Variant | Newt

1 | the first

ALBY

The grievers were more active than usual last night.

The screeches of those mechanical beasts echoed louder, and more violent than ever before, keeping up most of the boys. I was on high alert, of course, not sleeping but an hour or so. I had assumed the worst; perhaps the grievers were so active because the were going to attack us that same night, or maybe they wouldn't retreat into their secret dens today as they usually did.

Fortunately for the boys and I, when the Maze doors grinded open, there wasn't a griever in sight. I was hesitant to let the Runners go out, but Minho - that stubborn shank - convinced me I was being paranoid. I couldn't help be so cautious; I didn't want to lose another Glader. Not after what happened to Nick and Newt...

"Alby! Holy shuck, Alby, you gotta come quick!"

It was Ben. He should be gone by now, on his daily run of the maze with Minho. I had left them only 10 minutes ago, seeing them off at the Maze entrance. Now Ben was indeed running, but straight towards me.

"Ben?" I questioned him, my heart picking up its pace. He didn't look scared, but he looked urgent as all hell. As Ben neared me, I stepped off the porch of the homestead, from where I had just stood. Ben didn't even slow down as he came up to me, instead he just grabbed my wrist and pulled.

"Come on! There's a girl here," he said through his labored breaths, leading me back towards the Maze entrance. I felt my usual stone-cold expression falter as my brain finally processed what Ben had said - there's a girl in the Glade.

By now I noticed the crowd of boys gathered at the entrance, the lot of them looking down at something - no, someone - on the ground.

"A girl?" I questioned in awe, picking up my pace. What the shuck were the Creators doing now?

"She came from the Maze!" Ben replied, flabbergasted, "From inside of it!" He pursed his head. "She's hurt, Alby."

"She say anything?" I asked, my head already spinning with dozens of questions. Minho, who squatted near the unmoving body of the girl, heard my latest remark and answered, "No, she didn't say a word. Just fell into my arms." He smirked a bit. "Sorry boys, seems like Juliet's already picked me as "Romeo"."

I ignored Minho's sarcasm and pushed some of the boys out of my way, getting a better look at the stranger. She was still alive, but her leg was badly damaged.

My heart sank; this image of the girl reminded me way too much of the sight I had seen only a few weeks ago; Newt, and his injured leg, the horrible cries he was making—

"She was screamin' bloody murder when she ran up to us, though." Gally's serious voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I glanced at him inquizzatively, my brain trying to wrap around the situation. "She came from the Maze, huh?"

"Can't believe the grievers didn't eat her," spoke one of the boys.

"She's gotta have a purpose then," Gally continued, his eyebrows scrunched in deep thought. "Think the Creators....you know, are giving her to us?"

Minho scoffed, "What, as some sort of...wife?" He laughed. "Get outta here, shucker. I bet she'd rather die than do it with you. I know I would."

"Shut your shank mouth, Minho--"

"Quiet!" I yelled at them, the two acting like idiots towards each other (no surprise). I glanced up at Clint, who was looking over the girl with nothing but concern and stress. He noticed my eyes on him and looked up at me. "She's gon' bleed out if we don't do anything, Alby. That leg's shucked."