking that they had turned and were not on his side anymore. "Have the other runners left yet?"
"The other runners – except this little jacked she-bean – quit this morning," Minho revealed, looking towards the fire pit where Elijah, Freddy and Dave were eating with Gally. "After Alby got stung they're not in any hurry to get back out there. Why are you two?"
"Because the maze is the only way out," Inka repeated, tone slightly sharper now that she was forced to explain her reasoning for wanting to run through the maze countless amounts of times. "I've told you so many times – it's the only way out, and if we get scared we're not going to get any answers."
She looked towards Thomas for confirmation, and found that he shakily agreed with her.
"I think it's time we figure out what we're really up against," They both looked back at Minho for support, and relief coated his face when the oriental boy gave a huff of agreement.
"All right," His expression was tight, indicating that he believed the idea was risky but worth it. "But you're not going back out there alone. You two meet me at the Northern entrance in half an hour."
Although it was difficult to convince them, Minho managed to coerce Zart, Winston and Frypan to join the expedition to the second ruptured Griever in case of emergency, and the group found themselves near the North door of the maze at what they felt to be a good half hour later. Thomas seemed to be satisfied with the number of runners, and the group took off rather quickly to save as much time as possible for the dissection. They reached the carcass in a good couple hours, several of the boys grimacing and making noises of disgust once the smell hit their nostrils.
"That is disgusting," Zart announced, gripping the stick he had brought along and regarding the carcass carefully.
"There's something in there," Thomas squinted at the body, trying to get closer without endangering himself in case it sprung back to life for some unnamed reason.
"You mean besides the Griever pancake?" Frypan tried to see what he was talking about, and then nodded when he saw the blinking red light.
"Yeah, that's what we're looking for," Inka confirmed that it was indeed the same object that her and Minho had found in the Sector 3 Griever, and pushed past Zart to pry open a metal compartment so that she could stick her hand inside the carcass. "Let me."
The boys let out a groan as she reached her way inside without time for debate, sickened at the noise and the act that she was willingly performing. The stench was unbelievable at that point, and only a madman would have chosen to do a task so dirty and sticky as Inka was doing. She tried to find her way into the main cavity of the body, but found that she was blocked by a number of tunnels and did not know where to turn. Perhaps this Griever was at a different angle than the one she had killed? She did not have time to look for an answer however, because the Griever suddenly gave a large mechanical screech and it's leg shot out as a reflex. Inka sprung back several feet only to crash into Minho, who held her steady albeit losing a bit of breath after the power of her jump hit him in the chest.
"I thought you said it was dead!" Frypan exclaimed, mirroring the actions of all the other boys who were looking equally as shocked and gripped their sticks for protection.
"Was it a reflex?" Zart inquired, horror coating his features.
"You hope!" Winston hovered behind the Keeper of the track-hoes, too nervous to get any closer to the 'dead' body.
Inka quickly moved to reach back into the body again, having recovered from her shock and growing frustrated, when Minho made a sound of protest.
"I'm okay - it's fine," Inka looked back at him, holding his gaze steadily. "I'm not scared."
She stepped forward reached into the creature again, wincing slightly as she squeezed past what was meant to be an imitated mechanical digestive system filled with slimy tubes, and looked for the main cavity. Her hand closed in on it within a couple of seconds, and she yanked as hard as she possibly could several times before the object finally came free. The force nearly knocked her back on her behind once again, but she held her balance and slid the cylinder out of the heart-like chamber. The boys crowded to see the object, reveling in an actual piece of machinery that was alive and whirring before them and that was clearly a clue. Inka then pulled out her own cylinder and compared the two, seeing that the number on her cylinder was labeled as 96438916 and the number on the fresh cylinder that was labeled as 9643921. The red number on it read seven, and Inka allowed a frown to coat her features at this new information.
"What the hell do these things do?" Frypan questioned, looking back and forth between the two cylinders and trying to remember what Inka had said about the one she had found at the gathering a month ago.
"Three, four, five, six, seven..." Inka counted, ignoring the cook's curiosity and noticing that the last two numbers on the cylinder's yellow plating were five apart. "The longer number is also four digits away from my Griever - this one matches sector 7."
"For our sake, I hope there's only one for each sector," Minho looked up and around at the maze walls. "That mean's we've got six left to deal with."
"Exactly," Frypan butted in again, already retreating back the way the group had come from. "So let's not stick around to meet this guy's friends."
"You're right," Minho acknowledged, staring up at the sky with growing concern. "It's getting late. Let's head back."
Around an hour and a half later, the Keepers, Newt, Inka and Thomas gathered in the meeting hut to discuss what they had found. The two cylinders were presented to Newt by Minho, who held them out for the temporary leader to compare. Newt regarded the metallic objects carefully, still uncertain as to what sort of power they possessed. The lettering on both cylinders was the same, and the only difference seemed to be the digits and the red numbers – one that read three and the other that read seven.
