CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
• final countdown•

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IT HAD BEEN a full week since Alec's tragic death. Things had been going back to normal; most Gladers hadn't been overall affected by the suicides, so they continued their jobs in peace. She tried not to dwell on the fact that nobody really seemed to care that their fellow members were dead. Evony knew that some people had a harder time showing emotion, or even feeling emotion at all. It wasn't their fault that they hadn't known the ones who had died. To them it was just one less worker in the fields or one less butcher to slice meat.

Evony thought she was doing pretty fine herself. Since everything had calmed down, she felt calmer. Almost. Sometimes she would think her anxiety had gone away, for a moment, but then she would be reminded of the inevitable fate.

She hated living in fear all the time, and it wasn't even her who was at the risk of death. It was Thomas. She couldn't imagine how he had felt over the past week.

As of now he seemed fine. He was right next to her, hand in hand as they sat at the base of a tree. He was extra tired today, and kept trying to lay his head on her shoulder. All three times Evony had pushed him off, complaining about his hair being too sweaty and that it would get her shirt gross. Eventually she accepted it, knowing the boy wasn't going to move to find somewhere else to rest.

Chuck had spotted them while he was making his way from the kitchen to the hammocks. At the sight of the two of them-Thomas asleep and Evony awake-he stopped to say hi. That stop to say hi soon turned into a plentiful conversation. And now the little boy was showing the pair something he had learned the other day.

"Okay, okay. So, I put my hands out like this-," he explained, reaching his hands out in front of him. She watched, intrigued by whatever he was about to do. However she was pretty sure Thomas wasn't paying attention, but she knew he wasn't asleep by the way he kept adjusting himself on her shoulder. "-and I just.."

Evony was more than shocked when Chuck sent himself hurtling towards the ground. His hands planted themselves on the dirt while his legs came up from behind him and swung themselves around.

Thomas shifted against her, now nuzzling his cheek against her shoulder blade. Evony pushed him off, sending him in a startled panic as he shot up from his daze-like state.

He rubbed his eyes, "What happened?"

"Pay attention," she ordered, lightly hitting his arm and pointing to their friend who was still attempting to complete the trick.

The brunet muffled something incoherent, moving to lean himself back on her. Evony sat up, leaving Thomas' head to fall into the air instead of the surface of her shoulder.

"But I'm tired," he mumbled, "and you're comfy."

"And you're sweaty and gross," she retorted back, earring a scoff from the boy. However, she felt obliged to let the boy sleep. Neither of them had slept much last night; Thomas' nightmares made sure of that.

It had started with them getting into their usual sleeping positions, with Thomas hugging her waist. But then-sometime in the middle of the night-Evony had started to have her own weird dream. She didn't know if she could really count it as a dream itself, because not all of it was there. Only glimpses.

"I'm sorry, Evony-"

She also saw a small scene of what was happening.

* Thomas held the gun in his right hand, aiming it at his target. His face held no sign of emotion as he pulled the trigger and let the bullet fire *

She had then woken up, shooting up from where she was laying and proceeding to catch her breath. It was then she had turned to see Thomas doing the same, except his eyes were filled with unmistakable tears.

His arms moved to wrap around her figure, to remind himself that she was alive and unharmed. She embraced him back, resting her head on top of his as he clutched onto her shirt.

Usually after one of his dreams he was able to fall back asleep, yet this time he had been acting more shaken up than usual. So therefore Thomas didn't sleep the rest of the night, and with Evony refusing to do the same the couple ended up sitting in silence, their arms wrapped around each other tightly.

She never told him that she had seen part of his dream, because she wouldn't know how to explain it if she did. Evony also didn't want to freak him out anymore than he already was, and with that night of sleep, she wasn't sure he would process much of it anyway.

Evony took to going back and watching Chuck, who was currently still trying to flip his body around.

He stood up frantically, posing for them by putting his arms above his head, "Boom. That's how it's done."

Did she know what he had tried to do? No. But the entertainment it possessed was quite funny, and she also loved seeing the little boy smile the way he was.

So, she began clapping.

