"She's the last one, ever," that is what the note said, the very note the new Greenie came up the box with, curled in her small hands. I did not know what it meant, but neither did the others. Maybe there would be no more Greenies, no more people, no more supplies. Who was to say?

If only she could tell us, that is, if she woke up. Ever since arriving, the Greenie fell into a coma. Before that, all she said was, "Thomas," creating more confusion.

Alby charged Jeff and me with her care. Even now she is asleep, her shoulders rising and sinking with each breath. She was presumed dead when the Gladers laid eyes on her, for her skin was deathly pale.

Jet black hair drapes over her shoulders. Blood drains from her cheeks, giving her an ashen complexion. Even in a coma, she remains still, the only movement being as she breaths. Questions course through my mind. Who is she? What changed, and why is she here?

The door swings open, creaking as it turns. Gally's face pokes through the doorway, his hand gripping the wooden door.

"Hey you," I remark as he enters the room. A small smile rises on his face, barely visible in the dim light.

"She's still out if that's what you are here for," I say, "a coma will do that to you."

Gally nods his head as if unaware of what I had just said. "Are you okay? I saw what happened...earlier."

He furrows his brow, cocking his head to the side.

"With Nick," I repeat whilst running my hand through my hair.

Gally nods. "He had it coming," he says, shrugging his shoulders before continuing, "I'm...glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if..."

Blood rushes to my face. I can only imagine it turning bright red. I open my mouth to speak, but no words form. He shifts his gaze to the ground, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I..." my voice trails off, fading into silence. Our eyes meet, my gaze locking into his. Neither of us speaks, a moment of euphoria freezing me in place.

I take a step closer. His deep, brown eyes stare deeply into mine. Gally's hand combs through my hair as my face drifts closer to his.

Immediately, the door flings open. Thomas bursts through the doorway, his eyes widening.

"Thomas!" I state before he can say anything. "What are you doing here?"

He pauses, his mouth gaping open, "Yeah...uh...Alby wanted to talk to you or something..."

"Right," I mumble whilst scratching my forehead. Turning to Gally, I suppress a smile. "I'll see you later, then?"

He nods, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. I grab my crutch and head towards Thomas, exiting the med-bay.

We start trudging towards the Homestead. After a brief moment of silence, Thomas begins to speak, "So, you and Gally..."

"Yep," I respond, keeping my answer short.

Thomas continues, "...kissing."

I release an exasperated sigh. "You did barge in right before."

"What?" Chuck exclaims while sprouting up from behind us. "You and Gally kissed?"

"We did not kiss!" I respond, groaning in frustration.

Shaking his head, Thomas glares at Chuck. "Where did you even come from?"

Chuck rolls his eyes. Ignoring the question, he cuts in front of Thomas and me. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Here," I answer as we approach the Homestead.

Thomas opens the front door. "Hey, any news on the new girl? Is she gonna be okay?"

I shuffle through the door, Thomas and Chuck following behind, "Honestly, I don't know. She sleeptalks a bit, but, no real sign of improvement, or if she'll wake up."

Thomas nods, his face gloomy. "Um, well, Alby's in the last room down the hall. He says he just wants to talk to you."

Chuck bursts up the stairs, gone almost instantly. Thomas turns to say something, "Hey, I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, Thomas," I reply as I glance down the hall.

Thomas nods, leaving back through the door.

Leaning on my crutch, I stagger down the hallway. Sunlight creeps through a window at the end, guiding my way down the hall. An iron lock hooks over the handle on the last door, presently unlocked. I push through the door, Alby greeting me at the other side. "Ah, you're here."

The room is unfamiliar, crates decorating the far corner of the room. Dust lingers in the air, only visible by a glimpse of light from a shaft near me. Boxes of weapons line the walls. Trainers and leather boots lie scattered in an open container, runner's trainers, the same as the bootprint I discovered at the last body site.

Alby leans against a tall table centred in the room. His face remains solemn, unmoving as I approach. "You wanted to see me?"

He lowers his brow. "Yes, there's a couple of things I wanted to tell you." He momentarily pauses. "First was you're being a Keeper, and what that means. Next was about Nick, but no interrupting."

Before I can respond, he continues, "Jeff should've given you the main rundown on basic things, but I'm more saying about Gatherings, you know, Keeper meetings and things. Not much to know, say turning up for them and the benefits."

"Benefits?" I question.

He leans back from the table. "Yeah, benefits. You're already sleeping in the Homestead, but there's still the stuff here. All the Keepers get it; shoes, clothes, weapons even, them and the Runners that is. You can also request stuff to the Box, but it ain't for luxuries and the like."

"Keepers can have running shoes too?" I ask, immediately cutting myself off, "Sorry, no interrupting."

Ignoring my remark, he proceeds to speak, "Nick will be getting banished in a couple of days..."

"Wait, wasn't there a Keeper's meeting?" I interject.

He rolls his eyes, rubbing his head. "What'd I say about interrupting? There already was, but with him, you know, stabbing you and all, I thought maybe you voting wasn't the best idea."

My eyes bulge, surprised at his rashness.

Alby sighs as he continues, "Look, what I'm getting to saying is, you can see him if you want. I wasn't for it, but Newt and the lot said about closure and all. We agreed to let you decide yourself."

"See him? He tried to kill me!" I snap.

Alby's face remains the same, unfazed at my outburst. "Look, do you want to see him or don't you?"

Part of me wants to forget about it all, to pretend nothing happened, but I cannot. I need to find out why he did this, even if it hurts.

After a long moment of silence, I respond, "Yes."

️ Author's note: Near Christmas, I will be doing a special chapter. The chapter will include Tanya and the Maze Runner characters in a short Christmas story. This will be released God willing at around a week before Christmas as an early present. Have a great New Year and God bless! 🍪