Mixed Signals

Huff, huff, huff! Standing beside her bed, Hope watched as Alby lay there and convulse in pain. Every breath he took, every second he was alive, looked like utter misery for the teenager. He was sweating, his wound looked terrible, and Hope felt just as terrible. Even Hugo, who was a very loyal dog to Hope, had stayed by Alby's side for the entire meeting in the Council Hall; his eyes were down in fear, and his tail hadn't wagged for the past hour. The same sort of thing was happening to Hope. She should have been overjoyed at her survival, and she should have been bashful over that kiss, but at that moment, Hope could only feel sadness. Alby had been there for every Glader that had ever come up that Box, and there was no reason that he deserved such pain. It hurt to watch such a kind boy be going through so much misfortune.

But it was the same for Hope.

It seemed that… the world liked to punish the good.

"Alby…" Hope murmured with a sad tone in her voice. "Everything's changing… so fast, and I… I don't know how to… handle it, y'know? I just wish you were okay. I wish that… I could talk with you. You were always good at that. Just talking. It's something that I always… that I always wanted to-"

Creak! Just then, the Infirmary's doors opened up, and with that creak came three pairs of shoes walking across the ground. Newt had walked in, followed by Thomas and Minho. Furthermore, when the three saw Hope standing in her "old bedroom," they each stopped walking and looked at her.

"Is he doing any better?" Thomas asked, prompting Hope to shake her head.

"Nuh-uh. All he can do right now is… writhe in pain."

"And how about the girl?" Minho also asked. "Has she woken up yet?"

"Nope," Hope said before walking toward the three. Likewise, she walked past them and to where the other Infirmary's bed lay; she then stepped to the side once she got there to give the three a better view of the new girl. "She's been like this since they brought her in here."

"Jeff, what's goin' on?" Newt questioned the second he entered the room. "What's the matter with her? Why won't she wake up?"

"Hey, man," Jeff shrugged, "I got this job the same way you did."

After hearing this, Hope turned her head to stare at the girl once more. She had dark brown hair, fair skin, a long face, and when she'd opened up her eyes for a split second earlier, Hope saw that she had deep blue eyes. Undoubtedly, the girl was quite pretty. Beautiful even. However, the fact that she had muttered the name 'Thomas' still occupied Hope's mind. And the fact that she made her entrance only about three days after Thomas', made the entire situation even more puzzling. Things were changing. Things were being revealed. The Glade was changing. And if this girl truly was the 'last one ever,' then the Glade wouldn't be the Glade for long.

"...Do you recognize her?" Newt inquired after noticing Thomas staring openly at the new girl. "Do you know her?"

But Thomas merely shook his head. "No."

"Really?" Newt said. "'Cause she seemed to recognize you."

"What about the note?" Thomas then asked instead of answering. "What do you think it means?"

"We'll worry about the note later," Newt stated, making Thomas shake his head.

"I think you should worry about it now."

"We've got enough to deal with at the moment," Newt argued.

"He's right, Newt," Jeff abruptly chimed in. His tone was laced with worry and uncertainty. "If the Box isn't coming back up, how long do you think we can last?"

"Look," Newt smiled worryingly, "no one said that. Let's not jump to any conclusions. We'll just wait until she wakes up and see what she knows; somebody's gotta have some answers around here."

"...I think the answer is already in front of us." But when Hope muttered this, everyone instantly looked at her. Newt, Minho, Thomas, even Jeff and Clint looked at Hope with surprise in their eyes. Regardless, Hope simply stared down at the sleeping girl, a troubledness swirling in her eyes. "It started with me, then Thomas, then this girl. Things are changing, and we can't stop it. Whoever is doing this to us, is trying to change things around here. I think that they're… trying to… push us. They're trying to… make us work even harder."

