"Look! There!" Chuck yelled! He was pointing down the corridor.

"Oh no. Something is wrong!" Newt said with horror. They could see them, but Minho was holding Alby up, trying to pull him along the corridor. Alby draped over his shoulder.

"Come on Minho!" Frypan yelled.

Gally had stood up from his crouching position and shouted, "LEAVE HIM! COME ON MINO!"

Everyone was yelling encouragement or telling Minho to leave Alby behind, unconscious and alone in the maze as easy food for the Grievers. Alby slipped out of Minho's exhausted arms. They both fell. Minho struggled to his feet and tried pulling Alby down the corridor.

Alex knew there was no way Minho would ever leave anyone behind. He would put his life in harm's way to save the ones he cared for. He was loyal. And under his sass and smirk he cared deeply for everyone around him. And that was why she loved him. Alex loved him. And she never said it. She had tried to hide and deny it, but she did. She did before the maze and she did now. And she never told him how she really and truly felt!

"They aren't going to make it," Newt whispered.

That broke Alex's last remaining strand of hope, hearing Newt, the one with hope, the one who held everyone together; when she heard the despair and hopelessness in his voice she snapped. She flung herself forwards, intending to go out there, to help or to be with him in the end. Arms wrapped around her waist holding her back.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that! We need you!".

She screamed. She cried. She struggled. She screamed harder. Frypan heaved her up so her feet weren't on the ground anymore. She fought with everything she had, she almost got out. But Newt and Matt had grabbed on too, and they weren't letting go.

Minho's exhausted face looked up hearing her scream his name.

_______________________

Minho

He heard screaming. He heard his name. Alex was fighting with Frypan, Newt and Matt with everything she had. Clawing, squirming and kicking anything to get out of their grasp.

Minho was never going to see her again. He was never going to hear her laugh or see her smile, how her eyes lit up when he was around. He was never going to hear her say his name with a mix of exasperation and amusement. He had liked her for a long time, he knew he fell for her hard. But he knew now, he loved her. He could never tell her now.

He was never going to make it, he was exhausted, his muscles wouldn't even let him get up off the floor. He knew the doors were closing. And he knew the likelihood of survival at night in the maze was zero. He knew that. And it nearly killed him. He felt the bubble of fear and panic rising. He couldn't even get into his hands and knees properly. His throat felt right and sticky, and a burning sting in his eyes.

"MINHO!"

She screamed again, the heartbreaking scream shattered his stone walls. Reaching both her hands towards him, knowing they could never reach, knowing he could never hold them again. His stone walls around his heart crumpled to dust. He managed to push himself up into his knees.

"MINHO! Please!" She sobbed, thrashing in the arms of the guys.

He took a finger and drew an X over his chest. A tear slowly ran down his cheek. He could hardly talk, let alone yell for her, that was the best he could do to tell her he loved her.

'Cross my heart'

The doors slammed shut.

_____________________

Alex

She saw him lift a hand not taking his eyes off her and cross his heart. Her scream turned into a sob, her world, her anchor, the person who held her together, kept her safe, the one she loved was gone. She reached out both hands toward him.

"MINHO! Please!"

She knew she was never going to reach, Fry, Newt and Matt had a death hold around her, despite the blood she drew from their arms, she would never make it, but she kept fighting.

"THOMAS! NO!"

The doors slammed shut. The guys finally released her and she threw herself at the wall doors. She clawed and tried to push them open, beating the walls with her fists, sobbing and screaming. The Gladers stood watching in shock and silence. They had never seen her lose control like this before. With the last of her strength, with a final gut wrenching scream that came from the depths of her broken soul, she punched the wall.

And then she fell to the floor in a heap and stayed there, not moving. All the fight drained out of her, she had nothing left. Newt stood shocked, he was looking at the wall to the broken girl on the ground. He took a step towards the wall, there in the middle, right, where her fist made contact, was a dent. A fist shaped dent. In the stone.

"Fry! Jeff! Come here!" Both boys and Gally tagging along, stepped forward. "Look." was all he said as he pointed to the fist shaped dent in the thick stone wall.

"Holly shuck!" Whispered Fry.

"She did that?" Gally backed away, his eyes narrowed, mistrust written all over his face.

"How could someone as small as her do that?" Jeff crouched down beside Alex. "Let me see your hand."

