The One I Love || Newt-TMR

Chapter 24

"Hey Clint, I want to learn about the Changing." I asked abruptly while the Medjack room was empty, with only Clint and I occupying it.

"Excuse me?" He spun around from the shelf, the confusion evident in his eyes.

"I want you to tell me about the Changing, and what happens when someone goes through it." I clarified, turning to lean on one of the small beds behind me.

"Is there a reason behind this sudden interest, Rosie?"

"Well, yeah there is. Newt gave you the strange serum earlier, and told you to keep it in the other Medjack room. I was just curious what happens to the victim, and also why it is so bad that it has to be dealt with in a completely separate room." I pressed while fiddling with my hands. I was nervous about all of this; why the Changing was so bad and why we received a different kind of serum earlier.

"Well I'm not supposed to tell any Greenies 'bout the Changing, but I like you, so I'll tell ya." Clint flashed me a toothy grin as he joined me, sitting right beside me on the bed.

"Its a horrible thing the Changin' is. Trust me when I say this: if you're at all curious about it now, you'll wish you never knew of it once you see the effects it has on someone. It's not the Griever venom that does it, just the Grief Serum reacting with it. The reaction makes their veins pop out, and their skin to turn a horrible green colour. But that's not even the worst part." Clint paused to glance at me, and I was certain he saw the blood drain from my face, making me look like a haunting ghost.

"They completely use all humanity for up to a week. The reason we keep everything to do with the Changing, as well as the victims separate from here is because we need them to be as far away from the Gladers as possible. It looks like a torture chamber up there; leather straps attached to a bed to hold their arms and legs down. I'm not sure why they thrash around so much; maybe because of all the pain they're in. But there is one good thing about it all; those who go through the Changing regain a few memories in the process." Clint explained in a dark tone, his eyes holding back the horrible memories.

"Has anyone ever thought to purposefully get stung to regain some memories?" I probed, my eyes furrowed together tightly as I thought.

"What, you got some kinda death wish or somethin' Greenie? You just gotta hear the damn shank screamin' and yelping in pain to know that you don't ever want to go through what they're are." Clint replied harshly.

"I'm sorry, I'm just curious is all. How often does someone get stung around here?"

"Not often. we record it every time with each person to try and find the common links. I think it has happened once, maybe twice before? It only ever really happened in the very beginning when we started to explore and stay out in the Maze for the first few days. That was before we knew about Grievers. If you really want to learn about the Changing, you can go down to the Weapons room down in the bottom level. That's were we keep the real important medical documentations. But you'll need Minho to go with you; he's the only one with the key to get down there." Clint offered, seemingly bored with the conversation now; his eyelids drooping slightly over his eyes.

"You have a Weapons room? Why is Minho The only one allowed down there?" I questioned, shocked that they would entrust Minho with a key to a room filled with deadly weapons.

"The Runner's carry a range of weapons on them in case they happen to run into any danger while they're out in the Maze. Minho is the Keeper of the Runners, so it's only fitting that he is also the keeper of the key to the Weapons room." Clint answered, a little humoured by his response.

My eye flickered to the window just across from me to see the sky fading from an intense pink into a deep violet purple. My brow creased together in worry and confusion as I thought.