the maze runner
chapter eighteen

❛❛ you can let go of alby, poe  ❜❜

————————————————

Poe's hands began to numb and stiffened, he was still holding onto the ivy that was holding Alby. His arms trembled as his muscles burned from holding on tightly too long, his leg was stinging so terribly as the pain throbbed in his ankle. He wasn't sure how long he'll have to keep holding on. A strong urge had hit him of letting Alby go.

It was all quiet as time passed. No Griever was making any sound anymore except the maze changing. He was afraid that the wall he and Alby were in will begin to change and maybe get crushed to death. But there weren't any movement so far. He didn't hear Thomas or Minho anymore, their screams echoed over the giant walls little while ago, they've been gone for a long time now and Poe was thinking that the Griever have got them. Meanwhile Poe is still waiting for the Griever to find him.

Pain, the ache, the stiffness, the numbness was all he felt. Also he was scared. He wasn't sure what he was scared of exactly, of the Griever or that he may bleed to death. He couldn't tell if he was still bleeding because it was too dark to see, he'd have to squirm out of his hiding to check his leg but he didn't want to. It was all quiet. Too quiet. Not a single or a little sound other than the maze changing.

He never heard the footsteps coming his way until they startled him as they stopped by the hiding spot. Poe jumped as Minho squatted down and moved the ivies aside, "Hey, hey! It's just me"

Poe had never felt so glad to see Minho again. He's alive, still alive. Poe let out a sigh of relief, "Holy shit, man— you're still alive" he had already forgotten that Minho had abandoned him and Thomas to Alby. He didn't really care about that. He was just glad to see him.

"Glad the Griever never found you" Minho grabbed the ivy that Poe was holding, "Thomas, can you—?" He gestured at the ivy.

Thomas is still alive as well. How are they still alive? Thomas grabbed the ivy and Poe was still gripping the ivy.

"You can let go of Alby, Poe" Minho told him. Poe could barely loosened his grip on the ivy, his fingers were all stiffened and they trembled when he let go. "You're alright, man. We're all fine. Come on—" Minho grabbed Poe's arm and slowly dragged him out of the hiding spot.

Minho dragged Poe to the other wall where he sat back. Poe watched the two of them slowly getting Alby back to the ground. "Wait, what happened?" Poe questioned, "Where's the Griever?"

As Minho and Thomas were too careful to get Alby down, both struggling to keep the leader from falling down. As they had him halfway down, Minho finally answer, "The Griever is dead"

Now Poe believes he's only dreaming. Dreaming that Minho and Thomas are alive and he probably fell asleep under that wall. But he's too much in pain to be dreaming. "Dead? How?"

"Thomas killed it" Minho replied, and they finally had Alby on the ground.

Thomas killed a Griever? Poe almost find that hard to believe. Poe had to get on his feet, he grabbed an ivy behind him, pulled himself up to stand up, pain continued to throb in his ankle, "H— how?"

"Best that we show you"

Minho and Thomas carried Alby again, Poe was behind them as he followed them and making their way back to the Glade. There's still hours left until the Glade opens. Poe was so keen to get back there, he never thought he'd ever see the Glade again since being locked out yesterday evening, he was so eager to see Anton, Teo, Winston and Bark. And even Newt. Anton and Teo would probably be mad at him for leaving them without saying anything before he left to the maze. Newt was sure unhappy when Poe was promoted as a Runner, he wasn't glad or proud of Poe becoming a Runner, he could tell when he looked at him when Newt broke the news to Poe about becoming a Runner. He wonder how they must be feeling knowing that no one ever survives the night in the maze. But he did. Poe did, so did Minho, Alby and Thomas. Poe kept Alby safe and Thomas killed a Griever. Thomas practically did save the three of them the most by killing a Griever. Poe knew if it wasn't for Thomas, they'd be all dead by now.

"Hey, you alright there, Poe?" Minho shifted his head over his shoulders while he and Thomas carried Alby.

