| chapter 24: a theory |

DAWN

Lisa disappeared around the corner and I felt like there was a hole shot into my heart. I had seen the look on her face when I confessed about my real intentions when I'd ran into the Maze. She wasn't going to talk to me anytime soon. 

My attention turned back to Newt, who was still unconscious, the side of his head and part of his hair was covered in blood. With quick thinking I ripped a piece of the sheets off and put it against the wound. I really could Lisa her help right now.

Suddenly his eyes flew open and a groan escaped his mouth. 'Bloody hell...' he whispered. 'That hurts as a Grievers ars.

In spite of the situation a smile appeared on my lips. 'Yeah he hit you pretty hard.' 

Newt looked at me and slowly a smile appeared on his face. 

'What?' I whispered feeling suddenly uncomfortable. 

'Did you...actually...nevermind,' he stuttered and looked away. 

I raised my eyebrows but didn't respond.

Newt tried to sit and let out a groan. I reached out to stop him from falling back when suddenly a sharp pain shot through my legs. I let out a yelp. Newt his eyes wondered over my legs and he gasped slightly. I frowned and looked down, suddenly dizzy with pain,

Glass splinters were stuck in my leg.

'I've got to pull them out,' I groaned, feeling sick. 

Newt nodded and took my hand. 'Pinch as hard as you want,' he said, a small smirk lingering in the corner of his mouth. 

I scoffed and without wasting another second I pulled the first piece of glass out of my leg. Wincing in pain, I squeezed Newt's hand, making him wince as well. I gave him a weak smile and then I pulled the second out. This one wasn't so bad.

There was only one left. I took a deep breath but my hand was shaking too much.

'Calm down, Dawn. Take a breath,' Newt spoke, his voice steady. 

I nodded and squeezed his hand again when I pulled the third piece of glass out of my leg, there was blood on it and the wound stung. 

'Let a Med-Jack look at it,' Newt said and together, leaning on each other we stood up. 

'You too.' I said and frowned, the sheets were turning red. 

He nodded but groaned and stopped. 'I better don't do that again.' 

I took his hand. 'Lean on me.'

While we slowly made our way outside I told him everything that happened after he was knocked out. Even the part that I covered his body when the glass shattered. Which was, obviously, the reason for the glass in my leg.

We reached the Med-Jack room but there wasn't anything to been seen except for a few bloody bandages on the ground. I let out a shaky breath as I took a clean bandage out of the closet. 'You really have to stitch that up,' Newt spoke, frowning at my leg. 

I bit my lip and nodded. 'I just don't know how so we're gonna have to search someone who does.' Suddenly I froze and frowned. 

'What?' Newt asked, worry in his voice. 

'I smell fire,' I muttered.

Quickly I finished putting the bandage in the place and walked as fast as I could towards the door. 

Newt reached me and took my arm. 'I need support, or I might bloody trip.' 

I couldn't help it but to grin at him and so we made our way downstairs. It was harder than running through a maze. The bandage around my wound was already turning red and I was getting dizzy. 

Newt wasn't having an easy time either, with one head against the towel he was holding against the wound, and his arm wrapped around my shoulders, he was moving very slowly.

Finally we reached the last step and I lost my balance. Quickly Newt tangled his fingers through mine and pulled me up. Breathing heavily I looked at him and smiled. 'Thanks.' 

He smiled back and so we walked outside. With our fingers tangled.

'O no,' Newt whispered as soon as we stood outside. 

I followed his stare and gasped. Huge clouds of smoke came from the Map Room. The fire was inside the maproom. Newt called a Glader and asked him what happened. The kid answered that no one knew. 

I sighed and saw Thomas running towards the West Door. Lisa stood behind him, yelling something I couldn't hear. 

'Bloody klunk Thomas!' Newt called. 

The boy turned around to us and slowly we walked towards him. 

'Minho followed it out there!' He yelled seemed in total panic. 

