˚ ༘✶₊˚. ⊹ ˚ . FIRST ACT
❪ NINETEEN ♥︎ ₊˚༢࿐
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ALTHOUGH THE MAZE WAS LESS HORRIFYING DURING THE DAY, the eerie silence that followed each step made the group paranoid. The gag that Grievers only came out during the night seemed to be the only thing keeping the Gladers from spiraling into a panic whenever they hear a pebble roll or a Wall shift.

Mae walked silently behind the boys, staring at the tips of her shoes while she fought back another wave of tears. The worst part about leaving Gally behind was that every part of her didn't want to turn back. Being so selfish felt horrible to Mae. She wished that things would have gone differently. But, nothing ever seemed to go her way.

"Are you okay?" Thomas asked her. He had slowed behind the group to talk to her, his hands twitching at his sides with the urge to hold hers. He knew that his question was stupid, obviously, Mae wasn't okay but he didn't know what else to say.

"I will be, once we get out of here." She said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. There was a long silence between them before she looked up, "Can I ask you something?" She muttered. Thomas nods. "Do you remember what I did for them? WICKED I mean."

His eyebrows furrowed at the question, trying to search his brain for any clue. Not all of his memories came back during the Changing, just random events in flashes, some of them just feelings. He remembered seeing Mae on multiple occasions, mostly of her smiling or laughing. She was standing beside the Box and-- the Box.

"You were the one who put the supplies in the Box each week," He tells her. "I don't remember much else just that we were. . ." He trailed, his ears going red.

"We were what?" Mae pressed softly.

"We were together for a while," He admits, clearing his throat. "I think that's why we found each other so familiar. Why I felt so comfortable around you when I came up from the Box." And why I couldn't stop thinking about you, he thought.

Mae's face twisted up in a mixture of surprise and subconsciously reached for the ring around her pointer finger. "Why did they send me up into the Maze if I was the one in charge of giving them supplies?" She thought out loud, her lips tugging down. "I assume I wasn't a part of the experiments, I just worked there. . .so why me?" Then, she thought back to how she looked when she first arrived in the box. Her head was split open. Mae distinctly reached up to touch the small scar on her temple, "I must've fallen inside while I was restocking the Box for the week, and they must've not seen me and sent it up by mistake."

Thomas thought for a moment. Her question raised a light in the back of his mind, like he knew the answer but not completely. He couldn't remember the full story, just bits, and pieces. In the memories he was given back, he remembered Mae being there one minute and then suddenly gone the next. He felt sad, upset. But why?

"Mae. . ." He finally said, looking down at her with a set frown, "I don't think you falling in the Box was an accident. The woman in my memory was furious when she found out about it, the whole thing could've ruined the experiment if your memories weren't wiped."

The blonde looked back in concern. Alby had mentioned to Nick that Mae could've been pushed but the girl just assumed he was joking. Why would any push her into the Box? There was a big chunk of the story missing. What was so important about Mae that they needed to get out of the way? How were they able to erase her memory and shove her into the Box without raising any heads?

"We're almost there!" Minho announced.

Thomas gave her one last look before running up to the front, motioning for the group to lean against the wall as he peered into the bridge of section seven. His whole body froze when he saw a Griever blocking the exit.

"Is it a Griever?" Chuck asked nervously.

Thomas nods, "Yeah." The younger boy cussed in response.

Minho hands the key to Chuck, "You take this, Chuck. Stay behind us." He orders.

Teresa takes the hair tie from Mae, and pulls up her long black hair into a low ponytail, giving Chuck a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Just stick with me."

Mae pats the younger boy's shoulder, "We got your back."

"Once we're through, it'll active and the door will open," Thomas explained, "We stay close, we stick together, we get through this. We get out now. . .or die trying."

"Preferably without the dying," Mae adds. She turned her eyes behind her, where Thomas' speech had seemed to give the Gladers confidence, bouncing on their feet and gripping their weapons, ready to fight. Mae grinned, unhooking the machete from her bag.

"Ready?" Thomas asked them. "All right. Let's go!"

With a battle cry, the Gladers had charged into the Griever hole, spears raised forward as they charged. The Griever gave a loud shrill, and Mae found an anger bubble in her chest. Her thoughts were only of avenging Nick as her spear pierced through the Griever's slimy skin.