Thomas made an irritated noise and lifted himself off from her shoulder. "Why are you- he didn't do any-"

Standing up, she cut him off, "That was really cool. What do you call that?"

Chuck's smile fell for a second as he thought up an answer, "I don't know, really. Minho taught me; he said he called it a wheelie."

Evony gave him a nod, checking back behind her to see Thomas wandering away from them.

"Shuck, uh, I'm sorry Chuck I'll be right back," she promised before jogging her way to catch up with the brunet. She felt bad for leaving her friend, but at the moment Thomas' safety was more important. He also didn't usually get up and walk off like he just did.

Tapping his shoulder, she urged for him to turn around. "Thomas," she paused, looking both ways quickly, "What are you doing?"

"I'm bored," he simply stated, shrugging, "I figured I'd go find Newt."

Evony cocked her head, confused at the bluntness of his statement. "Okay..I don't think he's going to want to talk to anybody, but we can try if you'd-"

"Nevermind," Thomas dismissed, "I'll find Max instead." He turned back towards where he was originally walking. Evony kept up with him, staying about a foot away while they went another couple yards. They still weren't very far from Chuck, she could still see him looking at them from a close distance.

"Well, I'll walk with you then," she smiled, going to grab his hand calmly; however, Thomas dodged her attempt by pulling his own hand to his chest.

The small action made her emotions conflicted: confusion, resentment, but she chose to continue to be gentle. "Are you okay?" she asked. The two had stopped again and were now facing each other, standing nearly a foot apart.

"Yeah, fine."

"Then why do you not sound it?"

Thomas shook his head frustrationionaly, "Cause I'm tired, like I said."

Evony moved an inch closer-maybe not even-but he only moved the same amount-or more-back. Now she was becoming annoyed with his behavior. He wasn't one to not tell her if something was wrong, and as much as she didn't want to pry, she had a feeling it dealt with his nightmares.

"Do you want to lay down?" she tried, "We can go to our hut for a couple hours, I'm sure everyone would understand."

Thomas turned his back for a second, running a hand through his hair, "Oh my god, Evs. Im Fine. Let me go hang out with my friends."

Now he was provoking her. She took another step towards him, her eyebrows creased and her eyes squinted. "What about me? Aren't I your friend?"

He licked his lips, "We're friends, really?"

She failed to pick up what he was really trying to say. "I thought we were friends," she argued, "Or did I take all the time we spent together the wrong way?"

Thomas remained silent, his face blank.

Evony wanted to roll her eyes. He was being stupid, of course they were friends. She thought she had made it pretty clear she liked to be in his presence.

"Yes, Evony," he deadpanned, "We're friends."

"Great,"-she crossed her arms-"Then, as a friend, let me walk with you."

"I can walk alone."

"No," Evony rebuked, "I promised I would keep you safe, which means I need to make sure you're with Max before I leave you alone."

Thomas shifted his weight between the two of his feet, looking over his shoulder to where some of the Gladers were working in the garden. Like her, he also seemed annoyed. "And who did you make that promise to?"

"Newt," she responded dryly, waiting for the expression on his face to change. It did, but only for a second.

He threw his hands out in anger, "Come on, let me go this one time. I'll see you at the bonfire; you can babysit me there."

"Babysit you?" she repeated. Her voice was sharper now, the irritation clearly coming out with how she pronounced her words. "That's what you think this is? No, Thomas. I'm staying with you for your safety."

"What if I don't care about my safety!"

"I don't care if you don't care!" she exclaimed, "Don't you get it, I'm not letting you die!"

"Well, you're going to have to find another way because right now I need some space from you!"

Surprisingly, Evony was able to hide how shocked she was at his words. Instead she drew her lips into a thin line, removing all emotion from her face like how she'd seen Minho and Newt do several times. Then taking a step back from him, she mustered up the calmest voice possible for her at the moment. "If you really don't care. Then fine. Go see Max."

"Thank you," Thomas smiled, but she could see the sarcasm behind his facade.

"-but I don't want to talk to you tonight. So, when you have a nightmare don't come running for my help,"

"I won't."