Newt turned pale. 'Must've finally fried his last bit of brain cells-not to mention Gally. Always knew he was crazy,' he muttered.

'I'm going after him.' Thomas said determined.

'Time to be the bloody hero again?' Newt asked, and I could tell he was annoyed. 

Thomas gave Newt a glare. 'You think I do things to impress you shanks? Please. All I care about is getting out of here.' 

'Yeah, well, you're a regular toughie. But right now we've got bigger problems.'

'What?' Thomas asked impatient. 

I opened my mouth to tell him about the Map Room when Minho came running out of the Maze. 

'There he is!' Thomas shouted. 'What were you doing idiot?!' 

Minho waited with answering until he reached us. Then he bent over, with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. 'I just...wanted to....make sure.' 

'Make sure of what?' Lisa hissed, her hands on her hip. 'Being taken like Gally?' 

Minho straightened, still breathing heavily. 'Slim it! I just wanted to see if they went toward the Cliff. Toward the Griever Hole.' 

'And?' I asked, feeling suddenly curious.

'Bingo.' Minho wiped sweat from his forehead.

'I just can't believe it,' Newt said. 'What a night.'

Minho looked at him and narrowed then. Immediately I noticed he was staring at our entwined hands. Newt noticed as well and we quickly let go of each other. Minho coughed to break the silence. 

But Thomas, who hadn't noticed anything, was faster. 'What were you about to tell me when you said we had worse-' 

'Yeah.' Newt said and pointed over his shoulder. 'You can still see the buggin' smoke. Somebody burned the Map trunks. Every one of them.'

Newt and Minho went to investigate the damage in the Map Room. Thomas went to find Teresa and Lisa helped the Med-Jacks with the wounded Gladers. After Jeff had stitched me up I decided to help the builders with cleaning everything up and placing new boards for the windows. All the time I was thinking about Newt holding my hand and most importantly, not letting go. Immediately it made a blush appear on my cheeks. I took a deep breath and shook my head to shake it the thought away. It didn't matter. It just didn't matter. 

When the Builders didn't need my help anymore I left to see the Map Room for myself. Carefully I entered the room and felt my stomach turn. All the maps, all the papers, it was all gone. Disappeared and burned into ashes.

I frowned when I saw Newt and Minho sitting around someone on the ground. Slowly I walked closer and saw Alby lying on the ground. A huge wound on his head, as if had someone hit him. I kneeled down and frowned but before I could ask something Thomas bursted into the room. 'What happened?' He asked. 

Minho's forehead creased in anger. 'Our Map Room was set on fire and you ran off to talk to your shuck girlfriend? What's wrong with you?'

Thomas ignored the first comment. 'I didn't think it mattered anymore-if you haven't figured out the Maps by now...'

Minho looked disgusted. 'Yeah, this'd be a freaking great time to give up. What the-'

 'I'm sorry. Just tell me what happened.' 

I sighed and looked back at Alby. Though I hated the guy, I felt sorry for him. Carefully I started to help Newt with cleaning the wound. He looked at me and I gave him a weak smile. 'Winston found him out here, half dead, the Map Room blazing. Some shanks got in here and put it out, but way too late. All the trunks are burned. I suspected Alby at first, but whoever did it slammed his shuck head against the table. It's nasty.'

I frowned while taking another towel for the blood. But if someone did this to Alby. He must have seen who, right?

'Who do you think did it?' Thomas asked. 

'Maybe Gally before he showed up. Maybe the Grievers. I don't know and I don't care. Doesn't matter,' Minho replied.

'Now who's the one giving up,' Thomas said. 

Minho looked at him with a blank face. 'That's not what I meant shank.' 

'What did-' 'Shut your hole for now. Just shut your hole. You'll find out soon enough.'

I frowned but then Alby took my attention again. All the towels were drowning in blood. 

'Newt! Dawn!' Minho suddenly called. We turned at him at the same time.

