INNOVATION -
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

⚘ HIDDEN IN THE HOMESTEAD ⚘

It didn't feel real, the way the Glade was illuminated by the ceiling, the way all the Gladers were huddled together in the Homestead, practically sleeping on top of each other.

    Nobody talked, but it didn't take a voice to know what was running through the boys heads.

    They were going to die.

    It was a somber thought, but that didn't make it less true.

    All the boys had been evenly divided by the Keepers and placed into the bedrooms. Kalisa had ended up in Newt's room along with Minho, Thomas, Alby, and of course the accented boy.

    It felt weird to her that boys were sleeping in her room at the very moment. That was her room. She had been living in there for the past few months, and now some slintheads were rubbing their dirty hands all over her stuff.

    But she didn't complain. They had bigger issues after all.

    "Closest I've come so far," Newt grumbled, leaning against the wall as they sat on the bed. "To hangin' it all up. Shuck it all and kiss a Griever goodnight. Supplies cut, bloody gray skies, walls not closing."

    "But we can't give up." He continued, looking at all of them. Kalisa sat next to Newt on his bed, Alby on the other side of her. Thomas and Minho pulled up chairs in front of them to be apart of the conversation.

    "Wicked either want us dead or they're givin' us a spur. This or that, we gotta work our asses off till we're dead or not dead." Newt finished his speech.

    Kalisa nodded in agreement. They had known for a while now that the end was here. They weren't getting out of this unscathed, so they could either sit around and cry, or fight for their freedom.

    The choice was an easy one.

    "Alby, you gonna pitch in?" Newt glanced over at the abnormally quiet leader, who was staring holes into the floor.

    "Huh?" Alby looked up, snapping out of his daze. "Oh, yeah. Good that. But you've seen what happens at night. Just because Greenie the freaking superboy made it doesn't mean the rest of us can."

    "Thats the spirit," Kalisa muttered sarcastically. Only Newt heard, he sent her a small grin.

    "I'm with Newt. We gotta quit boohooing and feeling sorry for ourselves." Minho sat forward, excitement in his eyes. "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 scrunched his face up in disbelief. "What do you mean days?"

    "I mean days. With the doors open and no sunset, there's not point in coming back here anyway. Time to stay out there and see if anything opens up when the walls move. If they move." Minho rubbed his hands together.

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

    "Me." Minho glared. "And Thomas." To prove the Keepers point Thomas nodded along.

    "I would." Kalisa found herself saying. All the eyes snapped to her in surprise.

    Alby let out a dry laugh, "You? But you're- you're a..."

    "I'm a what? Say it." Kalisa glared, a silent challenge stated through her gaze. "A girl?"

    "I'll go too." Newt jumped in before Alby could anger the girl further. "And I'm sure all the Runners'll do it."

    "With your bum leg?" Alby snorted, shaking his head.

Kalisa felt her gaze sharpen, what was his problem? All they were trying to do was escape, and Alby's attitude wasn't helping at all. Before she could say something to defend Newt, the blonde said, "Well I don't feel good askin' Gladers to do something if I'm not willing to do it myself."

    "Whatever." Alby leaned back on the bed. "You guys do what you want."

    "Do what we want?" Newt snapped. "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 out by Grievers?"

    "Sounds better than running to them." Alby scoffed.

    "At least then we'll have a chance." Kalisa jumped in. They needed to get Alby on their side, the Gladers would listen to him. "If we do nothing then we may as well already be dead."

    "Exactly." Newt nodded, sending her a grateful look. "Alby, you gotta start talkin' reason."

    The leader was quiet for a moment. Now that no one was talking, Kalisa could feel the sinister ambiance of the Glade. It's cold wind, that sent chills down her spine. The distant cries of the Maze.

Then, Alby said, "You guys know I'm all screwed up. Seriously, I'm... sorry. I shouldn't be the stupid leader anymore."

"Oh bloody,"- Newt was cut off by Alby saying, "Thats not what I meant!"

"Listen to me, I ain't sayin' we should switch or any of that Klunk. I just saying... I think I need to let you guys make the decisions. I don't trust myself, so... yeah. I'll do whatever." Alby let out a breath of air, his face showing humility.

