Eve waited until the Glade had gone quiet before she took her small bar of soap and walked down to the pond. She didn't really feel like getting into the freezing water, but the thought of waking up after sleeping in the dirt of the day was far worse in comparison. She got in and out as quickly as she could, relishing the feeling of the soap washing away the grime. Despite her body temperature dropping significantly, she was glad she had come. Slipping back into her shorts and shirt, Eve groaned aloud at herself. She had forgotten a towel, having been too distracted by her thoughts. Now, with her skin still damp from the water, she was colder than ever. The thin material of her clothing gave little protection from the cold of the night and her teeth began to chatter. She knew full well that she would feel better the instant she sank into her hammock, but the cold was restricting. Curling into a tight ball, Eve rubbed her shivering arms and legs briskly, willing the circulation to kick in. Her shoulder was beginning to ache from the cold and the cut over her breast was weeping.

As she sat alone in the darkness, Eve could not help but let her thoughts run freely. She hated being alone with them, but she didn't have much choice. The questions of the future plagued her and only made her more and more depressed. It was so hard not to lie to herself to forget the reality of it all.

It would all go away, it was all a bad dream. This wasn't real. It would end any minute now. It would not be long now.

Eve pushed her hands into her temple, wishing but for a moment that she could drown herself in the pond. Anything was better than this, right? She curled her legs up to her chest again and dropped her head into her knees, hot tears spilling over her eyes. Ashamed, she wrapped her arms across her head, whimpering as the tears burned their way down her face and splashed into her lap. The pond rippled close by, the soft bubbling of the water a whispering voice trying to comfort her. The moon above shone down, like a cold flashlight, its silvery light providing no warmth. Eve shook her head as she abrased herself. She was supposed to be carrying her weight, doing all she could for the Glader's and all she had done that day was cause problems. If she had just kept her mouth shut and thought about it logically, she never would have fallen out of the tree. If only she had some sense in her. Her toes curled into the thick, cold grass as she wept into her arms.

"Hey, are you gonna cry all night?"

Eve hardly had time to lift her head and look for the voice when a blanket was thrown over her. She sat up quickly, pushing the blanket down around her shoulders, turning to look into the darkness.

Gally stood a few feet from her, his hands on his hips as he looked at her without actually looking at her. Eve wiped her eyes, tears stinging her face.

"Gally?"

The blonde took a few steps closer and stopped.

"Newt was wondering where the hell you were, he thought you'd gone and drowned yourself," He shut his mouth, regathering his thoughts. "You're working with him tomorrow, right?"

Eve nodded, rubbing her face with her free hand. The other held the thick, brown blanket around her shivering frame. Gally nodded and turned to the side, finding anywhere to look but directly at her.

"It's getting late then," He turned as if to leave and Eve scrambled to her feet, tripping over the blanket.

"Gally!"

He turned around with a frustrated look in his eyes. Eve stood still, looking at him as she searched for the words to say.

"Thank you… for bringing me to Jeff so quickly. I'm sorry... I'm sorry that I was so much trouble today,"

Gally nodded impatiently, he was obviously tired of dredging up the conversation.

"I wasn't going to leave you to bleed out in the woods,"

Eve flinched at his blunt words, pushing her damp hair out of her eyes. She had stopped crying and her face felt tight. She wanted to wash it again but was too cold to give it any real consideration.

"I know, but still, thank you. I'm sorry… that I called you a savage. I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't thinking clearly,"

Gally didn't respond right away, only nodding his head a few times, looking at the dirt. Eve was not sure what he was going to say. She hated not being able to communicate with him clearly. After another few minutes of awkward silence, Gally looked back up and gestured for her to move.

"It's only going to get colder,"

Eve hadn't expected much else, but she hoped that it meant she was forgiven. Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, she picked up the excess and fell into line behind him. Although he did not wait for her, Gally also did not walk too quickly as they made their way back to their hammocks.

Newt was sitting on the edge of his hammock, cleaning off a small axe with a piece of cloth. He looked up as the two approached, his expression soft.

"Enjoy your bath?" His voice was friendly and Eve smiled as she sat down in her hammock, facing him.

"Maybe if it was warmer,"

Newt chuckled and set down his axe, pulling off his shirt as he prepared to bed down. Eve could hear Gally kicking off his boots and doing the same behind her. She leaned in closer to Newt.

"I'm sorry I took so long, I didn't mean to worry you. Thank you for sending Gally," Eve kept her voice quiet.

Newt, who was stuffing his shirt into his left boot, looked up at her, his eyes puzzled.

"I didn't ask him to do that. I just got here a few minutes ago,"

Eve sat back with a frown as Newt slipped under his blanket. She turned around to look at Gally; he had already laid down and had his back to her. Eve looked back at Newt, a question on her lips, but his back was to her as well. She closed her mouth and sat for a moment. The cold soon persuaded her to move and she ducked under her covers, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders.

So who had asked Gally to come for her then?

Minho and Ben left early the next morning. Alby was pleased that the dugout roof had been finished and Minho was now free to return to his Runner's duties.

Alby stood under the roof now, with Gally and Newt, discussing their next action.

The tower.

"We'll have to build it around a tree, it's not going to stand very well on its own. Is there one you think will work best Gally?"

The blonde nodded and pointed across the clearing, just beyond the hammocks. A taller, slightly crooked tree stood on its own. Thick grass grew around the base and the trunk was thicker than Gally himself.

"That's our best choice. The base is solid and we can pile some rocks around on the ground. We'll have to chop down some smaller trees to make planks for the floors. I'm thinking we should make several layers, it will give us more ground if.. you know, we need to,"

Alby nodded.

"It's just a precaution,"

Gally agreed and continued.