'Yeah?' Newt said while standing up. I stood up as well, handing the towel to another Glader.

Minho pointed at Alby. 'Let the Med-Jacks take care of him. We need to talk.' 

Newt and I shared a confused glare before Newt handed his towel to another Glader as well. 'Go find Clint, tell him we've got worse problems than guys with buggin' splinters.' The kid nodded and ran away.

'Talk about what?' I asked, feeling curious. 

'Just come with me,' Thomas said and walked away.

Newt raised his eyebrows but I shrugged and followed him.

Thomas walked to the Slammer and we all followed him there. 'Let her out,' he said, crossing his arms. 'Let her out and then we'll talk. Trust me, you wanna hear it.'

'Tommy this is...' Newt started.

'Please. Just open it let her out. Please.'

Minho put his hands on his hips. 'How can we trust her? Soon as she woke up, the whole place fell to pieces. She even admitted the triggered something.'

'He's got a point,' Newt said. 

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. 'Thomas just...tell us-' I started.

'We can trust her!' Thomas almost shouted. 'Every time I've talked to her it was about trying to get out of here. She was sent here, just like the rest of us-it's stupid to think she's responsible for any of this.' 

Newt grunted. 'Then what the bloody shuck did she mean by sayin' she triggered something?'

Thomas shrugged. 'Who knows-her mind was doing all kinds of stuff when she woke up. Maybe we all went through that in the Box, talking gibberisch before we can totally awake. Just let her out.' 

Newt, Minho and I looked at each other.

'What's she gonna do, run around and stab every Glader to death? Come on.' 

I sighed and looked away from the boys. I had no idea what was right or wrong anymore. 

Minho took a deep breath, clearly done with it. 'Fine. Just let the stupid girl out.' 

'I'm not stupid!' Teresa suddenly screamed. Her voice muffled by the walls. 'And I can hear every word you morons are saying!'

'Real sweet girl you picked up Thomas,' Newt muttered. 

'Just hurry,' Thomas said. 'I'm sure we have a lot to do before the Grievers come back tonight. If they don't during the day.'

Newt grunted and stepped up to the Slammer, pulling his keys out and unlocking the door. A few clinks later the door was swung open. 

Teresa walked out of the small building, glowering at Newt as she passed him. She gave a just-as-unpleasant glance toward Minho and narrowed her eyes at me. While I just kept staring at her with a blank look. Then she stopped next to Thomas.

'All right talk,' Minho said. 'What's so important.'

Thomas looked at Teresa. 

'What?' She said. 'You talk, they obviously think I'm a serial killer.'

Thomas mutttered something that I didn't hear and then turned his attention to Newt, Minho and me. 'Okay, when Teresa was first coming out of her sleep, she had memories flashing through her mind. She um, she told me later that she remembers that the Maze is a code. That maybe instead of solving it to find a way out, it's trying to send us a message.'

'A code?' Minho asked. 'How is it a code?' 

Thomas shook his head. 'I don't know for sure. You're way more familiar with the Maps than I am. But I have a theory. That's why I am hoping you guys could remember some of them.' 

Minho glanced at Newt with raised eyebrows. Newt nodded.

'What?' Thomas and I asked at the same time.

 Minho rubbed his eyes with both hand and sighed. 'We hid the Maps.'

Thomas frowned. 'Huh?' 

Minho pointed at the Homestead. 'We hid the freaking Maps in the weapon room, put dummies in their place. Because of Alby's warning. And because of the so-called Ending your girlfriend triggered.' 

I exhaled slowly. 'Well at least some of us are smart. Just a bit sad for Alby that he got that huge wound for nothing.' 

Minho grinned and I saw Newt's mouth twisting like he was trying to hold back his laugh. 'Yeah, they're all safe and sound. Every last one of those suckers. So if you have a theory, get talking.' 

'Take me to them.' Thomas said impatiently.

'Okay shank, let's go.'