"Hey, Greenie!" I shouted after him, barely moving my legs faster than a jog due to the ache that was still weighing on them.

Thomas turned around and let out a visible sigh of relief when he saw me approaching on his left. I smiled at him, "You'd probably take all day if you tried to find this stuff on your own, so here I am."

Although the sun was high up in the air, casting a blinding light on the Glade, in the forest you could hardly tell whether it was dusk or dawn. They all looked the same. The light just peeked through the leaves of the trees, casting a weird greenish tint to the air. The dead leaves and sticks crunched beneath our feet as we walked deeper, and the clanking of the tools being used from the boys soon became nothing but an echo in the distance.

"So," I tried to strike up a conversation with him, "How do you like being a Track-Hoe so far?"

He grunted, "You guys really need to come up with a different name for that. Why not just call it gardening?"

I blinked and stopped walking, thinking about what Thomas said, "Ya know... Th-That's actually not a bad idea. Wouldn't want the new Greenies to think we were callin' them names, right?"

"Yeah," He laughed. Then, just like I had done a moment before, Thomas stopped in his tracks. He murmured something incoherent and dropped the basket of fertilizer onto the ground. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked around, noticing nothing different about the weird forest. It was always this creepy.

"Thomas," I called to him in a whisper for an unknown reason, "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer me, but continued to walk over a little stream of water. I followed him and picked up the basket, shaking my head and thinking this was stupid. We only had one job and he had to go mess it up. But then I saw what he was walking towards. It looked like a throne, but it was halfway into the ground. Sticks were poking out in all directions, and the closer I got towards the structure, the more unusual it looked. I walked up behind Thomas, who was bending down to get a look at the headstone.

"George," I muttered. Then it occurred to me that Chuck told me the story of George, "Oh. He was the one who they sent down the Box when it wasn't there. Got him about halfway down before something chopped him clear in half. Read the headstone," I pointed to the wood, turning around and walking a couple of more feet to where the fertilizer laid.

Thomas turned to me and then back at the grave. His face dropped when he saw all of the rotted bones that used to belong to a small boy, "Let this half-shank be a warning to all: You can't escape through the Box hole..."

I nodded, scooping the dirt into the basket, "See, Thomas, can't escape without goin' through the Maze. Shit's creepy, but as it says, take it as a war—"

Suddenly, my speech was cut short by the sound of a twig snapping behind me. I dropped the small shovel and shut my mouth as the chills creeped down my body. It wasn't Thomas, I didn't get that feeling when I was with him. But now, everything was silent as I listened for any sign of the boy I had come out here with, or any sign that he was in trouble. All I could hear were my shaky breaths and the sound of my heart as it beat hard against my chest.

"Woah..." I heard Thomas' voice mutter from behind me. Only then did I let out the breath I was holding and continue to pull the dirt out of the ground, "Uh...you're Ben, right?"

My head snapped up as I heard Thomas speak the Runner's name, "I don't know if we ever..." He continued, but trailed off as the sound of breathing became heavier, "A-Are you okay, man?"

Suddenly, I whipped my head around to the two boys, and saw the body of Ben. He was shaking as if he were winding himself up for something. His eyes were dark, almost inhumanly. His lips were a deep purple color, and it was made certain that he really wasn't okay when he let out an ear piercing monstrous scream and launched himself forward.

"Mae! Watch out!" Thomas screamed. I hadn't even realized that Ben had actually started running towards me until I felt myself being pushed down the hill. I didn't have the chance to scream before I felt Ben's strong grip crash me onto the ground. I felt a giant grave marker dig into my back before it snapped in two, creating a large scratch along my spine.

Thomas ran up to me and kicked Ben in the head, sending him flying in the other direction. I stumbled to my feet, but it wasn't quick enough because Thomas was now screaming and being pushed to the ground the same way that I was.

"Get the hell off me!" Thomas screamed as I tried to feel in the ground for something I could hit the crazed boy with. He let out another heart-wrenching scream, "Mae!" He choked, making me gasp and turn around. Ben was now holding both of his hands around Thomas' wind pipe, preventing him from breathing.