Alex didn't move. She didn't hear, she couldn't hear. All the noise had stopped. The second the doors shut, all noise was gone. She didn't see anything either, her world had turned from colours to black and grey. Everything had lost meaning, there was no hope, no happiness. She was empty, lost and alone. She didn't know where she was and she didn't care. She was numb.

Jeff looked up to Newt, Fry and Matt who was still standing there, pale and stricken. All of them worried, all of them struggling with the knowledge that they had lost 3 friends. They lost their leader and Keeper, both original Gladers, both of whom helped keep this place running. They were the heart and soul of the Glade.

"What do we do?" Jeff whispered in disbelief.

Chuck had come over. Tears running down his face, he sat beside the broken girl. "Hey Alex, it's okay." His young voice broke. "Thomas is with them, they'll survive. I know it. Minho is smart and fast. You'll see."

Frypan shook his head sadly. He said to no one in particular "I'll make us some hot chocolate." And he wandered off to his kitchen, cooking always made him feel better.

"Alex, when you feel like getting up, come to the MedHut, I need to see that hand. Newt, you too, Matt, same goes for you. Those scratches look pretty bad, same with Fry." Jeff got up and wandered back to the Homestead with his head down.

_____________________

Newt

Newt wandered after Jeff. Tears in his eyes; struggling to hold himself together, he had to be strong for Alex, and the rest of the Gladers; he was the leader now. He had just lost his 2 friends, his best friends, and his brothers. They were the ones who saved his life, he owed them everything and there was nothing he could do. He watched as they struggled and he did nothing. He held back the one person who might have been able to help, he had the claw marks on his arms to prove it. But he couldn't risk losing her too. She was the only biological family he had right now. (He had no idea where Sonya was)

After Jeff cleaned him up and wrapped a few of them, Newt grabbed some pillows and blankets and carried them to the wall. He knew Alex wouldn't leave. He came back and found Chuck and Alex still in the same spot. Alex hadn't moved, she hadn't spoken, she barely blinked. Newt watched as she just stared at the wall with void eyes. Matt came to sit down beside her now. Chuck and Matt were trying to talk to her, petting her head. Bark had crawled up beside her. Frypan was handing out warm drinks to the few who stayed by the door. Newt paced out the bedding with a heavy heart.

There weren't many that stayed, not many had hope they would last the night. The sun had set. Alex didn't touch her drink, it was still sitting in the same spot, now cold. Newt had placed a blanket over her. He tried talking to her again, but nothing. He sighed and lay down and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long night.

_________________

Alex

Sometime after midnight Alex finally stirred.

She slowly sat up. Her hand was throbbing and swollen, bruising showing. She probably broke something. But the pain in her hand was nothing to the pain in her heart. She felt lost, alone, broken and empty. She wasn't sure if you could ever glue back sometime this shattered.

She looked at the stone walls, and saw where she punched the stone. She thought she heard a Griever scream followed by a human scream. Her eyes slid out of focus again. A tear slip down her face. All she could hear were the doors slamming shut and a human scream of terror.

She slowly and unsteadily got to her feet and walked away. She couldn't be there anymore. The last place she had seen him, she needed to be away. The last time she would ever see his face was at these doors. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't care either. She just let her feet take her. Her mind was foggy with grief. A few minutes later she found herself in her room, well still technically it was Minho's room, she was still borrowing it. Not anymore...it was her room now. She couldn't be here either. She wandered down the hall, thinking she could sleep in the Med Room.

She stopped at an open door, Newt's room. She saw a sleeping bag on the floor, along with some shirts and a hoodie. She felt cold. She could feel a sob rising in her chest again. She pulled off her shirt and pulled on the hoodie from the floor, pulled the hood up and snuggled her nose into it. It smelt like him. Alex curled up into the sleeping bag on the floor too. Bark came to lay beside her. Alex opened the bag, Bark climbed in snuggling right beside her. She lowered her arm, the top of the sleeping bag now over both of them. If Alex closed her eyes she could almost pretend Minho was beside her helping her ward off her nightmares.

"Alex?"

Alex vaguely felt her mind buzzing. She had no energy or will to answer, even her sister. Alex remains still. Her eyes wide with the horror of losing Minho and Alby to the maze. What would they do now? Ben and Minho were the best runners in the Glade, and they were both gone. Alby, their fearless leader, her proud father figure, her unwavering support and advocate was ripped away.

