| chapter 22: waiting |

LISA

I stood frozen to the ground, it felt like the weight of the world was thrown on my shoulders, making my body feel so incredibly heavy. I had no words of describing the amount of fear that was pushing itself through my veins at the very moment.

Alby pointed at Teresa, who just stood there like a statue. 'I want her locked up. Now. Billy! Jackson! Put her in the Slammer, and ignore every word that comes out of her shuck mouth!'

'What're you talking about? Alby you can't-' Thomas started but stopped when Alby looked at him with eyes burning with rage. 'But...how can you possibly blame her for the walls not closing?' Thomas stammered. 

Newt stepped up, lightly placed a hand on Alby's chest and pushed him back. 'How could we not, Tommy? She bloody admitted it herself.' 

'Just be glad you ain't goin' with her, Thomas.' Alby said. Then he turned to Dawn and me. 'I am watching the two of you. Closely.' Then he walked away. 

Billy and Jackson walked forward and took Teresa away, but Newt stopped them. 'Stay with her. I don't care what happens, no one's gonna touch this girl. Swear your lives on it.' The guards nodded then walked away.

The next thirty minutes were a total mess, filled with fear and confusion. Newt and Alby had gathered all the Keepers and put them in charge of making assingments and getting their groups inside the Homestead within an hour. The Builders, without Gally, who was still missing, were ordered to put up barricades at each open Door. The Keepers were keeping people busy, so that they wouldn't have a panic attack. The Homestead became our fortress and everyone did their best to defend it. 

Suddenly Dawn ran to me. 'Come help me!'

We ran inside the building and started helping the Builders with putting up barricades for the windows and doors. I think it was around seven o'clock that Newt and Alby started to drive everyone inside. Dawn and I ended up in a room with Thomas, Newt, Minho and Alby.

With a deep sigh I sat down on the bed and stared outside to the gray lifeless sky. Even now it was night the color didn't change. I ignored the hollow feeling inside of my stomach and looked at Dawn instead, who sat on the ground before me. She gave me a little and encouraging smile.

The night had began.

I claimed the pillows on the bed while Newt and Alby sat down on the other end. Dawn, Minho and Thomas sat down on the ground before us.

'Closest I've come so far,' Newt said. 

I raised my eyebrows at him. 

'To hangin' it all up. Shuck it all and kiss a Griever goodnight. Supelies cut, bloody gray skies, walls not closing. But we can't give up, and we all know it. The buggers who sent us here either want us dead or they're givin' us a sput. This or that, we gotta work our arses off till we're dead or not dead. Alby? Are you gonna pitch in?' Newt asked. 

Alby looked up, surprised, like he just woke up from a bad dream. 'Huh? Oh. Yeah. Good that. But you've seen what happens at night. Just because Greenies the freaking superheroes made it doesn't mean we all can.' 

'I'm with Thomas and Newt. We gotta quit boohooing and feeling sorry for ourselves.' Minho said, rubbing his hands. 'Tomorrow morning, first thing, you guys can assign teams to study the Maps full-time while the Runners go out. We'll pack our stuff shuck-full so we can stay out there a few days.'

'What?' Alby screamed. 'What do you mean days?' 

'I mean days. With open Doors and no sunset, there's no point in coming back here, anyway. Time to stay out there and see if anything opens up when the walls move. If they still move.'

'No way.' Alby responded. 'We have the Homestead to hide in-and if that ain't workin', the Map Room and the Slammer. We can't freaking ask people to go out there and die, Minho! Who'd volunteer for that?'

'Me.' Minho said. 'And Thomas.' 

We looked at Thomas and he nodded. 

'Me too.' Dawn suddenly spoke. 'I am tired to sitting here and watching the days fly by without accomplishing anything. I hate it.'

I gave her a smile. 'I would go as well. Not that I'm fast or anything. In fact I think I would collapse after one corridor. But I would do it,' I said. 

Dawn smiled at me. She was right anyway. If I had to choose between sitting here and die, or trying to do something useful and die, I would much rather be useful.

'I will if I have to.' Newt said. 'And I'm sure all the Runners'll do it.'

Surprised I turned to looked at him. 

'With your bum leg?' Alby asked, a harsh laugh escaped his lips. 

Dawn gave him an angry glare.

Newt frowned and looked at the ground. 'Well, I don't feel good askin' Gladers to do something if I'm not bloody willing to do it myself.' 

Alby scooted back on the bed. 'Whatever. Do what you want.' 

'Do what I want?' Newt asked, standing up. 'What's wrong with you, man? Are you tellin' me we have a choice? Should we just sit around on our butts and wait to be snuffed by Grievers?' 

'Well, it sounds better than running to them,' Alby answered.

Suddenly Dawn jumped up. 'What on earth is wrong with you? It's not like we want to do this, it's not like we a choice!' She took a deep breath. 'Someone made me realise that when I went into the Maze I didn't do it to be a hero, I did it because a part of me hoped to die in there. And I was okay with it, I was okay with dying.'