Minho and Newt shared a look, while Thomas continued to look at Hope. They each knew, in some way, that Hope's theory had some merit to it. From the second that Hope had come up in the Box, the Glade had started to change. And when Thomas came up, it changed even more. In three years, neither Minho or Newt had seen such a change in the Glade, and they were equally horrified and giddy to see what would happen next. However, what those boys still didn't understand was why. Why they were stuck in a Maze. Did the people who trapped them there want the boys to solve the Maze, were they just put there to be stuck in it, or was it just some sick game? Hope had helped the Glade mentally, Thomas was trying to help them physically, while this new girl… was going to bring something new to the plate.

But no one knew what.

All of a sudden, however, Thomas turned around to start walking away.

"Where're you goin'?" Newt quickly asked when he saw this.

"Back into the Maze," Thomas answered without hesitation. This made everyone in the room glance at one another in surprise, but only two of them made an effort to follow the Greenie. Those two people were Hope and Minho, who each walked past Newt on their way out; it was only Hope, though, that the world slowed down for the second she walked past Newt. Either teenager felt the other's arm grace against their own, and as Hope walked past him, Newt gave the girl a blank yet emotional look, while Hope gave Newt… a sympathetic one. It was obvious that Newt wasn't feeling the greatest, but sadly, Hope couldn't talk to him right then. At that moment, she needed to stop a boy from effortlessly killing himself. Therefore, Hope looked away from Newt and followed Minho out of the Infirmary, leaving the poor boy… to stand alone.

"Hey! Hey, Thomas!" Minho whisper-yelled once he ran out of the Infirmary. Then, when he saw Thomas making no move to stop, the Runner ran faster, stood in front of him, and placed a hand on Thomas' chest, stopping the boy in his tracks. "What is with you, huh? A death wish? You just got out and now you want back in?"

"Newt said that no one's seen a Griever and lived to tell about it, right?" Thomas queried as Hope ultimitely reached the two. "Well, Minho, now we have one! You're telling me that you're not even a little bit curious?"

Minho showed Thomas a weird look and shook his head. "Not really, no."

"M-Minho," Hope showed Minho a knowing look, "even if you say that, I don't think that it'll stop him." Hope glanced over at Thomas. "I think he's gonna go back in there regardless."

"...Good point," Minho sighed and then carefully glanced around. "So, what's the plan? You're gonna go out and dissect that thing all by yourself?"

"I will if I have to." Once more, Thomas said something without a single hesitation. And, once more, Minho and Hope had to share a look of surprise between them. "Have the other Runners left yet?"

"The other "Runners" quit this morning," Minho replied to Thomas' question with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Both Hope's and Thomas' eyes widened in shock. "After Alby got stung, they're not in any hurry to get back in there. So, why're you?"

"I think…" Thomas showed Minho a determined look. "I think it's time we find out what we're really up against."

"...All right," Minho eventually agreed. "But you're not going back out there alone. Meet me in the woods in half-an-hour."

"Wait, if you two are actually going to do this, then I'm coming too," Hope suddenly acknowledged, causing the two boys to instantly snap their heads in her direction.

"Are you sure?" Thomas asked. "It could be as crazy as last night."

"I know, which is why I'm going," Hope stated. "Plus, I can bring my bow this time. For extra protection."

"Would you look at that? Our little Greenie is all grown up." Minho smiled proudly before abruptly turning that smile upside down. He gave the girl a dead-serious look, pointing his finger at her. "But you better be careful, okay? Stay by me."

Hope nodded. "Wouldn't want to be anywhere else, chief!"

"Weirdo," Minho sighed, but his smile returned nonetheless. "Still, half-an-hour, in the woods, both of you be there. Got it?"

"Got it," Thomas and Hope said at the same time. Thus, it was almost time for the two idiots to get back into the Maze.

A half-an-hour later, Thomas and Hope stood beside one another. Hope had her bow in hand, her arrow-pouch strapped to her back, and her trusty dog sitting at her side. The sun had fully risen into the sky, and it was shining on either teenager leaning against a wooden structure. Hope glanced over at Thomas, who had been looking quite antsy since she got there. She smiled knowingly. "You really wanna get back out there, don't you?"

