INNOVATION -
CHAPTER THIRTY - SEVEN

⚘ FINAL STAND ⚘

Minho fell through the air for a few moments before disappearing through the invisible hole.

The remaining Gladers stood at the ledge, too afraid to follow in his footsteps. Kalisa glanced around and saw Newt slowly backing away, an unidentifiable sort of fear within his eyes.

"Whats wrong?" She muttered for only him to hear.

He just shook his head, unable to form words. His mouth was gaped open, his eyes wide with terror, and when Kalisa took his hand, it was clammy.

    Is he afraid of heights?

    It could be possible, but Kalisa had a feeling there was more to it. But now wasn't the time to analyze Newt's fears, there would be time for that later, once they've escaped and found their answers.

    "We'll go together." Kalisa said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

    Newt licked his lips, moving his gaze from the Cliff to her. The Gladers around them were getting restless, clearly awaiting orders. "We won't fit through the Hole."

    Kalisa gave him an encouraging smile, her own heart beating wildly as she took a step closer to the drop. "We'll make it work."

    Newt didn't try very hard to deny her order. He just gave her hand a grateful squeeze and followed her lead to the edge.

    "Alright listen up." Kalisa called, gaining the attention of the boys. "Me and Newt are gonna jump first, then the rest of you follow. Winston, do you think you can take Henry with you?"

    It would be difficult, but she saw no other options. And she wouldn't even dream of leaving the boy behind. Winston gave a curt nod, "Yeah, I've got him."

    Henry winced but somehow managed to smile. "Thanks man,"

    "I owe it to you." Winston's eyes flickered to Henrys old stab wound.

    "Everyone else, come in behind us, one by one. We don't know whats waiting for us down there, but I can tell you with full confidence that we can handle it. You all are the strongest people I know- I mean, look at what we've accomplished!" Kalisa paused, glancing around at the fallen Grievers.

    "You've all fought hard to be here, and now after all this time, we'll finally get out. It's just a leap of faith... thats all it is." Kalisa glanced down at the rocky bottom waiting for them.

    She glanced at Newt who was already looking at her. "You ready?"

    He squeezed her hand. "No." The boy took a breath and shut his eyes. "Let's go."

    Then they jumped, hand in hand, bodies pressed together so that they would fit through the Hole.

    Newt trembled in her arms as they fell, but Kalisa knew she wasn't much better. Minho had made it look so easy. They only fell for a brief second before they were engulfed by the Hole, both just barely skimming the edge.

    They crash landed onto a rough, hard surface, Kalisa's body cushioning Newt's. The wind was temporarily knocked out of her as she groaned in pain, Newt muttered several apologize as he rolled off of her and helped the girl to her feet.

    It felt as though she had been submerged into icy cold water with no light. The air was damp and her surroundings were dark, save for the glow of a flashlight ahead of them. Kalisa dusted herself off, and after making sure Newt was okay, she moved closer to see Thomas, Teresa and Chuck looking at them with wide eyes.

    Thomas was beat up, and in the corner of the room, Kalisa noticed a dead Griever. It must have followed them. She was relieved they were all okay.

    "Well you two sure know how to make an entrance." Minho breathed heavily from the wall he was leaning against. He looked like hell too, with his clothes torn and blood all over his skin. Kalisa was sure she didn't look any better.

    They didn't get a chance to respond before Fry fell through the Hole, followed by Winston and Henry, then eventually the few remaining Gladers.

    When everyone had arrived, Thomas addressed the group. "The rest?"

    "Half of us." Newt stated, words sounding broken in his mouth. "Dead."

    Kalisa closed her eyes in guilt. So many lives lost, all from boys who she didn't even get to know. They had followed them into the fight with the belief that they were going home. And now they were gone.

    Nobody said a word for a very long time. Eventually, Minho stood straighter and spoke, "You know what? Half of us might've died, but half of us shucking lived! And nobody got stung- just like Thomas thought."

    Thomas looked mournful, and she knew exactly how he felt. How could they possibly consider this a victory? There were so many who lost their lives in the Maze- so many more that might still be out in the Glade. They didn't win, they didn't even come close. Wicked, as always, had full control. All of this was just a test to separate the weak from the strong. The fighters among the hopeless. Wicked was just one big joke.

