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HE HADN'T MEANT TO CAUSE MASS HYSTERIA IN THE GLADE. Really, it hadn't been his fault at all. He'd explicitly explained to Leo that he couldn't tell anyone else about what he'd heard in the Gathering. Unfortunately for Samson, Leo didn't seem to care.

By dinnertime that evening, the entire Glade was buzzing with talk of an escape plan. Half of the Gladers seemed to be excited about a possible way out, while the other ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, panicking about the dangers of the Maze.

Nick and Alby sat in the Cookhouse both wearing the same irritated expressions. The two of them spoke to each other in low voices and scowled at any Glader who dared to walk by them. Samson kept his distance from them for the rest of the night, afraid that they'd sniff out his guilt if he even so much as looked at them.

As Samson tried to fall asleep that night, he tossed and turned thinking about the possibility of leaving the Maze. A part of him was so eager to leave and return to his old life, but no matter how hard he wracked his brain, Samson wasn't even sure what his old life had been. He remembered one of the Gladers telling him on his first night that he believed that they were all prisoners and that they were sent there as punishment. And as ridiculous as it sounded, Samson knew he couldn't rule it out. If it was true and he was a criminal, did he really want his memories back? Did he really want to remember the past?

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Samson was putting his socks on the next morning when the Box alarm went off, startling him. He'd accidentally overslept, which meant that he was already late to his first day in the Cookhouse. He hoped the interruption of the new Greenie would be a good enough excuse for Frypan.

He was the last one to the Box. Samson pushed through the crowd of boys in an attempt to get to the front. The Gladers grunted in response as he squeezed by them. He was curious to learn how it felt to be on the other side of the Box. As much as he felt bad for the new Greenie, Samson was glad it was over for him.

Nick and Alby opened the Box and in the corner, hiding behind all of the crates, was the Greenie. He was a small boy with a tawny complexion. Tears leaked out of his eyes and onto his red cheeks. Samson frowned down at him, taking a step forward so he stood in between Leo and Zart. Laughter erupted amongst the Gladers as they pointed down at the Greenie, just as they had done to Samson a month ago.

"Aw, don't cry little Greenie!"

"Ugly shank,"

"Not like you're much better looking, Eric."

"He's actually crying! Oh my god!"

Samson shook his head out of frustration. His blood boiled at the comments they made, his hands balling up into fists. Gally and Nick had told him many times that all of the Gladers had come up just as scared and confused as he had. He couldn't understand how they could make fun of the Greenie every month, especially when they knew what it was like to be one.

Nick jumped down into the Box, still wearing the same scowl from the night before. Samson hadn't seen Nick smile at all since the Gathering. He could tell he was afraid.

"Hey, Greenie. Come on, let's get you up," Nick put out a hand for the boy to grab and he took it after wiping his tears away. Some Gladers behind him chuckled and Samson wondered what they'd do if he spun around and gave them a piece of his mind. For the moment, he refrained.

Nick and the Greenie came out of the Box and everyone took a step back so he could get a look around. The Greenie shook his head in confusion as he took in his surroundings. He was much smaller and skinnier than Samson. He had short, dark hair. Sweat glistened the dark skin on his forehead and neck. The Greenie wiped his hands, which looked like they were also covered in sweat and tears, onto his jeans. Nick grabbed his shoulder and spun him around so he was facing him, and the boy yelped.

"Can you tell me anything about yourself? Where you're from? Your name?" Nick seemed to have calmed down a little, drowning out the boys who were laughing at the Greenie. The boy shook his head again.

"I can't remember anything...except my name," he said breathlessly.

Samson sighed loudly, rolling his eyes. From behind him, he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder. Newt suddenly came forward, a wide grin on his face.

"Like I said, it's different for everyone," Newt whispered, lowering his hand. Samson merely smiled back at him, shaking his head. He resented the Greenie for remembering his name so quickly. It had taken him days to remember his, and Newt had told him the boy who had come before him took a whole week.

The Box rumbled again, which indicated it was going back down. All eyes landed on Nick, who stared down at the ground. He took a deep breath, stepping forward and away from the Greenie.

"Okay," he huffed. "Let's do this, now."