Still, it wasn't enough to seriously harm the Griever, much less kill it.

"Push it!" Thomas bellowed, using his spear to shove the Griever toward the edge. The Gladers instantly complied, using all of their strength to push the Griever back.

The beast waved its metallic claw across, and if Mae had ducked a second too late she would've been decapitated in seconds. Yet, Mike wasn't so lucky, and when the claw came back around the boy was sent flying over the edge of the bridge with a loud scream.

The claw buries instead into the ground in front of Teresa, and the girl slams her machete into it. But, in doing this, she knocked the key out of Chuck's hands.

"The key!" He screamed, running out of the protected circle and chasing the rolling object.

"Chuck! What's the edge!" Teresa screamed.

Mae ran out of the circle and toward Chuck, who had grabbed the key last second before it fell over the edge. Together, Mae and Teresa grabbed each of his legs.

"Oh, shit." The boy says, looking down at the Grievers that were crawling up the wall, "Pull me up! Pull me up!" He screamed at them. With one good tug, the girls had successfully lifted Chuck to safety.

The boys had also been successful, and Mae would've been thankful to see the Griever fall over the edge if it wasn't for the three Grievers that took its place. "Thomas!" The three screamed, trying to gain his attention.

Thomas looks over at the sound of his name, his eyes widening at the three Grievers who were chasing them down the bridge. Teresa and Chuck had run past the boys, but Mae quickly turned around and slashed her machete toward the Griever who was seconds from clawing her back.

Her eyes widened at her form of bravery, but the adrenaline was short-lived when she came face-to-face with the Griever's mountain of sharp teeth. Mae felt her whole body freeze up, her mind taking her back to the day in the Maze with Nick when a Griever - who looked just like that one - slammed her against that wall. She was petrified to move.

"Mae! Watch out!" Newt shouts, grabbing the collar of her shirt and tugging her back before a Griever poked at her. His eyes burned worriedly into hers, "Pull yourself together, all right! Now's not the time to freeze up!"

"Don't back down! Keep pushing!" Thomas encouraged.

"Stay together!" Newt bellowed.

Mae stumbles into Jack, who pulled her up with a quick nod. She returned it and looks back just as Peter charged forward with his spear. The Griever catches it with its mouth, and flings Peter over the bridge, killing him instantly. Jack's eyes began to water, but he says nothing as he continued to fight against the Grievers.

"Thomas! It's a code!" Teresa shouts, "Eight numbers!"

"Eight sections of the Maze," He muttered to himself before turning to Minho, "Minho! What's the sequence?!"

"What?" The boy shouts over to him.

Mae, who was closer, shouts. "The sequence! The sequence!"

"Seven, one, five, two. uh, six, four!"

"Heads up!" Newt shouts.

     His warning wasn't quick enough, and Mae looked up just in time to see a Griever fall from the open hole in the sky and right on top of Minho. Her heart leaped out of her chest at the sight, hearing Newt cry out his parters name as he tried to reach him. Mae rushed forward and pierced her machete into the Griever's left eye, causing it to shrill out and slash against her cheek, cutting it open.

     Still, it didn't seem to be enough as she was thrown out of the way and into Thomas' side. Minho screamed for someone to get it off of him, and with a yell Jeff runs forward and slams his spear through the Griever's head, allowing Minho to be dragged out from under it. It hadn't been enough, and the Griever bit into Jeff's abdomen.

     "Jeff!" Mae cried, running toward her fellow Med-Jack with tears. Thomas' hand curled into her arms, keeping her in place. The girl was forced to watch Jeff be torn to shreds.

     "What's the sequence? Come on!" Chuck screamed.

     "Six! Four! Eight! Three!" Minho finished off.

     Thankfully, the rest of the Gladers had been through the Griever hole when the walls began to slam down, taking out the Griever's one by one. As the last one ran toward them, Thomas threw his spear into its eye, causing it to stumble just enough for the Griever hole to slam closed.

     The Gladers stood in complete silence, unable to see in the dark as they caught their breath. Mae's hands continued to shake at her sides, unable to close her eyes without seeing another death. Then, a new door opened. It was small, and metal, and when Teresa pushed it open, a bright light had blinded them.