    It made Kalisa angry. They were people, not mice. They didn't deserve to die up there, alone and in pain.

    "Let's get out of here." Newt broke the silence, cutting Kalisa out of her thoughts. "Right now."

    "Where do we go?" Minho questioned.

    Thomas pointed down a long tunnel, "I heard a door open down that way."

    Minho glanced around at the sullen faces of his friends. He sighed and stepped forward, "Well- let's go." He set off down the dark corridor, not bothering to glance back.

    Newt nodded and began ushering Gladers into the tunnel. Kalisa waited until everyone else had gone until she was left alone with Newt, Thomas, Chuck, and Teresa.

    "I'll go last." Thomas stated without emotion. Nobody bothered to argue as they filed in one by one.

    Kalisa ended up behind Newt and in front of Chuck. While they walked she glanced behind her and said, "You doin' alright kid?"

    The boy gave a feeble nod, clutching a wooden carving close to his chest. "That was crazy."

    Kalisa let out a breathy laugh, "Sure was. But it's over now... I think."

    "You don't sound too sure about that." Chuck stated.

    "I've learned not to be sure of anything here."

    A shriek from up ahead cut the two's conversation short. It was then followed by another, then another. Through the darkness she was unable to make out what was happening. Her palms grew sweaty, they barely survived the last fight, she didn't think they would be able to last in another one.

    "Whats happening?" Chuck asked nervously.

    Kalisa didn't know, but apparently Teresa saw something she didn't. "It looks like it ends in a slide up there, shooting downwards."

Of course. Wicked probably saw this as some sort of game.

    They were nearing the drop now, one by one the boys fell down, their shouts echoing off the metal contraption as they disappeared from sight. They didn't have much of a choice, it was either forward or backwards, and the thought of returning to the Maze made Kalisa sick.

    In front of her, Newt stumbled before dropping downwards in a sudden flash. His voice echoed out against the metal as he disappeared from sight, leaving Kalisa to follow behind him.

    Taking a calming breath she stepped forward. Instantly, the floor vanished, leaving the girl to free fall for a split second, before harshly landing on a metal slide.

    It was a steep decline that would have been fun had it not been for the smell. Burnt rubber and overused machinery filled her nose, causing Kalisa to gag as she picked up speed, twisting and turning like a madwoman.

    She heard the cries of the Gladers in front of her, they must be nearing the end. The slide took another turn, this time twisting into a sharp spiral that rattled Kalisa's skull. Just when she thought it would never end, her feet hit something solid, and she fell forward, landing on a warm body.

    She grunted and held her weight up with her forearms, vision spinning. Beneath her, Newt lay on his back, looking chalky pale as he regained his bearings.

    "Sorry," Kalisa muttered, picking herself up off of him and pulling Newt to his feet. "Call it even," He grimaced.

    Not a second later Chuck flew out of the chute, landing abruptly on the ground, he was instantly followed by Teresa, then Thomas who landed on top of her.

    While the boy crawled away from her crushed form, Kalisa examined the room they were now in.

    It seemed to be a ginormous underground chamber, covered in all sorts of machinery. There were wires sticking out of metal contraptions, and computers with mounds of data Kalisa couldn't even begin to understand. But the strangest part of the room was the rows and rows of large white pods, large enough to hold a Griever. It reminded her of a coffin.

    "Look!" Somebody shouted, causing Kalisa's head to whip to where they had been pointing.

    Across the room from them stood dozens of glass windows, each encasing adults dressed in white shirts with black jackets. They were women, men, old, young. All different, yet they shared one similarity: they looked inhuman.

    They were human, there was no denying that, but something about them was off to the girl. They all bore pale, sunken skin, and empty miserable eyes that watched the Gladers carefully, occasionally moving to scribble down something in their notebooks.

    Kalisa took a large step backwards, noticing several others did the same. Horror filled her veins, after all this time, they were finally facing the people who had done this to them. Part of her wanted to break the glass with her bear hands and stuff the shards into their eyes, but the other half of her was frozen in fear. Too overwhelmed to do anything but blink.

    "Who are those people?" Chuck questioned, subconsciously moving closer to Kalisa.

