A/N: WARNING, long chapter… kinda got carried away on this one… enjoy J

Half-hour later we were sitting on a lawn in the Deadheads, leaning against a familiar tree and just… thinking. It was a dangerous thing, thinking, could get you into loads of trouble… but sometimes, like this time, it was just… sad. Because the only thing I could think about was them.

Minho, poking me in the ribs and laughing when I flinched.

Alby, spewing off insults which I was quick to deflect with one of my own.

Minho, sneaking up behind me and scooping me off my feet.

Alby, laughing cause what I just said made absolutely no sense.

Minho, whispering insulting comments about the others into my ear during a Gathering.

Alby, threatening a random shank with banishment if he so much as thought about me like that again.

Minho, tackling the same shank to the ground and punching him for good measure.

The both of them laughing, smiling, arguing, just being… them. Minho, running faster than everyone only to laugh in their faces and smirk when I called him out for being arrogant. Minho… Minho was the fastest shank around… and Alby was stronger than just about everybody, 'cept maybe Newt...

Maybe…

Maybe they could survive it.

Maybe…

No, Alby was injured and Minho was dog tired, overrun with exhaustion. There was no chance. Besides, no one had ever succeeded before. But then again… none of them were Minho… I shook my head, it was too painful to hope. To hope and then find… nothing.

Newt looked at me suddenly, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't help it, I laughed. Loud. I shook my head, "Am I okay? Are YOU okay?"

He shook his head, "I got it, I got it…"

"I'm sorry…" I mumbled. "I just… what if…" I sighed, dropping my head into my hands. It was stupid. He was gonna think it was stupid. There was no point in hoping. It would only hurt more if I put it off.

"What?" he asked, brushing back the hair that had fallen in my face.

"I just… They're strong, Newt, what if- maybe-"

"They're gone, MaC"

"I know, but what if-"

"MaC"

"They're strong, Newt, fast, maybe-"

"They're not coming back, MaC! Nobody who gets trapped in the maze comes back! They're probably dead by now!" It was loud, scarily close to a yell. I didn't like being on this side of him. I suddenly understood how some of the boys could be scared of him. My mouth slightly open, I stared at him for a moment before dropping my gaze, swallowing. I knew it was stupid hope, but… I had… I thought…

He sighed, rubbing his eyes, "I'm sorry… I just-"

"I know, Newt," I said, cutting him off and looking him in the eyes. He nodded, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. His arm was heavy, but I didn't mind the weight (per usual), instead leaning into the touch and pressing myself against his side.

"It's just me and you now," he added, squeezing my shoulders gently.

"Me and you"

In the morning Newt gathered a group to wait by the West Wing. He hadn't wanted to be there. Afraid of finding nothing. In some ways he thought that'd be worse than finding nothing at all. I, for one, completely agreed. Standing there and remembering the events of last night was painful in and of itself.

Was that…

I blinked, unsure if what I saw was real.

I… Creators… "Newt," I said, tugging on his sleeve, not looking away for fear they'd disappear, "Newt."

"What-" he stopped. He'd seen them as well.

He took a step forward. I followed behind until they were right in front of us. Creators they looked horrible. Ragged and tired and worn to the bone. I couldn't look away. Were… were they REAL? They… they couldn't be… could they?

"What happened? How in bloody-" Newt's surprised, almost angry outburst was cut off by the newbie-not-newbie.

"We'll tell you later. We have to save Alby," the determination in the brown-haired boys voice wouldn't not have been missed on normal circumstances, but as it was, I couldn't tear my eyes from Minho. His shirt was torn and dirty, smudges and smears of dirt and grime all over it. His pants were in much the same condition. Sweat soaked his shirt and skin, his hair sticking to his forehead. His eyes weren't sparking with their usual glow, instead weighed down with tiredness and exhaustion.

"What do you mean? He's alive?"

"Just come here," Thomas said, walking to the right.

Minho noticed the staring, "Quit lookin at me like that," he muttered angrily, "Makin me feel weird," he muttered shifting awkwardly.