It was like something came over me as I shot up to my feet and leapt into the air, throwing myself onto Ben and tackling him off of Thomas. We rolled through the leaves until he ended up on top of me once again, taking his teeth and snapping his jaw open and closed before they found a home in my shoulder. It was like the pain fueled my adrenaline as I let out another scream and jerked my knee up, hitting him straight in the balls. He groaned and rolled off me, giving me just enough time to scramble up and start to run up the hill with Thomas.

"Go!" I screamed to him, feeling a large hand wrap around my ankle. I yelped again and fell to the ground. I kicked my leg into the air, hoping that I would hit his face, and I did. His grip loosened and I got up again, following Thomas as we ran through the Deadheads.

We both screamed for help, knowing that Ben was still right behind us. Thomas and I looked down to the ground once and skidded to a stop, seeing a steep hill below us. But it was a stupid mistake to make, because not even a second later, we were both sent rolling and bouncing down the hill as Ben crashed into us. I groaned as I got up again, pulling on Thomas' shirt as he stumbled to regain his balance.

It felt like we were running for our lives as we both screamed to no one in particular, but hoping that someone would help us. We tore through the tree line, finally stepping back into the Glade as we ran as fast as we could, but it was no match for the experienced Runner. Somehow, he leapt forward and grasped both of our ankles, sending us toppling to the ground again. I turned over onto my back and saw how he was straddling both of our bodies and pulling a knife out of his sack, swinging it around Thomas and I as we tried to fight him and tried not to get stabbed. He was mumbling things that I couldn't even understand as I gasped for air and my eyes met his.

"Hey!" Someone yelled, and in an instant Ben was off of Thomas and I. We both let out a sigh and rolled over and out of the way of the crowd that had started to gather.

"Are you okay?" Thomas asked me. I shook my head, and reached for my inhaler, which was no longer in my pocket. My eyes got wide as I was sent into another coughing fit, suddenly feeling the panic rush through me. I must've lost it somewhere in the woods when Ben tackled me, or when we were rolling down the hill.

Thomas saw my struggles for breath and he placed a soft hand on my back, "Hey! We need help over here!"

I wheezed as my throat started to swell again. This is the second attack I've had, and right now was certainly not the right time to have it. People began to rush to my side as I coughed and tried to catch my breath, but it was like all of the oxygen in the world was gone, and I was the only one who was affected by it. Boys all around me were telling me to calm down and to take deep breaths, which I tried to do.

"It burns," I whined as I placed a hand around my throat. I felt my eyes start to water as someone literally screamed for Newt. I rocked back and forth on my knees, feeling my hands start to shake as my anxiety heightened, "Ow, ow, ow, ow..."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Clint drop to his knees and take my hands off of my throat, "Deep breaths," He told me and turned to Thomas, who still had his hand on my back, "Where's her inhaler?"

"I don't know," He shrugged, running his hand through his hair, "Sh-She must've dropped it when we were running..."

"Shit," Clint murmured and then turned back to me, "You'll be okay, deep breaths. Someone go find her inhaler! And get Newt!" He screamed to the boys surrounding us. Some of them began to run into the forest, while some of them moved a few feet to grab Newt's attention.

Thomas' eyes were frantic as he watched Clint try to calm me down. But it was no use, "I can't breathe," I wheezed. They both looked at each other, and Thomas stood up, pushing through the boys surrounding me. I coughed once more and placed my arms on top of my head, leaning forward, making the burn in my chest ignite more than it already was. I scrunched my face in pain. Pain from the scratch along my back, the bite in my shoulder, and the fire within me.

"Mae?" A soft voice spoke, but it wasn't the one I was looking for. Chuck kneeled down next to Clint, looking at me with an entirely terrified expression.

Get him out of here! I screamed in my head, hoping someone would read my thoughts, but nobody did. I watched as the little boy's eyes started to water, and he placed a gentle hand on my knee as I continued to rock back and forth. I coughed once again, closing my eyes and wishing that someone would either hurry up and find my stupid inhaler, or someone would find Newt. Wasn't he just here a minute ago?