That was surprising. After all he's been through here in the Glade, Alby was just gonna let it go? But on the other hand Kalisa understood Alby. The Changing had transformed him, he was terrified.

"Uh... okay." Newt said once the blow had died down. "We'll make it work, I promise. You'll see."

Promises were dangerous here, Kalisa had known that the minute she saw Chuck climb out of the Box.

"Yeah." Alby shifted, an odd form of excitement overcoming his features. "Hey, tell you what. Put me in charge of the Maps. I'll freaking work every Glader to the bone studying those things."

"Works for me," Minho said in agreement.

Alby stood suddenly from the bed, "Y'know, it was really stupid for us to sleep in here tonight. We should've been out in the Map Room, working."

"Probably right." Minho shrugged. Kalisa couldn't see how anyone would manage to get any work done in the stressful environment, but if it made Alby happy, then fine.

"Well... I'll go. Right now." Alby turned for the door.

Kalisa shared a look with Newt. Alby didn't know that they had hid the Maps-nobody did. The fakes they had planted were well done, but incorrect. Any Runner or leader would be able to see through it straight away. The point of them was to fool regular Gladers, just incase.

What would Alby think when he realized?

"Forget that Alby, already heard the bloody Grievers out there. We can wait till the wake up." Newt stopped the boy abruptly.

"Hey, you shucks are the ones givin' me the pep talks. Don't start whining when I actually listen. If I'm gonna do this, I need to do it now. To be the old me. I need something to dive into." Alby crossed his arms, staring at them all straight in the eye.

Alby made a move for the door, waving the keys mockingly. Just before he left Kalisa called, "Alby, are you sure about this?"

He looked back only once, a confident smile on his face. "I'll see you shucks in the morning."

Then he was gone.

Kalisa blinked, confusion spreading across her body. She didn't understand, Alby was all mopey and dejected one minute, then the next he was willing to run out into the dangerous Glade to study the Maps. Why the sudden change in attitude?

"Should someone tell him about the fakes?" Kalisa whispered quietly to Newt.

He paused then shook his head, "Nah, it'll be alright. As long as he's happy."

"What now?" Thomas spoke up, addressing her, Newt, and Minho.

Newt shifted on the bed, finding a more comfortable position. "Now we try and get some rest. If you guys are really gonna be out in the Maze for days then you're gonna need a good night of sleep."

"He's right. Try and get a few hours at least." Minho nodded.

The idea of sleeping was ridiculous, but Kalisa didn't have much of a choice. Minho,Thomas, and Newt grabbed some extra blankets and made their own beds on the floor, leaving the mattress for herself. And as comfortable as the straw bed was, Kalisa couldn't find ease.

Her eyes refused to grow heavy, her muscles refused to relax. Her breaths were short and quick, fingers wringing together nervously as her ears perked up at every floorboard creak and whisper.

The Gladers had done a very good job at barricading the doors and windows, but Kalisa could tell that nobody really felt safe. Sleep was the only escape from the stifling environment, and it was impossible to achieve.

Eventually Kalisa gave up. She sat up abruptly and leaned her back against the wall, pulling her knees into her chest for comfort. Minho and Thomas were knocked out, clearly exhausted from their day of running the Maze.

    Kalisa wondered if there were any Grievers near by. Did they know the doors were open? Would they dare cross into the unknown territory? Would their pathetic little Homestead shield them from the monsters?

    "Newt?" Kalisa found herself whispering urgently. "Are you awake?"

    There was a rustle from beneath her, then Newt's blonde head sat up, eyes narrowed in concern.

    "Everythin' alright Kali?" He murmured, brushing his messy hair out of his face.

    Feeling stupid Kalisa layed back down and stared at the ceiling. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry."

    Newt didn't relax back into his pillow, however. His brown eyes stayed glued to the girl above him. She lay stiff as a board, anxiously tapping her hands against her stomach while her eyes darted around the roof.

    Kalisa didn't understand what was wrong with her. Why was she like this? Why did she always freak out about things that nobody else did? She hated the fact that she couldn't be as strong or as brave as the others. She hated the fact that her emotions were always out of her control. She hated the fact that she would always be percieved as the weak girl who belonged nowhere.

    Kalisa leaned up on her elbows, heartbeat echoing in her own ears. "Actually- can you come up here? Please?"