    "The Creators." Minho said darkly, before spitting on the floor. "I'm gonna break your faces!" His words came out so loud, Kalisa winced.

    "What are they waiting for?" Kalisa voiced the real question. She should've known they weren't through yet. Getting home- away from the Maze, was proving to be a difficult feat.

    Before anyone could answer, there was a loud beeping noise that echoed everywhere within the chamber. Kalisa glanced around in an attempt to find the source of the noise, but instead she saw something that sent chills down her spine.

    The glass door at the far end of the chamber swung open, revealing four figures. One was an adult female with shoulder length blonde hair. She had pale skin and sharp blue eyes, and wore the same uniform as the others, only now she was close enough to make out the words 'WCKD' on her shirt. Next to her stood a male figure, but he wore a brown hood that covered his entire face, making it impossible to identify him. The other two were male soldiers, dressed in black vests with the same logo as the woman. They each held long black sticks and had guns tucked firmly into their holsters.

    The beeping had finally stopped now. The woman glanced them over, showing no emotion on her face. "Welcome back. Over three years and so few dead. Amazing."

    Kalisa's mouth fell open at the audacity of this woman. So many boys had lost their lives inside the Maze- and now they were being forgotten? It took all of her strength to not march up to the woman and slap her.

    "Excuse me?" Newt spat, looking absolutely venomous.

    Her eyes scanned the crowd before landing on Newt. "Everything has gone according to plan, Mr. Newton. Although we expected a few more of you to give up along the way."

    Kalisa could hold it in any longer. "So let me get this straight; you've been in here, sitting on your asses while we all fought for our lives?! And you call it a plan. You all are shucking crazy."

    The womans eyes flickered over to her for the first time. Despite being emotionless before, the woman now showed sudden frustration. "I had hoped you would survive Kalisa. We have much to discuss with you." The woman nodded to the two soldiers by her side, and before she knew it, they had surrounded her, separating her from the group with force.

    "Let go of me!" Kalisa kicked and thrashed, but had no avail in escaping their tight grasp.

    "Don't touch her!" Newt bellowed, attempting to run forward, but halted in his tracks when one of the soldiers whipped their black rods, lighting it up with blue electricity.

    "Let her go or I swear we will kill you all." Minho joined Newt.

    "I'm afraid I cannot do that." The woman turned to the man with the hood and pulled the fabric away.

    Kalisa had to twist her body in order to see who it was, and when she did- she thought she was hallucinating.

    It was Gally.

    He looked absolutely broken, almost wild. Kalisa thought she was seeing a ghost. The boy with trust issues and the stubbornness of a mule was long gone, now replaced with an empty placeholder.

    Gally made no sudden movements. He just stood at the woman's side with clenched fists, tears leaking from his eyes.

How was he alive?

"What is he doing here?!" Minho shouted, voicing all of their thoughts.

"You're safe now." The woman stated plainly, ignoring his exclamation. "Please, be at ease."

"At ease?" Kalisa spat, still held back by the soldiers. "How can we be at ease when you've ruined our lives?"

"We wanna see the police, the mayor, the president- somebody!" Minho added, anger radiating off his body. Kalisa half hoped he would punch the woman in the face.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, boy. I'd expect more maturity from someone who's passed the Maze Trials." The woman said in a condescending tone.

Her cold eyes turned towards Kalisa, nose crinkling in disgust. "And you," The woman gave the soldiers a nod. "You have no place to speak here."

Then all Kalisa knew was pain.

She screamed in anguish, shocks of electricity flooding her nerves, paralyzing her. The guards prevented her from falling to the floor as they continued to hold their electric batons against her skin.

The shouts of the Gladers sounded distant, almost otherworldly. Nothing felt real to Kalisa anymore, only pain.

When they finally pulled away, she was thrown to the ground. Tears fell from her eyes as her body twitched and withered. Kalisa took a shallow breath, eyes staring at the cement floor beneath them. A pit of fear had formed in her stomach, and up until now she had been doing a rather fine job of avoiding it. But as the soldiers re-tightened their grip on her arms, the thought of never leaving this chamber crossed her mind.