Newt stepped away from Samson and toward Nick and Alby, and they helped secure Nick onto a rope. They tied it around his waist and made sure he had a good grip on it. The Gladers all gathered back around the Box, and the Keepers all grabbed a section of the rope.

Samson stayed on the sidelines next to Newt and Leo. Nick lifted his head and took one last lingering look around the Glade with sad eyes. He looked out at all of the Gladers and sighed.

"It's gonna be okay, you guys. This could be our way out. I'll check it out and report back, and we'll go from there," Nick's smile seemed forced. The look on his face almost told Samson that he wasn't afraid of death; if it were to touch him. Samson suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

Nick turned to the Greenie. "Lucky shank. You might be getting outta here just as soon as ya came," he chuckled. The laugh seemed forced too. All of the Gladers stayed quiet, but when Nick looked at Alby he smiled. Nick took one last shaky breath and nodded to his Second-in-Command.

Another Glader grabbed the Greenie's shoulders and pulled him backward. Samson bit his lip to keep himself from saying something stupid like, "Be careful," because he knew Nick would be. He was their leader, he knew what he was doing. Instead, Samson dug his fingernails into the skin on his palms to keep himself from panicking. He had to have hope. Nick was always the one who'd given everyone else hope, and now he needed their support more than ever.

Alby and the other Keepers moved into their positions and Nick stood with his back to the Box. He leaped down into the darkness and a few Gladers cried out and gasped. The Greenie yelped, his eyes widening. Samson jumped forward out of instinct, wanting to peer down into the Box, but Newt and Leo grabbed him and pulled him back.    

The Keepers kept their grip tight onto the rope, but with ten of them pulling on it, Nick probably wasn't very heavy.

"Nick, see anything?" Alby called out after a few seconds.

Nick replied instantly, telling them he wasn't very far down yet, which relieved Samson. He relaxed his shoulders.

"Someone should'a given me a lantern! Damn it," Nick yelled back the second time Alby asked how he was doing. "Nothing down here yet, but it's getting darker."

The third time Alby yelled for their leader, Nick didn't reply right away. Alby called his name a little louder, and the Keepers were suddenly jerked forward. Frypan cried out, nearly slipping and losing his grip on the rope.

From inside the Box came Nick's shrill voice, echoing around the Glade. "I can't see anything! Alby! Pull me up! Pull me up, pleas-" Nick shrieked, cutting himself off.

From the Box came a faint whirring sound and then a loud thud. The Keepers were pulled forward again. Gally fell on top of Winston, and the two of them almost knocked Alby down. A couple of other Gladers moved to grab hold of the rope.

"Nick! Nick, what's going on down there!" Newt had leaped toward the Box, screaming for their leader. There was no answer.

The Gladers struggled against the rope one minute, and the next they weren't. They gained control again and quickly yanked the rope back up into the Glade. The Keepers all fell backward, crashing into each other. Alby had the rope in his hands. It was all torn and dishevelled, and Nick was no longer attached to it. Alby held it to his chest, his hands shaking. He stood up abruptly, looking down into the Box.

"Nick!" he screamed so loud it pierced through the whole Glade.

The rest of the Keepers slowly got to their feet, defeated looks on their faces. The Greenie had tears in his eyes again.

Samson stumbled over to the Box beside Newt and Alby. The others behind them stayed quiet. He stared down into the darkness of the Box hole.

Not Nick, he thought. Anyone but Nick. Samson's mouth hung agape, tears threatening to escape his eyes. A hand roughly pulled him away from the Box and back out into the field of the Glade. It was Gally who had grabbed him. He had Samson on one arm and the Greenie on the other.

"Come on," he said, so calmly it scared Samson. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. You weren't supposed to be there," he told them, swallowing a lump in his throat.

As Gally led them away, Samson heard someone in the crowd break the silence amongst the Gladers.

"We killed him." he said.

Nick was dead.

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author's note!

rip nick :(

from this chapter on, things are definitely escalating from samson and the gladers! clark was introduced in this chapter (if you didn't catch that hehe) and obviously with nick gone, the glade is going to suffer. that being said, i really like these upcoming chapters (i looooove writing angst) and i hope you guys do too!

love always,
chloe