    Newt's gaze softened, "Yeah. Of course."

    Being quiet to avoid waking Minho and Thomas, Newt picked up his pillow and blanket and moved to the mattress, body pressing against hers to avoid falling off.

    The minute he was beside her Kalisa felt the oxygen return to her lungs. She didn't fully understand it, but being next to him was right. Newt didn't even have to speak. He didn't have to move or provide any touch. He was enough. Newt would never fully understand how much he meant to her.

    "Are you okay?" He whispered, turning so that he was facing her. Kalisa rolled on her side so they were staring straight at each other. She wanted to say yes, she was fine. But his warm eyes were too transparent.

    The truth came tumbling from her lips before she had time to process it. "I'm so scared Newt. I wish I wasn't. But theres this heavy weight on my chest thats just- suffocating me."

    Newt frowned, fingers dancing over her own, before settling on her hands. His warmth seeped into her freezing form at once. "You are one of the strongest people I know Kalisa. You hold yourself against standards that are way too high. Everyone is going to be weak at some point. Everyone is afraid. Don't think yourself any less, because you're not. Alright? You're so much braver than you realize." Newt took a breath, and pulled her in closer, so that her head was rested against his chest while he rested his chin on her hair. "I'll be with you the whole time. I swear it."

    Kalisa melted into his touch, finally feeling safe enough to relax. Newt's words repeated in her mind, bringing tears into her eyes.

    Nobody had ever spoken about her like that before. No one had ever looked at her so highly, with so much respect and affection. Newt showed her feelings that she didn't even know she had.

    For the first time that night Kalisa shut her eyes without struggle. As long as Newt was there, rest would come easy.

༻✧༺

    A mechanical squeal was what woke her up. Kalisa was on her feet in seconds, Newt not far behind her, as the Maze gave another monstorus cry.

    Thomas and Minho were awake now too, both standing by the window, yearning for a glance for what was coming.

    Another mechanical whirl sounded, this time much closer. From the other rooms came whispers and soft cries, Gladers all terribly frightened for what was to come.

    Of course they all knew the risk of the Maze at night, but everyone had been holding out hope for a peaceful sleep.

    "Come on," Newt whispered to the others, grabbing Kalisa's hand and dashing down the Homestead stairs, to the main room where most the Gladers resided.

    "Shh!" The blonde hissed, as the Gladers began to mutter worriedly amonst themselves.

    Thomas pressed his forehead against the wooden planks hastily hammered over the window, squinting in the direction of the North enterance.

    He stood there a minute before pulling away and shaking his head.

    They must be coming in from another door, one that they couldn't see at this angle.

   Click.

    Clank.

    Whirlll.

    The room ceased of all movement. The only thing Kalisa was aware of was the feel of Newts hand in hers, everything else was numb.

    They were here.

    One of the Grievers was closer to them than the others. It was like a cruel joke, just waiting for it to find them and attack. There had to be something more they could do.

    The Homestead shook suddenly, the wooden planks used to support it trembled as one of the Grievers began to scale it.

    Kalisa remembered its spikes and claws. She remembered the blades sticking out from its slimey body and its beady black eyes that eyed her like a meal. The Gladers were no match for such a monster.

    The time was running out. Each mechanical noise was closer and closer to them. Soon, the monster would find them, and they would be done for.

    Every gaze was aimed at the window, where the Griever was. Just feet away lay their inavoidable doom. The noises had stopped now. Kalisa imagined the Griever eyeing the glass in consideration, almost laughing at their hopeless attempt of safety.

    Kalisa was gripping Newts hand so hard, his was surely numb. Though he held hers back with just as much fear, she was sure he didn't notice.

    Suddenly the door behind them opened. Gasps and shouts sounded as Gladers whipped their heads around to see who it was.

    Kalisa didn't know what to expect at this point. WCKD? A Griever? The shucking Pope?

    Certainly not Gally.

    But there he stood, alive as ever. His shoulders shook and his hands trembled. His eyes were filled with anger and tears as he scanned the room looking for one person. Blood was stained all over his skin and clothes.

    Gally fell to his knees and stayed there, breathing rapidly like a wounded animal. Then, he shouted, "They'll kill you all! The Grievers will get you all- one every night till its over!"