"Yeah" Poe limped heavily as he followed them, he held onto the walls to support his walking.

"Let's take a break here" Minho announced, they sat Alby down on the floor gently. Before Poe sat down, Minho gestured him to come, "Take a look at this, Poe"

Poe sighed sharply as he approached Minho, he was standing in front of the wall, looking at the wall as he placed his hands on his hips. Poe looked what he was looking at; and it's the dead Griever.

Two walls had crushed the creature flat, except for it metallic arms, a small gap between the walls, the dead Griever was the one that prevented the two walls from meeting each other. It's entire head was out, mouth opened, it's metallic arm reaching through and it's weird coloured blood still oozed trailing out on the floor. "Jesus" Poe stared in shock. Now he knew how Thomas killed the thing, it was merely an idea that killed the creature and yet, it was still all him.

Poe moved closer to the creature until his hand reach the wall on the left that was crushing the creature. He wanted to take a look closely. Something about the thing, he remembered his dreams, the memories he keeps seeing, he sees these odd blue large parchments hanging on the wall of an office, white lined drawings of a Griever and another drawing of an unknown cylindrical object under those large set of parchments. Poe knew there is something that the Gladers are supposed to do with the Grievers.

"Let's keep moving" Minho announced. "Thomas, you alright?"

"Yeah, I just— I'm just tired" The Greenie panted.

"It's been a long night for sure, we'll all get a good rest we deserve once we get to the Glade" said Minho. He grabbed Alby up and Thomas helped him. "Poe, come on, let's go"

Poe was still looking closely at the creature, trying to figure it all out, he should know something. "Hang on—"

"Poe, come on!" Minho demanded, "Look, we can get back to the Griever later, alright? Right now, we need to get back to the Glade, and you need get patched up"

Poe sighed sharply, he stepped away from the dead creature, they can check on it again later for sure and maybe by then, Poe will figure it out. "Fine"

Minho and Thomas continue carrying Alby back to the Glade, and Poe followed them.

Dawn was cracking the sky as they were nearly at the Glade, the maze was all quiet and had finished changing. To see the sky from within the maze was little, you could only see a large gap of blue, almost dull grey sky as two tall walls are between you, it's like staring up between the two buildings only they were closer to each other.

"We're almost there" Minho said.

Another hour gone and they were few turns away and the walls rumbled ahead. Followed by a deep metal groan echoing and winds howling. The doors were opening and Poe was growing more eager to see his friends again.

As Thomas and Minho went around the corner that was leading to the Glade, that's when Poe heard Bark shouting. Of course the dog knows Poe is coming before the others can.

The Gladers were all gleefully cheering as Minho and Thomas carried Alby down the corridor with Poe behind them. Poe could not explain this immense feeling, how grateful he is. While the Gladers were standing by the entrance and Bark came running towards Poe.

"Hey boy!" Poe smiled as Bark jumped up to his feet and his paws smacked on Poe. He was all barking and whimpering in happiness for sure as his tail wiggled. Poe kept going to the Glade while Thomas and Minho had made it into the Glade. The other Gladers had Alby down on the ground and already asking many questions at once.

Poe just wants to rest, have a drink of water and eat some food. Teo was the first to reach him before Anton and Winston. "You son of a bitch—" Teo pulled Poe's arm over his shoulders to help him walk, "you never told me you were a Runner and never said anything before you left to the maze yesterday, what am I? Chopped liver?!"

"What happened out there?!" Anton asked as Winston pulled Poe's other arm. "How'd you deal with the Grievers?"

"I didn't" That's all Poe said. He'll let Thomas and Minho tell everything what happened in the maze.

"What happened to you? What happened to your leg?"

"Anton, please—" Poe grumbled, "let me breathe for a while"

Once everyone settled, no one was working at all, everyone learned what happened in the maze, how Thomas killed the Griever. Not long after, the Keepers have to have a Gathering going to talk about what happened. Newt was the leader at the moment with Alby still in bed. Not everyone understands why it is necessary to have the Gathering and since everybody is alive and barely well.