"It's not going to be an easy project though. I mean the dugout took a few months alone. Until we have more builders, it's going to be slow going,"

Alby nodded again.

"That's the best we can do for now. If we rushed it, the boys may panic. This isn't preparation for an attack. I hope it never comes to that,"

Newt spoke up.

"Minho said those things could climb, didn't he?"

Silence. Both Alby and Gally thought over his words.

"The levels will give us an advantage. If they climb for the people at the top, those underneath can fight it. A surprise attack may be our best option," Gally laid out his plan as if he had prepared for some sort of presentation. Alby nodded his head in agreement and Newt did not find fault in his logic.

"I only pray it never comes to an attack,"

"Has Minho seen any more of those creatures?" Newt only asked because Minho was in and out of the Glade too much to get a solid answer from him. Alby shook his head.

"No, but he will, I don't doubt that. It's only a matter of time before they see him too,"

"Do the others know what they look like? Did you give them Minho's description?"

Alby nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I won't lie to them. They know exactly what we know,"

Gally spoke up, another thought on his mind.

"What are we going to call them?"

Alby looked at him, his eyebrow cocked.

"How do you mean?"

Gally tossed his arms akimbo.

"We can't keep calling them 'creatures'. They aren't alive according to Minho. Don't you think we should come up with some sort of title?"

Alby looked at Newt, who shrugged with indifference. Alby looked back at Gally, rubbing his chin with his fingers.

"Did you have anything in mind?"

Gally shrugged, brushing his nose casually.

"They've caused a lot of grief already for just existing in the Maze. They were put here as some sort of obstacle in this puzzle. Sooner or later, they're going to play a larger part,"

Alby remained quiet, he knew better than anyone that these things could kill. He had never seen anything, but the sounds he'd heard were unforgettable. The grave deep in the woods. The sign, a warning to all the shanks, was proof enough. The story was one that he had only told to Newt, Gally and Minho.

The silence that followed was a heavy one and Newt finally broke it. The skinny boy hated wallowing in sadness.

"What kind of name could you give them?"

Gally, his hands on his hips, shrugged once more.

"Grievers,"

A sudden commotion above them caused the three boys to turn. Someone was yelling, the words indistinguishable. Newt was the first to jump up the make-shift dirt bleachers, the others close behind him. The other Glader's were running toward the Door. As they looked ahead, Minho and Ben could be seen, panting, hanging off the wall as if they would fall without the support.

Alby started running, Gally and Newt were quick to follow. Everyone had gathered by the time they arrived and Alby pushed his way through to reach Minho.

"What happened?" His voice was strained, desperate to keep his calm as a million different explanations ran through his mind. Minho was still catching his breath. Ben, who stood close by, was breathing raggedly, his eyes bulging out of his head. Alby grabbed Minho by the shoulder, taking on his weight as he held him up. The dark-haired boy pushed him off and steadied himself, drawing in enough breath to speak.

"It saw us. We- we ran back,"

Gally bullied his way to the front, angrily approaching the Runners.

"You let it follow you?!"

Minho shook his head, frustrated, pounding on his sternum to stabilize his heartbeat.

"No! We led it around the back of the Maze. We lost it behind a closing wall and we ran back. I don't think it saw us,"

"You don't think?! You mean it could've?"

Minho shook his head again, angry as the Glader's crowded forward.

"It didn't! It was behind a wall and he couldn't have climbed it in time to see us. We didn't look back until we ran through the Door. I didn't know what else to do!"

Alby was controlling his temper, trying to determine what this was going to mean. Those things knew, if they didn't already, that the Runner's were coming into the Maze. Silence stood like a spectator as the boys watched for any signs from their leader. Alby, his thumb tapping the side of his face, looked at the ground for a moment before he made his decision. He shook himself once and then assumed command.

"Winston, Gally, stand guard by the Door until it closes. Newt, stay by the gardens; wait for any signal Gally gives. We batten down all the hatches until those Doors close. Everyone else, stay in the dugout. No one is to move,"

The boys broke into action, scattering away from the door as quickly as they could. Gally and Winston drew their knives and took up their positions. Newt and Alby jogged back to the gardens, crouching in the grass with a clear view of the two Glader's at the Door. Alby raised his head above the brittle stalks for a moment to see Jeff pushing the last boy into the dugout. They were no longer visible in the deep shade underground.

And so they waited.

The day was drawing to a close and it would not be long now before the Doors closed. But the minutes dragged by and every noise from the Maze caused a shiver of alarm. Gally and Winston stood as still as sentinels, shifting only to take a glance around the stone wall into the Maze. All seemed to be quiet. The Gladers in the dugout, since they could not see what was happening, could only hope for the best.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the rumbling of the Doors sounded. The stone walls shifted together, closing off the Gladers from the Maze.

Alby and Newt sunk to the ground, their legs cramped from the crouching. Gally ran his hand over the door once before he and Winston jogged to the garden. Jeff popped his head out from the dugout and, seeing that it was safe, beckoned the others to follow. Tension as thick as the stone walls themselves settled over the boys and they looked for directions. Alby picked himself off the ground.

"Minho,"

The black-haired Runner stepped forward, Ben trailing behind him.

"No one goes out tomorrow," Alby's eyes were serious.

Minho nodded, although his brow furrowed. Frustration and relief mixed like a picture on his face. Ben, his eyes wide and scared, nodded as well. Alby took a deep breath and looked around at the Glader's. They stood like frightened deer around the garden.

"Gally has named these creatures. From this day forward, they will be known as Grievers,"

The boys and Eve did not react, breathing heavily as the adrenaline left their bodies. The creatures had been named, but it did not make them feel any safer.