They could have her dead in seconds. Forever trapped in this nightmare. Her corpse would serve as a reminder to all that fighting back only resulted in destruction. She had come so far- and now what? This couldn't be it. She wasn't ready to die yet.

"Gally, whats going on?" Newt questioned, eyes wide with fear for her.

Gally only stared at the boy, eyes flared in anger, before lightly shaking his head. There was something off about him. The woman nodded, ignoring Kalisa's half dead body on the floor before her. "One day you'll all be grateful for what we've done for you. I can only promise this, and trust your minds to accept it. If you don't then this whole thing was a mistake. Dark times, Mr. Newton. Dark times."

"Yeah- this was a mistake." Minho snapped. "Let us go. Or I swear"-

She didn't let him finish. Another wave of pain hit Kalisa square on- this time ten times worse. She hadn't recovered from the first blast, and this time she couldn't even scream. She just closed her eyes and prayed for death to take her.

She couldn't go on like this. It was too much. She was tired of hurting- she wanted out.

Then it was over again. But Kalisa didn't relax, she was limp in the guards hold, on the edge of unconsciousness. This time they dropped her, knowing she couldn't move if she tried. Kalisa saw the Gladers fighting to get to her, Newt looking horrified with tears on his face.

"Do you understand now?" The woman asked, lacing her fingers. "Take this as a final warning to watch your mouth. The consequences of your actions will be enforced on your dear friend over here."

Kalisa tried to focus on her words, but the ringing in her ears was proving to be distracting. She fought with everything in her to keep her eyes trained on the group a few feet away from her. She would give anything to be able to crawl over to her friends.

"Now, there is, of course, one final Variable." The woman stated, taking a step back.

Gally moved forward, body stiff and awkward. "They... can control me.... I don't"- He wasn't able to continue as his own hand wrapped around his throat, choking the words away from him. "I... have... to..." The words vanished from his mouth as he straightened, suddenly calm.

Kalisa could only watch through half lidded eyes as Gally made a sudden movement- sending a wicked looking dagger soaring towards Thomas's chest. Even if she was mobile there would have been nothing she could have done to stop it. The speed at which the blade moved at was otherworldly, only a blur of color to their eyes- until it finally met its mark, only it wasn't Thomas who took the hit.

Chuck stumbled several paces, the dagger digging itself deep within his stomach. The kid fell to the floor, blood spewing from his mouth and through his shirt, staining the ground and the hands of Thomas, who screamed for him.

Kalisa let out a strangled sound from the ground- Chucks body shaking uncontrollably as he lay a few feet away from her.

"Chuck!" Thomas screamed, sobbing uncontrollably as the curly haired boy stared up at the ceiling with blank eyes. "Chuck!"

Kalisa felt as if someone had pulled her heart out of her body and crushed it. Chuck was never supposed to die. Chuck was the one thing in the Glade that felt bright and jovial. He was so young, so innocent- just a kid. He was her light in the darkness, her reason to continue fighting. Kalisa wouldn't have tried this hard had it not been for Chuck. He deserved to go home and meet his family. He deserved to be free.

It had all been for nothing then. Because as Kalisa struggled to crawl towards his body- she knew that no amount of bargaining could ever bring him back. Chuck was gone.

Chuck is gone.

Kalisa could barely see through the tears in her eyes as she reached a trembling hand out for the kid. He wasn't breathing. He was dead. Chuck was gone.

Just before she could feel the texture of his clothes or check for a pulse- a hard kick was sent into her ribs, knocking the wind out of her.

Kalisa gasped for air- but didn't have much luck as she silently cried- feeling an empty pit in her core. Beyond her internal misery, Thomas had given up on screaming for Chuck. Now, he was attacking Gally.

Kalisa didn't bother watching the Greenie tear the Builder apart. She didn't care- not when Chucks corpse was so close yet so far. Kalisa made a move to reach out for him again, but only received another kick.

"Please," She begged, not caring if she sounded childish. "I need to see him. Please."

The guards only crackled their electric batons threateningly in response.

When Thomas was eventually pulled off Gally he was breathing heavily, abandoning his raw rage for agonizing sadness. He cried loudly, almost shaking the Chamber with his sobs. Nobody looked to Gally- who lay unmoving on the floor.

