[ chapter 08. a night in the maze ]

DAWN

I was thrown against the cold ground, knocking the breath out of me. The thunderous rumble of the Door closing came from behind me. I groaned and pushed myself up, looking around the Maze.

Twilight had fallen, making the dark walls look like tombstones. A pained cry came out of the direction of the boys, making me jump Thomas looked at me before he made his way over to the two Gladers. I took a deep breath before running after him.

Minho was still standing but looked like he could collapse at any given moment. Sweaty, dirty, scratched-up and in the pale light it only looked more horrible. Alby, however. looked even worse. His clothes were ripped, his arms covered with cuts and bruises.

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

'I couldn't just sit there and leave you guys out here,' Thomas stammered. 

'And what good are you with us?' Minho rolled his eyes. 'Whatever, dude. Break the Number One Rule, kill yourself, whatever.'

'We're only trying to help,' I said, feeling like giving the runner a punch in his face. 

Minho forced a bitter laugh, then knelt back on the ground next to Alby.

I took a long look at our leader. He looked on the edge of death. His usually dark skin was losing colour fast and his breaths were quick and hollow. If I was going to get all three of them out of here, alive, we had to come up with a plan.

'What happened?' Thomas asked.

'Don't wanna talk about it,' Minho said as he checked Alby's pulse and bent down to listen to his chest. 'Let's just say that Grievers can play dead really well.'

Thomas and I shared a glare. What did that even mean? 

'So he was...bitten? Stung, whatever? Is he going through the Changing?' Thomas asked.

The Changing? What the hell was that suppose to be? Another horrible fate that was lurking in this horrible place?

'You've got a lot to learn.' Was all Minho said.

'Yes, that's why we ask questions! But since you shuck-faces won't answer any of them we have indeed a lot to learn!' I yelled at the Runner.

Minho shot me a long glare, silently telling me to shut up. 

I sighed and looked back at Alby. 'Is he going to die?' I asked quietly.

'Since we didn't make it back before sunset, probably. Could be dead in an hour. I don't know how long it takes if you don't get the Serum. Course, we'll be dead, too, so don't get all weepy for him. Yep, we'll all be nice and dead soon.'

I blinked at his words, dread spreading through my stomach when I realised that maybe he was right, maybe it had been stupid to come out here after all. But it didn't matter. I was here now and I was going to safe him, whether he liked it or not.

'We're really going to die?' Thomas asked, clearly not able to accept it. 'You're telling me we have no chance?'

'None,' Minho answered.

'Has anyone ever been caught outside the walls at night and lived through it?' I asked, feeling how hopeless Thomas was. I wasn't afraid to die, there wasn't much to live for here anyway, but if there was a way to survive this night, I would take it.

'Never.' Minho answered my question.

Thomas scowled. 'How many have died then?'

Minho stared at the ground, crouched with one forearm on a knee. He was clearly exhausted, almost in a daze. 'At least twelve. Haven't you been to the graveyard?' 

'Yeah,' Thomas answered, at the same time I said. 'No.'

'Well, those are just the ones we found. There are more whose bodies never showed up.' Minho pointed absently back toward the Glade. 'That freaking graveyard's back in the woods for a reason. Nothing kills happy time more than being reminded of your slaughtered friends every day.' Suddenly Minho stood up and grabbed Alby's arms, then nodded toward his feet. 'Grab those smelly shuckers. We gotta carry him over to the Door. Give 'em one body that's easy to find in the morning.' 

A shiver crawled down my spine at that morbid that statement.

'How can this be happening!' Thomas screamed at the walls.

'Quit your crying. You should've followed the rules and stayed inside. Now come on, grab his legs,' Minho snapped.

I sighed deeply before walking over to Alby and taking his legs. We half carried, half dragged the almost lifeless body a hundred feet or so to the vertical crack of the Door, where Minho propped our leader up against the wall. Alby's chest rose and fell with struggled breaths, he looked like he wouldn't last much longer. 

'Where was he bitten?' Thomas asked. 'Can you see it?'

'They don't freaking bite you. They prick you. And no, you can't see it. There could dozens all over his body.' Minho folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

'Prick you?' I asked, starting to get curious as well. 'What does that mean?' 

'You just have to see them to know what I'm talking about, gorgeous.'

Thomas pointed at Minho's arms and legs. 'Well, why didn't the thing prick you?' 

