The air was thick with tension as the group moved deeper into the maze, led by Thomas and Minho. The towering stone walls loomed above them, the labyrinth more menacing than ever under the dim light of the setting sun. Y/N stayed behind with Teresa and Chuck, clutching the severed Griever heart they had salvaged, trying to decipher its strange pattern of ridges and numbers.

Chuck sat close to her, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "What if this doesn't work, Y/N?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"It has to," Y/N said firmly, her eyes scanning the strange symbols. She couldn't let doubt creep in—not now. "We've come too far for it not to."

Teresa crouched beside her, running her fingers over the heart. "These ridges—they're too deliberate to be random. It has to be a code," she muttered. "Something connected to the maze sections."

Y/N's eyes lit up. "The sections," she whispered. "That's it! The order of the maze sections—it has to be the key."

Just as the realization hit, a guttural screech echoed from behind them. Y/N turned sharply to see three Grievers crawling out of the shadows, their grotesque, mechanical bodies gleaming ominously.

"Get back!" she shouted, pulling Chuck behind her as Teresa grabbed a makeshift weapon.

The Grievers charged, and chaos erupted. Minho and Newt sprinted back from the front, joining Frypan and Winston in trying to fend off the creatures. Metal clanged against makeshift weapons, and the air filled with shouts and growls.

"Minho!" Y/N screamed over the noise. "I need the order of the sections!"

Minho, fighting for his life, looks at her with confusion. "What!?". Y/N screams back, determination in her voice, "The code is the Maze, Minho! tell me the sections in order!". 

Minho nodded, wracking his brain for the answer as he dodged a swipe from a Griever's claw, his face drenched in sweat. "Seven, one, five, eight..." he called out, his voice strained as he swung his weapon.

Y/N and Teresa hurriedly began typing the numbers into the panel embedded in the stone near the edge of the maze, the Griever heart fitting perfectly as a key.

"Four! Six—" Minho started, but a Griever tackled him to the ground mid-sentence.

"Minho!" Y/N screamed, about to run to him, but Jeff sprinted past her. He shoved the Griever off Minho with all his strength, only for its stinger to impale him in the process.

Jeff cried out, collapsing to the ground as the Griever reared back, blood staining its claws. Minho scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide with horror. "Finish it, Y/N!" he yelled.

Y/N's hands shook, but she forced herself to focus. "What's the last number?" she screamed.

"Three!" Minho shouted.

Teresa slammed the final button, and the stone wall groaned as a hidden passage opened. A bright, blinding light poured out, and the group scrambled toward it, leaving the remaining Grievers behind. The walls closed behind them with a thunderous crash, trapping the creatures outside and silencing their screeches.

Panting and battered, the survivors—Y/N, Thomas, Minho, Newt, Teresa, Frypan, Winston, and Chuck—stumbled into the tunnel.

The air was stale, the tunnel dimly lit, but it felt like salvation after the horrors of the maze. At the end, they emerged into a hallway, a sign flickering next to them. As the opened the door, the entered what looked to be a sterile laboratory, the walls lined with shattered glass and bodies of dead scientists and technicians.

A flickering monitor drew their attention. A woman appeared on the screen, her expression somber and weary.

"My name is Ava Paige," she began. "If you're watching this, then you've survived the maze. You are the chosen few, immune to the Flare virus that has ravaged our world. This experiment was designed to study your resilience, your ability to survive against all odds."

The group stood in stunned silence as she explained the solar flares and the deadly virus that had turned the world into a wasteland. The purpose of the maze had been cruelly clear: to test them, no matter the cost.

At the end of the video, Ava raised a gun to her temple. "This is the only the beginning; and remember, WICKED is good," she said, her voice steady. A single gunshot echoed, and the screen went dark.

Before anyone could process the revelation, a faint click sounded behind them. Y/N spun around to see Gally, his face pale and drenched in sweat, holding a gun in trembling hands. His eyes were wild, bloodshot—he'd been stung by a Griever.

"You think you're free?" he rasped, his voice laced with venom. "You'll never be free."

"Gally, put the gun down," Thomas said, stepping forward cautiously.

Y/N walks towards him slowly, her hands shaking. "Gally, please, put the gun down, you're safe now, we're free-"

But Gally raised the weapon, cutting her off as he aimed it directly at Thomas. "This is your fault," he snarled. "The maze, the deaths, everything."

"Gally, no!" Y/N cried, but it was too late. The shot rang out.

Chuck moved faster than anyone expected, throwing himself in front of Thomas. The bullet hit him square in the chest, and he crumpled to the ground.

Minho, simultaneously, had thrown a spear at Gally, the weapon piercing his chest. Gally dropped the gun and fell to his knees, collapsing onto his side, still breathing but no longer a threat.

"No! Chuck!" Y/N screamed, dropping to her knees beside him. She cupped his face, tears streaming down her cheeks as blood pooled beneath him.

Chucks breathed slowed down as he removed his hands from his bloodied torso. He looked up at Y/N, smiling weakly, his breaths uneven as he whispered. "Don't cry, Y/N," he whispered. "Thank you, for being my best friend."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, carved bear, pressing it into Thomas's hands. "For... my parents," he murmured. "Don't... forget..."

And then he was gone.

Before anyone could react further, masked men burst into the room, their weapons raised. "You're safe now," one of them said. "We're taking you out., follow us!"

The group was ushered into a helicopter, dazed and grief-stricken as they ran through the desert, jumping into their escape vehicle. As the helicopter rose, they looked down to see the maze stretching endlessly across a barren desert wasteland.

Y/N leaned into Newt's shoulder, tears streaming down her face. "We're free," she whispered, her voice a mix of relief and heartbreak.

Newt pressed a gentle kiss to her head, his hand squeezing hers. "Yeah, love. We are."

But Thomas stared out the window, his jaw clenched. "Yeah," he muttered. "But at what cost?"