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THE YOUNG GODS
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

" I PROMISED NEWT. "
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     ROSIE'S EYES WIDEN, her thoughts leave her head as her hand reached out to grab onto the boy's arm like everyone else did. It was an instinct. She didn't think once to think it over. Her feet guided her before anyone could hold her back. And she regretted the moment she felt the walls move in closer to her. Once she realized his pulling was stronger than hers.

       "Rosie!"

Newt's scream brought her back to reality. The last thing she saw was his concerned face and the Gladers holding him back from breaking a rule. She felt herself starting to panic once she realized what she was doing. It was too late to turn back around now, the walls were tightening on her and the only way accesible to her was through the maze. His hand pulled her out.

Rosie stumbled in taking in the painful sight in front of her. Her knees held her up. The confused Thomas, the surrendered Minho, and the infected Alby. The sky was gloomy and so were the walls.

She could feel the regret in her chest. Especially when she knew what was to come of her and the boy she had on the other side of those walls. The boy she was never able to fulfill the love she had for him. It was all gone now. No one ever lasted through the night and that meant neither will they.

Rosie felt a brush of air against the shell of her ear causing goosebumps down her back. She pulled her hand back that was still loosely connected to Thomas' clammy hand. Before the boy could react, he was brought back to reality by Rosie pushing him back. She threw hits at his chest yelling.

"We're dead!" Her words echoed in his ears but it seemed as if they went in one ear and fell out the other. "I tried to pull you back! And, and you pulled me in instead?!" Her tone was venomous and threatening. "I'm going to kill you!"

Thomas had never witnessed such anger coming from a woman. Rosie wasn't like the girl in his dreams, she was tough and belligerent. But then again, she's been surrounded by men for months with barely any recollection of her life before the glade.

"Good job," Minho panted his pain deepening knowing Rosie was with them, "you just killed yourselves."

"What?" Thomas asked frightened and overwhelmed with Minho's statement.

"Oh my god," Rosie muttered feeling her chest tightening as she tried to recollect herself. Her hands lifted her up to her feet helping her as she looked around. The dirt that Rosie wiped off on her pants rolled down to the ground. Her feet carried her to the worn down boy meeting her gaze.

It was an intense understanding between them. They both knew their fates would end the same way tonight. Rosie plummeted down next to Minho as they both watched Thomas clumsily head over to Alby's body. The body, Rosie, did not want to give a good look at.

"What happened to him?" Thomas asked

"What does it look like?" Minho's tone was full of rage, "he got stung."

Rosie stared at the ground staying silent as she listened to the conversation. She didn't know what to do but stay quiet. She knew her life was over the second she set foot inside so she just listened.

"What happened to his head?"

      Rosie looked away from Thomas and back to Minho as she let out a small gasp, "I did what I had to do." Minho replied with guilt not wanting to look over the girl's direction. The three's heads shot up at the distant screams of the grievers and the maze switching paths. "C'mon." Minho mumbled to Rosie as he struggled to stand up.

"Uh, okay, help me get him up." Thomas instructed trying to figure out a way to carry Alby.

Rosie stood up before Minho shook his head at the boy, "we gotta go. The maze is already changing."

Minho started walking as Rosie realized he was going to leave Alby behind. "Hey, Minho!" Thomas yelled stopping him, "we can't just leave him here."

The Asian boy turned around making eye-contact with him, "I don't care. We're dead anyways."

"Minho—"

"Let's go, Rosie." Minho cut her off before she could state her reasoning, "I promised Newt. Now, c'mon!"

"Rosie?" Thomas questioned as she stood in the middle of the two. He wondered if she'd do the same as Minho would. Leave Thomas and Alby behind.

She glanced back and forth trying to come up with her solution, "Minho." She pleaded before the boy rushed towards her.

"He's dead, Rosie!" Minho yelled at her grabbing onto her wrists, his grip tightening unaware it was hurting her. "And we will all be dead if we don't leave right now!"

"Let go of me!" Rosie yelled back, "you're hurting me!" His grip loosened as he tried to keep himself together, "you know Thomas is right. Now help us. We all know Alby would do the same."

≪ °❈° ≫

"JUST TELL ME where to go so you guys can take a break," Rosie argued back as she held onto her pocket knife while the two boys struggled to carry the heavy leader. Minho kept arguing with her about staying in his view at all times and not too far off from him.

Rosie could hear the walls moving from a distance as she managed to keep her cool. The boys grunted tiredly wanting to give up, especially Minho as they reached another dead end.

"Okay, sit him down, sit him down." Thomas muttered as the two walked towards the wall sitting Alby down.

Rosie admired the ivy. But it also made her wonder which one of all caused his downfall. She couldn't stop but think every ivy she saw was the one he had climbed.

Her thoughts were disturbed by the distant but close screech from one of the creatures the three were avoiding. "This isn't going to work." Minho explained getting up grabbing Rosie's wrist. "We gotta go. We gotta go!"

"Wait, wait, what are you talking about? We have to do something! We gotta hide him—"

"Where?" Minho asked with anger trying to get in the boy's head that there was nowhere to hide Alby.

"I don't know, Minho. But, t-think! You're telling me there's not a single place we can take him?" Thomas asked the scared boy who paced back and forth before he lashed out on him.

Rosie stood by watching Minho grab onto Thomas's collar, "listen to me shuck face, take a look around! There's nowhere to go!" He stated before letting go and standing back up. "You don't get it. We're already dead."