"Everyone out of the way!" The familiar British voice shouted. He finally emerged from the huddle of worried boys and he dropped to his knees right in front of me, "Hey..." He spoke softly.

I whined once more, looking into his big brown eyes. He tried to remain calm, but I could tell that he was internally panicking, "You know what to do. In through your nose, out through your mouth."

I did as he said, taking quick, shaky breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth. My head and my body were at war with each other, one telling me to calm down, and the other not wanting to listen, no matter what the cost. Newt moved his hand to the side of my head, and he kept his eyes firm on mine, repeating the breathing strategy like a chant. I nodded my head and slowly started to feel the fire in my chest start to decrease. He nodded once more and slowly moved his thumb in calming circles around my temple, silently praising me. I kept breathing, in through my nose, out through my mouth. Eventually, I felt my airways start to open up, and the invisible hand around my throat loosen.

Then, as quickly as it all started, I was able to breathe normally again. I closed my eyes in relief and dropped my head onto Newt's shoulder, not being able to hold it up myself. I heard the sound of someone weeping from beside me, and my heart ached at all the worry I caused in the moments where I thought I was going to die.

"You're okay," Newt whispered into my hair, sniffling. I was shaking, my anxiety on a high, "Someone get her some water and find her bloody inhaler now."

Murmurs broke out as the crowd started to disperse, "What happened to Ben?" I asked.

Newt sighed, "He's in the Slammer. Don't worry about him though. Let's get you patched up, okay?"

I nodded and removed my head from his shoulder. He stood himself up and held his hand out to help me. I took it and winced as I pulled my aching bones up, everything in my body hurting for the second time today. My back stung, and my shoulder ached. We walked hand in hand to where Thomas and Chuck were sitting, getting tended by Clint and Jeff. Their heads turned to Newt and I as we walked up to them, and Chuck didn't hesitate to run up to wrap his arms around me. I lazily smiled as I hugged him back.

"I'm alright, Chuckie," I told him, patting his back.

He looked up at me with red eyes, "You scared me."

"Scared all of us, actually," Alby's voice came up from behind me. I turned around to face the leader who leant against the post of the makeshift tent we were under. He nodded to Jeff, who was bandaging up Thomas' wrist, "How's he holdin' up guys?"

"He'll be alright," Clint told him and pointed to me, "Take a seat, girlie. We need to patch you up now."

I sat myself down next to Thomas as Jeff moved behind me and kneeled down, placing a gentle hand on my upper back, "Can I?"

As I nodded, Newt clenched his jaw and stood behind me as well, wanting to monitor the healer's actions. I rolled my eyes at his protective nature. Jeff slowly lifted the bottom of my tank top up so that he could get a good look at my cut that the grave marker had made. He winced as soon as he got a look at it, "This is gonna sting a little bit."

"Just do it," I muttered, resting my head on my hands. Suddenly, I felt a cloth be pushed against my cut. I hissed in pain and arched my back, "Shit."

"Sorry," Clint apologized. He pressed the cloth against my injury a few more times before applying a cold gel-like substance down the center of it. I tightened my grip on my knees and scrunched up my face. I bit on my lip at the sting and shook my head, "Okay, now I'm gonna wrap a bandage around it. Can you help me with that? It's gonna go around your stomach."

I nodded and took the white bandage from him, pulling the front of my shirt up with my teeth just past my bellybutton, aware that there was a group of teenage boys around me. I held the end of the bandage to my abs and Clint gently wrapped the rest of it around my cut, which stopped at the middle of my back. I heard a rip from behind me, and I felt the swaddle ever so slightly tighten. Clint then sighed and moved back around to my front, nodding.

"Thanks," I muttered, dropping my shirt.

"Yeah," He nodded, "Now we gotta do your shoulder."

They patched that up quickly, taping a small bandage around where his teeth broke the skin. Thomas and I sat next to each other, staring out into space as Alby and Newt spoke about Ben a few feet away. I couldn't hear them, but I think they suggested a Gathering. Eventually, Alby sent Newt to find the rest of the Keepers and tell them about the meeting. Chuck sat with us, braiding together a few strings, and staying quiet.

