Disclaimer:

I do not own The Maze Runner. If I did, I'd make Wes Ball give Teresa more screentime in the first movie.

-✼-

When the alarm finally stopped, there was a loud ringing in my ears. It rattled my eardrums and pierced my skull like a knife. I shook my head to try and get it to go away, sighing in relief when it started to subside.

Someone tapped Thomas and I on the shoulders. We turned to see Chuck with a benign smile on his face. "How goes it, Greenbeans?"

"Fine," I grumbled, though everything was far from it. I rubbed the painful red mark on my arm, wishing it would fade.

Thomas pointed to the doors of the Box with his usual expression of confusion. "Why is everyone freaking out? Isn't this how you all got here?"

"Alby said Newbies come every month," I reminded him. "Newt just said this has never happened before, remember?"

Chuck nodded in agreement of my statement. "Guess it's always been real regular-like. One a month, every day, same day. Maybe whoever's charge realized that Dylan wasn't supposed to be here, sent another up to replace her."

I couldn't tell if he was serious or joking, but the high-pitched snicker he made as he elbowed me in the ribs only made me like him more for some reason.

"You're annoying," I sighed jokingly, shooting him a fake glare. "Seriously."

"Yeah, but we're all buddies now, right?" Chuck laughed this time, a sort of squeaky snort that was adorable.

"Looks like you're not giving us much of a choice on that one," Thomas deadpanned. But when I looked at him, he was smiling, and I could tell he had taken a liking to Chuck just as I had.

The kid folded his arms across his chest, looking extremely satisfied. I wondered if anyone had tried being friends with him before. "Glad that's settled. Everyone needs a buddy in this place."

Thomas grabbed Chuck by the collar jokingly. I played along and ruffled his curly hair as Thomas spoke. "Okay, buddy, then call us by our names. Thomas. Dylan. Or we'll throw you down the hole after the Box leaves." Sudden realization hit him and he let Chuck go. "Wait a minute, have you guys ever--"

"Tried it," Chuck interrupted hastily, not even letting him finish his epiphany.

"Tried what?"

"Going down in the Box after it makes a delivery," Chuck answered concisely. "It won't do it. Won't go down until it's completely empty."

"I already knew that, but what about--"

"Tried it."

This was all very amusing to me- watching Thomas get frustrated at Chuck for interrupting him every time he tried to give an idea.

"Man, you're hard to talk to," he sighed, tilting his head in what appeared to be annoyance. "Tried what?"

"Going through the hole after the Box goes down. Can't. Doors will open, but there's just emptiness, blackness, nothing. No ropes, nada. Can't do it."

How was that possible? I opened my mouth so speak before Thomas could. "Did you--"

"Tried it."

I understood Thomas's frustration when Chuck cut me off. I groaned in frustration and closed my eyes. "Okay, what?"

"We threw some things into the hole. Never heard them land. It goes on for a long time."

I remembered how long it took while we were in the Box. It seemed like hours we were sitting there, not knowing where we were heading. Was that only yesterday? It seemed like forever ago.

"What are you, a mind reader or something?" Thomas questioned, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Just brilliant, that's all." Chuck winked at us.

"Chuck, never wink at me again," Thomas ordered with a smile. I suppressed a laugh by pressing a hand against my mouth. "So, how long until the delivery gets here?"

Chuck shrugged. "Usually takes about a half hour after the alarm."

I racked my brain, thinking of all the possible scenarios to get down that hole. There had to be something they hadn't tried yet. "Have you ever tried making a rope?"

"Yeah, they did. With the ivy. Longest one they could possibly make." Chuck frowned. "Let's just say that little experiment didn't go so well."

"What do you mean? What went wrong?" I asked, my eyebrows creasing together with worry.

"I wasn't here yet, but I heard the kid who volunteered to do it had only gone down about ten feet when something swooshed through the air and cut him in half."

I gasped in horror, but Thomas laughed. "What? I don't believe that for a second."

"Oh, yeah, smart guy?" Chuck raised his eyebrows mockingly. "I've seen the sucker's bones. Cut in half like a knife through whipped cream. They keep him in a box to remind future kids not to be so stupid."

It was hard to tell when Chuck was joking and when he wasn't, so I watched carefully for some sign he was- a crinkle by his eye, the tiniest of smiles, a twitch. But there was nothing. The kid was completely genuine with what he had just told us. I couldn't help the shudder that passed through me. "You're serious?"

Chuck just stared back at us. "I don't lie, Gre- uh, Dylan. Come on, let's go over and see who's coming up. I can't believe you two only have to be the Greenbeans for one day. Klunkheads."

As we walked over, Thomas asked another question. And this time, Chuck didn't cut him off. "How do you know it's not just supplies or whatever?"

