Metal grinding on metal, clicking as it met stone, moving. In a matter of seconds the blank scene was filled by rows and rows of teeth as a Grievers mouth tried to devour me. Its face repeatedly smashing against the wall with a booming thud, not caring about the pain as the desperate urge to kill overwhelmed it. I found myself thrown back as one of its robotic legs dove into the window. With the speed and power behind these attacks, I would have been skewered in an instant, yet the glass held no marks as it continued the assault. I approached once more, the initial shock fading away like dust into the air. Hands held tightly in fists and bottom lip threatening to split open as teeth clamped down onto the fragile skin. I wanted to rip this creature apart with my bare hands. I wanted to unleash the anger that's been boiling under my skin for years but they had the upper hand. They always did.

It didn't matter if I was able to sink a blade into its side or burn their eyes. They had the needles, the teeth, an abnormal amount of arms and far more mass to crush you with. So the only way I could retaliate was to spit at the glass, a scowl etched into my face, clearly unsatisfied.

"You're shucked in the head, you know what?" a familiar voiced asked from somewhere in the background. Their footsteps on the soft grass becoming audible as our distance closed and in a few seconds, his body lingered next to mine, watching the scene unfold, not even flinching as the crazed beasts grew more violent.

"You're about the only shank here that actively seeks out a Greiver. I'd say you're lookin' to die but I know you ain't that stupid." I chuckled at the comment before we slipped into silence. We studied the creature beyond the wall as it realized that we were unobtainable. His snarl pressed to the glass, his huff of annoyance fogged up the surface before he slowly wandered off, though we could still hear him lingering nearby, possibly looking for a way out to us.

"I should'a pulled you out a long time ago," the leader mumbled, causing me to shake my head, stifling a small laugh, my eyes falling to watch my foot roll a fairly large rock beneath it. "But I know you would've run right back. I can't tell if your stubbornness is admirable or reckless." Having my eyes now adjusted to the dark, I could see out of the corner of my eye as his body turned to face me. "I just don't want this to become an obsession, you hear me? You got lucky that one time. Don't let it get that close again. We need you strong. We need you focused-" "So you like to remind me," I shot back, kicking the rock forward, causing it to shatter into multiple pieces as it hit the wall. "At least every few months." Cocking my head towards him, I could see his teeth as he went to speak but I cut him off before he ever got the chance. Not interested in some long winded speech that echoed in the back of my skull.

"What is it that you wanted, Alby? I know you didn't come out here to just chat. We both know you ain't the type." "You're right," he huffed, turning away for just a second to bend over and pick something up, offering it to me on a spread hand. It was a plate full of tonight's dinner and I didn't think twice about snatching it from his hands, grabbing a few raw vegetables and shoving them into my mouth, barely chewing them as I was eager to fill my stomach. On my second small handful, I pointed a stern finger at Alby as my eyes narrowed, mumbling, "Tell Frypan that I practically inhaled his food and I'll break your fingers."

Alby merely chuckled in response and with his hand against my back, I was guided back to the large group. No one questioned where I had gone or acted as if I ever left. Chuck was the most excited over my return. He took my hand and dragged me towards the circle where quite a few bodies were gathered to watch Gally challenge some poor boys wanting to prove themselves. I watched the short lived wrestling matches while I finished off my meal, the plate immediately plucked from my hands once it was emptied and carried off to be cleaned. I remained seated for quite some time. Simply watching the world around me rumble and shake with the final bursts of energy before it all crashed. Gally looked to me as one of his opponents fell at his feet, cocking an eyebrow, almost asking me without words if I wanted to fight him and while any other time I would have said yes, my mind was hazy tonight and though most wouldn't notice, one definitely did. His presence was warmer than the fire that faded into the night. His hands calloused but comforting as they held my own in his lap, thumbs smoothing over the cleaned skin.