    Kalisa along with every other boy in the room was too shocked to do anything other then stare as Gally pulled himself to his feet, and began moving towards them, a heavy limp visable in his left leg.

    Gally stopped in front of Thomas, Newt, and Kalisa, an evil sneer on his face. "You. It's all your fault!"

    Gally lunged before anyone could make a move. His fist hit Thomas's face, sending the boy crumbling to the ground. Newt was the first to react, leaping forward and shoving Gally back into a table, causing him to send a lamp shattering to the floor.

    Kalisa held her breath, worried Newt would get hurt next from the crazed boy. But Gally didn't fight. He just stood and glared at them all. "It can't be solved."

    "The shuck Maze'll kill all you shanks.... the Grievers'll kill you.... one every night till its over.... it's better this way." His eyes fell to the floor. "They'll only kill you one a night... their stupid Variables..."

    Kalisa swallowed, deeply disturbed by the boys message. The plain fact he was alive was bizarre, but now he was talkin' crazy. One a night? WCKD wasn't that cruel, were they?

    Newt took a careful step forward, "Gally shut your bloody hole- there's a Griever right outside this window. Just sit on your butt and be quiet. Maybe it'll go away."

    Gally looked up, gaze darkening. "You don't get it Newt. You're too stupid... you've always been too stupid. There's no way out! Theres no way to win! They're gonna kill you, all of you- one by one!"

    Then Gally did something rabid. The Keeper threw himself at the window in a rageful blur, arms tearing at the boards like an animal trying to escape from it's cage. He pulled at the boards, yanking screws loose, weakening their fortress.

    "Gally stop!" Kalisa cried, running forward to try and save their Homestead. Newt was by her side in and instant, holding her back from the crazed boy.

    "No!" Newt shouted, coming up behind Gally to push him back again, only before he could Gally ripped one of the planks from the wall and smacked it against Newt's head.

    The world seemed to slow as Newt went limp and fell back onto a white blanket, blood splattering across the fabric.

    "Newt!" Kalisa shouted, crouching beside him, praying that he would sit up with his regular grin. That his chest would rise as he breathed.

    "Newt," Kalisa whispered, urgency in her voice as tears filled her eyes.

    He wasn't moving at all.

    Kalisa blanched as her vision blurred. Slowly she stood and faced Gally, who had only momentarily stopped his savage act. "What the hell is wrong with you." Her voice sounded sharp and hoarse at the same time.

    "Shut up," Gally's nostrals flared.

    "Gally, what are you doing!" Thomas shouted, joining Kalisa in cornering the boy.

    "Shut up!" Gally screamed, spit flying from his mouth. "I know who you are, but I don't care anymore. I can only do whats right."

    Gally's breathing became heavier as his eyes fell to the final remaining plank.

    "Gally," Kalisa breathed, fear nearly taking over herself. "Don't,"

    Gally didn't listen. In a flash the plank was ripped from the wall. Only a second later the glass shattered inwards, sending thousands of small sharp pieces flying all over them.

    Kalisa fell back at the impact, cuts engourging into her face and arms. She barelly even felt the pain in comparison to the white shock of fear that had taken place through her veins.

    The Grievers arm slithered through the window like a snake, not yet attacking, but clearly prepared to.

    Kalisa weakly crawled over to where Newt lay, motionless. She placed her arms over his chest protectivly.

    She would not let the Griever take Newt.

    "No one ever understood!" Gally shouted. "No one ever understood what I saw, what the Changing did to me! Don't go back to the real world Thomas! You don't..... want.... to remember!"

    Then he turned and dove onto the Grievers boulbous body. For the second time, Kalisa could only watch as the Griever overtook Gally, it's metal limbs trapping the boy in, making rescue impossible.

    Shouts and screams sounded all around her, but Kalisa paid no mind. She still held Newt tightly, muscles refusing to get up.

    She watched in shock as Thomas jumped for the door and ran after the Griever and Gally.

    He had sacrificed himself. Gally. So that the rest of them would have time to create a solution of escape.

    And now he was really dead.

Wow this is my longest chapter yet! I wanted to get this out quickly because I'm going on vacation tomorrow and will probably not be very active for a few days! But anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter, this one might be my new favorite! Thanks for reading, have a great day!

1/27/24

3448 words