"We have to split up-it's our only chance. Just keep moving. Don't stop moving!"

That was all I heard before Minho grabbed my wrist and sprinted. But I wouldn't leave poor pale faced Thomas behind. I yanked out of his grasp, and he tried to reach forward to me but I shouted, "my choice," and he turned and ran.

"Thanks for not abandoning me," thomas muttered, listening for Alby's heart beat. "No problem," I breathed.

"Is he..." I started as Thomas rose, sweat beading on his forehead. "Alive," he said, and I let out a held in breath. "But what should we do with him?" I asked, and Thomas just shrugged. "Help me get him up,"

We wrapped his arms around our shoulders, and heaved. But with both of us, it wasn't enough. Alby was a thick shank. Struggling to get up after falling on my face, with Thomas on top, the grumbling Grievers came ever nearer. I recognized the shining lights in the distance. Trying a new attempt, we dragged Alby around, but we wasted our energy. "Where are we gonna put him anyway?" I gasped, struggling for breath. Thomas couldn't even answer, yet only drag him back to the crack.

I racked my brain as the hard stone dug into my back. I was using it to support myself, to over come the fatigue and lightheadedness. "What about the vines?" I asked, but paused, "never mind, you heard Minho..." I trailed off, but Thomas's eyes lit up. "Wait..."

He leapt up, grasping a thatch of ivy. It was thick, and held as he pulled. Now, he walked backwards, a ripping sound as it was torn from the wall. The vine had vanished in the darkness when he's reached ten feet. I vaguely watched him as I grazed my fingers over writing in the maze.

It was chucks name, when we did the rock throwing ceremony. "Joanie..." Thomas called. I looked up, and he was pulling on some vines. Raising his eyebrows to signal for me to come, I latched onto the vines, one of my hands over his. "Pull," he commanded, and I yanked. Surprisingly, the vine held.

Letting go, I flexed my cramped hands, and when I raised my gaze, Thomas was hovering about the vines, grasping them. "Oh," was all I could say, when I began to piece his plan into place. He silently walked to Alby, and it clicked on my brain.

"Thomas you're a shuck genius, I could kiss you," I praised, and surprisingly, he laughed. "Don't think Newt would like that,"

We dragged Alby towards the vines, and when we reached it, a crack rang through the air. The Grievers had momentarily been blocked from my mind. The Griever noises were significantly louder. The fog has lessened, and details of the maze came into focus, as if my eyes were a camera. Panic flooded through the look I gave Thomas, and I saw it mirrored, but we put it behind us.

We grabbed one of the vines and wrapped it around Alby's right arm. The plant would only reach so far, so we had to prop Alby up as much as we could to make it work. After several wraps, Thomas tied the vine off. Then I took another vine and put it around Alby's left arm, then both of his legs, tying each one tightly. I worried about the Glader's circulation getting cut off, but decided it was worth the risk.

"Let's go," Thomas muttered, helping me as we climbed up towards where Alby was. Using the vines, we pulled Alby up, but our efforts were futile. "Hold on, follow me," I whispered, going back down. Thomas gave me a questioning glance, before mirroring my actions.

We began to push alby up the steep, rugged walls. His weight pressured down on me, but free a lot of panting, he stood three feet higher than before. Grievers were getting closer, so we tied vines around ourselves to raise with Alby as we hoisted him.

We stopped, at a height of dizzying 30 feet. Hanging there, I let the vines to the work while my arms rested. I fell like I was melted, then frozen, then melted to and awkward state of goo.

This is where we would stay, because the look between Thomas and I showed. We weren't going any farther. Soon, small dashes of red light appeared, and reminded me of my fear of Grievers. Unconsciously, I clung to Thomas, and he held me in an awkward embrace as we hung from the vines.

Thomas suddenly jumped, making me cling closer. His gaze was focused on a metal object seemingly suspended on the wall.

It was a beetle blade.

"Don't breathe," thomas muttered, and he took his own words quite literally. I was close enough to notice that his chest had ceased its heaving, so I followed in suit.

The beetle blade finally scurried away, band we caught our breaths. It dawned on me that if we thought that they were spies, then that means it would be coming.

And it did.

A Griever rounded the corner, it's mechanical whirring making my jaw quiver and my fingers to shake and dig into Thomas's arm. His warm embrace protected me, or at least gave me that illusion.

This time, I was able to get s good look at the Griever. The creature reminded me of a slug, a slimy, pale skin enveloping its body. It had metal contraptions pulsing out of its body, and it vaguely reminded me of a Frankenstein experiment gone horribly wrong. It has no distinguished front, and patches of... I believe hair, stuck out. It had labored breathing or, maybe it was gears moving inside a mechanical body.

It traveled a few feet at a time, claws snapped, needles wizzed through the air, and metal arms swung, a taunting pendulum of oncoming doom.

The whirr clicks were louder than ever, and now, I could hear the moans of the creature, seemingly coming from every inch of its body. We froze, as it inched ever closer. It finally stopped at the wall were our lives hung by the thread of vines. It seemed to pace a few feet, before returning.

The dancing lights cast dancing shadows, it's torture machines causing puppet shows. And then it ceased.

The sudden darkness was unpronounced, and my vision in unadjusted. Perhaps it had turned off. Or maybe... It was trying the stealth approach. Sensing us with smell or sound. Thomas's grip on my tightened, and I clung to him.

Minutes had gone by, and I kept my breath short. I could vaguely hear his breathing, as he controlled it as well.

And as fast as it had ended, the lights abruptly turned on, allowing us to see.

And what we saw, was the Griever climbing the wall. Rocks were torn loose, and I was amazed at how easily it tore apart. The grievers unmeasurable strength was going to be unleashed upon us.

My vision blinded, a beam of light pointed directly at me. I couldn't move, I was tied down and in Thomas's embrace.

I began to hyperventilate, "untie," gasped Thomas, as he did as he had directed. I followed in suit, and the vines began to loosen. "Know the story Tarzan?" He asked, and i breathed a yes. He grabbed two vines, handing one to me. "Hold on," he said.

We began to plummet to the side, now grabbing another vine before swinging towards the Grievers clutches. We did this multiple times, our movement drawing the Griever away from Alby. I hoped the glader would see another day.

Thomas suddenly started inching towards the ground, skidding down the vines. I wordlessly comprehended his actions, sliding Dow the burning vines. The musty plants singed my skin, and we were halfway to the bottom. I looked behind me, to watch the Griever, before plummeting into Thomas. He had hit a wall, and was sliding down. I lost the grip on my vine, and when Thomas stopped moving I clutched onto his ankle, as I had slid below him. "Don't let go," he breathed, "same to you," I gasped.

Thomas pushed from the wall, and I began to swing. The Griever had just missed us. I latched onto a vine, allowing Thomas to use his legs again. He kicked the Grievers arm, and with my hand, I ripped another small mechanism off.

I swung back and forth, and saw Thomas's figure swing towards the creature, legs pulled to his chest. He kicked the Griever, but the momentum knocked the creature sideways towards me. It flung wildly, trying to get to Thomas, and I dodged out of the way. A knife slashed my arm, and I felt the wound sting with the salty sweat.

I began to slide down, my arm significantly weaker because the injury. I gratefully noticed Thomas mimic me, and he landed on the ground a few seconds after me. We aimlessly ran, rounding corners, followed by the creaking of the griever. We almost got separated, him turning left and I right, before he changed course towards me.

We rounded five more corners, until I stopped so abruptly, I toppled to the floor, Thomas on top.

Our tangle didn't last long, for I scrambled up at the sight in front of me.

Rocks flew through the air, as three Grievers barreled in our direction.