I lay on the cold stone still panting hard, my eyes closed trying very hard to keep the fear and panic and anguish inside.

"Good job Greenie, you just killed yourself." Minho grunted from the ground beside me.

"What?" Thomas asked.

I peeked my eyes open. He was leaning on the wall that just closed. He pushed off and spun around. Minho pushed off the ground and struggled to stand once again. Minho looked terrible, even in the pale light still available; sweaty, dirty, scratched-up. I probably didn't look any better. I knew I had blood in my hair from the smack my head took off the stone floor.

I pushed myself up onto my elbows with a groan. Alby looked worse, his clothes ripped, his arms covered with cuts and bruises. I sighed sadly and crawled over to him.

"Greenie," Minho said, "if you think that was brave comin' out here, listen up. You're the shuckiest shuck-faced shuck there ever was. You're as good as dead, just like us."

Thomas's head whipped up. I frowned at Minho.

"Way to be the possitive optimist in the group." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm being realistic Charlie!" He cried.

I lifted my head and looked at him, frowning. I saw the fear and panic in his dark eyes.

"I couldn't't just sit there and leave you guys out here." Thomas protested and sank down onto his knees beside me.

"And what good are you with us?" Minho rolled his eyes, and gestured to me and Alby. "Whatever, dude. Break the Number One Rule, kill yourself, whatever."

"You're welcome. I was just trying to help." Thomas snapped.

"Minho! Slim it!" I scolded, "you're not helping!

Minho forced a bitter laugh. I didn't want to admit just how bad things actually were. Minho and I could hardly stand, let alone run. It was night, Grievers would be out in droves soon and Thomas wasn't a runner. But the sentiment was sweet.

"What happened to him?" Thomas asked, nudging my arm, breaking me out of my thoughts, he indicated to Alby.

"Don't want to talk about it." Minho snapped, folding his arms and looking away.

"He was stung, Tommy-"

"-what does it shucken look like?"

"Minho! Zip. It." I snapped back, glaring at him. We stared off for a few moments and then he looked away with a scoff.

"He was stung. And we did what we had to."

Thomas frowned, and looked from Minho's grim look of dispare to my exhausted blood coated face, he glanced around the darkening maze. The unknown fog was starting to creep down the halls around us, and a low quiet grinding had started. The maze was starting to shift.

"We're really going to die?" Thomas asked frustrated, his eyebrows were pulled together, "you guys are telling me there is no chance?"

"None." Minho said flatly.

I stayed quiet, not really knowing what to think. Could we survive a night? Doubt it. I could hardly walk, Minho looked dead on his feet, he was using the wall as a support just to stand. And Thomas was a Greenie knowing nothing of the maze.

"No one ever has been outside the walls at night?" Thomas asked desperately.

Minho just laughed bitterly again and shook his head.

"Fine! How many have died?"

"12." I said dully, looking down at my lap. "You've seen the graveyard Tommy...and those are the bodies we've found."

"Well... we'll be the first."

Minho scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"At least we can try!" Thomas cried, and then promptly lowered his head into

It was true. At least they could try. Better then sitting here and giving up. Thomas gave me a small drive, a small willingness to live. It was small and it was slim, but it was there.

"Okay." I said, slowly trying to get to my feet.

"Ya?" Thomas looked up and around to me.

"Ya."

I gave him a small smile, struggling to my feet. Thomas hopped up and without asking, or offering he pulled me up.

"Come on! Helpe grab Alby, we can hid him or something."

I wasn't sure where you could hide a body in a maze completely made of solid stone, but...I appreciated his enthusiasm. I'd rather go down fighting and trying than sitting here waiting to be eaten.

Minho apparently felt different. He pushed off the wall and abruptly jumped at Thomas, grabbing him by the shirt.

"Minho!" I shreaked, lunging at him, grabbing his arm.

"You don't understand, shuck-face! You don't know anything, and you're just making it worse by trying to have hope! We're dead, you hear me? Dead!"

Thomas looked shocked, then his face morphed into anger and then slid into pity.

"Minho! ENOUGH!" I screamed

I couldn't believe he was giving up so easily. Minho looked down at his first, holding Thomas's shirt, holding him pinned to the wall. Shame washed over his face and he let go like he was burnt. He ran both hands through his hair and slid down the wall, his head in his hands.

"Ah man ah man! Shuck! Guys I've never been this scared before! Not like this!" He whispered.

I crouched down in front of him. Raising his head so he was forced to look at me.