I immediately found myself curling up to his side, head resting on his shoulder and allowing my eyes to slip shut. Feeling total peace consume me whenever he was at my side. He was my security. Which seemed odd, considering he couldn't kill a bug even if he wanted to.

I took to him the moment I arrived in the Glade. His sun-kissed face was the first my eyes had laid upon and since that moment, we've been inseparable. We were magnetic and it was obvious.

Aib was the one to see me off every morning before I entered the maze and the first one to greet me when I returned. He was the one to carry me through the most horrendous things even when I claimed to be stable. One of the many reasons I was still here was so that this beautiful creature could find his way home. He deserved it. Even if he was scared beyond belief of the journey.

Most assumed we were two kids in love and when he found himself falling in the direction of another boy, he was terrified and together we held the illusion and even took Chuck under our wing and acted as his guardians, even though technically, everyone in the Glade was his guardian. This imaginary relationship lasted about two weeks and a few days before Aib felt he couldn't hold it in anymore.

I found them kissing by the Deadheads and instead of simply slipping out of the picture without them ever knowing I had been there, I had made a scene.

"Aib, how could you!" The two real lovebirds pushed apart, blood drained from their faces as they looked to me. "Think of our son! What will Chuck say?"

A confused Newt looked to Aib, who only eyed me in total annoyance and disbelief that I had charged in and ruined the moment.

Lips pressed to my hair, giving a long kiss before slightly nudging my tired body.

"Let's get you to bed, little bird."

Without hesitation, I stood with him, our fingers intertwined as he more or less dragged me to his sleeping bag that we often shared and as we slipped inside, our bodies immediately assumed the positions. Aib rested on his back, one arm twisted and resting under his head while the other over his stomach. I was on my side, pressed against him with head on his chest and hands coiled up to my torso, fidgeting whenever a small gust of wind would glide over my back. We stared up at the stars in silence, his fingers absentmindedly running through the top of my hair. Gently pulling at it so it was torn from the bun I had placed it in. The atmosphere was peaceful as the chaos began to die. It was getting more and more quiet and I could feel the anxiety building. I didn't want the thoughts forced into the background to come rushing forward again. Aib took note of my now uneven breathing and fists gripping at his shirt. His body shifted beneath the thick cover, as if preparing himself to pick up the pieces that were waiting to fall. But they wouldn't.

Not if he could help it.

"Do you see that?"

My eyes followed his index as it aimed to the sky at nothing in particular, though I squinted in hopes to spot it, but failed. "No? What am I looking f-" The air was forced from my lungs as he pulled me in closer so that I could at least make an attempt at meeting whatever was in his sights. "That triangle shape, do you see it?" He drew the shape in the air, assisting me just in case I had forgotten. My eyes desperately roamed the darkness high above, studying every pattern of twinkling stars and when I finally found what he was talking about, I gave a shrug. "Okay, yeah, I see it. What about it?" His hold loosened, letting me slump off to his side, though still touching. "It's a constellation-The First Pyramid."

Pyramids.

Something Aib seemed to at least know a little bit about them, whereas I only knew the name. I didn't know what they were or what they were used for and though I could see the shape, I had no idea what a real pyramid looked liked. Despite my lack of knowledge over such things, I called him out on his lie and he reacted, feeling very passionate about this fake constellation.

"I'm being serious!" "I know you are! That doesn't mean it's true," I mumbled, seeming unimpressed though still holding a sly smile. "Whatever," he said under his breath. Eyes still darting across the sky in search for more constellations and when he found them, he would immediately perk back up and start pointing again. Talking excitedly about the most random shapes he found and I did my best to focus on his words. But the warmth I was wrapped up in had caused my eyes to grow heavy and my body to completely relax. Sleep was coming and I tried to fight it off. My eyes would shoot open and I would take a sudden gasp of air, nodding at whatever he was saying but the more I fought, the heavier my head felt and I knew I wasn't going to make it much longer. So with a kiss pressed to my head, I surrendered, his voice whispering "Goodnight," just before the blackness swallowed me.