I lifted my head when I heard Alby sigh and sit down next to us, "You guys okay?"

Thomas nodded, but said no words. The vision of seeing Ben's crazed eyes staring down on me as he slashed around his knife, and the feeling of him sinking his teeth into my shoulder were all too traumatizing. But what really bothered me was the asthma attack. Seeing the pure fear in Chuck and Newt's eyes was something I couldn't get out of my head. I clenched my jaw and felt my eyes start to water, but I blinked the oncoming tears away.

"It's a lot to take in," Alby told us softly, "Especially on your first week, no less," He spoke to Thomas now. I looked over to Chuck and saw that he tied the ends of the braid together and smiled proudly to himself, reaching back into his pocket and pulling out a piece of wood and a dull knife. He began carving into it, tuning the rest of the world out. My heart clenched at the thought that I had worried him so much. The kid barely had any friends, and he had to sit there and watch as I struggled for breath and possibly life.

I forced my sore body to move closer to him, and he lifted his head, "Hey, Chuck."

He pushed his lips into a weak smile, "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Was crazy though."

"You're lucky," He looked away, "You could've died."

My jaw clenched and I moved my gaze to the ground. His voice was now sad, and I couldn't possibly imagine what would've happened if I tripped one more time, or if Thomas hadn't been there to hit Ben. I probably owed my life to him.

"But I didn't," I whispered to the kid, holding his hand. He looked at me through his eyelashes, "I'm still here, and I can still pull pranks with you..."

"Good," He laughed, "If you died then I would've killed you."

I let out a loud laugh, finally feeling my heart start to lighten up, "Yeah, I'm sure you would," He bit his bottom lip and smiled, looking at my shoulder.

"What happened to your ninja skills?" He asked and I furrowed my eyebrows, "I mean you beat the klunk out of Gally last night. Why couldn't you use those with Ben?"

I sighed, "Because I know Gally. I know that he's all muscle and he has a hard time with small, speedy people like me. Ben on the other hand, is already fast. He was half out if his mind, so I didn't know what the hell he was gonna do. He was unpredictable... That, and I hardly got the chance to breathe before he was tackling me. If I had time to use those ninja skills I would've."

Chuck nodded, understanding, "You know what would cover up your bite mark?"

"What?" I smirked.

"A tattoo. A big cool one right on your shoulder. You would look so badass."

I laughed once more and placed my hand on his head, ruffling his hair, "I'll take that into consideration. Don't those hurt to get though?" I faintly remembered the concept of what a tattoo was.

Chuck shrugged, "How would I know? I'm twelve."

"True," I told him, "You're too young for—"

"Mae," A soft voice called to me. I turned my head slowly to see Newt standing next to all four of us, leaning against a pole. He cocked his head to the right, telling me to follow him wherever he was going. I furrowed my eyebrows and slowly pushed myself onto my feet.

"You gonna be okay?" I asked Thomas, who still looked a little distraught.

He nodded, "Yeah. Thanks."

"Anytime you're being chased by crazy people, call me," I joked, making him and Alby laugh slightly. I pat his shoulder and followed the British boy who walked towards the Homestead.

I looked around, waving at anyone who gave me a worried look. I hated it that I had worried all of the boys so much. All I was going to get was fertilizer, and now I couldn't even do that without getting hurt. If they treated me like china before today, they definitely were going to now. Chuck's question even sparked my own curiosity. Why didn't I use my little knowledge of cool ninja moves I had used against Gally last night? I just told Chuck an excuse, but in my mind, there was no excuse for not taking two seconds to think of a way I could get myself out of being pushed to the ground. Maybe it was the fact that Ben was literally almost...zombie-like. Inhuman. It scared me, and it's no secret that it scared Thomas as well. If I didn't know what running for my life was like yesterday, I definitely know the feeling now. And I wasn't too fond of it.

Newt led me to a small spot behind the Homestead. Nobody was there, and I felt a sense of peace wash over me as the boy turned around and met my gaze. I smiled at him and shifted my weight onto my left leg, "Hi."