"Listen here! If I could be a lone girl in a jail full of guys, if I could almost have to labor and deliver and Rai's a shucken baby bean in this shucked up place we can do this! We're runners! We do hard things!"

"Charlie! We're stuck out here at NIGHT!"

"Very observant. We've faced a Griever before. I've done it three times now."

"Yeah? And look how that turned out for you!" He spat, his face twisted in fear.

His words hurt so much I actually fell backwards onto my butt and leaned away on my hands.

"Shuck you Minho!" I whispered, looking away and willed a tear away with the back of my hand.

"The hell is your problem man?" Thomas asked, helping me to my feet.

Minho opened his mouth to speak, but closed it quickly when there was a noise. Minho's head snapped up; he looked down one of the darkened stone corridors. I felt my heart rate pick up, my eyes wide, looking down the foggy dark hall.

The noise came from deep within the Maze, a low, haunting sound. A constant whirring that  had  a  metallic ring  every  few  seconds, like  sharp  knives rubbing against each other. And then a sharp thud metal stabbing stone. It grew louder by the second.

A hollow moan filled the air, and then a loud animalistic scream. All  of  it,  together,  was  horrifying, and  the  small  amount of  courage Thomas had given me had started to slip away. My blood went from hot to cold to hot back to hot. My breath started to come faster.

I looked for Minho. He stood up, straight and stiff, his face barely visible in the shadows. But when he spoke, I knew his eyes wide with terror, I could hear the panic and fear.

"We have to split up! It's our only chance. Just keep moving guys. Don't stop running!"

"Minho! No!" I pleaded, trying to grab his arm

"Sorry, Charlie! Split up." He pulled his arm free from my grip.

"No! We gotta help Alby!" I pleaded, tears in my eyes.

"Come on man!" Thomas tried.

Minho was backing up and then he spun around and ran. He disappeared in seconds, swallowed by the Maze and darkness.

"Charlie?" Thomas asked hesitantly.

I was still standing staring after my best friend. He just ditched me. He just left! I couldn't believe the betrayal and hurt I felt. I slapped my hand over my mouth, trying to be quiet, but the sob came. I felt arms pull me into a hug.

Thomas hugged me for a few seconds. The wild animal screaming and the metal on metal and metal on stone was getting louder.

"Come on! We gotta get moving." Thomas said.

He pulled away, and I nodded. We grabbed Alby and hulled him up. We started down the hall, away from the noise. It was slow going. Alby felt even heavier. My legs hurt from being in the maze all day already.

"Is there any place to hide him?" Thomas asked?

I shook my head. Not talking, trying to conserve energy and breath.

"Come on Charlie! Think!" Thomas demanded.

I stopped and dropped Alby, I winced feeling bad, but I turned to look at Thomas.

"Look! I have run this maze for a year every single shucken day! There is nowhere to hide! It's stone walls, stone floor! That's it!" I cried, throwing my hands around, spinning in a circle to prove my point.

I did a double take, and frowned.

Vines!

Vines!

I spun around, frowning at Thomas.

"...Tommy?" I asked hesitantly.

He was already looking at me like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. The whirring noise and haunting moaning came from the halls. I shook my head.

"We gotta get Alby up-"

"-the vines-"

"-to keep him-"

"-safe!"

We blinked at each other for a moment.

"Stop-"

"-finishing-"

"-my-"

"Sentences!"

We grabbed Alby and pulled him closer to the wall that was covered with thick rope like ivy vines. We frantically started tying them around him.

"Wait! How do we get him up the shuck wall?" I whispered, I could feel my panic rising.

Thomas froze and stepped back, he took a look up the wall and around. Frowning I could almost see the wheels turning. He came back to the wall and grabbed a vine, he started tying it quickly around me.

"Thomas, what-"

"We go up, push and pull Alby up. Tie off vibes as we hill him."

I immidiatly understood, nodding I turned towards the wall and Alby. Thomas and I climbed up a few feet above Alby, retrying the vine around ourselves. I glanced at Thomas, nervous about this part.

He gave me a small encouraging smile. He let go first, and reached down grabbing Alby's arm. I took a shuddering breath and coppief him. Together we heaved him up a few feet. While we held him we rewrapped a new vine around his upper arms.

"I have a better idea...go down under you push I'll pull." I whispered.

I heard the Griever again. It was closer. I swallowed the rising panic. Each time I came across a Griever something awful happened, someone ended up dying.

Thomas nodded and climbed back down. Together we worked together, he would push Alby up and hold him while I pulled him up and retired the vines. We worked great as a team, but it was extremely slow going. Having to retire ourselves as well.