When the Wicked woman spoke again, her voice was neutral, as if the death of a child had no significance to her. "All things happen for a purpose. You must understand this."

Kalisa used all of her remaining strength to look up towards Newt. His eyes were already trained on her- so many emotions hidden beneath his iris's, but Kalisa knew him well enough now to read him easily. He was angry, guilty, horrified, anxious, terrified, disappointed, regretful, and most of all mournful. His fists were clenched tightly as he sent her a slow blink, the action providing the girl with enough to know what he was trying to say.

I won't let them take you too.

Kalisa squeezed her eyes shut- the pain she felt all over her body almost dragging her into a state of unconsciousness.

Before she could drift away into a state of nothingness however, a sudden ruckus of shouts and gunfire sounded from inside the glass room. Kalisa looked through blurry eyes to see a group of new people entering the scene. They wore grimy clothing while sporting rusty weapons, which they used to take down the Wicked workers.

The woman who had been speaking to them went pale as she turned to the guards holding her down. "Get her out of here. You know where to go."

The two men didn't hesitate before forcing the dark haired girl to her feet, shoving her in the direction of the door. The pain upon standing was the least of Kalisa's worries as she thrashed and screamed for her friends- knowing that if she left with these men, she would never see them again.

"Newt!" She cried, elbowing one of the men in the gut. He grunted and back handed her, causing her nose to crack and blood to pour down her face.

"Let her go!" Newt was shouting over the gunfire which was getting closer by the second. "Don't touch her! I'll kill you!"

"Leave her alone!" Someone else cried. Everything was so loud and overwhelming. Kalisa had taken hit after hit, and she wasn't sure how long she would be able to continue fighting.

"Start the Berg. We'll meet you out there." One of the men said, ignoring all the shouts behind him.

The other soldier dashed out the door, disappearing into the rays of light.

Despite all that was happening Kalisa longed to get a glimpse of real sunlight.

"NO!" Kalisa whipped her head around to see Newt fighting to get to her. But it was too late. The guard picked Kalisa up over his shoulder and ran out the door- leaving her family behind.

All of her senses were overcome with sudden brightness. An unnaturally hot air blew her hair back, causing a sweat to form over her skin in an instant. They must be in a desert.

"STOP!" Kalisa pleaded, but they didn't listen. The man was running for a black military plane- not bothering to look behind him as the gunfire continued.

Kalisa gave up on her cries when she was met with a mouthful of sand. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the light, she could see a baby blue sky stretching out for miles overhead. Beneath them was sand that went on for an eternity. Other than the building and the Berg, there was absolutely nothing.

When her captors reached the plane, they cuffed her to the seat in the back and threw on their headsets, only taking a moment to buckle in and press a few buttons before they lifted off the ground, soaring higher and higher until the Maze was far, far behind her.

It was exactly what she had wanted. To get away from the Maze. And yet now- she would give anything to be back in the Homestead, body pressed against Newt's as they yearned for sleep and dreamt of what awaited them beyond the walls.

"Where are you taking me?" Her voice came out raspy and weak.

The soldiers ignored her.

Kalisa was numb now. There was no real way to process what had just happened. She didn't even know where to begin. She had lost Chuck, Gally was alive- and now dead again, their captors had been defeated, and she was ripped apart from her friends. The only family she had ever known, or remembered anyways.

Newt, Minho, Thomas, Teresa, Frypan, Winston, Henry and so many others. God knows if she would ever see them again. She wished she had taken the time to memorize each of their features. She could already feel herself forgetting the exact shade of brown Newts eyes were.

She didn't know where she was going, she didn't know who these people were. She didn't even know anything other than what Thomas recalled about her.

So instead of processing it, Kalisa closed her eyes and gave into the darkness, half hoping she would never wake up again.

Oh! So... yeah. Anyways I hope you guys loved this chapter, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but it was the last one! WHATT! The Epilogue will be posted soon, and then I'll move onto book two, Oscillation! Let me know if there is anything you're hoping to see! For my Swifties, what is your favorite track on Taylors new album TTPD? Mine is probably who's afraid of little old me, or the smallest man who ever lived! Happy reading!

4/20/24

4286 words