The lights flickered back on. The three boys stared around, wondering what they had just done. "What just happened?" Chuck asked.

"I think you've just deactivated everything," Thomas said.

"Where are the others?" Newt suddenly asked. He was looking at all the cameras. None of them showed their friends.

"Where are they?" Chuck freaked out.

"No. We couldn't have been being too late," Thomas was afraid he had failed everyone.

"We're here guys!" It was Minho. 

They turned around and saw him, Frypan and at least thirty other boys. They were all that survived.

"Thank god," Thomas breathed in relief rushing to them.

"What took you guys so long?" Frypan asked.

"We just had to type words into a computer," Newt explained crossing his arms. "Then Chuckie here saved the day," he ruffled the youngest Glader's hair. 

"It was nothing," he shrugged.

"It's over. It's all over," Winston sighed in relief. 

"We're free," Frypan looked exhausted.

"What about Edward and Teresa?" Chuck reminded them, his tone scared. 

Thomas's excitement dropped like a stone. "Oh no," Quickly he glanced around at every camera in the room. There was no sign of Edward or Teresa. "No. No. They can't be gone," he was scared. He wouldn't give up. He tried to find at least one sign that they were alive but they saw nothing.

"No," he shook his head. A tear escaped his eye. He felt Chuck hugging his side. He embraced him back. He felt a soft hand clasp his shoulder. He turned and saw it was Newt, lips pressed together, his eyes wet. 

"I'm sorry Thomas," Minho said sadly.

"What's with the sad faces?" someone's voice called behind them. 

The group turned around. To their luck, they saw Teresa and Edward walking towards them. 

"Edward!" Thomas sprinted over to his brother and pulled him into his arms. His younger brother hugged him tightly. He pulled back and cupped his cheeks. "Don't ever scare me like that again," 

Chuck bounded forward and embraced him tightly. "We thought you were dead,"

Edward chuckled in tears. "I don't go down that easily Chuckie," he ruffled his hair. 

"How did you guys get out?" Minho asked.  

"We were on the top of a maze wall but then this tunnel appeared right next to us and we slid down and ended up in a dark private room. We just followed the corridors and ended up here," Teresa explained. "There's a whole series of tunnels in those walls and around these corridors," 

"When we shut down the maze...we've must have activated that tunnel to bring you two over to us," Thomas said.

Newt noticed someone was missing. "Where's Alby?" he asked, his voice instantly paralysed. 

Edward hung his head down to hide his tears. Teresa was the only face in the room brave enough to show a despondent look with tears raining down her cheeks. She shook her head. 

Thomas knew exactly what that meant. He shared a pale glance with Newt who was struck. Everyone else shared glances of despondency with one another. Thomas saw how guilty Edward looked and he pulled him into his arms.

"We were attacked by a titan griever. He saved us," he sobbed. "But it cost him his life. It's my fault,"

"No. No. No. Don't say that Edward," Teresa clasped his shoulder. "You're not responsible for his choice,"

"But it was my creations that killed him,"

"That titan grieve wasn't your creation. If it was, it would have recognised you. It's not your fault,"

"Teresa's right Ed," Newt said. Although he didn't shed any tears, Edward could see the wetness behind them. "He made his choice to save you both. That's what he always did. He placed the safety and wellbeing of others before his own. Always remember him for his sacrifice,"

Edward sniffled and nodded. He held up the pendant Alby had given him before he plunged to his death. "Here..." he offered it to Newt. "This was his,"

Newt was hurt seeing the last momento of Alby in his fingers. He reached to touch it but just grasped Edward's fingers and pushed them back over the necklace. "Keep it. He would want you to have it,"

Edward looked down at Alby's little token in his hand and grasped it tighter.

"What happens now?" Chuck asked, after a long moment of mourning silence. 

"We look around and...see if there's anything else," Thomas decided. Everyone glanced around. They found more rooms connected to the one they were in. They found see-through screens and more bodies with blooded heads laid everywhere. Chuck was quite scared that Edward clasped his hand to comfort him. He and Thomas stood in front of a screen together. A blue screen button glowed. Thomas pressed it. Instantly a recording appeared on the biggest screen in the room. There was a middle-aged woman with blonde hair tied up in a bun and dark eyes. She wore white and had strong cheekbones. 

"Hello. My name is Ava Paige. I'm Director of Operations at the World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department. If you're watching this, that means you've completed the Maze Trials," Everyone crowded behind Thomas and Edward, their new leaders as they gathered in front of the screen to watch the video which would give them the answers they had been seeking for too long. "I wish I could be there in person to congratulate you, but circumstances seem to have prevented it. I'm sure by now you must all be very confused. angry. frightened. I can only assure you that everything that's happened to you, everything we've done to you, was all done for a reason. You won't remember, but the sun has scorched our world. Billions of lives were lost to fire, famine. Suffering on a global scale," Recordings of wildfires and dead bodies appeared. "The fallout was unimaginable. What came after was worse. We called it the Flare. A deadly virus that attacks the brain," A recording of a patient covered in black veins acting irrationally like Ben but much worse appeared on the screen. "It is violent, unpredictable, incurable, or so we thought. 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. All to understand what makes them different. What makes you different. You may not realize it, but you're very important. Unfortunately, your trials have only just begun," As Ava Paige spoke on the screen, there were showers of sparks coming from outside the door behind her. Soldiers were barging, shooting everyone on sight. "Not everyone agrees with our methods. Progress is slow, people are scared. It may be too late for us, for me. But not for you. The outside world awaits," Remember: WICKED is good," She raised a revolver to her head and closed her eyes. As there was a bang, the screen switched off. 

