Without A Choice // The Maze Runner [Book 1]

FIVE

"What do you mean you saw a Griever?" Newt asked.

"I mean I saw a-"

"Help! Help me!" a loud yell that belonged to none other than Thomas sounded through the Glade. I looked up to see him running away from someone. My eyes focused and I saw that it was Ben. My eyes widened and I took a sprint toward the scene, even though my lungs screamed at me to stop for air.

Ben lunged for Thomas's legs and he fell down. Ben instantly climbed on top of him and hissed something at his face. Thomas's cries for help didn't stop and that's why I didn't stop running.

Newt saw that Ben was not going to stop so he grabbed a shovel and hit the side of Ben's head with it. This caused him to fall to the ground and off of Thomas. Several Gladers held Ben to the ground. "Lift his shirt," Alby ordered. Ben struggled against the other Gladers, but they overpowered him and Gally was able to lift Ben's shirt, only to reveal a network of black veins circling around a wound. 

"He's been stung," Newt stated.

"In the middle of the day?" Gally asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

Alby got up. He walked over to me and grabbed my arm in the process, dragging me with him. "Put him in the pit!" he shouted at the rest of the Gladers.

Alby took me all the way to the council hall and slammed the door shut behind him. He ran his hands over his head and exhaled slowly through his nose. "You saw a Griever?" he repeated my words from earlier. I nodded, not knowing what to say. I wrapped my arms around myself as I noticed I was still shaking terribly. "And then Ben was stung," he stated.

"Yes, I think that the same Griever did it. I heard it screech seconds after I saw it," I said.

"What did it look like?" I heard the faintest bit of curiosity in Alby's voice. Faint, but it was there.

"It was like a giant spider, but its legs were robotic," I said, shivering at the memory.

"Well, you know what is going to happen to Ben. We better get going before the doors close." Alby turned his back to me to open the door of the hall. 

"Alby," I stopped him. "Is it okay if I'm not there?" I couldn't bear the thought of having to look at Ben, knowing that I was the one who lost him in the Maze. It was my fault he got stung just because I wasn't paying attention.

Alby smiled softly. "Of course."

***

I clenched my eyes shut and covered my ears at the sound of Ben's screams and pleas. I focused on positive things, happy things. 

"Thomas."

I shot up. No one was around me. "Who said that?" I called, looking around.

"You can save them, Thomas."

"Stop," I muttered.  

"It's all your fault!" Ben's voice screamed in my head.

"Stop!" I cried and shot up. "Leave me alone!" 

"Leah, calm down, you're safe, you're okay." I hadn't realized I had been dreaming until Alby pulled me into his chest, calming down my hysterical breaths and cries. I let out a few choking sobs and buried my face in Alby's shirt.

I calmed down a few minutes later and pulled away from Alby's touch. I felt Newt's caring hand on my back, rubbing up and down. I felt multiple sets of eyes on me but ignored them as I tried to calm my rapid breaths. 

It wasn't uncommon that I had nightmares. Everyone had them from time to time. Mine were usually about the people close to me getting banished into the Maze and not making it back alive. I had lost Alby and Newt countless times in my dreams and that killed me.  

I gratefully took the glass of water Alby handed me and wiped the tears from my face. "I'm okay," I told the boys. Everyone returned to their hammocks and the silence returned, apart from my occasional sniffs. 

I lay back down but couldn't fall back asleep. Not many of us slept that night.

Gally and a bunch of others got up early to cross off Ben's name on the wall. Alby didn't sleep, Newt didn't either. I heard voices in the distance and figured they belonged to Chuck and Thomas, talking to each other in hushed voices.

Eventually, I fell back asleep.

***

My eyelids slowly pulled apart as warm sunlight hit my face. I sat up and saw every hammock was empty. I heard the fuss outside and I shot out of bed. I raced outside and saw everyone was already working. "Newt!" I barked. The skinny boy quickly approached me.

"'Morning, sunshine, slept well?" he greeted me with his signature grin. 

"Where are the Runners? Why wasn't I woken up?" 

Newt leaned against the tree to his right. "Alby took the Runners back into the Maze, they want to find the place where Ben was stung."

"I'm a Runner too, why wasn't I invited?" I questioned, placing my balled fists on my hips.

"Alby was worried about you after your nightmare. I mean, you have nightmares quite often but never this bad. You've screamed some scary things."

"What do you mean?" I frowned. Newt sighed. 

"For starters, you yelled out a name numerous times," he said, his voice wary and careful.

"Whose name? Ben's?" Newt replied by shaking his head. "Whose name, Newt?" I stepped closer to him.

"You screamed Thomas's name." 

I took a step back. "What?" I breathed.

"You were saying that he couldn't do anything about it, that it wasn't his fault," Newt proceeded. I ran my hands through my hair. 

"What is happening, Newt?" I asked, fear lacing my voice. "Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Thomas. I need to talk to him."

"I think he's with the Track-hoes." Before Newt could say anything else, I sprinted in the direction of Zart's section of the Glade.

I spotted Thomas chopping down a small tree. "Zart, can I borrow Thomas for a few seconds?"

"Sure, it's not like he's doing anything useful anyway," he replied with a sigh. I thanked him before walking over to Thomas.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" I asked. 

Thomas looked up. "Sure, what's going on?" 

"Not here, let's go." I grabbed his forearm and dragged him to my tree. I sat down by the roots and patted the spot beside me. After Thomas sat down, I spoke up.  

"I've heard something disturbing this morning. Turns out I've been calling out your name last night when I was dreaming. You were in my dream too. A woman said your name, saying you can save them. What does she mean by that?" 

"I don't know. I've been having these weird dreams too. A girl saying this is all for a higher purpose," he mumbled. I looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. "What is going on with us?" 

I remained silent. I didn't have an answer. I couldn't understand my dreams, let alone someone else's. I twisted the wristband around my wrist while we were both drowning in our own thoughts. 

I looked up, Thomas did too. We stared at each others' faces. I studied his features. He had moles scattered around his jaw and neck. His dark eyebrows gave his facial expression and his whiskey-coloured irises drilled into my soul. 

I was so caught up in discovering every inch of his face that I hadn't realized both of us had started to lean in. I immediately pulled back. "I gotta go, I've got work to do and I think you do too." I stood up and walked away without waiting for an answer.