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THE YOUNG GODS
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

" THAT'S SUICIDE! "
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      "SO WHAT ARE WE going to do?" Zart asked fear crossing his face remembering of earlier's event. "Something is changing, Alby. Something bad."

      Rosie remained under control already taking notice of the faces across the room starting to freak out. The two leaders and keepers gathered together having an emergency council meeting with Rosie. Her body was currently leaned against the British boy who currently sat on top of a wooden table and her body fitting in between his legs as she stood on her feet. His left hand played with the girl's hand fumbling with her fingers to fidget with them. Newt had the approval of Rosie to fumble with her hand whenever he felt any sort of anxiety.

Gally took a few glances towards the pair doing his best to be discrete about his jealousy wishing it was him instead. His eyes wondered away going back to the conversation, he ignored his feelings piling it to the last of his concerns.

"I don't know." All heads turned hearing Alby speak having no clue what they should do with their situation. The boys looked at one another thinking the same thing, if it was Nick, he would already have a plan.

"Look first David acting up, then Rosie wakin' up with a fever yelling a girl's name and then somehow not remembering anything before she accused Thomas of killing the girl, then Ben getting stung in broad daylight and talkin' about same girl?" Minho asked his arms crossed with a slight frown on his lips. "And you're telling me we have no plan? What are we going to do if this gets worse?"

      He was probably the most scared out of the group some form of guilt rising in him as he had identified a pattern. Every partner the Asian boy has had have been injured in some way. First, Newt then Justin and today Ben. Minho blamed the problem on himself believing that it was somehow all his fault. But the idea did linger in his mind that the injuries started happening when Rosie came up in the box.

       "We need to be prepared." Winston spoke standing next to his best friend who was also fearing his life at the moment. "I think we should do some sort of check in every night make sure no one's been stung."

      Billy shook his head, "I think we're getting in our heads too much. What if they're just playing with us? What if this is a test to keep us out of the maze?"

       Newt let go of the girl's hand vocalizing his opinion, "what if this all has to do with Thomas?"

       Gally quickly chipped in agreeing with his question, "Newt's right, once that Greenie got here, Glade's been a klunk show. E'rythin started happening after he arrived." 

      "Y'all saw what he wore too right?" Rosie added causing everyone to remember what Thomas was wearing when he arrived. "No one's had that type of clothes before."

Alby shook his head, "I talked to the boy already. He don't remember nothin' the newbie scared shitless."

Rosie stood straight disconnecting herself from feeling the boy's warmth. "So then what? Shouldn't we think about how Ben caught it? Where, when, what time specifically?"

Minho nodded agreeing with the girl, "she's onto something Alby." Minho stated pointing at Rosie for a few seconds before turning to the fist in command. "Why don't I go out there and retrace his footsteps?"

      "If one of your Runners are willin' to go with ya' then sure. But ya Shank are not goin' alone." Alby replied afraid of losing more of his fellow gladers. "We'll go on from there. Whatever we find is something."

"That's suicide." Rosie blurted out gaining everyone's attention. "I said think not go. What if it's still there? You're willing to risk your life?"

Minho tightened his jaw looking the girl up and down judgement showing through his facial expression, "I've been risking my life since I got here and I don't see you doing anything."

A scoff left the girl's lips as she took a few steps towards him, "excuse me? I might not be runnin' like some headless chicken out there but I keep this place in check. You slintheads would be lost without me and you know it. So don't come at me saying I haven't done anything."

"We were fine before you came." Minho argued back starting an argument between him and the only female in the Glade. "And we'd be fine without you again. Get off your high horse actin' like some god just because you ridin' Newt's dick. You have no say in this."

Newt felt his cheeks turn warm in a matter of seconds but before he could react to the situation, Rosie had pulled out a pocket knife she had in her pants. Before anyone knew it, Minho was against a table with a knife against his throat and Rosie looking up at him.

"I'm not someone's bitch and you of all people are not going to disrespect me." Rosie demanded pursing her lips. Minho stayed quiet allowing her to say more since he felt as if he tried moving even a centimeter the knife would dig into his skin. "What I do or don't do is none of your business. Just like I don't ask you what you're crying about late at night."

Gally covered his lips with his hand, a full on grin was plastered on his face. Every move the girl had just done, she learned from Gally including wearing the knife in her pants and the form of confrontation.

"Why don't you drop the knife, sweetheart?" Minho asked obviously trying to keep his tough facade on while also trying his best not to show any fear.

Rosie clicked her tongue, a smile crawled on her lips, "why don't you drop the attitude, sweetheart?" Rosie asked mocking the runner.

"That's enough." Alby yelled stopping the banter between the pair as Rosie dropped the knife from his throat. "Rosie if you're so mighty and high why don't you go tomorrow with him?"

"As if! I'm not following his ass anywhere."

"And you," Alby pointed at Minho, "I expect more from you. All she was doing was making sure no one else got hurt. Slinthead, she was watching over you."

Rosie crossed her arms walking back to the blonde who silently was proud of the girl for standing her ground even if it was against one of his closest friends. Rosie shifted back into her position between Newt's legs but didn't lean back as she contemplated what she should do.

"I'm off to bed." Rosie stated as a few tried to stop her, "seems like I'm not needed here." Even though a few protested, the girl felt that even after the disrespect Minho was right just because she was a girl didn't mean she had the right to know everything or voice out her opinion. They had built the system to keep everyone safe and Rosie was not about to ruin it.