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah," Thomas stammered with a strained smile. "I just wanna figure this out, y'know?"

"You move on quick - I'm still surprised that we're even alive," Hope remarked, looking up at the tree-covered sky. "Though, I respect that about you, Thomas. I wish… I-I wish I could be the same."

"What do you mean?" Thomas muttered. "You're going back into the Maze the same as I am. There's nothing different."

"But… But there is," Hope huffed to herself. "Until you got here, I didn't use a single ounce of my time trying to get out. I didn't even… think about it."

"Why…?"

Hope looked down. She knew the answer to that question, and yet she didn't want to say it out-loud. Hence, Hope merely shrugged. "I dunno… Maybe there's something broken in me."

"Hope," Thomas' expression instantly turned sad, "what does that-"

"Woof!" Hugo signaled to the two of the new arrivals, making them both turn to their left and see Minho appear behind the wooden wall. However, when four others appeared behind the Runner, Hugo ran straight up to one of them. "Ruff, ruff!"

"Chuck…" Hope mumbled out the young boy's name, which was the person that Hugo ran up to greet. She then glanced at everyone else, showing them each a conflicted gaze. "Fry, Winston, Zart… Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Thomas gave them all an equally worried look, "you guys do know what we're doing here, right?"

"If Minho trusts you, that's good enough for me," Winston said, prompting the three others to nod in agreement.

"Yeah, and I gotta keep my employees safe," Frypan commented. "That's what a good boss would do, right?"

Siggy's words made Hope smile, while Thomas nodded to all of them. "Okay. Let's go."

Therefore, the group of six took off toward the Maze, trying their best not to get caught. Through fields of long, green grass they went, the Maze's entrance watching them the entire way there. They each knew that what they were doing was wrong, especially to certain people in the Glade. Still, they also knew that this was their chance to change something. And if breaking the rules meant that change could happen, then each of those teenagers were going to take that risk. For Alby, for Ben, for all the other friends that they had lost, those boys, one girl, and one dog would have done anything. However, not all of them… could fully go through with it.

"Thomas." When everyone entered the Maze, Hope immediately noticed that one boy didn't follow. This made her lightly grab Thomas' arm, stop him, and motioned to Chuck who stood in the Glade. Thomas and Hope shared one of their looks - the other boys stopping too - and both of them strode over to the youngest boy.

"Chuck, what's wrong?" Thomas questioned in a soft tone. But, in response, Chuck only looked away. This caused Hope to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay," she soothed. "There's nothing wrong with what you want."

"And I need you to stay here anyway," Thomas added, placing his hand on Chuck's other shoulder. "Keep guard for me, alright? Make sure no one knows we're gone."

Chuck nodded, prompting Hope and Thomas to finally move away and start running back into the Maze. They then allowed Minho to lead the way, and the rest of them (including Hugo) left Chuck to stand in the Glade… alone.

Their footsteps echoed through the Maze, and even though they were the only ones in there, it felt like they were being watched: by someone, by something, by everything. The Maze simply had that kind of effect on people, because it was simply that daunting. Unlike last night, however, Hope had to admit that it looked less terrifying during the day than at night. It was just easier to see everything, and the fact that it was less likely for a Griever to come out was a super relaxing thought. But the second that Hope thought this, was the exact second that Minho stopped in his tracks, since he had seen… the Griever. This made everyone stop as well, and for Hope to tightly grip her bow in hand. It looked dead (like, dead-dead), but you could never be too careful in the Maze. So, Hope showed Hugo an intense stare.

"Hugo, you stay," she said as calmly as she could. "And run if you need to."

Almost instantly did Hugo sit down. "Woof."

Upon hearing this, the group of five boys and one girl started inching their way toward the Griever. And yes, the scene looked just as gruesome as Minho, Thomas, and Hope had left it. A few of the Griever's metal legs were sticking out from the two closed doors, and there were even, from the more "alive" part of the monster, its innards splattered all around it. There was stuff that looked like blood, stuff that looked like a brain, and all around gross stuff. None of the teenagers wanted to get close, but… they kinda had to.

