The Maze In Her Heart (Newt, Minho ::The Maze Runner.) ✔

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: Improvising.

"No!" I gasp and the whole room turns to face me. Some still look scared, others look irritated, as if my outburst would lure the Grievers back to kill somebody else. "No! He didn't really burn the room." I say in denial, running out of the room. 

"Marie!" I hear Minnie yell after me, and I heard footsteps thudding after me, but I bound down the stairs as fast as I could, my leg dragging behind me painfully.

I stumble down the stairs and I see heads turn to watch me. Gladers look confused, but most were gathered at the windows, checking to see if the coast was clear. 

I push open the Homestead door and gasp when I see the Map Room, standing alone in the Glade's shadow, plumes of dark grey smoke pumping under and out the doors crevices, light orange tendrils of fire snaking under the bottom of the door.

I limp across the Glade, ignoring the shouts of Gladers yelling at me. 

In denial, I shout "No!" at the burning room. I look around in fear, my heart pumping in complete adrenaline. This couldn't be happening- not now. I had a plan develping in my head- nestling there peacefully and about to wake from its rest, when suddenly someone walked in and shot it dead.

My focus shifts to a figure on the floor. For a second, my heart races more- had some Gladers not reached Shelter in time? Where was Newt, with whatever he cured me with? But as I limped over hurridely, I saw that the figure was actually the greenie, Sammantha, scpawled out with a slash down her face. Blood oozed slowly from her gash. 

Gally.

"Samm, are you okay?" I say breathlessly, dropping down to my knees next to her body. Her eyes don't open, but her eyelids flutter.

"Samm?" I whisper now, tilting her head up. For a second, I'm scared, remembering to not touch an injured person unless you were a Medjack. I glance up, fear coursing through my veins, to see Gladers spilling out of the Homestead, running over to us, some others looking around with utterly perplexed looks on their faces. Thomas reaches me first, and his face pales when seeing her face. 

Thomas calls over some Medjacks, and within five minutes, Samm is on a stretcher and being toted to the Homestead, pushing through crowds of Gladers who were looking around in confusion and at the burning map room. 

I can sense Gladers behind me, watching me, waiting for something to happen.

"I had a plan... But now I don't.. I-I don't know why I let it slip away so quick..." I whisper. Lamar walks up next to me, face stony.

"What was your plan?" he asks, looking down at me. I don't even notice I'm still on my knees until he helps me up. 

"The Maze is a code.." My voice remains a whisper. 

Lamar gives me a confused look, and I don't blame him. "What? What plan do you have in mind?" He repeats, biting his lip. The katana in his hands was back into its sheathe.

Suddenly, I hear Minho's familiar voice. "Marie, Marie!" He runs up, naturally, and places a hand on my shoulder. "That was very irresponsible! You could have died running out here, and all for nothing!" 

I pause, as he stares at me, a bit breathless. 

"All for nothing? Everything you've worked for in that Maze for God knows how long, all went up in smoke! Tell me you're not a bit upset!" I reach up and run a hand through my hair, stressed. 

Minho gives me a few more blank seconds before bursting into a goofy grin. "The first thing Alby told me when I got here was to always be prepared for the worst." 

I stay silent, looking at him. 

He continues when seeing my blank and confused reaction. "I have copies of the maps. Loads of them... When the map began repeating that same patterns, I stopped storing them in the map room. They... They seemed useless at the time, useless copies. But something told me, Alby's little slinthead voice, always be prepared."