Chapter 41 Chapter 41 The next bad news

"I'll be back in a minute," Thomas said, turning around to leave, with acid in his stomach. "I've got to go find Newt and see if there's any map left." "Wait!" Teresa called him, "Let me out of here first!" There was no time, and Thomas felt terrible. "No—I'll be back, I promise." Before she could object, he turned and ran at full speed toward the map room and the cloud of black, hazy smoke.His heart was like a needle prick.If Teresa was right, they were about to find clues and leave this place.However, he could only watch it all disappear... This annoying fact made his heart ache.

Thomas ran forward, and the first thing he saw was a group of glademen crowding outside the huge iron gate.The door was still slightly open, and the edge of the door was already blackened by smoke.After approaching, he found that everyone surrounded something on the ground, and everyone looked down.He saw Newt kneeling in the middle of the crowd, bending over someone's body. Minho stood behind him, restless and stained.He saw Thomas first. "Where have you been?" he asked. "Go talk to Teresa—what's the matter?" He eagerly awaited the next bad news to come. Minho frowned furiously. "Our map room was set on fire and you went to chat with your girlfriend? What's wrong with you?"

Thomas knew that such an accusation would have hurt, but it wasn't on his mind. "I don't think it's important—if you haven't studied the map by now..." Minho looked very angry, the pale light and smoke made his face even more gloomy. "Yeah, it's a damn good chance, let's pass it up. What the hell are you—" "I'm sorry, tell me what's going on." Thomas looked behind a skinny boy and at the man lying on the ground. Lying flat on the ground was Alby with a long gash on his forehead.Blood dripped from both sides of the head, and some went into the eyes, where it froze.Newt was wiping him with a damp cloth, asking something in such a low voice that Thomas couldn't hear their conversation.Despite Alby's tantrums of late, Thomas still worries about him.He looked back at Minho, and repeated the question he had just asked.

"Winston found him here, dying, with the map room on fire. Some idiot ran in and put the fire out, but it was too late, and all the boxes were burned to ashes. I suspected at first that it was Alby It did, but obviously the person who started the fire smashed his head on the table and you could see where the wound was, it was vicious." "Who do you think did it?" Thomas was reluctant to mention what he and Teresa had just discovered.Without a map, it doesn't mean anything. "Maybe it was Gary, before he showed up at the big house and went mad? Maybe it was the Griever? I don't know, and I don't care, it doesn't matter."

Thomas didn't expect Minho's sudden change of attitude. "Who's giving up now?" Minho's head jerked up, and Thomas took a step back.A flash of anger flashed across his face, but it quickly turned into a complex expression of surprise and confusion. "That's not what I meant, idiot." Thomas narrowed his eyes curiously: "What is that—" "You'd better keep your mouth shut." Minho put his finger to his lips and looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to him. "Shut up, you'll understand soon." Thomas took a deep breath and kept guessing in his mind.If he wants others to be honest, he must be honest too.He decided to tell everyone about the possibility of the maze code, with or without the map. "Minho, I need to talk to you and Newt about something. Also, we have to let Teresa go, maybe she's starving and we need her help."

"That silly girl is the least of my worries." Thomas ignored his rudeness. "Give us a few minutes and we have an idea. If enough walkers can still remember their maps, this approach might still work." Those words did get Minho's attention - but the same weird look came over his face again, as if Thomas had overlooked something obvious. "An idea? What idea?" "Come with me to the cell, you and Newt." Minho thought about it. "Newt!" he yelled. "What?" Newt stood up, refolded the bloody white cloth, and looked for a clean place.Thomas noticed that every inch of the cloth was stained red.

Minho pointed to Alby and said, "Let the medical staff take care of him, we need to talk." Newt gave him a hesitant look, then handed the cloth to the nearest Glader. "Go to Clint and tell him we have more serious problems for him than those with minor injuries." The boy ran away as he was told.Newt walked past Alby and said, "Talk about what?" Minho nodded at Thomas, but didn't say a word. "Just follow me," Thomas said.After speaking, he turned around and ran towards the prison without waiting for their reaction. "Get her out," Thomas said, standing outside the cell door. "Get her out, and then we'll talk. Believe me, you want to hear what follows."

Newt was covered in soot and dust, and his hair was matted with sweat.He was visibly out of sorts. "Tommy, this is—" "Please, please open the door and let her out, please." He wouldn't pass up this opportunity. Minho stood in front of the door with his hands on his hips. "How can we trust her?" he asked. "As soon as she woke up, the place fell apart. She even admitted that she activated something." "He has a point," Newt said. Thomas pointed to Teresa inside the door. "We can trust her and every time I talk to her it's about helping us get out of this place. She was sent here, like all of us - it would be foolish to accuse her of being responsible."

Newt snorted. "Then what did she say to activate it, and what exactly does it mean?" Thomas shrugged, refusing to admit that Newt was right. There must be an explanation. "Who knows—she had a lot of weird reactions in her head when she woke up. We all traveled here from the teleportation box. Before we are fully awake, maybe any of us will be talking nonsense. You just need to put her first. Just come out." Newt and Minho stared at each other for a long time. "Come on," Thomas insisted, "what else can she do? Run around and stab every Glademan? Open the door."

Minho sighed. "Okay, then let this silly girl out." "I'm not stupid!" cried Teresa, her voice muffled by the walls, "and I can hear every word you fools say!" "Come on," said Thomas, "I'm sure we've got a lot to do before the Griever comes back tonight—if they don't show up during the day." Newt snorted, walked to the prison door, and took out the key.After a few jingles, the door opened. "Come out." Teresa came out of the cottage, glaring at Newt as she walked past him.She cast the same displeased look at Minho, and finally stood beside Thomas.Her arm touched his lightly, and a feeling of electric shock came from his skin, and he felt extremely embarrassed.

"Okay, tell me," Minho said, "what's so important?" Thomas glanced at Teresa, thinking about how to speak. "What?" she said. "You know—apparently they think I'm a serial killer." "Yeah, you seem dangerous." Thomas muttered, turning his gaze to Newt and Minho, "Well, when Teresa just woke up from a deep sleep, there were many memories flashing through her mind. She , uh—” He almost slipped out, saying she knew telepathy, “She told me later that she remembered that the maze was a code. Maybe we can’t find the exit by cracking the maze, it’s trying to send us a message .” "A code?" Minho asked, "How could it be a code?" Thomas shook his head, wishing he had an answer. "I'm not sure—you're more familiar with maps than I am. I have a guess, and as such, I hope you can recall some of them." Minho looked at Newt, raised his eyebrows to express his doubts, and Newt nodded. "What?" Thomas asked, fed up with the tight-lipped attitude of the two of them. "You two always seem to be hiding some secret." Minho rubbed his eyes with his hands and took a deep breath. "We hid the map, Thomas." Thomas didn't react at first. "what?" Minho pointed to the big house. "We hid the map in the weapons room, and put the replacement in its place. Thanks to Alby for reminding me, and thanks to your girlfriend for starting the so-called termination program." Thrilled by the news, Thomas put the bad situation aside for a moment.He also remembered that Minho had acted suspiciously the day before, saying that he had a special mission.Thomas looked at Newt, who nodded. "They're safe and sound," Minho said. "All the maps. You just said you had a theory, and then moved on." "Take me to see," Thomas said, feeling itchy. "Okay, let's go together."