"What about the ivy?" Rosie blurted out gaining the attention of both boys as Thomas stood up walking over to it. "Come on, we'll tie him up and raise him up. The ivy will cover part of him."

       The three started to work as fast as they could noticing the sun setting down and the night creeping up on them. Before the trio could finish, the sun was entirely gone and the moon with the sky's little pecks of stars were the only lighting they had for the rest of the night.

      Rosie cursed under her breath struggling to ignore the freshly cut wounds forming in her hands. She panted as the three raised Alby up the ivy. Rosie could hear Thomas count down to three every time they lifted Alby up but it felt like a voice far away from her.

       She was tired and dehydrated. Especially when she believed she wasn't cut out for this. She was not cut out to be a runner ignoring all the training she'd been through the past few months. She was used to being brought to her breaking point but she was also used to being taken care of by the gladers after. Frypan bringing her a bowl of tomato soup with two pieces of bread and the medjacks by her side stitching up her wounds. Gally and Vincent with their encouraging words and jars of moonshine. Newt with his soothing touch and him making sure she was okay through out the nights. Chuck and Jimmy making jokes to keep her mind off the pain she felt.

Her hands burned but kept going until another screech was heard this time immensely closer than it was before. The ivy's weight increased as Rosie turned to see Minho peaking around the walls.

"We gotta go." He explained his anxiety rushing through his body.

"No, just a little bit more and we can tie it off." Thomas replied as Minho kept peeking through the path. "Stay with me!" Thomas added as Rosie kept pulling.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she could feel Minho's anxiety and Thomas's stubbornness being able to kill them all. Her heart rate increased immensely once she heard Minho speak, "I'm sorry Greenie." Minho apologized before letting go of the Ivy, "Rosie, c'mon."

"Minho!"

Before Rosie could decide what to do, Minho's hand wrapped around her arm pulling her towards him as he sprinted. "I'm sorry, Thomas." Rosie spoke before also letting go of the ivy.

"Rosie!" Thomas yelled as his feet collided with the wall. Rosie sprinted catching up to Minho as they both left Thomas behind.

She followed Minho every turn he took hoping he was able to keep him and her alive through the night. She could feel the wind blowing against her and the sounds of the metal creatures fading away. The pair took a few more turns before making a stop.

"Stop." Minho let out as he used the time to catch his breath. "I think we can rest here for a bit."

Rosie nodded also catching her breath as Minho plummeted down leaning against the wall. His head fell down in shame. He felt like a coward leaving Thomas and Alby behind. But he didn't want to die and he was going to do whatever was necessary to keep Rosie safe.

"You could have left me too." She stated sitting down with him as he shook his head.

"I can't stand you sometimes, Rosie, but I can't let you die on my watch." Minho replied, "you're too important."

She glanced wondering what he meant when he wasn't aware of what she dreamt of, "what do you mean? Because I'm the only girl in the glade?"

"Yes and no." He let out a quiet chuckle, "you're the only one that's been able to give Newt hope even when there is no way out of here." Minho admitted to Rosie. "We've looked through every inch, Rosie. There's no way out of here."

Rosie's heart broke not knowing how to cope with the news she was being told. "Are you sure?"

"It's been three years, Rosie. We would have found a way out by now. We're not that stupid." Minho replied. "Hopefully they somehow will after us."

Rosie let out a breath somehow coming to terms with her fate. "Since I'm half certain I'll be dead by sunrise, I'll let you in a little secret only a few people know about."

"You like Newt." Minho spoke thinking that was the secret she was going to tell him.

She raised her eyebrow shaking her head, "No. I mean, yes I do but no that's not the secret I'm trying to tell you. I think everyone knows I like him."

He let out another quiet chuckle, "everybody does but keep going."

"I remember things." Rosie spoke letting the silence fill the space. She glanced over to him to see him with an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"So? That's normal to remember—"

She shook her head, "no, I mean I remember things before coming up to the glade. I remember some parts of what was my life before getting here."

"You mean to tell me that your shuck-face knew things this whole time? You have memories of people? Have any of us showed up before?"

Rosie nodded slowly, "I've seen Ben and I've seen Thomas. They were very different though from who they are now or used to be. They were just dreams at the beginning but they seemed so realistic and they feel real especially now with Thomas here."

      "Who else knows?"

       She picked at her nails, "just a few people. Ander, Gally, Alby, and Newt. I think Vince is catching on though."

       Minho felt at peace for a few seconds. His worries slipped out of his mind talking to the girl next to him. "What are you thinking about slinthead?"

"Newt." She muttered thinking about all the moments she had with him. Guilt formed in the pit of her stomach as she brought her hands to her cheeks. "The boy waited for me, for months and this is how I reward him? By sacrificing myself for some idiotic child?"

Rosie looked over at Minho who nodded in sympathy. Her eyes look behind the runner as she thought she saw something move in the shadows. "There's something lurking." Rosie quietly spoke not leaving her focus on the dark pathway. "Move slowly Minho."

       Rosie stood up slowly doing her best to not break eye-contact with the dark pathway. She felt that if the second she turned away something would creep out and kill them both. Minho gulped starting to not care about showing his fear in Rosie's presence. His hands guided him up on his two feet.

       A loud screech filled their ears once a metal claw crawled out from the dark. "Oh fuck!"