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Thomas looked in that direction The heavy htly ajar, a wispy trail of black sray sky

"Somebody burned the Map trunks," Newt said "Every last one of ’em"

For some reason, Thomas didn’t care about the Maps that much--they seemed pointless anyway He stood outside theof the Slaate the sabotage of the Map Rooe an odd look before they split up, al some secret with their eyes But Tho

"Teresa?" he asked

Her face appeared, hands rubbing her eyes "Was anybody killed?" she asked, so?" Thomas asked He was relieved to see that she appeared okay, felt himself relax

"I was," she responded "Until I heard so shred the Homestead to bits What happened?"

Thomas shook his head in disbelief "I don’t kno you could’ve slept through the sound of all those Grievers out here"

"You try co out of a coma sometime See how you do" Noer my question, she said inside his head

Thomas blinked, momentarily surprised by the voice since she hadn’t done it in a while "Cut that junk out"

"Just tellstory, and he didn’t feel like telling the whole thing "You don’t know Gally, but he’s a psycho kid who ran away He showed up, jumped on a Griever, and they all took off into the Maze It was really weird" He still couldn’t believe it had actually happened

"Which is saying a lot," Teresa said

"Yeah" He looked behind hi to see Alby somewhere Surely he’d let Teresa out now Gladers were scattered all over the con of their leader He turned back to Teresa "I just don’t get it Why would the Grievers have left after getting Gally? He said soht until ere all dead--he said it at least twice"

Teresa put her hands through the bars, rested her forearht? Why?"

"I don’t know He also said it had to do with … trials Or variables Soe he’d had the night before--to reach out and take one of her hands He stopped hi about what you toldholed up in here does wonders forthe brain do what it was made for"

"What do you think it means?" Intensely interested, he tried to block out the shouts and chatter ruh the Glade as others found out about the Map Rooht?"

"Yeah" He could tell she was really on to soht?"

"Right" Gears were starting to shift into place inside Tho to break loose

"Well, I can’t remember why I said that to you about the code I knohen I was cohts and hthe about the code before I lost it So there must be an important reason"

Tho harder than he had in a while "They always compare each section’s Map to the one from the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that, day by day, each Runner just analyzing their own Section What if they’re supposed to co like he was on the cusp of so her own theorizing "The first thing the word code makes me think of is letters Letters in the alphabet Maybe the Maze is trying to spell soether so quickly in Thomas’s mind, he almost heard an audible click, as if the pieces all snapped into place at once "You’re right--you’re right! But the Runners have been looking at it wrong this whole tiripped the bars now, her knuckles white, her face pressed against the iron rods "What? What’re you talking about?"

Thorabbed the two bars outside of where she held on, ly pleasant scent of sweat and flowers "Minho said the patterns repeat theure out what it means But they’ve always studied the one day to the next What if each day is a separate piece of the code, and they’re supposed to use all eight sections together so to reveal a word?" Teresa asked "With the wall movements?"

Thomas nodded "Or ht theThey’ve been studying it like a otta--" Then he stopped, re what he’d just been told by Newt "Oh, no"

Teresa’s eyes flared orry "What’s wrong?"

"Oh no oh no oh no …" Thoo of the bars and stumbled back a step as the realization hit him He turned to look at the Map Room The smoke had lessened, but it still wafted out the door, a dark, hazy cloud covering the entire area

"What’s wrong?" Teresa repeated She couldn’t see the Map Rooain "I didn’t think it mattered…"

"What!" she demanded

"Soone"

CHAPTER 41

"I’ll be back," Thootta find Newt, see if any of the Maps survived"

"Wait!" Teresa yelled "Get me out of here!"