Minho held his hands out. 'Maybe it did. Maybe I'll collaps any second.' 

'They...' Thomas began again but Minho cut him off.

'There was no they! Just one we thought was dead. It went nuts and stung Alby, then it ran away.' Minho looked back into the Maze, which was now completely dark. 'But I'm sure it and a whole bunch of them shuckers'll be here soon to finish us off with their needles.'

'Needles?' Thomas asked and I felt a shiver going down my spine.

'Yeah needles.'

I turned my gaze to the walls, slowly a plan started to form in my head. 'Can't we climb the ivy?' I asked, scanning it with my eyes. It seemed strong enough to hold us.

Minho let out a frustrated sigh. 'I swear, gorgeous, you must think we're a bunch of idiots. You really think we've never had the ingenious thought of climbing the freaking walls?'

'We're just trying to help, man. Why don't you quit moping at every word we say and talk to us?' Thomas yelled with frustration.

Minho abruptly jumped at Thomas and grabbed him by the shirt. 'You don't understand, shuck-face. You don't know anything!'

'Hey!' I yelled, trying to take their attention.

'And you're just making it worse by trying to have hope!' 

'Hey!' I shouted.

'We're dead, you hear me? Dead!' 

'Minho!'

He turned to me, loosening his grip on Thomas shirt. 'You gotta quit whining like a baby girl and start thinking of a way to get through the night!' I scowled at him, my arms crossed over my chest. 

Slowly Minho backed away. 'Ah man, oh man,' he whispered, then buried his face in his clenched fists. 'I've never been this scared before, dude. Not like this.'

Thomas opened his mouth to speak when a noise came echoeing through the halls. I froze, Minho's head popped up and Thomas breath quickened. It 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. It grew louder by every passing second and then a series of eerie clicks joined in, reminding me of nails tapping against glass. A hollow moan filled the air, and then something that sounded like clanking of chains.

Goosebumps tickled my skin as I listened to the sound, my hands becoming sweaty as I nervously played with my fingers.

Minho stood up, his face barely visible in the dying light, but when he spoke I imagined his eyes to be wide with terror. 'We have to split up-it's our only change. Just keep moving. Don't stop moving!' Then he turned and ran. 

'Minho!' I yelled but he had disappeared within seconds, swallowed by the Maze.

Thomas stared at the spot where Minho had vanished, while I exhaled slowly to try and force down my frustration. Minho was suppose to be the veteran, a Runner! Yet he turned tail by the first sight of trouble. But as the noises grew louder, sounding like an old machine in a grimmy factory, my entire body was yelling for me to start running as well. 

And then came the smell, something burning, oily and blood.

Suddenly Thomas turned and faced me. 'We can't leave Alby here like this!' 

I looked at our leader. His chest was still rising and falling but I had no idea how long that would be the case. I turned towards Thomas. 'What do you have in mind?'

He stared at Alby for a couple of seconds, then his eyes wondered over to the wall and the ivy. He walked a few feet along the wall before reaching out and taking a thick growth of ivy. 'We're going to get him up there.' 

I nodded slowly, pushing all my doubts aside and started to help him.

The frightening sounds of the Griever grew closer.I could already see the bright light flashing, bouncing through the night sky. I didn't want to meet the source of those lights, those sounds.

 We had to hurry.

Thomas reached down and grabbed one of the vines that went all the way to the ground and wrapped his hand around it. He nodded. 'This one will hold.'

I walked up next to him and also took a vine, pulled at it and realising it was strong enough. Encouraged we walked to Alby and started to drag him toward the vines. A sharp crack echoed through the Maze making me jump. The Griever was coming closer.

Thomas and I shared a quick glare before dropping Alby and grabbing the vines. I wrapped one vine around Alby's right arm. While Thomad wrapped one around his other arm. 'I pull, you push,' he said.

I nodded quickly, watching Thomas snatch a vine with both hands and climbing up, directly over the spot where he'd just hung Alby. Once he reached a couple of feet above Alby he nodded at me. I took another vine and wrapped it around Alby's feet. Then Thomas started to pull at the vines that were attached to his arms. Alby's body was slowly lifted into the air. A little smile found its way to my face. It was working.  

Quickly I wrapped the same vine that was around Alby's feet around my torso, then I started to climb as well. I pushed his feet up while Thomas kept on pulling at his arms. Soon enough sweat was making its way down my face, little cuts appeared on my arms and hands from the vines, it felt like my torso was being thorn apart but I couldn't stop moving.