"The numbers on both the platings and the screens are five digits away from each other," Inka stated, grey eyes shining as she pointed to the respective spots on the objects. "They match with the sectors, so we think there's only six left."
Newt's eyes followed her fingertips and traced over the numbers, trying to riddle out why on earth the creators would be sending both supplies and mobilizing Grievers to harm the Gladers at the same time. It was already established that the whole maze was a sick puzzle to entrap them in the Glade, but Newt couldn't fathom why the same company that was giving them the necessary tools to live was also producing mechanical monsters to kill them. Unless the whole thing was a giant twisted game that someone in power was playing, the British boy really did not have an explanation.
"We have to go back out there," Thomas tried to convince Newt that these findings were positive instead of ominous, but it was clear that the second in command was nervous. "Who knows where this might lead us."
"You see what they're trying to do, right?" Gally furiously turned to Newt after looking between him and the object for several seconds. "First they break our rules and then he tries to convince us to abandon them totally?! The rules are the only thing that have ever held us together; why now are we questioning that?"
Newt looked at Gally and then Thomas, wheels turning in his head. His eyes met Inka's, and although she gave him a cool glance as if to remind him to make the right decision, he felt himself teetering in Gally's direction. He understood where the boy was coming from in terms of safety; Thomas was violating and disrespecting the same rule over and over again, and it was no longer acceptable. The rules were the glue, something that the boys had clung to to keep themselves safe especially after they had proven to work for so long. Less boys had died and more lives had been protected using the rules than anything else, and Newt recognized the value in that system. At the same time of course, the catch was that acts of rebellion most often sparked the most change; Thomas and Inka had been the spark, and Newt also realized that perhaps they were shoving the Gladers in the direction they had needed to be shoved in for all these years. So, as he looked back at Thomas reproachfully, he decided to compromise.
"This shank," Gally continued, missing the way Newt's eyes darkened when he looked his way. "Needs to be punished."
"You're right," Newt handed the cylindrical objects back to Inka, holding back a shiver when her hands brushed his and he felt the warmth. "Thomas broke the rules. One night in the pit with no food."
"Oh, come on Newt!" Gally immediately complained, flailing his arms about. "One night in the pit – you think that's gonna stop him from going into the maze!?"
"No," Newt spoke as if he wanted that exact result, eyeing the Keeper of the builders as if he was an idiot before turning his gaze back to Thomas. "And we can't just have non-runners running into the maze whenever they feel like it. So let's just make this official; starting from tomorrow, you're a runner."
Several reactions set off in the room at once. Minho gave a slight nod to the temporary leader, Inka let a small smile grace her features for a split second, and Thomas eyed Newt carefully. Gally, on the other hand, scoffed in disbelief and angrily made his way out of the hut. He pushed Frypan's hands away, who tried to stop him on his way out to avoid an angry rampage from happening. Inka ignored this however, in favor of looking back towards Newt's face as Thomas quietly thanked him. The British boy's features had shifted into something that she couldn't identify; it was as if a monster was lurking somewhere behind his eyes, warping his thoughts and showing itself in his pupils.
"I see that, you know," Inka took a step closer to him once Thomas was out the door, eyeing him dubiously. "I see that thing in your eyes."
The second in command did not utter a word, and instead looked down at the small girl without a single emotion on his face.
"I don't know what it is," She continued slowly, grasping at the straps of her pack. "Or why you feel that way sometimes, but it looks like it hurts and I'm sorry."
There was another beat of silence whilst she looked like she was trying to figure out what to say.
"You don't have to tell me, but if you want to I would like to listen."
This time, the pregnant pause nearly overwhelmed the two before she gave him a nervous smile and began to walk towards the door, most likely to resume Track-hoe duties as it was painfully obvious that no more runners were to step foot into the maze that day.
"Newt?" The small girl called to him just as she was about to exit the hut. "You coming?"
He did not respond at first, partly out of shock and partly out of guilt, because he realized in that moment that she had given him the time and space he needed to come about the issue himself. She had not tried to force an answer out of him, nor threaten him with anything in case he did not tell her – she had merely informed him that she knew something was off, and that he could talk to her when he was ready and willing to do so. For that, he found that he could not even formulate the words of sheer gratitude he felt. Before his accident he had felt like the loneliest man on the planet; forced to be incarcerated in the stone prison that was the Glade for the rest of his life and wonder what had happened to his life, but now that this tiny little package of determination and sheer force that was to be reckoned with had come along, he felt a renewed sense of purpose. He owed his new found hope and faith to Inka – she had been the push that he had needed to get his brain back on it's feet, and he knew that she was going to help them change everything whether she realized it or not.