When The Darkness Comes // Newt

Part nineteen, "Can Grievers climb?"

A loud screech wakes you up from a dreamless sleep you didn't know you were in. Your eyes shoot open, and you see nothing but green. The screech sounds again, and you don't move, but your eyes dart around to see that you're sitting up in a small crevice at the foot of one of the walls, covered in vines. And there's a Griever getting closer.

"You're a really sound sleeper. It's almost bloody annoying," a voice whispers in your ear.

Your head jerks to the side and collides with someone else's head.

"Shh!"

"You were the one who said it first!" you argue pointlessly, forgetting where you are amidst the confusion and fear.

"Shut the shuck up before the bugger comes and stings us both!" Newt whispers furiously. The two of you are sitting under the vines, out of sight of the thing that's coming. You resist the urge to rub your forehead which probably has a bruise by now, and you try to keep your breathing silent. The clicking noise comes next. First you can barely hear it, then it's closer, closer, closer, until you stop breathing altogether. You brace yourself, trying to convince your heart that maybe if you're strong enough, you can survive the sting long enough to be given the Grief Serum.

Silence explodes in your ears, surprising after the ongoing clicking. Then, all of a sudden, something rams into the ground almost directly in front of you, and you can see it barely through the vines. A Griever's leg, or arm, whatever it is. Your heart beats faster than ever and you squeeze your eyes shut, and clench your fists, except his right hand is in your left one. Even so, you squeeze it until you hurt yourself, trying to keep the screams from coming out your mouth and giving away your position- giving away your life.

"We- we can make it," you say under your breath after the Griever's leg has disappeared and the monster has wandered off somewhere. "We need to run. We can't stay here."

"Are you bloody jacked in the head or did ya just see what I saw? That thing was inches away from you!"

"I know," you reply between breaths. "That's why we need to go. Now!" Before Newt can object, you untangle the vines and step out into the open, dragging him along.

"This way!" you whisper, although you know keeping your voice down is pointless. Because as soon as you set foot out of the vines, the screeches from somewhere close stopped. The Griever knows where you are.

You run down the closest long, dark passage, in the opposite direction of where you heard the monster. You thought you could run pretty fast, but it's practically him pulling you along, leading the way through the Maze. Oh, that's right. He's a Runner. You can do nothing but follow along and hope with your life that you won't meet any of the Griever's friends.

"Come on!" Newt nearly yanks your arm out of it's socket when he pulls you forward. You didn't realize you had stopped. After a few more turns, you stop abruptly. You can't hear the Griever, so you have a couple of minutes to spare.

"What the bloody shuck are you thinking?"

"Can Grievers climb?" you practically yell in his face.

"What?"

"The vines! Come on!" You both run to the nearest wall that is somewhat lit up by the moonlight. No, it isn't moonlight- dawn must be coming!

You reach the wall and grip the thick vines. They don't budge.

"Come on," you repeat, and pressing your feet firmly against the wall, you begin to pull yourself up, bit by bit.

"What the shuck are you thinking? It's gonna get you! We gotta get moving!" Newt yells from about ten feet below. You turn your head to look back down at him, but you hear the clicking noise again. It draws your gaze to the passage you came from, and for the first time, you see a Griever.