"Alex, what's wrong? I can feel your despair! And it hurts me so much, I can't imagine what's going on! Talk to me!"

Alex just stared at the wall, a tear slid down her check.

"Alex...please..."

Alex ignored her, after a long while her mind stopped buzzing. She felt empty, cold, numb and alone. It was a long night. She didn't sleep that night, just stared blankly at the wall.

____________________

Newt

As the sun came up Newt came looking for her. He had fallen asleep, finally, last night and when he woke up Alex was gone. Matt and Chuck didn't hear her, so they had no idea. They left to look for her as well.

His fear flared instantly. He was worried about her, he knew something inside her broke. She had gone through so much in the three months here. He was terrified she would do something to herself after last night. He went searching for his little sister. She looked after everyone else, but no one really looked after her. Well he did..and Minho...yet only after she fell apart. They weren't very good at prevention. No one asked how she was doing. Alex was always worried about how everyone else was doing. Guess it's just him now, to look after her, her person was gone.

None of the Gladers had seen her. She wasn't in the Deadheads, Map room, Lookout, MedHut or her room. Matt and Chuck didn't know either. Newt watched sadly as they went back to the doors and slumped down. Waiting for them to open.

It's been a klunky few months.

He stood in the middle of the picnic area, and watched the two boys. Alex loved those two like little brothers. And they had lost so much. Matt lost Ben, and now maybe Alex. Chuck had lost Thomas and now possibly Alex. Newt sighed. Fighting the tears that threatened to fall. He lost so much. Every boy that came up in that box was another brother to the family. And every boy that died at the hands of this horrendous maze was a brother he lost. Ben. Minho. Alby.

Minho and Alby had been closer than brothers. They had lived through some horrible awful klunk together. But they always got through it, together.

He rubbed his eyes. The tears were making seeing everything hard. He needed a quiet place for a few minutes to get himself together and then he had to lead this group of rag tag boys. He still needed to find Alex. No one knew where she was.

He opened his bedroom door, and saw a lump on the floor of his room. Bark lifted her head. Relief flooded through him. She didn't move.

"Alex, love?"

He could see she wasn't asleep, yet she didn't move or respond. slowly walked in and crouched down. He took in her disheveled appearance. Tear tracks on her face. But it was her eyes that scared him the most. Behind the red and puffiness of crying, he saw how dead and lifeless they were. His heart clenched in his chest. He went to hold her hand, but froze when he saw her hand. It was even worse now than last night.

"Alex? Come on, that hand looks awful, come on, up you get. You need to eat too."

He was gentle and quiet. He knew the signs of lost hope, and sorrow, he saw the signs of depression. He wouldn't let her go through that alone, Alby and Minho got him through his time of need. He would be there for her; even if he was hardly holding it together himself. He slowly and carefully pulled her up, she didn't even look at him, but she didn't resist either. He held her good hand and led her down to the The MedJack room, like a lost little child. Newt made her sit and Jeff gently wrapped her hand and knuckles with white cloth and gauze.

"That was some punch there kiddo. Don't be punchin' any more walls!" Jeff said, with a small chuckle. Alex didn't even blink, vacant eyes, staring far away. Newt shrugged and shook his head, at a loss too.

"Nothing is broken...physically. She just has bruising and swelling. Emotionally...we gotta be careful with her. Don't leave her alone." Jeff said quietly to Newt. They both watched her sit unmoving, eyes glazed over, not actually seeing anything. Newt took a ragged breath.

"Okay, come on love, let's go get some fresh air and food." Newt took her by the hand again. "Come on Bark, let's go."

They had stepped into the fresh air of the open kitchen area when there was a shout from the open doors. Newt looked up to see who was yelling. Chuck was running towards them.

"THEY MADE IT! They are alive! I told you they would make it!" He yelled. He was yelling and waving his chubby arms, a huge grin on his face. He stopped and scrambled back towards the door.

Newt stood there for a moment in disbelief. They made it? They are alive? A grin made its way into his face. A bubble of excitement rose inside. He had to see for himself. He looked at Alex, but her face didn't show any signs she heard Chuck. She need to see too, he pulled her good hand and made her follow him to the maze doors.