𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦, thomas (tmr)

Chapter Four

A week had passed since they had found themselves in the Box. And surprisingly, it had been pretty uneventful.

Until that seventh day.

Clara had been keeping a track of the days in a small notebook she found hidden in their supplies. She didn't seem to have much to write, until the unexpected occurred just before sundown.

No one had noticed that the Box had disappeared down the elevator shaft, until a shout came from close by to it. George was hovering near the top, glancing down the shaft in confusion, as he waved to the girl to catch her attention.

Exchanging a glance with Clint, she took off towards the Runner who seemed to have not reached the Map room yet because he was so startled by the Box. When she got there, he didn't need to say a word for her to conclude what had happened.

"Go get Nick." She spoke quietly and calmly, eyes quickly darting to George to make sure he had heard, and then around the Glade to make sure that no one else was panicked.

Somehow, George's shouts to her hadn't caught the attention of anyone else in the Glade. The boy jogged into the Deadheads, behaving normally, as that's what he would do after Running the Maze.

Clara remained next to the Box, settling herself on the grass and attempting to make it look like she was simply taking a break from her work. Clint, the only other person who seemed to gauge something was wrong, was watching her carefully from where he was trying to treat a Slicer's injuries with a great lack of medical equipment.

Within minutes, George had returned with Nick, and the leader wore as troubling of a look as Clara felt. The two boys reached her at the Box, now standing in a small huddle, and the girl knew that there was no chance of them pretending that nothing was up.

They didn't know that something was wrong, but something had changed. And it was the sort of thing that they'd want to try and figure out before alarming everyone else.

"What's going on?"

"The Box is gone. No one noticed it disappeared, and obviously we don't know if it's coming back up." She muttered in reply, as the three of them peered down the dark elevator shaft.

"What do we do?" George asked anxiously, obviously nervous and upset that he had somehow got himself wound up in serious Glade business.

"For now, we try and keep it quiet. Tomorrow morning, George and I can-"

Nick's instructions were cut off by the sound of mechanical whirring. It wasn't too loud, but it was a steady hum clearly audible to them, since they were stood right beside the source. The Box amplified the noise, the metal grate doors vibrating against the ground more and more as it only grew louder and louder.

"Or, we wait and see if anything comes up with it." Clara suggested.

The noise was quiet at first, quiet enough to keep suspicions of the others at an all time low. But as the Box - obviously it was the Box coming up - rose closer, the noise became clear enough for Gladers around, in the Gardens or the surrounding area, to become aware of it.

Soon enough, there was a small crowd surrounding the Box, chattering too loud for Nick to quieten them all. Suspicions of what may be inside, including ludicrous ones such as people, were mentioned.

"It wouldn't surprise me if there was another buttload of people in there, just like we were." Gally commented, holding his hands up defensively at the looks he received from the declaration.

"Alright, a few of us will go in to take a look." Nick decided, looking around the now quietened group. "Who wants to?"

It took a few seconds before Clara raised her hand. Nick nodded at her with a smile, gratefully, as her volunteering led to the same from Minho, Gally, and Newt.