THE FRIGHTENED GIRL tightened her grasp on the weapon she was given leaning on to the wall trying to stay under control. She held on to another girl who was in the midst of peeking her head out to quickly bringing it back. The sound of bullets went off passing through the empty entrance. The girl had Rosie's arm around her neck, also afraid of never escaping. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" The girl cursed installing more fear into Rosie looking around the area for any type of protection but couldn't find any. "Rosie, they're here okay? We just need to get out of this building and we're safe, okay?"

      Rosie nodded sweat prickling in her forehead as she watched the girl pull out a smaller gun from the bag she wore across her body. Rosie's eyes turned to the opening doors revealing men in black gear pointing at the two girls. The girl installed bullets into the gun unaware of the men, Rosie pulled her down with her before gunshots were aimed directly at them. "Fucking hell!" Rosie yelled as the girl pushed her back up.

     "Apúrale!" The girl exclaimed in Spanish running right behind her towards the opposite direction they were suppose to get out from. "I'm right behind you!"

     Rosie ran as fast as she could looking for any unlocked doors most of them locked. A sigh of relief left out of Rosie's lips once she felt a door open. The girl behind her pressed on the trigger aiming at the men in suits inside the room who were waiting for them. Rosie immediately looking around pushing a bookshelf against the door they came in through. Rosie turned to see all of the guards on the ground gripping on to their wounds the girl had inflicted on them.

     The girl grabbed on to the walkie-talkie putting it close to her mouth. "We can't get out!" Rosie turned to look at her hearing what she was saying through the walkie-talkie. The girl had held back the tears forming in her eyes not being able to comprehend how they were the last two standing when they first came in with 10 of them. "We're surrounded!" The girl yelled.

      Rosie looked around remembering an abandoned pathway she once took that connected from here to the outside of the walls. "We need to get to the basement." Rosie stated as she gained the girl's attention. "There's a corridor that connects to the village outside."

      The girl nodded wiping away the single tear that almost ran down her cheek. Rosie had always admired the girl for her bravery and leadership but knew she was crumbling inside. The girl had always been on her side through everything. It was rare that you'd see the girl crying, she always wore a façade. She never showed the world know how she was feeling. Before the girl could reply to her, she kneeled down grabbing a hold of another gun from one of the wounded and threw it to Rosie as she grabbed another gun for herself.

      "Let's do this." The girl stated as Rosie gave her a smile for the last time before going through the doors on the other side pulling on the triggers of their guns shooting their way out.

     "ROSIE!" The girl's eyes opened revealing a worried Newt looking down at her. "You okay, love?" The British boy asked concern since she had fallen asleep quite early. She had waited for him to come to the room after the meeting but hours passed by and there was no sign of the meeting ever ending so she fell asleep.

      The brunette sighed in relief that what she had dreamt wasn't where she was. It felt so real as if she had been there. The emotions, the weight of the guns, the smell, the sounds, the men in suits, the girl she couldn't recognize, it felt so familiar to her.

      "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." Rosie spoke sitting up running her fingers through her hair before wiping her tired eyes. She noticed the boy already dressed, "why are you up so early?" Rosie asked noticing that the only people awake at this time of hour were Runners. Her eyes going wide, "you better not be going in there."

     Newt shook his head, "I'm not." He spoke reassuring the girl who calmed down. "Alby is."

     Rosie's eyes went wide again throwing the blankets off her, "Alby? No! Is that boy crazy? Where is he?"

     The girl rushed out of the bed, goosebumps running through her body from the drastic temperature change from the blankets to the bare air in the room. Rosie put on her shoes ignoring what Newt was trying to explain to her. Rosie grabbed one of the blankets from the bed wrapped it around her and headed outside, Newt following right behind her.

     The girl sprinted once she saw Minho and Alby waiting at the entrance of the Maze. Both boys turned noticing her already knowing what was coming for them. "Newt!" Alby growled as the pair reached them.

     The British boy threw his arms up in surrender, "bloody hell it is not my fault she woke up!" Rosie turned around for a split second sending him a glare as he did wake her up.

      "Are you insane?" Rosie asked to Alby who clenched his jaw knowing the girl was just looking out for him. She saw him as an older brother and risking his life was going to kill her. "You are not going in there!"

      "Rosie, we'll be back." Alby replied placing his hand on her shoulder trying to do his best to reassure the girl. "Don't worry about me. Newt like we talked about you're in charge. Make sure everything goes well."

     Shaking her head, Rosie didn't want to understand the need for him to go retrace Ben's footsteps. "Are you seriously letting him go?" Rosie asked the blonde boy who had ignored her, "it doesn't feel right, Alby! Why can't one of the other Runners go?"

      "Because Rosie!" Alby raised his voice wiping his face with his hands under a lot of stress, "things are changing and I need to figure this out!"

      The girl didn't know what to say, she knew whatever came out of her mouth he was still going to go in. Rosie threw her arms up hugging Alby maybe for the first time ever. "Please be safe." She spoke feeling his embrace as he nodded.

      "I will."

      Rosie turned to the Asian boy she rarely ever spoke to, "take care of him, okay?" Rosie asked Minho knowing who he was and what he'd do for any of the Gladers. She hugged the boy as well knowing he might also need reassurance. "And I'm sorry about yesterday."

Minho pulled away nodding, "me too."

The pair didn't have any bad blood between them, they just never got along as much as they tried. The pair always clashed whenever they were around each other. He was too serious and overprotective of his friend, as he should, but this caused Rosie to distance herself from him since she knew Minho didn't approve of her for Newt.

"We'll be back, Rosie."