"The alarm doesn't go off when that happens," Chuck answered simply. "The supplies come up at the same time every week. Hey, look." Chuck stopped and pointed to someone in the crowd. It was Gally, staring dead at us. I couldn't tell if he was looking at me or Thomas or both of us.

"Shuck it," Chuck sighed. "He does not like you two."

"Yeah, I think we've figured that out already," Thomas muttered darkly, staring at the ground before us.

"I don't care," I said matter-of-factly. "He can dislike me all he wants. I never did anything to upset him."

Thomas had to nudge me so I didn't get left behind. I grumbled under my breath before walking away with Thomas and Chuck toward the Box.

"Why don't you go ask him what his problem is?" Chuck asked us, but I shook my head.

"I don't want to," I told him. "Like I already told you- I don't care."

"He has a lot more allies than us," Thomas pointed out. "Not a good person to pick a fight with."

"Yeah, but you're smarter," Chuck said. "And Dylan's small and quick. You two could take him and all his buddies."

One of the boys standing in front of us turned and glared in annoyance. I recognized him as one of Gally's posse members.

"Would you shut it?" Thomas whispered to Chuck.

A door closed behind us and I turned to see Alby and Newt heading over from the Homestead. They both looked as exhausted as I felt.

Thomas's eyes seemed distant, like he was thinking of something. I shifted my weight and looked around the crowd of Gladers. My gaze landed on Newt, who was already staring at me. Once he saw I had caught him, he shook his head and looked down, a light blush on his cheeks.

I couldn't help but smile as I nudged Chuck. "Why does Newt have that limp?"

"Aw, does someone have the hots for Newt?" Chuck teased, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'll have to tell Minho he's got competition."

I swatted his arm. "This is a serious question."

Chuck laughed once more before turning serious, frowning. "I don't know. I'm not sure he's ever told me. I think he used to be a Runner, though. He must've got hurt real bad by a Griever or somethin' because he doesn't have a particular job anymore."

I nodded, only half listening to his words while I watched Newt. He was walking to the Box, hands on his hips and mumbling to Alby while we all waited for the Newbie to arrive.

"Chuck, man, you gotta tell me what this whole Changing business is. What have they been doing up there with that poor Ben kid?" Thomas asked.

Ben? Was that the boy he had seen in the Homestead, when Gally had pressured him to go upstairs?

Chuck shrugged in response. "Don't know most of the details. The Grievers do bad things to you, make your whole body go through something awful. When it's over, you're...different."

"Different? What do you mean?" Thomas asked. "And what does it have to do with the Griever thing? Is that what Gally meant by 'being stung'?"

"Shh." Chuck held a finger to his mouth.

Thomas clenched his jaw like he was about to scream in frustration. I couldn't blame him.

Everyone quieted, noticing that Alby and Newt had reached the Box. It was so silent I could hear the rattling and clanging from the lift, reminding me of the horrible headache it had given me. I rubbed my temples, cringing at the memory of that painful thirty minutes.

There was a muffled boom that made me jump slightly. That was it. The Newbie had arrived.

I watched in anticipation as Newt and Alby positioned themselves on either side of the Box as a crack split down the middle. Hook handles were attached to either side and together they yanked them apart.

Complete silence washed over the Glade. Newt leaned over to get a better look into the Box, then blinked as if trying to believe his eyes.

With a sudden jerk, Newt pushed himself into an upright position. "Holy.." he scanned the crowd until his eyes landed on me, then down into the box, then back at me. He furrowed his eyebrows and seemed to be searching my eyes for something.

By this time, Alby had gotten a good look as well, and he had a similar reaction. "No way," he muttered. He too looked around until his eyes found mine. Why were they both looking at me like that?

My heart quickened its pace and I started to worry. What was down there? What was it? Did it have something to do with me?

My head swarmed with panicked questions and I started to feel dizzy. I put a hand to my head as my heart rate increased, pounding in my ears and thudding in my chest until all I could hear was thump, thump, thump.

Everyone else wanted to know, too, and a chorus of questions filled the air, everyone leaning forward to get a better look. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block everything out. I wanted to scream at all of them to shut up.

"Hold on!" Alby yelled, quieting everyone. "Just hold on!"

"Well, what's wrong?" Someone yelled back.

Alby stood up. "Three Newbies in two days. We thought one girl was a bit weird, but now this? Two years of nothing different, and now this." Then, for some reason, he looked right at me and Thomas again. "What's goin' on here, Greenies?"

We both stared back with identically confused expressions, my hand still massaging my head. It started to mess up my braid, so I stopped.

"How are we supposed to know?" I asked.

"Why don't you just tell us what the shuck is down there, Alby?" Gally demanded. For once I actually agreed with him.

"You shanks shut up!" Alby yelled. "Tell 'em, Newt."

Newt looked down in the Box, then looked right into my eyes when he said, "It's another girl."

Everyone started talking at once. I only got pieces of what they were saying.

"Another one?"

"Is she as hot as Dylan?"