I smiled, shaking my head, "I, er… uh, sorry, I-"

He laughed, dropping a hand on my shoulder, "I'm alright, MaC, no worries."

I nodded, a small smile on my face. I was going to say something stupid, most likely along the lines of, 'I'm really really really glad you're not dead,' but I was cut off by Newt's confused gasp of-

"Is he… alive?"

Looking up the high wall I saw that among the multitude of ivy and vines was a body. Alby, tied up and hung from the heights. Vines were around his legs, around his wrists, knees and ankles, anything it seemed, to keep him up there. Up there and alive. There was one problem though. He wasn't moving.

"I don't know. Was when I left him up there," Thomas said.

"When you left him…" Newt shook his head, "You and Minho get your butts inside, and get yourselves checked by the Med-Jacks. You look bloody awful. I want the whole story when they're done and you're rested up."

Minho glanced down at me briefly, I nodded in agreement with Newt.

Thomas began to sputter out some sort of objection before Minho grabbed his arm, saying something about sleep and bandages. He glanced back at me one last time before walking with Tommy towards the Homestead. He would be okay. He was alive. Newt was alive. Thomas was alive.

But Alby…

He was gonna make it too. Narrowing my eyes, I set to work. Ga vine and yanking on it, making sure it could support my weight before stepping up on the wall and climbing up, I used the vine as a sort of rope. I gabbed another vine as assurance. From there I began analyzing the vines, figuring out how I was going to-

"MaC!" Newt, "The bloody hell you think you're doing?"

"Somebody's gotta get him down!" I shouted back.

He threw his hands to the side in frustration, "If you fall-"

"Catch me!" I finished, climbing up a few more feet. Alby was roughly thirty feet up. I'd climbed maybe fifteen at present. Using the cracks in the wall to place my feet, I continued up, suddenly realizing just how high up I was. If I fell… I shook my head, Newt would catch me. Besides, Alby needed me. So up I continued up, and up, and up… Alby was only a few feet away. A few more steps and a few more pulls of the vine and I could reach him pretty well. I tied a vine around my waist and chest, just below my armpits for assurance as I began assessing the vines. How the hell had Tommy tied him up here? It looked like there was a vine around each leg, as well as each arm. Ouch, that wasn't gonna feel good when he woke. There were a bunch tied around him, but only few held any real tension. Each vine was a different height, I realized. Tommy was smart cookie, I'd give him that. Taking out my knife I cut one of the vines. His left leg fell limp. I bit my lip. I couldn't just cut all the vines, the force of the fall, plus the sudden stop could rip his limbs out of their sockets…

I cut loose a random vine, tying it around Alby's waist and my own. Grabbing onto him I cut loose his other leg and pulling him towards me. I groaned at the weight. He was not light by any means. Tying another rope between us, tighter. I got it so I was almost hugging him. I had cut the vines around his hands and was now taking on his full weight as I descended, slowly, slowly, my muscles burning with the strain of holding not only my body weight by Alby's as well. Ten feet down. Twenty feet still to go.

Letting Alby hang from the vines I took a small rest before retying him to myself, cutting him loose and continuing down. Another ten feet. Apparently I had attracted a crowd. Hands reached up, taking both Alby and me. I cut the vines connecting us to the wall and then from each other. Two boys were carrying Alby. They carried him away from me before I could see who it was. I couldn't very well go after them as I was still fastened to the wall. The knots I'd made were tight. Too tight. I couldn't untie them. In an attempt to free myself from the vines I slashed at the knots I'd made attaching me to the wall.

Newt had been the one to grab me and was lowering me to the ground with a small smile. A proud smile on his handsome features. "Good job, MaC"

"Thanks," I smiled, but that soon faded as I caught sight of Alby. He didn't look good. Not at all. He was pale, and unconscious, and slightly green looking. Sickly.

"He got bit," Newt said, "The Grievers got him. We'll get him the Serum… he'll pull through," Newt said, though he seemed as if he was convincing himself just as much as me.

I nodded. "To the Homestead"