Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 26

Panicked voices filled the air. Grace stood in front of the open Maze doors. It was dark. The light from the sun was almost gone. In a few minutes, it would be. They would be left in the dark while Grievers entered the Glade. Everyone knew they were coming. It was only a matter of time.

Suddenly, there was a loud clang behind them. Grace winced, placing her hands over her ears. She quickly turned around, her eyes widening when she noticed the Maze doors opening. Birds flew the air, desperate to get away from the source that had scared them. The sound happened again. The doors to her right were opening. Lastly, the doors to her left opened. All the doors to the Maze were open.

Grace's heart was racing in her chest. She had never felt so scared. The Maze doors had never stayed open through the night. "Chuck," Thomas turned around. "Go to the Gathering room. Start barricading the doors."

"Winston, go with him," Newt said.

"Get the others," Gally addressed a few of the Gladers. "Go tell them to hide. Now!" Grace had no idea what to do. She felt paralyzed. The fear was almost too much.

Thomas turned his attention to Minho. "Minho. I need you to get every weapon you can. We'll meet you there." He nodded, understanding what Thomas wanted him to do. Grace stared at him, feeling uneasy about being separated.

He looked back at her, offering her a reassuring smile that was clearly forced. "I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Okay," Grace whispered. Minho took off in a run with a few of the other Gladers, including Newt and Frypan. She watched him until he vanished.

"Teresa, you, Grace, and I will go get Alby." It sounded easy. Get Alby and get to the Gathering room. They could do it.

"Run!" Voices screamed in the distance. "Grievers!" Grace felt the panic return. She had never seen a Griever before, and she didn't want to. They terrified her. "Run! Go back!"

"Run!" Behind her, something screamed. Grace looked over her shoulder to see two Grievers standing in the Maze. They were staring at them. They could see them.

Grievers were larger than Grace imagined and scarier. "Okay, everyone, hide!" Thomas took off in a run, pushing Grace with him. However, Teresa was frozen, paralyzed by fear. "Teresa." He reached back and grabbed her hand.

"Run! Run!"

"Go!" Grace was running like her life depended on it, because it did. She ran with Thomas and Teresa into the crops. It was the closest place to them where they could hide. Several other Gladers were doing the same.

"Help me!" Gladers were screaming from each direction.

"Help!"

"Run!"

"Stay down!" Thomas brought Teresa and Grace to the floor. They crouched against the soil. It didn't matter how dirty their clothes were getting. All that mattered was that they survived.

There was screaming from both Gladers and Grievers. It was terrifying. The sun was entirely gone now. The only light they had was from torches. Teresa moved her hand, letting it rest on top of Grace's. They stared at each other, both equally terrified. They didn't want to die, not like this. Thomas listened carefully, ready to run the moment he detected anything. Unfortunately, the Grievers could be quiet.

They didn't hear anything nearby. Not until a Griever pinned Zart to the ground. The blond, curly-haired boy screamed. "Zart!" There was nothing they could do. The Griever threw Zart through the air. Grace gasped as her friend vanished from sight.

"Help me!"

"Get to the hut!" Grace wasn't sure who helped her up. Everything felt like a blur. She was in a state of shock. Zart was dead. A Griever had killed him right in front of her. Her friend was dead. It happened so fast. Grace began to fear for the others. She should have gone with Minho or Chuck. Something could have happened to them. "Run! Come on!"