     One by one the remaining Gladers stepped out of the hole. Mae looked down either side of what appeared to be a tunnel, the lights above them flicking on with each and every section, leading them down a path. The blonde felt a hand curl around her own, and she looked down to see a nervous Chuck.

     She forced a smile on cut lip, squeezing his hand back, "Good job, Chuck." She praised. The younger boy gave a faltering smile back.

     Silently, they followed Thomas' lead down the tunnel. All thinking about the battle they had just fought. They stopped in front of a metal door, one with a bright green light above it that read: EXIT. Mae almost scoffed at how easy it seemed, and she wasn't the only one.

     "Seriously?" Frypan voiced, looking to Winston who gave a light shrug.

     When Thomas opened the door, Mae felt even worse. Bodies littered the open hallway like pieces of paper, an orange warning light flickering above them. Dead bodies on metal tables laid covered in white sheets, and Newt had to pull Minho away from it so he wouldn't stare too long.

     "What happened here?"

     The next door led them into a lab, one that looked worse then the hallway did. Live wire flicks from the ceiling, and Mae had to grab Teresa's arm before she stepped into a puddle underneath it.

     "So they were watching us." Newt scoffed. Mae followed his line of sight to a monitor of cameras, ones that showed in Glade from every aspect. Instantly, her eyes strained to see, hoping to catch a glimpse of Gally, "This whole time."

     Thomas stands in front of a desk, one that appeared familiar to him. And, like muscle memory, his finger pressed against the keypad. It responds to his touch, and with a quick whirl, a woman appears on a holographic screen.

     "Hello. My name is Doctor Ava Paige."

     Mae's eyes snap up at the voice, her attention strained on the woman in the video. She was older, and wore a white jumpsuit under a white lab coat. Her face was sunken, and slightly wrinkled but her eyes held something that felt familiar to Mae. She had seen this woman before, in her dreams — and she wasn't the only one. Thomas recognized her too.

     "I'm Director of Operations of the World in Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department."

     "WICKED," Mae muttered in realization.

    "If you're watching this, you have successfully completed the Maze Trials." The woman continued. "I wish I could be there in person to congratulate you, but circumstances seem to have prevented it."

     A loud siren rings from inside of the video, and Mae watches in shock as the people behind Doctor Paige began to frantically move around. Still, the woman appeared completely calm.

    "I'm sure by now you all must be very confused. Angry, frightened. I can only assure you, that everything that's happened to you, everything we've done to you, it was all done for a reason. You won't remember, but the Sun has scorched our world."

     She began to show images on the screen, one's that made everyone's stomachs drop in discomfort. She showed them the billions of lives lost to fire and distraction.

     "The fallout was unimaginable but what came after was much worse. We call it 'The Flare'. A deadly virus that attacks the brain."

     Mae had come to the conclusion that this was what was happening to the Gladers who had gotten stung and couldn't survive it. George's face flashed into her mind. They must've seen it all, they must've watched these boys drop like flies during those three years. Still, they did nothing, just watched. It made her blood boil.

    "In time, a new generation emerged that could survive the virus. Suddenly, there was a reason to hope for a cure. But finding it would not be easy. The young would have to be tested, even sacrificed inside harsh environments where their brain activity could be studied."

     Mae's fingers curled into her palms. How could they? She thought. How could they allow this to happen, they were just kids. Kids pushed into deadly situations and for what? What about them? None of them deserved to be used as a test subject they never even had a choice.

     "You may not realize it, but you're very important. Unfortunately, your trials have only just begun as you will no doubt soon discover, not everyone agrees with our methods. Progress is slow, people are scared. It may be too late for us, for me. ." She trailed.

     Mae's eyes widened at the Doctors being shot to death behind the woman, soldiers in black shooting without mercy.

     ". . .but not for you. The outside world awaits. Remember." The woman pulls a gun from the table and places it against her temple, "WICKED is good."

     Mae gasped out, turning her head away as the shot echoed the room. Thomas had done the same, accept his eyes landed on the body of the same woman in the video. Mae's eyes followed, and almost threw up on the spot at the sight of her laying on the ground.

     Then, the doors on the left spread open with a loud siren. Opening a new path for them.

     "Is it over?" Chuck asked.