Poe was left with Clint stitching his leg, Newt had one of the Builders to make a crutch for Poe. Anton, Teo and Bark never left his side. While Clint was stitching Poe's leg, the Gathering was still happening.

"I bet they're talking about Thomas—" Teo guessed, "I mean, he is there with them right now. He broke a rule, doesn't matter what he did, he broke the big rule"

"That's ridiculous" Anton frowned, he was stroking Bark's fur. The dog was laying his head on Anton's lap as he was siting by the bedside. "The guy killed a Griever, no one had ever killed a Griever before, I think he should be rewarded. Don't you think, Poe? He saved you, didn't he?"

Poe raised his brows as he looked at the kid, he barely even talked to Thomas while they were in the maze, he wasn't sure why. He merely shrugged in response, "Yeah, yeah, sure" he looked down at his leg as Clint was stitching the wound.

Alby was in the other room, still unconscious and Jeff was the one who wrapped bandages around the leader's head before he went to the Gathering.

Someone came into the hut, the four boys turned their heads to the entrance, even the dog raised his head up to see, it was just Nico, bringing a crutch to Poe. "It's all I could do, princess" he said to Poe. Teo got up, grabbed the crutch from the Builder. "Not for you, shank"

"I know—" Teo grumbled, he pressed the crutch under his shoulder, "just taking it for a test drive, that's all" he walked around the room, as if limping around with a crutch supporting his walking meanwhile Nico scoffed then walked out of the hut. "Seems fine. It's a little uncomfortable, but it's fine" Teo put the crutch by Poe's side. Teo was only making sure that the crutch was strong enough, or he was making sure Nico didn't do anything to it.

"There—" Clint finished, he cut off the thread with a pair of small scissors. "Just need to—" he grabbed two rolls of bandages then began to wrap them around Poe's leg.

Once he was finished, Poe can finally leave, "Thanks" it was easier to walk with a crutch. He could have another one but one was enough. It was a lot better, but still painful.

"Looks like you won't be back on your feet for a while" Teo reminded, "That also means you're gonna have to take few weeks break from work until it heals enough, meaning no running for you for a while, shank"

Poe almost forgot about that. If he can't run, that's means he can't be a Runner for a while. He just got promoted as a Runner yesterday and now he has to take a long break from it. He was also hoping to get back into the maze to check the Griever. Something he needed to do with it.

"But after what happened—" Anton walked beside Poe, "last night, I mean you still want to be a Runner though? After what you went through?"

Before Poe could answer Anton's question, an alarm blared across the Glade.

The Greenie alarm.

That's impossible. Two Greenies within a week?

"What the hell?" Anton uttered, he and Teo sprinted to the Box. The alarm continued to blared.

Everybody, including the Keepers had ran out of the Homestead to the Box to see what was going on. While only Poe was the one who could not run, he continued to make his way to the Box while almost everyone were already there and the Box have already arrived.

The Gladers all gathered around the metal doors. He seen Gally and Newt opening the caged doors of the Box and Newt had jumped in. Poe could not hear what was going on or what they were saying. It was all quiet for a moment, he seen the Gladers all startled for a second like something scared them.

By the moment Poe finally made it, he stopped behind the crowd and then asked "What is it?"

Every Glader in the crowd had turned to him, every eye were on him, stared at him all suspiciously. Poe was confused. They were all looking at him like he did something bad.

"Why don't you come over here and see it for yourself, Poe?" Said Gally.

For a second, Poe was too worried to move, but his curiosity was greater that it encouraged him to see why they were all looking at him for. The Gladers made a path for him as he limped towards the Box and saw what was inside.

There was Newt, already glancing up at Poe, the Second in Command was standing over an unconscious person.

This unconscious person is a girl.

She was familiar. But he remembered from where immediately, he didn't think she was real or she was alive after he seeing her in his dreams.

It's her.

***