Everyone was appalled by what they had just seen. They were subjects being tested for a cure. Edward and Thomas shared glances. No matter what WICKED had done to these children, what they had done...it was all done for the right reason. Still...it had been cruel and too inhumane to sacrifice every boy who had died inside this maze. 

"What do we do now?" Chuck asked. As he asked that question, a long tunnel right ahead of them lit up and a door in the far distance opened, revealing the open air. They saw nothing beyond that.

"Seh said we were important," Newt said. 

"What's important is we stick together," Thomas shared a glance at him then back at his brother. "Let's get out of here," 

They just took the first step to what looked like freedom when they suddenly heard a loud voice behind them. "It's not over!"

Everyone turned around. To their shock, it was Gally. He looked pale and he had blood on his shirt. Everyone gasped. 

"How...how is this possible?" Edward blabbered. "I saw you die!" 

"You thought you did. We're not free,"

"We are," Thomas tried to walk forward but Newt grabbed him. 

"Don't," he begged. "He's not himself," He was right. Gally looked like he was under the effects of something. 

"Gally listen..." Thomas tried to speak up again. "You're not thinking straight. Nothing is wrong with you. Just calm down,"

"You think we're safe out," Gally spoke back without emotion. He reached behind his back and pulled out a knife.

"Gally no," Newt shook his head.

Behind everyone's back, Minho clenched a spear very tightly. 

"We belong to WICKED," Gally spoke again. "We all do. You can't escape them, Thomas and Edward," he glared directly at them. "Not after what you did," 

Thomas and Edward frowned. What was he talking about? Why would WICKED want with them? 

Gally raised his hand to fire. "Gally! What are you doing?!" Teresa exclaimed.

"They cannot live another minute longer..." Gally spoke again, looking directly at Thomas. "They must die,"

In a flash, he threw forward his hand. At the same time, Minho threw the spear. It pierced right into Gally's chest. He groaned and collapsed. He fell to his side, his eyes bulged open. No breath came out of him.

Thomas sighed in relief. He wasn't struck. 

"Uh, Tom..." It was Edward. 

Thomas turned and at that moment his heart jumped. Edward had been pierced. His abdomen was bleeding rapidly. Thomas rushed to his side as he fell. 

"No! No! Edward! No!" Thomas laid him down. 

"No," Teresa breathed hoarsely. 

Chuck began to cry. Frypan hugged him. 

"Just hold on," Thomas cradled his little brother's head. "Okay?"

Edward tried to speak up but he choked. His breathing slowed.

"No! You can't go," Thomas begged. "Please...you can't," he began to cry. He was losing Edward. He couldn't lose him. He was the only family he had left. "No. We made it. Just hold on,"

Edward's eyes were drifting closed. 

"No!" Thomas sobbed louder. "Don't go!"

Just then, hundreds of men appeared out of nowhere from the tunnel and they ushered everyone to follow them. Chuck, Newt and Teresa were pulled away by their arms. Thomas wouldn't let go of his brother. He cradled his body begging him to stay alive but he was hauled away by his armpits.

"No!" he cried. "You can't leave him! You can't!"

As he was pulled away out of the room, Edward's body was picked up by two men. They didn't move the knife from the abdomen. Together they were hauled out through the tunnel and into the open atmosphere. 

Unknown to everyone, a face peered behind a corner. Two dark eyes eyed everyone who left through the door. They narrowed when they saw that some men were saying that Edward's heart was still beating. "I will get you puny," he swore darkly.

Thomas's eyes stayed glued to Edward's unresponsive body as he was dragged across a floor of sand towards a giant helicopter. He was loaded into the back with all the other survivors. He was sat down between Newt and Chuck. He peered around for Edward. He saw two soldiers placing him down at the front very gently through a small glass panel that separated the back from the front. Two doctors pulled out an aid kit and they fastened some gloves. He looked anxiously forward. He wanted to come over but he was too scared, too tearful.  

Newt clasped his shoulders. "It's gonna be okay. He'll be fine,"

Thomas sniffled and said nothing else. He felt a tearful Chuck hugging his side. Teresa sat at the sight tearful as well. Nothing else was said between any of them. All that mattered was that they were safe, they were out of the maze, they were all together and that Edward was going to be alright. The helicopter flew across a wasteland of desert and building ruins. 

And that's it. The first third is done for the Maze runner brothers trilogy. The start of the second book will be coming out soon. Hope you all have enjoyed my adaptation of the first book. Get ready for the next chapter and the OC character profiles coming up soon. See you all soon. Once again so much everyone for your support and reviews. They mean a lot.