     "She said we were important.." Newt adds. "What are we supposed to do now?"

     All eyes turn to Thomas, who looked just as lost as the rest of them. "I don't know," He admits, looking back at the door, "But let's get out of here."

     They take a step forward and then—

     "No."

     Mae's chest tightened at the voice of a boy she never thought she'd see again. Turning around to find Gally standing in the middle of the room, his eyes shined with tears, and his face was far too pale to be natural. Still, Mae had been so relieved to see him, that she hadn't noticed it.

     "Gally!" She shouts, taking a step forward.

     "Don't." Teresa grabs her wrist, shaking her head at the girl, "He's been stung." 

     Mae's eyes began to water, turning back at Gally. Teresa was right, the large black veins growing up the side of his neck was noticeable now, and the sobs that Gally was holding back broke her heart in two. "No," She shook her head, "Gally—"

     "We can't leave," He says firmly. It was then the group had noticed the gun in his shaking hand.

     Thomas takes a cautious step forward, unnoticeably in front of Mae, "We did. Gally, we're out. We're free." He said calmly.

     "Free?" Gally repeats bitterly, "You think we're free out there? No. No, there's no escape from this place." He raised the gun at Thomas.

     "Gally, no!" Mae shouts, taking a dangerous step forward. His eyes drop to her as she spoke, her voice shaking with each word. "This isn't you, can't you see that? They're controlling you. Please, please. We can get you help. Just—" She cut herself off with a sob, holding her hand out to him, "Just give us the gun."

     Gally's body visibly shook with restraint, tears pooling out of his eyes, "I came out here, looking for you," He tells her, "I didn't want you to be alone, so I left the Glade and—" He shook his head, "And I see now. I-I belong to the Maze. We all do!"

     He pulls the trigger, and in all the chaos Mae had seen the spear graze past her and slam into Gally's chest. She let out a shattering scream, watching as Gally dropped to the ground in front of her. "No!" She cried, rushing forward and grabbing at his shirt just before he could fall.

     "Mae," He choked out, unable to catch his breath. His cold hands gripped tightly on her shirt, clinging to her in any way he could.

     "No, no, no. Please." She sobbed, "Gally, just hold on, okay? I-I'll find you help. Don't, don't leave me okay? I love you. I love you. Please. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone without you, I'm so sorry!" Mae screamed.

     "Thomas?"

     Mae turned her head to see Chuck, looking up at Thomas with soft eyes. The center of his shirt coated in a dark crimson, and with a shaky breath, she watched as Chuck crashed onto the ground. Thomas began to panic over his boy, crying out for the boy.

The girl stood numb between the both of them. Mae doubled over in the center, one hand clasped tightly on Chuck's hand, while the other gripped onto Gally's shirt.

"I'm sorry!" Thomas choked out, clutching the boy's body in his arms, "God damnit! Damnit! No!" He sobbed, shaking the boy's shoulder. But Chuck stared on, no longer seeing. "Get up, Chuck! Come on!"

The doors open, and a group of men with guns rushed into the room. Mae could hear Newt and Minho shouting for her, but all she could hear was the sound of Thomas' screams mixed with her own.

"No!" Mae screamed, "Get off of me! Get off of me!" She pushed against the armed men, punching the chest of one as the grabbed at her again. She continued to sob, pounding against the men as they lifted her up from the ground with ease, dragging her out of the room.

She screamed until her voice went raw, crying for Chuck and Gally, watching their bodies slowly start to fade from her view. Thomas had been dragged numbly beside her, and it wasn't until her feet were covered in sand did she register the helicopter waiting for them.

She was thrown into it, right into Newt and Minho's arms, who pulled her into them with teary eyes. She sobbed into Newt's chest, gripping the fabric of his shirt as Minho rubbed soothing circles on her back, both boys too stunned to speak.

"You guys all right?" Asked a guard. No one answered. "Don't worry, you're safe now."

Then, the Helicopter began to fly up, away from the Maze — the Glade, and the bodies left behind. And as they continued to fly away, Mae had watched as the place she called home for three years grow smaller and smaller, showing them that, in the end, it was nothing but a lie.

"Relax, kid. Everything is going to change."

[ act one is complete: onto phase two. ]

11.11.21