Whirrs, buzzes, moans echoed through the corridors. It scared me to the bone but the only thing I could do was keep on climbing.

When we were at least thirty feet above the ground Thomas stopped, swaying on the vine he'd tied around his chest. He must feel the exact same thing as me. Screaming muscles and aching hands. We couldn't move him another inch.

Suddenly a mechanical squeel sounded through the Maze, closer than any other sound had been so far. For a second my heart stopped beating. Something came around the corner up ahead, and right toward us. Something I'd only seen before behind glass. Something terrible.

A Griever.

I stared in horror at the monstrous thing below us. It looked like an experiment gone terribly wrong. Part animal, part machine. The Griever rolled and clicked along the stone pathway. Its body resembled a gigantic slug covered in hair and glinstening with slime, pulsating in and out as it breathed. It had no head or tail but from front to end it had to be at least six feet long, foor feet thick. Every ten to fifteen seconds, sharp metal spikes popped through its flesh and then whole creature abruptely curled into a ball and spun forward. 

But there was something else. Some sort of arms covered its body. Randomly placed mechanical arms. Each one with a different purpose. Some had a few bright lights attached to them. Others had long needles. One had a three finger claw that clasped and unclasped for no appearent reason.

I felt like throwing up while watching the creature make its way through the halls. It was absolutely insane to think that someone would want to create this and would make it haunt children in a Maze. Who came up with such an idea?

Suddenly the monster came to an halt, right below us. My heart started beating faster as I looked down with wide eyes. For at least five minutes it just stood there, waiting for something to happen. I didn't know what do. Should I let myself fall? It would take the Grievers attention, I would probably die but Thomas and Alby would be safe. But that thought disappeared out of my mind when the Griever came back to life, whirring and clicking, and then it started to climb the wall.

Our plan had failed miserably. I looked up and saw Thomas getting rid of the vine around him, binding it into the ivy, securing Alby. Quickly I started doing the same. Maybe I could climb down and attack the Griever, only so it would buy Thomas and Alby some time. Just when I was about remove the last knot I heard Thomas scream my name and a stinging pain in my shoulder followed. A pained scream left my lips as suddenly Thomas his feet flashed passed me. 

The Griever roared and fell a few inches down. 

Quickly I removed the last knot and started climbing to the right.

'You okay?' Thomas yelled.

'I'm fine!' I shouted.

We could only hope the Griever would came after us and leave Alby alone and it did. Its lights were pointed directly towards us. The groans and moans getting louder and all its deadly weapons out and ready.

'Hurry!' Thomas yelled. He started to climb down and jumped to the ground. 

I did the same, although my shoulder stung horribly. Panic flashed through me as I realised the creture must have stung me. I landed on my back on the ground and let out a yelp. Thomas ran to me, helped me stand and took my hand. Behind us the Griever landed on the ground, roaring at us as it did.

'Come on!' Thomas pulled me with him through the dark corridors, away from the Griever. We ran right, left, through a dark corridor. I tried to remember it all, but my vision was a blur, my thoughts clouded and vague. This so called Changing was already kicking in. 

'Stay with me Dawn! Stay with me!' Thomas yelled. 

I wanted to, but my eyes were getting so heavy.

Suddenly Thomas came to a halt at the sight of something in front of us. Panting uncontrollably we both stared at the new horror before us. Three Grievers were up ahead, rolling along the ground as they dug their spikes into the stone. Coming directly towards us.

I turned to see our original pursuer still coming, though it had slowed a bit, clasping and unclasping a metal claw as if it was mocking us. 

After all the effort, here we were, it was over. I couldn't safe Thomas, or Minho and Alby would die before the Doors would open anyway.

'If we go down, we go down fighting,' Thomas said turning toward the one Griever behind us.

I gave him a sad smile, my heart hammering against my ribs. 

The ugly monster before us retraced just an inch and stopped moving its claw, as if shocked at our boldness. Suddenly Thomas charged, screaming. My hands were sweating, my stomach aching as I ran after him. The Griever came back to life, rolling towards us. But before I could collide with my death, Thomas took my hand and pulled me with him. He dove to the right. Unable to stop itself, the Griever went straight past us before shuddering to a halt. With a metallic howl it turned around, ready to attack us again. 