Using the same method of pushing each of Alby's arms and legs up two or three feet at a time. We slowly made our way up the stone wall. Repeating the whole process over and over. Climb, wrap, push up, tie off. Climb, wrap, push up, tie off. The Grievers at least seemed to be moving slowly through the Maze. Over and over, little by little, up they went.

I tried not to think about Minho. How was he doing? Where was he? Why would he think splitting up is better? And how could he leave me? Leave Alby? When I thought that my heart would feel like a knife was twisting.

Charlie?

I jumped and a small gasp of surprise escalade my mouth, I slapped a hand over my own mouth. The voice...the vibrating and the precense was back it was intense, feeling full of panic, exhaustion and unease.

I ever so slowly looked down to where Thomas was right under Alby's body. We were about thirty feet above the ground.

I meet Thomas's eyes. I couldn't see what colour they were, but I could see the stars reflecting off them

Tommy..?

I could feel the presence flash in excitement and surprise.

Charlie!

I saw his eyes widen in surprise and realization. The voice I had been hearing off and on for a year was Thomas!

The shuck?!

I can't go any higher!

How are we doing this? How the shuck is this possible?

No idea. But...we need to hide him with vines as best we can.

Oh umm yeah.

We both grabbed vines, pulling them off the wall and trying to push Alby behind the vines.

That's the best we can do for now. Do we stay here or go?

I need to catch my breath.

I don't think we have time for that! I've been running the shuck maze all day! Deal with it Tommy Boy!

I felt him sigh in frustration.

Shh!

Why? I'm not talking, you...slint head

Okay one Glader slang sucks when you say it. And two I ment stop moving. I can hear a Griever!

I felt Thomas's panic flair.

Do what I say, exactly what I say. They are big, but not very agile. We wait until we see where it is and which direction it's coming from.

Okay..

If we drop down and run blindly we could run  right into one ..or a group.

Do not want that.

No.

I pushed myself as much as I could into the vines, hiding myself. Just in time. A Griever slowly materialized out if the dark gloom. It's bloody body, long sharp stabbing legs, slowly stabbing into the stone, like a giant deadly spider. It's long scorpion tail whipping back and forth. The whirring sound was coming from the horrible saw blade on its back. The haunting moan was coming from it like some kind of sadistic purr. It's eyes reflected in the stars above me flashed. It turned its head back and forth, like it knows that Thomas and I are hiding here somewhere.

I could feel Thomas's panic.

Don't move! Breath. You told me that one time. Breath. In and out.

I did?

Yes. You helped me many times. Lead me in a short cut through to get maze one time when a Griever was chasing me and my partner, gave me a few heads up the next time..the time...Ben was stung... And we lost Jax and Bean.

I don't remember! How could I know that? How could I see you?

I have no idea, Tommy. But thank you. You saved my life so many times.

But..I don't remember!

Shhh! The Griever is right under us.

The Griever had stopped right under us, it moved its head slowly back and forth, like it was trying to snuff us out. Or scare us out of hiding. I held my breath, hardly daring to breath.

To my horror, the Griever lifted its head and stabbed its front two spiked legs into the stone wall. It slowly crawled up the wall. Stabbing one long sharp leg into the thick stone walls at a time. It was definitely trying to scare us. It was working. I could feel my panic and fear...but it felt doubled because I could feel Thomas's fear.

I couldn't even take a proper breath if I wanted to, the vine was cutting into my chest, I was loosing feeling in my arms and the ache in my lungs from holding my breath was terrible.

The Griever scaled the wall slowly and deliberately.

We need to run! We can keep Alby safe if we leave.

Don't leave me too! Please!

No! Never!

What's the plan?

Ummm..workin' on it.

Without moving my head too much I looked around quickly, taking in the surroundings.

We gotta untie ourselves and somehow climb to the sides away from Alby and...down? Then-

We shucken run!

Yeah.. basically.

On three. One.

I exhaled and took a deep breath.

Two

I grabbed onto the vine beside me.

Three!

I ripped the vine off as fast as I could, unwinding myself from the vine that held me. Thomas was faster, he hadn't run a full day and carried Alby for an entire afternoon. My legs screamed and my arms burned.

Thomas was already scrambling like a monkey away from Alby and myself.

The Griever opened its huge mouth, showing off its rows of jagged sharp teeth, and screamed.

_____________________________________________

**Doing it book style.**
**Poor Minho...panics and then ditches**