AN: And we're back again, kind of on a roll here. After the massive previous chapter we're just laying the foundations for some interesting scenes to come. Thank you to all the lovely readers that have followed us so far. Enjoy! ~ Emma and Sarah

Disclaimer: we don't own the maze runner *sadness*

Lizzy PoV

We stayed like that for a few precious moments before I knew we had to go. I stood up and offered my hand to him, helping him off his feet.

"We should get Flo," I said timidly, "She must think I've gone crazy,"

"No, she understands, she didn't recognise the panic attack at first, but once I explained to her what was going on she got it. I think she's seen one before, I mean before all this. She just felt bad for shouting and making it worse,"

"I'll talk to her, she already feels like a monster,"

Flo PoV

Once upon a time there was a girl who always tried to fight monsters with her friends, but always got things wrong. She only wanted to help, but she always fucked it up in the end.

I lent against the wall holding my head back. It was a panic attack, how could I have missed the fact it was a panic attack. I'd made it worse, I'd already hurt her enough, and when I was down she picked me up, when she was down I made it worse. I was a complete mess.

I was there for a while, and I could hear words floating up but I blocked most of them out, allowing them privacy.

After a short pause I heard my name and my ears pricked up, but only some words made it up.

"...crazy,"

"...make it worse,"

"She's already… monster,"

Monster

And they were right. I was crazy, I was just making things worse, I was a monster. That's what the Flare had done to me.

Once upon a time there was a girl who always tried to fight monsters. Until she became one herself.

Lizzy helped me off my feet and we walked in silence for a bit. Their words rang in my ears but I tried not to let it all come out like I had with Newt.

"So Flo," Thomas said carefully, "How are you… feeling today,"

"I'm not going to kill your girlfriend if that's what you mean," I snapped,

"Flo I'm sure he didn't mean it like-"

"That's exactly how he meant it!"

Rein it in. Hold it back. Keep the monsters hidden away.

"Flo, calm down," she tried to reason with me but her kind words only opened the gates for the dark creatures to flow out of.

"I heard you! I heard you both! Talking of how crazy I was, how I make everything worse, how I'm a monster! Don't deny you said those words,"

"Has anyone ever told you eavesdropping is bad," Lizzy said back, hurt in her voice, "Not only is it rude but you never get the full story,"

"What?" I said, my mind clearing, the jealous beasts finding their way back to their cage,

"I was telling Thomas how you must think I'm crazy, after my panic attack. He said you just felt bad for making it worse. I said I didn't want you feeling that way, thinking you're a monster, when you're not. Don't ever assume that I've given up on you, alright, because I never will, ever."

Lizzy strode off ahead leaving the shame inside me growing.

There once was a girl with long golden hair who was troubled by beasts of the night. She struggles to fight, and she always lost the battle. She doubted her advisors and so she lost them too. Once she has lost everyone and she was alone, she would lose herself to the beasts of the night.

Building after building and nothing. Nothing close to good. I was slowing the runners down, why did I insist on coming? The two love birds seemed to preempt each other's movements, moving swiftly and gracefully, while I fell over once causing my shoulder to throb with pain, still not fully healed from the Griever (then again the sting had gone right through my arm) and managed to knock over a pile of wooden crates sending rats scattering.

We wandered into a building that was slightly better than the others; each room seemed to have multiple exits allowing escape.

"This one just might work," Lizzy said, though I knew it wasn't what she was after,

"We should keep looking just in case though," I said,

Thomas was silent, examining a cupboard that he had found still intact. Lizzy and I headed to the door across the room from him to see if it would actually work as an escape, but turned back as he spoke,

"One tin of food, still better than nothing,"

Lizzy went over to him, plucking it out of his hands,

"This is dog food,"

"Well at least I tried," He said sarcastically smiling at her,

The corners of her mouth twitched and she bent down to kiss him,

"Ew guys, keep the PDA to a minimum please," I said with a blush on my cheeks, "Third wheeling is bad enough,"

"Sorry," Lizzy said with a hint of a smile, working her way back over to me,

She suddenly whistled as if calling to a dog,

"Here boy, come on Tommy,"

"Oh slim it,"

"I'm not the one with a klunk brain," she teased,

"Yeah well-"

"Don't move!"

A voice boomed out, with the sound of gun chambers being loaded, ensuring we followed the orders.

Two men came right up to Lizzy and I, looking us up and down, while another kept a gun on Thomas. Their eyes tore into me, causing nausea to sweep through my body. There were four of them, three of us. There was no hope.

You just gotta keep hoping

Now was no time for the painful memory of Chuck's innocent words.

One tried to push a stray hair out of Lizzy's face but she spat in his.

"Well now, there's no need to be so nasty," he said back to her, wiping his eye,

"What do we have here," said the one who gave the first order, "Two pretty little things and their protector. Grab the girls,"

My lip started to tremble at the word pretty. I was terrified, and for once not of myself.

The two men who had been standing before us with guns at our throats, were soon at our backs, with arms around our torsos and guns on Thomas. My hands grabbed at his arm, my bitten down nubs of nails digging into his skin but to little avail.

"Now how about we get out of here with them, and do you a favour. We'll let your sorry ass stay alive long enough to see yourself become a crank, while we enjoy your… entertainment,"

Thomas did the stupidest thing anyone could have done in that situation, he took a stride towards the ring leader.

Gun shots went off, missing him narrowly, and I felt an anger at him that I knew Lizzy would be feeling tenfold.

"Thomas please stop," Lizzy pleaded, her voice weak. She knew we could not win.

He tried again, but this time as the shots went off, the man said,

"Wow Thomas, you really care about them don't you, so here's the deal now, one more step and it's them we shoot, not you,"

The colour that had built in his face from anger drained leaving a white page. He would never risk our lives. Correction: Lizzy's life, what was mine to him.

"Now there's a good boy," his laugh was deep and rumbling, and it sent shivers down my spine, "Boys, with me."

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