"Fine, bye Thomas. Enjoy the hammock."

"I will," he claimed, and with that turned on his heel and walked away.

Evony tried to keep her head held high as she made her way back over to Chuck. His mouth was dropped open, staring at the spot she had just been at. It was obvious he had witnessed everything, and she hated that someone had to watch her and Thomas bicker like that. They never fought, maybe about something stupid- like a prank-but never had it ended without an agreement.

Her friend didn't speak a word as she passed by him, only giving a small wave that she managed to give back. Evony continued her way towards the woods-where the Maproom was-so she could find Minho. He had said earlier that he was spending his free time there. Doing what?-who knew, but right now she wanted company to take her mind off Thomas.

He didn't deserve a spot in her brain right now, anyway.

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Not to her knowledge, another bonfire was being held that night. Evony ended up attending but she refused to go anywhere near Thomas. She didn't want to speak to him or see him, however, the second one was much harder considering his laugh was so easy for her to pinpoint. He was across the fire, sitting down on a couple stumps along with Max and Ben. The three of them were laughing without a care in the world. Any innocent stranger could have simply glanced in their direction and they would have no way to tell all the pain they'd been through. They wouldn't know that Thomas was on the brink of death, or that one of their close friends recently died.

For some reason that made her mad.

How come they got to be so happy when all her brain could think of were the bad things in life. They got to laugh while she was constantly worrying about their fates.

Speaking of worrying, Newt wasn't anywhere to be seen. She should've figured; if he hadn't shown himself during the day then why would he attend a bonfire where almost everybody was. Part of her wanted to go check on him, to see if he was still okay, but the other part of her told her to give him time.

The other person she didn't see at first was Minho. It surprised her when he wasn't laughing along with the other three boys, or at least talking to some other runners. He was usually the most energetic one when it came to bonfires, but tonight he was nowhere to be seen.

So, Evony sat alone. For at least half of the night she remained in the shadows, only glimpses of firelight managing to catch her eyes. The other boys body's were blocking the rest out, which in a way was good. It meant she didn't have to see Thomas.

According to her watch it was around 11:30 when someone made contact with her. She had been out of it, half asleep on her perched elbow, mindlessly staring at the sky when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up, and there he was.

Minho.

Except Minho didn't look like himself. He seemed sad. His shoulders sagged and his foot softly kicked into the ground. The faint amount of moonlight aloud her to see the blank look in his eyes.

Evony stood up, grabbing the hand that was still on her shoulder. "Min? You okay?"

"Can we talk?"

She scanned him, slowly waking up as she saw the urgency displayed on his face. "Of course. Do you want to go to my hut?"

Minho only nodded, beginning to walk towards the direction of the forest. Evony quickly followed behind him, keeping the silence continuous as the two strolled across the Glade.

They arrived at her hut, Minho instantly taking a seat at the end of the bed as Evony scurried around the room to pick up the clothes on the floor. He gave her a suspicious look. She grimaced, "Sorry, haven't done laundry. Thomas and I have been throwing our used clothes in a pile."

"I don't care," he assured, "And sorry for dragging you away I just need someone to talk to."

That grabbed Evonys attention. She stopped what she was doing, placing the clothes on her dresser before taking a seat next to him. "You're fine; I didn't really want to be there anyway. What about you, did something happen?"

Minho began shaking his leg, a nervous habit he rarely did-he never liked to show weaknesses. "Yeah, I guess."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I do," he paused, "I'm trying to figure out the best way to word it."

Evony nodded, giving him the time he needed to put his thoughts into explainable sentences. They sat there for at least ten minutes, not uttering a single word. She used that time to think about her own situation-with Thomas that being. They fought, so did that mean she was supposed to apologize to him? She didn't feel the need too, because she firmly believed what she had said was right. There was no risk to be taken when it came to his safety. His life was on a countdown, and they had no clue when it was going to reach zero. Certainly that meant someone watching over him at all times was the right solution. Right?

She chose to stop thinking about it and instead concern her thoughts with her friend.

Honestly, it was out of nowhere when he spoke. No indication, no sigh, no sucked in breath-just a straightforward sentence.

