Shadow of the Maze | Maze Runner [1]

ELEVEN

[ ELECTRA ]

❧

The trio returned to the Glade with plenty of time to spare. Electra left Minho and Thomas before the two turned the corner to the Doors and they all casually said goodbye. She watched as her best friend and the new trainee disappeared from sight before walking towards an ivy wall and hoisting herself up.

Another night in the Maze. Alone. The fact hit her harder than ever due to her gloomy surroundings.

Reaching the top of the wall, Electra sat and looked up at the ceiling. The Doors were meant to close shortly then after that she needed to resume her nightly duties. She hadn't seen a Griever trying to get into the Glade for a few days and she wondered what they were up to, if not trying to kill her and the Gladers.

With the changes that had been noticed within the last 24 hours, including the sky itself disappearing, Electra assumed the night ahead would be anything but calm. She doubted she'd be able to kill any of the Grievers by herself, as earlier that day they'd barely killed the Griever they'd seen and it'd been a 3 against 1 match, but she didn't necessarily have to kill them.

She just needed to make sure they didn't enter the Glade. The fact was somewhat consoling.

Electra picked herself up off the floor, raising her arms above her head and stretching out. Whatever the night ahead had in store for her she would handle it like she'd always done.

She decided to travel to her makeshift bed on top of the walls to get a couple of hours of rest before whatever was about to happen. Letting out a deep breath, Electra veered forward and began running. She forced her attention to the thumping of her soles on the stones beneath her feet lest her thoughts lead her astray.

The dreary grey landscape surrounded her and its dullness made her feel uneasy. The eternal dusk, along with the relative absence of Grievers, made the Maze feel empty, like a ghost town. Electra was the last pitiful spirit that remained in the death trap, trapped in her job of surveying the endless twists and turns of the Maze for the rest of eternity.

Reaching her makeshift bed, she swung her pack over her shoulder and plopped down. She snatched her water bottle and took a couple of sips while curiously peering down at the Glade below her.

The open, grassy landscape was decorated with fire-lit lanterns sparkling around the buildings. Boys hurriedly moved from one building to another, some of them carrying lanterns but most of them scurrying solo from one location to the other. Electra's eyes wandered to the middle of the Glade, where the Box sat. She remembered Minho telling her how the contraption refused to go back down, and seeing it completely motionless in the center of the clearing made her throat feel dry.

No sun and no new supplies. One way or another things were about to end.

A certain boy storming off into the forest caught her interest. Thomas. Electra held back a laugh while watching him chaotically stumble into the thick trees, his movements rigid and sharp. She wondered what must've happened to make Thomas act so anxious and her question was soon answered.

Moments after Thomas' entry into the forest, Electra noticed someone following him. At first, she assumed it to be the pre-teen boy that followed Thomas everywhere but when Electra saw her thick brown waves, her heart sank.

Teresa. She was awake.

Since when? Electra leaned forward the tiniest bit instinctively, wanting to get a good look at the comatose girl she'd only heard about from Minho and Thomas. The girl moved with such a confident essence, her steps so sure, her eyes locked directly on the trees in front of her.