I managed to get free from the vine just as the Griever jumped, because apparently it could jump up the walls too, because why not?

I swung out of the way just in time. I would have been impaled had I waited. Instead the wall was stabbed a solid foot into the stone. Thankfully it also missed Alby; he was hidden enough that the Griever didn't notice him. The Griever had decided to pick me as its target, lucky me. It lunged at me again, screaming, trying to impale me to the wall. With a terrified yell, I slipped. Not having any vibes to help support me, I fell.

Flailing my arms, I managed to catch hold of a vine. I held tight trying to slow down the fall. In the process I ripped a layer or two of skin off my hands. However the fall made me slide down between the monsters and the wall, I was now lower than the monster. If I could do that again, I could get to the ground, or close enough to drop and land without hurting myself.

I chanced a quick glance at Thomas. He was climbing and swinging getting lower each time. The Griever didn't like losing sight of its prey. It screamed again. I gulped and pushed off the wall with my feet and let go slightly of the vine. I slid down the vine, like a fireman's pole. I cried out as the skin ripped some more. But I managed to drop a few more feet.

The Griever couldn't see me at all now, it screamed in frustration and jumped off the wall and landed on the ground. Its sharp pointed legs caused huge craters in the stone floor where it landed with a thud. It was now right underneath me.

Shuck!

Charlie, hold on!

Thomas had somehow managed to find a loose piece of stone from the wall.

Don't do something stupid!

Too late!

He chucked it at the Griever, getting its attention. The monster turned its beady eyes on Thomas instead. It clawed its way over to him and started up the wall.

Go Charlie! Get to the ground! I'll keep it busy.

I scrambled as fast as I could, sliding down the vine and reaching for the next one. Thomas kept its attention, kicking off the wall, and swinging sideways to grab the next vine; yet somehow going lower and lower. I was about ten feet from the ground and let go. I dropped. My sore and exhausted legs gave out and I landed in a heap, just as the biomechanical monster screamed again. I looked up and watched in fascinated horror.

Thomas had just swung to another vine, the Griever stabbed its leg where he had been only a second ago. The tail came around and slammed into the wall, making Thomas duck and slip down the vine a few feet. The tail came back, the claw open now. The Griever screamed and swung its tail like a whip. Thomas swung to the next vine. The tail slammed into the wall, cutting the vine in two. With a scream, Thomas fell. There was nothing I could do but watch, my mouth open in a silent scream, reaching my hand out like I could try and catch him.

Thomas landed in a heap, some of the moss and vines broke his fall. He scrambled to his feet and backed up. The Griever leapt off the wall. It's legs getting tangled in the vine, it stumbled and fell, slamming into the wall hanging upside down. It screamed wildly, thrashing around in the vines, desperately trying to free it's self.

Thomas sprinted towards me, pulling me to my feet. I glanced up at Alby, he was just barly visible. I hoped, prayed, he would survive the night and the Grief serum would work...if we made it.

"Good bye Alby." I whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Thomas grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the Griever and away from Alby. Away from another friend...another brother.

I couldn't run anymore. We had ran, turn after turn, away from the screaming, moaning and whirring. It was finally quiet. I slowed to a stop. Leaning against the wall I slid down, panting hard. My heart working overtime. Every muscle and joint screamed for sleep.

"We can't stop! Minho said keep running!" Thomas protested.

"Tommy..." I said weakly, "I'm technically still recovering, I've been running all day, I had to carry Alby for hours to get back to the Glade...and then I just hulled his heavy ass up the wall and ran for another hour! I. Need. A. Break!"

"Okay...okay." he relented and slid down beside me.

We were quiet for a few minutes, listening to our surroundings. I leaned my head back on the wall, closing my eyes. The distant faint sliding of stone on stone, but no sounds of Grievers. At least for now.

"So...we can talk with our brains..." He finally said quiet.

I nodded. "Weird."

He huffed a chuckle, "Understatement."

I could feel his controled panic mixed with curiosity. I rolled my head to the side and peeked an eye open.

"How are you not freaking out?" He asked.

"I've seen some weird klunk Tommy. And..." I paused thinking, "I've heard your voice for a year already. It freaked me out the first few times, but it felt... familiar and..safe." I said quietly.

I heard him humm.

"But .. HOW?" He questioned.

I shrugged. I had no answers. It didn't seem to satisfy him. He frowned deeper.

"Can you always read my thoughts?" He asked.

I shook my head, "No. Before...when you were... wherever you were", I waved my hand vaugly around, "it was only a few deliberate times. Only twice I felt...or understood your emotion. One time was a laugh...and the other you were annoyed with me."

"Sounds about right." He bumped my shoulder with his own.

"I honestly don't know Tommy." I shrugged again. "You told me they are lying, not to believe them, told me to tell him-"

"Tell who what?" He interupted.

"Tell Gally...I like him." I said quietly.

"I said that? I honestly encouraged you to like that jerk?"

"He's not really. He went through the changing two months before I came. The changing messes with you. Like seriously messes with you. We ain't ever the same-"

"Wait you went through the Changing? You were bit?"

"It doesn't bite you, it pokes you, with a needle, sending poison into your blood stream."

Thomas waved his hand, and leaned forwards, looking at me intently.

"Okay, questions about that later. Back to me telling you to go for Gally?!"

I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to ask his questions.

"He went through the changing..." He encouraged, "continue."

"I came up, it was awful. The only girl with fourth something boys. I was either viewed as a sexual play toy or a servent, looked down on and viewed as infurior because I'm a girl."

