XX

"We have to hurry ... or we'll get trapped in here."

"I know, I know," Aris flailed his arms about in response to Brenda's statement. "Just hold still. I've got this."

Brenda bit her lower lip as her gaze trailed back towards the screens that clearly displayed the outlay of the maze. Stay safe, little buddy, she inwardly pleaded as she thought of Chuck. I'm coming for you.

"Yes!" Aris excitedly slapped his hands down on the desk. "I'm in." With a flourish, he swivelled the computer around so it faced Brenda. "Would you like to do the honours?"

"Pffftt. Idiot. I - I wouldn't know what to say," Brenda waved him away. "You do it. You're the expert."

Aris just rolled his eyes. "Fine." Clattering his fingers noisily against the keys, Aris enabled the mic on the device and, with an abrupt click, he pressed RECORD.

"Hello fellow allies," he began his broadcast. "You may be a little confused as to why this is happening so, let me get straight to the point. We are the Right-Arm Elites, a band of courageous men and women, on the outside, who are dedicated to helping people, such as yourselves, who have fallen victim to the cruel tactics of an organisation known as WCKD. We are here to set you free. So please, no arguing, shoving, or fighting. This is your first and last chance to escape from the Maze. All you need to do is follow the directions given to you and you shall be led towards the nearest exit."

Brenda cringed at how monotone Aris' voice sounded but stayed put until he had finished calling out the assigned instructions. As he closed off the mic, however, he suddenly froze. "Uh, we may have a problem."

"What? How?" Brenda cast a hasty glance back towards the screens.

She watched as a group of twelve, leaving the others, who were hesitant and unwilling to comply, left the wall opening and ventured deeper into the winding, twisting maze. Chuck was among them.

But, open closer inspection, Brenda noticed large cavernous holes gaping in some of the walls. She frowned as she turned back to Aris. "Do - do you think that WCKD may have planted - er - things in those holes to - uh - stop the prisoners from, I don't know, escaping?"

Aris shuddered slightly as he began scrolling back through the computer. "Oh. Hold up. I've found something."

Brenda wheeled her chair closer to his and peered over Aris' shoulder as he clicked on a selected item.

An image popped up suddenly, right in front of their faces!

Aris let out a squeal of fright and Brenda nearly fell off her chair!

"Oh my god, what even is that?" she gasped out.

The computer contained a picture of a large, hideous-looking beast. Yellowish slime was dripping from the corners of its curved mouth, lined with rows of of jagged teeth. Numerous spikes and sharp needles covered its entire body. Disjointed, metallic legs protruded from the creature's sides. Eight legs in all. This - thing - looked like a horrifyingly massive spider!

Aris, trying to recover from his scare, squinted at some words scrawled across the bottom of the image. "G-gr ... Griever. Its called a Griever."

"Huh. No wonder," Brenda answered haltingly.

"You were right," Aris murmured as he flicked through a lengthier description of the creature. "WCKD placed them throughout the maze as a scaring mechanism to make sure the prisoners could never get out. No wonder most of them were so reluctant to leave!"

"Is - is there any way to shut these things down? To ensure that they won't attack the escapees?" Brenda queried worriedly.

Aris shrugged. "I've got nothing."

Brenda whirled around to gaze back at the screens. Suddenly, she paused and inhaled sharply. "Aris, Aris!" she cried, reaching over and grabbing his arm. "One's charging the group right now! What do we do?"

Aris frantically searched the system for a solution but ended up shaking his head in discouragement. "There's nothing here!"

"I am not letting Chuck die!" Brenda yelled as she leaped to her feet. Her eyes scanned the room, eventually falling on an polished oak table situated right in a far corner. A 3D model of the Maze was portrayed on its surface and a small pop-up keyboard was clearly visible.

Eagerly, Brenda pounced upon it. Using the keyboard, she expanded on the lay-out of the walls before zooming in on the grievers that were lurking within the shadows. Clicking on one of them, she was presented with a variety of options, but she only focused on one. The button that read DELETE.

"C'mon, work for me, work for me, please!" she groaned, her heart fluttering nervously.

Hurriedly, Brenda selected the item and slammed down on the keyboard. As her instruction reached the network, all 3D figures of the grievers suddenly dissolved.

A boxed statement suddenly popped up over the 3D map.

YOUR REQUEST HAS BEEN ACCEPTED.

Brenda's shoulders sagged with relief as she cast a quick look over at Aris. "D-did it work?"

Aris sat back in surprise. "Yup. The creatures have been shut down. The escapees are almost near the exit. Geez, that was a close close." He swivelled around in his chair to gaze at her. "Are you ready to see Chuck again, Be?"

Brenda cracked a small smile. "You know I am." Slinging her rifle over her shoulder, she headed for the door and called out over her shoulder, "I'll get Sonya to update Vince about our status. You, finish up here and be quick about it. I won't be long."

"Wait. Where are you going?" Aris yelped.

"I'm meeting Chuck and the others down at the exit. I can't wait any longer," Brenda responded dryly as she pushed open the door.

"That wasn't part of the plan!" Aris shouted after her. "You're supposed to wait here with Sonya and I until Vince gets his guys secured around the back doors!"

Brenda just ignored him and kept walking, her head throbbing and her heart pounding.

It'd only be a matter of minutes before she'd see her brother again.

Gif: Chuck being a lil cutie pie.

Q: On a scale of 1-10, how much do you like Chuck?

~ If you enjoyed this chapter or want to give me feedback on anything, don't hesitate to vote, comment or DM me. I'm open to any suggestions, ideas or constructive criticism. I love chatting with my readers and I love to hear what they think about my writing. However, any hate or negativity posted on here will be deleted and reported. Have a great day everyone! Catch you all soon. ~