"That's disgusting," Zart said what everyone was thinking. "It's almost as disgusting as Winston's food."

"Okay, shuckface," Winston glared at his friend, "why was that even remotely necessary?"

"...Hey, wait," Thomas abruptly chimed in. "There's something in there."

Frypan raised an eyebrow at the Greenie. "You mean besides a Griever pancake?"

Beep. But that was when everyone heard it. Beep… Beep… Beep… The noise was coming from somewhere beside the Griever, but none of them could pinpoint what it was. Hence, the curiosity got to Minho and he hesitantly walked up to the dead monster. When he woke up right next to it, though, Zart immediately took a step back in shock.

"Woah, woah, woah!" he yelled. "W-What're you doing?"

Minho didn't respond to Zart's fear, merely inching himself closer and then reaching his hand into the door's pitch-black crevice. Hope could tell that he was scared too, but she also knew how easily Minho could get over that fear. However, right as the Runner started feeling around to find the source of the noise-

"WOAH!" The Griever's legs unexpectedly moved and scared everyone half-to-death. They all pulled Minho from the thing, and despite it not moving after that, their hearts were practically beating out of their chests in horror. But there was one of them, one singular girl, whose heart was beating at a normal rate. This girl, who hadn't flinched away like she usually did, had instinctively grabbed an arrow from her pouch, put it against her bow, and pointed the weapon straight at the Griever. Likewise, once she saw that everyone was safe and that the Griever stopped moving, Hope wordlessly dropped her bow back down to her side - she still kept her arrow in hand, of course.

"I thought you said it was dead!" Frypan barked.

"Was it a reflex?" Zart asked, causing Winston to scoff.

"You hope!"

"Okay, c'mon!" Exactly like Hope, Thomas got over his fear quite quickly and went back into action. "Let's try and pull it out!" Finally, Hope put her arrow away upon hearing this and stepped up to help. Similarly, every single member of the group latched their hands onto the dead creature's legs. "Okay, on three! One, two, three!"

They all grunted when they pulled on the metal apparatus. It was a heavy piece of metal, but it was also easy to lift and pull with so many people helping. So it didn't take long for the limb to fly off of the fleshy yet mechanical monster, causing everyone to fall backwards in spite of the sudden breakage. Everyone quickly got back up, and Thomas helped Frypan up as well.

"You okay, Fry?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah," Frypan said, using Thomas' arm to help him up. "Thanks, brother."

But as that was happening, Minho and Hope each walked back toward the Griever. They inspected the even grosser scene, yet the only thing they could really focus on was the flashing… red light. Beep, beep, beep! It went, signaling to everyone that that was the thing they were trying to find. Minho kneeled down and picked up the flesh surrounding the small red light, and once he stood back up, everyone could kinda see the metal cylinder that the blinking light was attached to. Therefore, Minho grasped the metal and pulled as hard as he could, causing it to come out with a bunch of slime connected to it. And again, everyone just had to groan in disgust.

"W-What is that?" Hope stuttered while walking closer to Minho. She inspected the slimy, confusing cylinder, but from where she stood, Hope couldn't understand it. Though, from the way Minho was staring down at it, she could tell that he knew. "Minho… Is this a good thing… or a bad thing?"

"It's… an interesting thing," Minho said, "that's for sure."

"Well, whatever it is, can we take this up back at the Glade?" Frypan questioned in a fearful tone. "'Cause I really don't wanna meet this guy's friends."

"He's right: it's gettin' late," Minho agreed and then started walking back. "Come on. Let's go."

But sadly, despite their insane discovery, the group wouldn't be greeted with celebration.

A/N: SnowyDragon250, don't worry, Newt's OOCness will (kinda) be explained in a later chapter. And yeah, corny is my middle name! ;+)

Also, I can't believe that I made it to Chapter 30. Like… how?