"I don't think this is a good idea," Clara said.

Leo laughed at Clara. "You worry too much. It's the middle of the day, Grievers are rarely spotted, and there will be three of us."

Clara frowned and crossed her arms, staring at the trio. The med room was now apparently doubling as a quiet-- somewhat secret-- meeting place. She hadn't slept well and had woken early, deciding to clean the room. She had been in the middle of clearing the sheets when she was ambushed by Leo, Tris, and Michael. The sheets now lay at the end of the bed where Tris and Leo sat. Michael was in the chair under the window.

"It'll be fine," Michael spoke. "I know you are worried, but we will be fine. We are just going to retrace Artie's steps and make sure that he's gone. You'll be in charge for a little while, but it'll be fine."

Clara pressed her tongue into her cheek. "You'll be back by mid-afternoon." She was outnumbered in this decision-- she knew that-- but she could still make sure they weren't acting risky. They might vote on important decisions, but when it came to safety, she was going to be heard. Leo and Tris were fine coming back in the fifteen minutes before the gates closed, but Michael was rarely in the maze. 

"Fine. 3 PM. We will be back," Tris spoke. She gave Clara a reassuring smile. "All three of us."

Clara exhaled slowly. Through the window, she could hear the gates starting to open. "Okay. Get going. I'll keep things running."

The three of them stood, and Clara followed them out of the house and to the gates. Most of the boys were just beginning to wake up. She stood in the dew-damp grass, watching as her three closest companions vanished around a corner. With a heavy sigh, she turned and headed to start the day.

~~~

"They should be back by now," 

Clara glanced down at her watch. 5:35 PM. They should've been back over two hours ago. She was bouncing slightly, rocking back and forth on her feet. 

Freddy frowned at her; she could see it out of the corner of her eye. "You don't need to worry. Tris and Leo are both capable runners. Besides, they aren't normally back for another 10 minutes." 

Clara stared through the massive open doors. She was going to give them such fucking hell when-- if-- they came back. She steeled her jaw. The only reason they wouldn't be back by now was because something went wrong. 

Still, the minutes approached 6, and the gates began to creak. They would be closing soon.

Clara scanned the Glade. All the other Runners were back, and the Gladers were beginning to crowd around, joining her in watching the still stone. Where were they? The only reason they weren't back was because something had happened, they found something new, or someone was hurt.

Clara swallowed the nervousness, straightening her face. This was part of living in the Glade. Sometimes people never came back, but all three of them? Were they going to leave her alone? She couldn't let the others see her fear-- lest they mistake it for weakness or get scared themselves. Whispers surrounded her.

"Where are they?"

"They should be back."

"What do we do?"

Clara crossed her arms, glancing at her watch. They had two minutes. Two minutes. Then the people she remembered the longest would be gone. 

The creaking started. The gates would close soon. Clara became aware of Ezra standing next to her. He was staring with an almost concerning amount of intent into the maze. 

One minute now. Clara's breath became shallow.

"There!" Freddy shouted. Shouts began to ring out, crying for them to hurry.

Clara followed his finger to where he pointed. Coming around the corner, was Leo and Tris, hauling an unconscious Michael between them. Swiftly, Clara scanned them, assessing them. 

Leo and Tris were fine. They were visibly exhausted, and each had small cuts on them but were still alert and moving. 

Michael had been stung. She could see the tear in his shirt where the hole was oozing black goo. His head was limp, and he was bleeding from his head and his chest. He needed the cure. 

Clara fumbled into her medical apron, pulled out the blue needle and uncapped it. She took a step forward, ready to head into the maze. She'd give him the shot. Michael would be fine.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Tris screamed at her. Clara froze on the threshold of the maze as the doors began to close. Her friend fixed her with a glare from beyond the walls.

"Come on!" Someone behind Clara shouted. More shouts joined in, trying to hurry the three in. If Leo and Tris were to drop Michael, they could make it. But Clara knew them. They would never risk their friend. 

She twisted the needle in her hand. She couldn't throw it in, it was made of glass and would shatter, wasting one of the few cures for the sting they had. It would be no use for Michael seeping into the floor of the maze.

The doors got closer. She could see Ezra out of the corner of her eye. What was he doing? 

They were halfway there, and Clara exhaled. They weren't going to make it. The door had only a few metres left. She looked at Tris, who nodded, so slightly that Clara was the only one who noticed it. 

So they were accepting it. This was the beginning of the end. Clara was the last of the original four standing.

Ezra started to move. Clara's eyes darted to him, and she attempted to grab the back of his shirt, to stop him from running into the maze. Her fingers brushed the rough cotton of his shirt, but she failed to snag him. 

There were shouts as Ezra went sprinting through the last foot between the doors. Clara stared as the greenie and the three people she considered family vanished with a resounding boom. 

They were gone.

~~~

Hello lovelies!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to vote and comment, I love hearing from you all!

Until next time,

Indigo