I heard Thomas growl, and his jaw clenched.

"There was a handful who didn't, who were kind and respectful. Gally...tried, in his own way. But the changing...it really makes you..I don't know hyper sensitive and mood swings. There were times we would just scream and yell. It was kinda toxic then." I explained. I paused and looked down.

"But I saw the boy he used to be, that he can be..that he still is." I added quietly.

I felt the sadness deep inside. I wouldn't see his eyes soften when he looked at me. I wouldn't feel the rumble in his chest when he was trying not to laugh. Or his smile lit up his face, the passion when cared about something and how hard he would fit for it (usually for me to take care of myself) I wouldn't feel his hand in my hair or his fingers drawing circles on my back.

I tried not to cry, but a tear slipped over my lashes and down the dirty sweaty bloody cheek.

"I love him Tommy. I really do. Were wild and both shucken stuborn, messed from the changing and being stuck here for so long, burying brothers...and then our baby. But I'd fight for him...I'd willingly die for him. I love him, Tommy."

My voice cracked and another few tears slid out. Thomas sighed and put an arn around me and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist and he squeezed me tight.

"Well...if I uh told you to do it...I guess I must have had a reason. Not that I can remember... But he's still kind of a jerk. But come on. Let's live through the night and you can see your bull headed jerkface of a boyfriend in the morning."

I chuckled sadly. "He really doesn't like you."

"I've noticed." He said dryly.

The haunting moan and slow metal on metal came from down the dark coridor to our left.

"Dammit!" He whispered. I could feel his body tense and I felt his panic, which made me anxious.

He scrambled to his feet, pulled me up, grabbed my hand and we ran, in the opposite direction.

By this point, I couldn't feel my feet. They were numb, but the pain was shooting through my legs. Tommy was pulling me, leading me blindly, he had no idea where he was going.

"Wait! Stop! Tommy, that's a dead end! Other way!" I panted.

He spun and pulled me in the opposite direction. We had to scramble to a stop.

"Where the hell did this one come from?"

"Shuck!"

Standing in front of us, blocking our only way was a Griever. It was silent, but deadly. It's razor sharp teeth bared and it's tail swinging back and forth, the claw opening and closing.

Thomas pulled me backwards, towards the dead end. My chest was heaving from running and fear. I had no weapons I had nothing to use to defend myself. No way I could climb the wall. My hands still sting from ripping the skin and the sweat now running down my hands.

Thomas kept backing up, pulling me with him. A few more yards and we would have our backs against the wall and we were toast.

I felt like sinking down to the ground and giving up. I had spent all my energy. Thomas must have felt my dispare because he squeezed my hand.

We go down fighting! Kicking and screaming.

It's what I needed to hear. I was a fighter, I was stubborn and I wouldn't give up. I squeezed Thomas's hand back. A new resaulve growing.

Together? You're with me?

Together, I'm always with you!

We sprinted forwards, before we could change our minds and rethink this, we ran towards the Griever, screaming a wild battle cry. The Griever seemed to hesitate, almost like the monster was confused by our sudden change in behavior. It screamed and started forwards. At the last second right before we would slam into its wide open mouth, I let go of Thomas's hand. I dropped and slid on the stone ground, I slid on hip under the Monster, just avoiding my head being ripped off. I could feel the road rash ripping up my hip and side.

I had to roll a few times to get out from under the biomechanical Monster. Thomas met me, pulling me to my feet.

"Go!" He screamed, pushing me forward.

We ran again. I was possitive I had pushed my body beyond its physical limits. Thomas glanced behind us as we took a turn.

"Dammit!" He huffed.

Let me guess...it has friends?

Yeah.

Great. We'll have an epic death.

Not the time Charlie.

I mentally rolled my eyes. But I could hear them now. We were leading a death parade.

Left

Thomas took the turn right beside me, in perfect timing. Then two hands reached out and grabbed both of us. My heart stopped and I screamed. Thomas was struggling against the hand. Minho's face materialized out of the gloom and shadows. We both stopped struggling.

"What-"

"How-"

"Shut up you two and follow me!" Minho yelled.

He was already pulling me and Thomas down the corridor. Without a moment to think we chased after Minho. It took a few turns to understand where he was leading us. With a wild burst of adrenaline and hope, I sped up to run beside Minho. I glanced at him and I smirked at him and he nodded with a smug look.

With a steady fast pace we took turn after turn, knowing exactly where we were going. Minho and I ran in sync, feet slapping at the same the stone floor at the same time. Our inhaled and exhales had matched. It was just like running a section on a regular day, except it was night, being chased by four Grievers who would love nothing more than to kill us. My brain shut off, I didn't have the extra energy to think. The turns were automatic and muscle memory.

Thomas followed behind without questions. I could feel his presence, my head was vibrating slightly, knowing he was there, but we were quiet. It was comforting knowing he was there.

Minho attempted to speak as we took another sharp turn. Between his heaving breaths he glanced at me and then over his shoulder to Thomas, he gasped, "I just saw ... the dive move you did...and that wild slid... back there ... gave me an idea ... we only have to last ... a little while longer."

"I...like...hopeful...Minho!" I panted.

Without having to look behind him, he knew the Grievers were gaining ground at an alarming rate. Trying to hold onto that little spark of hope, and if Minho's idea worked we might just make it...maybe.

The Grievers behind us screamed making that spark sputter.

_____________________________________________

**Aww Tommy & Charlie moment!**