"I told Ben I liked him."

There had been several things she could have expected, but it hadn't been that. She turned to him, his eyebrows drawn with interest as she studied his still body.

"What did he say?"

"What do you think?" Minho suddenly spoke up, running a hand through his already messed up hair, "I should've been expecting this; with my luck-"

Evony placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I mean, I pour my heart out to him and what does he do in return? He stares at me. He didn't even say anything. It was a whole speech too, one I had taken the time to rehearse and practice so that I wouldn't stumble over my words when the time came. And then it did come and I still messed up." He let out an agitated sigh, "But, hey, I guess none of it mattered since his answer would have been the same. Speech or no speech."

"Minho, look it-"

But the Keeper was on a roll, and she decided against interrupting his rant again. "And here's the thing. I was stupid to even think for a second that he would like me back; it's not like we showed any romantic attraction to eachother. The only thing we did was sex. Sex, sex and more sex, and while that was great at first, over time I couldn't take it. I wanted to kiss him for real, you know?"

"Yeah," Evony agreed, knowing what it felt like to want to have someone to yourself that badly, "I know."

Minho nodded, satisfied that she understood what he was saying. "I didn't even realize I liked him until one time after-you know-he said he was tired and fell asleep with me holding him. From there on every time I saw him I wanted to grab ahold of his sexy face and just kiss the shuckin hell out of him." He mimicked holding the boy with one of his hands. "But I knew he would take it the wrong way, so I tried something else. I made him a gift."

His last word reminded herself of Christmas Day. When she and Thomas had exchanged their own gifts. They had been so close to kissing one another, until, they weren't.

Minho carried on with his story. "It was a necklace I made. I took one of the leather strings and carved our initials into a spare washer the builders weren't using. I tied it into a necklace, and gave it to him as a present."

Evony leaned forward, "What did he say when you gave it to him?"

A look of hurt flashed through his eyes, which instantly was concealed by the wall he always had put up. Him simply talking to her like this was rare. They may be best friends, but even Minho didn't like discussing his problems with someone else.

"Well, he started off saying it was really neat, and then he asked me why I made it," Minho looked down to his feet, "He hadn't taken the hint and I chickened out, making up a lie that it was for our friendship. That was even stupider of me, because it turned out he hadn't gotten anything for me in return." The Keeper shook his head slowly, "So there was that. Not only did I completely embarrass myself but now Ben probably thinks I'm a total slint-head."

It wasn't her story, but Evony still felt every ounce of sympathy for him. The guilt, the betrayal, the heartbreak-she felt it all through the way he spilled out the words.

She saw him take a deep breath once he was finished, letting himself relax his posture by leaning back onto the bed with the palms of his hands. If Evony could guess, she would say he needed this talk. He needed to get everything that had been piling up for months now and let all of it go.

So what did Evony do? She hugged him.

She knew she was witnessing a side of Minho that not most people saw. This was the vulnerable side of Minho. The part of him that was hidden away to everyone else. It was rare, but it was there, and he was displaying it to full effect for her to see.

"He doesn't deserve your love," she said softly, being careful with her words; she didn't want his imaginary wall to go back up. "He doesn't deserve any of you."

Minho wrapped his larger arms around her smaller frame, practically engulfing her, but she didn't care. Not in the slightest.

"Thank you," he squeezed her tightly one more time, "for listening."

"Always," she smiled, and the boy gave her what looked like a sideways grin.

He nudged her playfully, his mood instantly switching up, "So how's your boy? Are you guys together yet, honestly if you are I'm going to throw a fit since I wasn't the first person notified."

A frown fell onto Evonys lips, one that was clearly visible for Minho. He sat up straighter, adjusting himself in his seat before moving to inspect her carefully.

"Did he do something?" he questioned, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No!" she revoked, waving her hands in front of her to signal Thomas hadn't done anything of the sort. "We're fine. I think."

"You think?" Minho repeated, "Usually you guys are joined at the hip. 'I think' wouldn't be something you'd say unless something is wrong between the two of you."

