Murder In The Maze (Maze Runner Fanfiction)

Chapter 39: No Turning Back

     The creature's gaze fixates on us, its glazed eyes staring intently. Mechanical limbs tap gently against the stone and echo around the walls with a clear, metallic clang. The corpse of the fallen Glader drops from its claws. As more of us turn the corner and come into its view, the Griever recoils. Its metal legs drift backwards, carrying it further down the path. Swiftly and silently, it disappears behind a corridor - out of sight.

     A bead of sweat drips down my slick skin. The moisture in my mouth dries up until it is difficult to swallow. My shirt sticks to my back as the sun beats overhead.

     Newt's voice breaks the silence, "We've gotta keep moving."

     Grumbles spread through the group - complaints and whispers. Another wail pierces through the air, this time from behind us. Gladers awkwardly shuffle into each other, unsure what direction to go.  After taking a deep breath, I step forward, further down the corridor. Heavy footsteps ricochet off the walls as the group gradually follows suit.

     As we approach the body of the Glader, a rotten smell bombards my nose, almost like faeces, but worse. Groans and complaints come from the others as they travel past him, avoiding the body. Dark stains of blood cover his clothes, and razor marks line his clothes and skin. An oily, slick substance pools around the corpse. His bloodshot eyes stare into the sky; immense fear is still readable over his face. I carefully manoeuvre around him while somewhat resisting the urge to puke.

     We continue on our journey. Distant noises sporadically scare the group, but no Grievers come near. A mild pain burns through my muscles and my side as I walk, nearing Teresa at the front of the group.

     "Thomas told me something," I pause, watching intently for her reaction, "when he woke up from his...coma. He said you were there, when he woke up - that you said you and him had to leave, that you came to save him."

    "It sounds as though he was delerious," she comments haphazardly.

     "Maybe," I continue, "or maybe not. I know you gave Thomas the serum from the box. I checked my kit after the day he woke up; the serum was gone. You're the only one who would take it. How did you know it would work?"

     She shakes her head, shrugging her shoulders. "Lucky guess, I suppose."

     "Hm," I grumble. My suspicion of the new Greenie grows more and more as we walk. There's something she's not telling us. How did she know about the serum?  What did she say to Thomas?  Regardless, I won't press the matter, but I will watch her more closely. Something's not right...

     We continue for a few more hours. The walls cave over us as the sun sets behind them. An orange hue colours my vision, and a cold chill sweeps through the stone path. As night begins to descend, an unspoken fear spreads through the group. 

     My mind drifts back to Alby, unsettling my thoughts. Flickering images of bloated corpses invade my mind and pry themselves into my head. My stomach turns the longer I think about it.

     "Whatcha thinking about?" Newt questions.

     "Alby," I state plainly, "I don't understand. I thought that, whenever we found the killer, things would make sense, but they don't.  Why would Alby want to kill anyone?"

     A pained expression flashes across Newt's face before being whisked away.

     "What is it?"

     Newt shrugs uncomfortably. His dark eyes shift towards the ground, almost in a daze. "I remember...how it started - long time ago.  Wasn't many of us around back then, twenty or so. We didn't know 'bout the Grievers; we'd heard them, but never saw any. George, he was a runner, a few of us were."

     "George," I mutter under my breath. That was the name in the graveyard - the one Alby was visiting when Chuck arrived. I only remembered because Alby told me George and he was close - that he died from the Changing. "Alby said they were close, that a Griever killed him."

     "Stung him, yeah, it didn't kill him, not at first anyway. He went buggin' mad after it, went crazy, tried to kill someone. Alby...stopped him, killed him.  He didn't have a choice."

     "Why did no one tell me?"

     "No one knew, just Nick and a few others. No one talked 'bout it, not Alby, not anyone. Never saw any point in bringing it up again.  It wasn't like Albs wanted to kill him, he had to; was right upset about it - didn't speak for days."

     "He may not have wanted to kill George," I scratch my head. "It must have started his killing spree...I'm not sure how."

     "Get down!" Thomas half shouts, half whispers. I immediately crouch behind the closest wall.

     "Griever?" Minho asks from behind.

     Thomas nods in agreement. The rest of the groups remains surprisingly quiet.

     I inch my way over to the corner of the wall, peaking down the corridor. The dark shadow of another Griever is hardly visible in the dimming light. Oblivious to us, it moves freely down the path, heading towards a dead end. Once it reaches the wall, the creature pauses, moving its head from side to side. A deep grumbling pierces the silence as the stone wall begins to lift.

     "That must be the way out," Thomas states in a hushed yet excited voice.

     Minho facepalms after peaking at the Griever. "I think you forgot about the massive monster waiting to eat us, Thomas."

     "It's too late to turn back," Teresa interjects, "we need to make a plan."

     "We could make a run for it," Newt comments, "while it's open."

     I shake my head. "We'd never make it. The Griever would get us, at least some of us."

     "Ain't like we got a lot of options," Gally grumbles.

     Thomas' eyes gradually move upwards from Gally, staring over his head. His expression drops, and his mouth hangs agape.

     "What is it?" I cock my head to the side. Behind us, a griever darts up the corridor - heading straight towards us!

     Thomas points at it. "Run!"