Sanction -Minho-

Chapter 29

Grace hated running. She didn't enjoy the feeling of not being able to breathe, but she pushed through the pain. She stayed by Teresa's side the entire time. The Maze was truly a Maze of walls and corridors. Grace had no idea how Minho managed to run it every day and not get lost.

She had no idea where they were going but trusted Minho and Thomas to lead them there. They thought they knew where the exit was. If they were right, the group would finally escape the Maze. They would be free. That was all Grace ever wanted.

Thomas started to slow down as he approached a gap in the walls. Grace felt her fear return. Running through the Maze, although incredibly scary, wasn't the dangerous part. The dangerous part was getting to the exit, which it seemed they were about to do.

They all stopped at the wall. Thomas glanced around the corner. "Is there a Griever?" Chuck was breathing heavily as he spoke.

"Yeah." Thomas gripped the spear in his hand tightly.

"Shit." Grace was terrified. She knew this wasn't going to be easy. People would die.

"Take this, Chuck." Minho handed him the key. "Stay behind us."

"It's okay." Teresa tied her hair up. "Stick with me and Grace."

"Once we get through, it will activate," Thomas explained. "Then the doors will open." Grace listened closely. "Okay? Stay close and stick together. We get through this, or we die trying. Ready?" Thomas slammed his spear down. Minho grabbed a blade from his bag. This was it. They were going to fight. "Okay. Let's go!" All at once, the group of boys ran around the corner. They screamed as they charged at the Griever. Grace fell to the back with Teresa and Chuck. They didn't want to get in the way.

The Griever shrieked at the sight of them. There was only one, but that didn't mean anything. Grievers were strong and dangerous. Grace watched as the group met the creature in the middle. The Gladers all blurred together. She couldn't distinguish who was who.

Grace stood close by as the Gladers struggled against the Griever. It was stronger than them, but they fought with everything they had. She could hear Thomas screaming to push it over the edge, but he was lost in the chaos. Many ducked as the Griever used its tail, but others weren't so lucky. It picked up a Glader and threw him over the side. Grace's eyes widened. The Griever was getting closer to them. It was only feet away.

They hit again, causing the Griever to get even closer. Teresa fell to the ground, but she acted quickly. Swinging her machete, she took out part of its leg. Unfortunately, Chuck was standing too close. The leg hit him, causing the key to fly from his hands.

"The key!" They needed the key to escape. He went sprinting after it.

"Chuck!" Grace didn't think much about her next actions. She chased after him, ducking under a Glader's spear.

"Watch the edge," Teresa called out after them.

Chuck bent over the edge, falling on his stomach. Most of his body was hanging over the side. "Chuck!" He was going to fall. Grace slid to a stop next to him, grabbing the back of his shirt.

"Pull me up!" Teresa came to help. As Grace pulled the boy back up, she noticed something crawling up the side of the ledge. It was another Griever.

Chuck fell into them, causing the three to hit the ground. There was cheering from the Gladers. They had managed to push the Griever over the side. Grace, Teresa, and Chuck stood up. There were two Grievers in front of them. "Thomas! Thomas!" Teresa and Grace chased after Chuck. They were running towards the group.

"Chuck?" The group noticed the three being chased by two Grievers. Grace ran through the group, wanting to get away from the Grievers.

"Here they come!"