| chapter 29: thomas! |

LISA

The rest of the day went by in a vague mess of sounds and images. I helped Builders with broken fingers but I didn't say a word. What was there to say, anyway? Finally the evening came.
We ate a hastily prepared meal of biscuits and tomato soup. And then it was time for another sleepless night. Newt and Alby, who finally felt well enough to walk around again, his head heavily bandaged, insisted on a plan for everyone to rotate where they slept last night. I was in the so called healing room where Clint, Jeff and I always worked. Somehow, although I was still angry at her, I wanted to know where Dawn was. And I really tried, but I just couldn't relax.

Again it took hours for the Grievers to come. I was quietly hoping against hope they wouldn't came, but they came anyway...The mechanical, haunted sound of the Grievers came from outside. Everyone started to move as silence as they could away from the outside wall. I was sitting in the corner with a blanket tight around me. Again I was holding my breath, although I knew it wouldn't stop the Grievers from taking me. Maybe...Dawn had been right. Maybe I didn't care about anyone, and I just wanted to survive the night. But then again...who didn't want that? The tension in the room rose higer and higher. Everyone was silence, not a soul moved. Then the scraping sound of metal against wood came.

The Grievers were climbing up the building. I silently gasped when I realised they were climbing on the wall of this room.

Suddenly it was silence for a couple of seconds. Then a booming explosion of ripping wood and broken glass thundered through the room. I screamed and dove under the blankets. Not that it would help much.

Suddenly I realised that I had to move. Or else it would catch me. In a hurry I came from under the blanket. The Gladers who I shared a room with all had left the room already. Terrified I stared at the monster before me. This was the first time I actually looked it in the eyes. If it even had eyes. Though, it did have some kind of mouth filled with a huge row of teeth.
Suddenly the door behind me was swung open.

'Duck!' An all to familiar voice said. Without doubting I let myself fall on the ground. And when I did so an arrow flew over my head, right into the middle of the head from the Griever.

'Move!' Dawn screamed from behind me. I jumped up, but my feet was stuck in a hole in the ground. Feeling truly desperate a scream came out of my mouth. I pulled at my leg, but quickly realised that I couldn't move it without injuring it. 

'Dawn!' I yelled, feeling the adrenaline flying through my body. The Griever roared, a horrible sound that went through flesh and bone. Dawn shoot another arrow into the flesh of the beast. But it only became more angry.

'Grab my hand!' Dawn screamed and I did. Our hands touched and I grabbed hers with a firm grip. She pulled, a look of afford appearing on her face. I yelped when my leg began to move, slowly and painful, the wood cutting in my flesh. Finally it came free and I stumbled on the floor. The Griever roared and threw itself at us. But Dawn had pulled her knife and pushed it in the monster its throat. It tried to roar but the only sound that came out of its mouth was a disgusting rasping high-pitched scream. 

Then all of a sudden it turned around and disappeared through the hole in the wall. Next to me Dawn fell on her knees, breathing heavily and with a shocked look on her face. 'What just...What the klunk...happened?' I whispered while trying to catch my breath. Dawn just shook her head.

'It's got Dave!' Someone yelled, the voice high-pitched with terror. Then a terrible crash followed, Dawn and I winced at the same time. It sounded like some iron-jawed monster was eating the stairwell. A second later came another explosion of ripping wood: the front door. The Griever had come right through the house and was now leaving.

Suddenly I heard someone yell and Dawn's face went white. 'Newt,' She whispered. 

'Help me. Then go take a look,' I groaned in pain, too tired to sound angry. 

Dawn jumped up and threw my arm around her shoulders. Then she pulled me up letting me lean on her. 'Come on,' She said and helped me walking. I bit my lip until I felt blood. I didn't want to scream or groan, I refused to look weak. 

We walked down the stairs, or what was left of it. When we came down stairs we saw Newt, Teresa, Chuck and several others running outside. 'What happened?' I asked with a frown. 

'Don't know,' Dawn responded, and she dragged me outside. 

My eyes widened once I saw what was going on. 

Thomas had ran after the Grievers and was lying on the ground. 

'What did he do?!' Dawn said, her eyes wide in shock. 

We watched Newt grabbing him by the shoulders and lifting him up, gripping him under both arms. 'Get his legs!' He yelled. 

A Glader who I didn't know, followed his order. They carried him across the courtyard, through the front door into the Homestead, down the shattered hall, into a room and lay him down on a couch.

'What were you doing!' Newt yelled in Thomas face. 'How could you be so bloody stupid!'

'No...Newt...you don't understand...' Thomas whispered. 'Shut up!' Newt shouted. 'Don't waste your energy.'

'Let me,' I whispered and Dawn let me go. Being very careful with my leg I sat down and ripped Thomas clothes away, looking at the damage. 

'Is he okay?' Chuck asked, worried. 

'He's been stung dozens of times,' I replied, frowing, staring at his chest. It was very bloody. Very. 

'Give me the Grief Serum!' Newt yelled. 

Jeff ran away and was back within a few seconds. Without doubting he pinched the needle in Thomas's arm. 

'Don't worry.' I heard Thomas whisper and frowned. How could we not worry? 'I did it on purpose...' Then he blacked out.

'What did he say?' Newt asked, an angry frown on his face. 

I didn't reply but stared at Thomas, the wheels were spinning inside of my head. 'He was...He was trying to get stung. He did it on purpose,' I mumbled. 

'Why?!' Newt sighed, frustration in his voice.

Suddenly it all made sense.

'He wanted to remember the purpose of the code.'