"Hotter?"

"How old is she?"

"No, but seriously- is she as hot as Dylan?"

I felt my face heat up until I was sure it was bright red. Chuck was snickering from beside me.

Newt shushed the Gladers again, looking slightly red in the face, like he was angry. What could've made him mad in the past thirty seconds? "That's not bloody half of it," he said. "I think she's dead."

A couple of boys grabbed some ropes made out of ivy and lowered Alby and Newt into the Box so they could get a better look and retrieve the girl's body. A lot of the Gladers looked solemn at the news that she might be dead, but I could tell they were excited about another girl. Some were even staring at me wistfully. I shifted uncomfortably and moved closer to Thomas, but he kept me in front of him and I didn't know why until I turned around. The boys behind us were staring at my butt. Oh.

Alby's voice sounded from in the Box, signaling for the boys to pull. They did, hoisting the girl's lifeless body upward until she was laying on a rock, using it as a pillow. Everyone immediately ran forward, wanting to get a better look.

I wanted to rush forward too, but Thomas suddenly grabbed my arm, making me stop. Just one look at his face told me he needed me there, and I decided not to join the party.

There was no use in trying to get a look at her now- the bodies were too tightly packed together. I had, however, gotten a glimpse of her while they were dragging her out. She was small, but not as short as I was. She looked like she was Thomas's age- fifteen or sixteen maybe. Her hair was tar black and her skin pale, white as pearls.

Newt and Alby scrambled over and forced their way into the hoard of Gladers, which closed around them right after they passed through. Then it opened up seconds later and Newt was pointing straight at me and Thomas.

"Greenies, get over here," he ordered, not bothering to be nice about it.

My hands started to sweat and my throat tightened. What did they want with us?

We didn't move. The Gladers were staring at us. I was frozen.

Thomas kicked the back of my calf hard and I grunted, glaring at him sharply before walking quickly over to Newt, Thomas following. I tried to remove the scared look from my face and replace it with a calm one. I hoped I wasn't as pale in the face as I thought.

The Gladers glared at us as we walked through them, and I didn't look at anyone, fearing I'd appear guilty. The walk to Newt and Alby seemed endless with all of their stares, and when we finally reached them, I concentrated my gaze on the girl, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"You know this girl, shanks?" Alby demanded rudely.

I was a bit shocked by the question, and it seemed Thomas was too by the way he responded. "Know her? Of course we don't know her. We don't know anyone except for you guys."

"That's not.." Alby started, then heaved a frustrated sigh. "I meant does she look familiar? At all? Any feelin' you've seen her before?"

I shook my head because my mouth was so dry I didn't think I could speak. This whole thing was scaring me. I started to feel a little light-headed.

"No. Nothing," Thomas replied. I was so thankful for him.

Alby's forehead creased. "You sure?" He looked like he didn't believe what Thomas and I were saying for a second, almost like he was angry at us.

"Yes," I said frustratingly, my voice cracking from my dry throat. "Why?"

"Shuck it," Alby muttered, looking down at the girl. "Can't be a coincidence. Three Greenies in two days. Two alive, one dead."

Then I realized what he was implying and panic flared inside me. "You don't think we..."

"Slim it, Greenie," Newt commanded, sounding authoritative but with gentleness edged into his voice, almost like he didn't want to say it. "We're not saying you bloody killed the girl."

"I swear she doesn't look familiar at all," Thomas promised. There was a certain look in his eyes that convinced me otherwise.

"Are you-"

Before Newt could finish, the girl shot up into a sitting position. She sucked in a deep breath and her eyes opened. She blinked and surveyed the crowd around her. Alby cried out and fell backward in surprise. Newt gasped and jumped up, stumbling away. While Thomas stood stone still, I swayed a bit, shifting my feet to regain my balance. I was feeling steadily worse as more time passed.

Crystal blue eyes darted back and forth as her lips trembled. She appeared to be mumbling something over and over. Then her voice steadied and she spoke, her voice clear.

"Everything is going to change."

I stared in awe as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed again. Her right fist shot into the air and stayed, rigid and still. A piece of paper was clutched in her hand.

Newt ran forward and pried her fingers apart, releasing the paper. He unfolded it and then dropped to his knees, smoothing the crumpled paper out on the ground. I moved behind him to get a better look at the message scrawled in black ink, barely visible through the dots that were starting to block my vision.

She's the last one.

Ever.

And that's when I dropped just like the girl, feeling hands trying to catch me as everything went black.

gif is the note + teresaaaaa

_______

this is literally one of my favorite parts. i love teresa.

oh, and what is this i'm hearing about wes making an extra death in the scorch trials?! i swear if he touches newt, teresa, or minho....

oh, and HAPPY EARLY THANKSGIVING if you live in the u.s. if not, then happy early thursday

-kristyn

EDIT: 4 years later and i still love teresa