Curse Minho and his undoubtedly amazing interrogation skills. Evony twirled her fingers together, knowing that he wasn't going to stop asking until he got an answer. For one, she admired that about him, but right now it was being used against her, and well, it wasn't quite as admirable. "We fought? I guess. I mean I think that's what it was."

Minho crossed his arms, "About what?"

"He said he needs space from me, and I was trying to tell him that it wasn't safe for him to be going place to place by himself," she rolled her eyes at the thought of it, "Which I think is idiotic, because he knows what might happen if he's alone for too long."

Now Minho was the one comforting her. He placed his larger hand over her own, giving her a grieving smile. "Look, we knew lover-boy had a death wish, so this doesn't surprise me one bit."

"I know, but-"

"Wait," Minho stopped, "Don't tell me he yelled at you."

She remained silent, giving her friend an answer in itself.

He place his hands on the bed, pushing himself up in a forceful matter, "Oh that slint-heads dead-"

Evony sighed, "It's okay-"

"I'm talking full force, dragging him by his panties over to the pond and holding him under water just long enough so it's entertaining-"

"Holy shit, Min," she said, yet the image of Thomas getting dunked in the water did seem sort of funny, "It wasn't that bad. If anything we yelled at each other, but I did tell him not to see me tonight."

That's when Minho turned his head, locking eyes with her. "What about his nightmares? I thought you were like the special remedy to stop them?"

She shrugged, "That's too bad for him; he said it himself, he needs space from me."

He clapped her on the back, sending her a congratulatory grin. "I'm proud of you for holding your ground."

With a nod of appreciation, Evony and Minho both laughed and together fell back onto her bed with a loud sigh. The two stared at the ceiling, over analyzing their thoughts about their own situations, not speaking as they laid in silence. At some point she must've fallen asleep, because soon she was taken into a dream. Except there was something off.

Thomas was walking across the Glade, dragging someone behind him. Their voice sounded muffled, like their mouth had been covered so they couldn't speak. The angle of the dream then changed, and she realized that it was herself he was carrying. The brunet made his way towards the treehouse, where a long rope laid ready for use. He started to tie the rope into a knot, looping it over one of the branches that stuck out to the side. Then he grabbed her, tying it around her neck and lifting her into the air.

The dream ended, and Evony sat up gasping for air. Her hands went around her neck, but there was no indication that there had once been a rope. Minho woke up shortly after her, his eyes lacing with concern.

"Evy, you okay?"

She was okay, but her mouth wouldn't open to let her say that. What she had witnessed was the same as the night before-it was one of Thomas' dreams. However, it felt different. Her mind felt disconnected and her hands were clammy. A part of her brain felt shut off, but was it even her brain at all?

"It's Thomas," she exclaimed, frantically getting off of the bed and making her way to the exit. Minho must've seen her exasperated expression because he didn't question when she opened the door and took off running. She could sense him staying on her tail, and it was a good thing to, because she nearly collapsed into his chest at the horrific sight.

Thomas was alive, but he was hanging from the exact branch that had been in the dream. His eyes were open, staring lifelessly at the sky as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He was making no move to fight against the rope that was looped firmly around his neck, almost as if he had accepted his fate. His feet hovered a few inches off the ground, making for a slow and agonizing way of death.

She felt the panic, anger, guilt, and other nameless emotions wash over her all at once. "Someone get a knife!" she yelled out, hoping and praying for anyone-anyone at all-to have heard her.

At her words, Thomas' eyes snapped open, making heavy contact with her own. He began to thrash, his hands ripping at his neck.

Minho was underneath him attempting to hold him up to allow some airway, while Evony was desperately looking at the fellow Gladers who had started to surround the area. Her eyes spotted one boy, one who had a large blade inserted into the side of his pants.

Without thinking, Evony lunged forward and stole the weapon. She then ran back over to Thomas-who was still choking for air-and took a swipe at the top of the rope with the machete.

He fell down, crashing into Evony and sending the two of them to the floor. She scrambled to hold him up, placing his head in her lap. Brushing the wet strands away from his forehead, she placed two fingers at a vein on his neck.

That's when his heart stopped beating.

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