But now, no longer surrounded, Thomas and I were able to run away again. Thomas scrambled to his feet, helped me stand and sprinted forward. Sounds of pursuit, this time from four Grievers, followed close behind as suddenly two hands reached out and yanked me and Thomas aside. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it was Minho.

'What-' Thomas began.

'Shut up and follow me!' He yelled, already dragging us along.

Without a second thought I followed him and with every step I took the will to live became stronger. Minho seemed to know exactly what he was doing, taking turn after turn. He never paused to think which way we should ran. As we rounded another corner he attempted to speak.
Between heavy breaths, he gasped. 'I just saw...the dive move you two did...gave me an idea...we only have to last...a little while longer.' 

I didn't bother wasting my own breath asking questions. Without looking back I knew that the Grievers were still following us. Their haunting moans and mechanic howls were close behind. My shoulder was aching, my vision became more blurry with every second and on top of that I was becoming dizzy and sick. I took a deep breath, trying to hold on a little longer. A few turns later I saw something ahead of us that almost made me stop running.

The corridor didn't end in another stone wall. It ended in darkness.

I narrowed as we ran towards it, trying to figure out what exactly I was seeing. The two ivy covered walls on either side of me seemed to disappear in nothing but the sky ahead.
I could see stars and as we got closer I realised I was looking at an opening. The Maze ended. 

'Don't get excited,' Minho panted, struggling to speak. 

A few feet before the end of the corridor, Minho pulled up, holding his hand out over Thomas his chest and taking my hand to make sure we stopped running. 

I slowed and then walked up to where the Maze opened out into open sky. The sounds of the Grievers grew closer but I had to see. We had indeed reached a way out of the Maze, but like Minho said it was nothing to get excited about. All I could see in every direction, up and down, side to side, was empty air and fading stars. It was a strange and confusing sight, like I was standing at the edge of the universe. A sudden overwhelming fear pressed down on me and I took a deep breath to calm myself.

'I don't get it,' Thomas said, breaking my thoughts. He, too, was staring at the strange sight before us.

'Careful,' Minho said. 'You wouldn't be the first shank to fall off the Cliff.' He grabbed our shoulders. 'Did you forget something?' He nodded back at the Maze.

Quickly I turned around and saw the four monsterous creatures charging at us. Moving surprisingly fast. 

'These things may be vicious,' Minho said. 'But they're dumb as dirt. Stand here, close to me, facing-' 'I know. I'm ready,' Thomas replied. 

Both boys looked at me and then everything clicked. I nodded, suddenly feeling determined.

We shuffled our feet until we stood pressed together in front of the end of the corridor, facing the Grievers. Our heels were only a few inches from the edge of the Cliff behind us, nothing but air waiting after that. 

'We need to be in sync!' Minho yelled. 'On my mark.'

One after the other the Grievers rolled down the stone pathway, moaning, clicking and ready to kill. Coming closer fast the monsters were only seconds away crashing into us.

'Ready,' Minho said steadily. 'Not yet...Not yet...'

My heart started beating faster in my chest. I only had to take one step backwards and this would all be over. I could just jump and leave this whole place, all these questions and the empty void inside of me, behind. 

But when I looked at the two boys at my side, their faces focused with determination at the Grievers before us, I knew it wasn't an option at all. My life may be totally weird and scary, but ending it wouldn't do any good. I had promised Newt I would stop searching, stop asking but I knew now if I was going to make it through the night I had to know. It would be my mission from now on, I deserved answers.

'Now!' Minho screamed.

Just as the first Griever's arm extended out to nip at us, Minho, Thomas and I dove out of the way. The tactic had worked once before and judging by the horrible screeching sound that escaped the first Griever it had worked again. The monster flew off the edge of the Cliff. Oddly its battle cry was cut off sharply instead of fading as it fell to the depths beyond.

I landed against the wall and turned around just in time to see the second creature tumble over the edge, not able to stop itself. The third one planted a heavily spiked arm into the stone but wasn't fast enough and fell as well. Its shriek also cut short. 

The fourth and final creature, however, was able to stop itself just in time.

Thomas and Minho shared a glare, before running forwards and jumping feet first at the creature, kicking it with every bit of strength they had left. It was enough to make the creature tumble down the Cliff.

I fell down on my knees, my shoulder aching. Now the adrenaline was gone it hurt only more. I couldn't hold back a scream from escaping my lips. Minho and Thomas turned to look at me, but their faces were blurry as I fell down, darkness surrounding me.