She took a deep breath and I stared at her with a frown. Everything I ever thought I knew about her just collapsed right in front of me. I thought she was strong, a leader, someone I could escape this place with. But all of that faded away when I looked at her now. She was more broken than the mug I dropped yesterday. And I never even noticed it.

'But as soon as I realised that was the real reason I went out there, I tried to do something about it. I became a shucking Runner even though everything in that Maze scares to me death.'

She took another breath and I saw tears filling her eyes. I didn't know what had made her decide to suddenly open up about all this but I was too caught up in trying to figure out what to feel.

'What I'm really trying to say is. You can't give up. You can't lock us in here and let everyone die just because you don't believe in yourself. Just because you don't want to give into your fears and your questions. You can't do that, because it's beyond arrogant. It's saving your own ass.'

A long silence followed. I noticed how Newt stared at his lap, his hands clenched into fitsts.

Thomas was biting his lip while Minho was staring at Dawn with wide eyes. 

I looked at the ground. This girl became my best friend. The only thing that could make me laugh in this shuck place. And now she turned into this person...This stranger. And now I couldn't tell if I ever knew her at all. 

Alby finally took a deep breath and looked at all of us. After a long pause he spoke up. 'Fine, I'll do...whatever. Put me in charge of the Maps. I'll freaking work every Glader to the bone studying those things.' 

Dawn raised her eyebrows in surprise.

'You know what? I'll go now!' He said. 

Everyone looked shocked at him. 

'Are you mad? Grievers are coming!' Newt yelled. 

Alby shrugged. 'You wanted me to do something. So I am going right now.' Then he stood up and left the room. 

I narrowed, something was odd about this, but my mind was too tired to think about that now. My eyes locked with Dawn, I gave her an angry frown and looked away. I heard her sit down on the ground but didn't care if I made her sad or not. She was my friend, she could have at least told me some of it.

We waited. We sat in silence, everyone lost in their own thoughts.

We waited. All we heard were people whispering.

We waited. I started to braid my hair.

We waited. We had done all we could, blocking the windows and doors, handing out knives, but none of it made me feel save.

We waited. I felt an odd feeling in my stomach. A weird tickling and nervous feeling. This waiting was working on my nerves.

We waited. I almost fell asleep.

That was when I heard it...

A mechanized surge of machinery sounded from outside, followed by weird rolling clicks of a Griever on the stony ground. As if someone had scattered a handful of nails. 

I sat up from the bed, and heard Dawn slightly gasp from her position on the ground, but before anyone could do something, Newt jumped up and put his fingers on his lips. Despite his bad leg he tiptoed toward the window which was covered by three hastily nailed boards. He leaned in to take a look. 

I looked at Dawn who was biting her lip before looking away and realising I had been holding my breath. Slowly I breathed out and clenched my hands. 

Newt crawled back from the window. He had seen nothing. 

A few minutes passed, and every ten to twenty seconds the sound of the Grievers was heard. 

I saw Dawn reaching for the knife in her boots.

My mouth dried up as suddenly a sharp pain went through my hand. I groaned and noticed blood on my hand. My nails made marks into my skin and I hadn't even noticed myself doing it. I took a deep breath and stared at the window. Waiting for something I never wanted to come.

Suddenly the sound of the Grievers changed, it became more hollow. They were climbing on the walls of the Homestead.

I held my breath as my eyes scanned the window and walls. Making myself ready to jump and run away any moment. 

The whole building shuddered. The crunching, groaning and snapping of the wood became the only sounds in the world.

My hands were getting sweaty, making the little nailmarks itch. 

The sounds grew louder, closer. Slowly everyone moved away from the window. 

Dawn still had the knife in her hand. She stood next to the door, her eyes narrowed, staring at the window. Slowly I stood up from the bed and moved away from the window as well. I stood next to Dawn.

We looked at each other and I saw the fear in her eyes. And I knew for sure she saw fear in mine too. I knew it wasn't fair of me to judge her for wanting to die but I couldn't help it. Lights flickered outside the window, taking my attention away from the girl I called my friend. 

The lights were casting odd beams through the the cracks between the wooden boards. Fear spread like a disease through my veins. My heart beat was speading up. The shadow stopped, the light settled to a standstill, casting three unmoving planes of brightness into the room.

Everyone held their breath and waited for the deciding moment.

Then the door to the hallway suddenly wipped open. A yelp escaped my mouth as I jumped away from the wall. Dawn raised her knife above her head. Ready to throw it. But when we saw what or rather who stood there we all froze.

It was Gally.

| 𝙰𝚄𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚁'𝚂 𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙴 |

Soooo....Dawn finally said it! She finally told everyone her secret. Well, Newt already knew but now he has heard it again and maybe he will change his mind about her.

And what will Lisa do? Will she be mad at Dawn as well? Or can she forgive her? And what about Thomas and Minho? I'm sure Alby doesn't really care but he at least thought about her words, or did he?

I hope you still like this story! Let me know in the comments! Please do it, it would mean a lot to me.

xXx

UYM