𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝘄 🆁🅴🅳 - ᴀ ᴍᴀᴢᴇ ʀᴜɴɴᴇʀ ꜰᴀɴꜰɪᴄ

Chapter Seven

Stupid, stupid, self entitled girl! Minho's finger nails clawed pink crescent moons into his forearm as he watched helplessly as Thea arrogantly strolled deeper into the Maze. So much for the Shebean.

"Do something!" One of the boys pleaded. "She doesn't know what's out there!"

No one moved. The Glader was right, someone had to do something. She was going to kill herself. All eyes pointed to Minho. He was the Keeper of the Runners, who else should go running into the closing Maze to save a fellow Glader? You'd have to be a pretty big slinthead with cotton candy for brains to do that.

Minho judged the distance between him and Thea, then the speed at which the doors were closing. He had time. If he ran through and grabbed her, he could pull them both back just before they closed completely. He was sure of it.

Swallowing a sigh, Minho pumped his legs and moved toward the closing walls. The adrenaline coursed through his veins and his already tired muscles were heavy and sore, but the pain was good. Enjoyable even. His feet thudded against the stone ground, the noise intermingling with the Gladers cries and the screech of the closing doors.

Thea was oblivious until Minho grabbed her hand and started pulling her back. There was still room. They would make it.

"Hey! Let me go!" Thea wriggled out of his grasp, her small hand cool against his sweaty skin. Her face was an image of indignation.

Minho gave her his signature smirk. "You said make me. Was I not supposed to follow through?"

Thea glared, her wide nostrils flaring. She didn't speak, glaring only.

"I'm serious," Minho reiterated. "It's dangerous out here. There's monsters. No one comes back from the Maze at night. Once the Doors close, you're dead."

"You're lying."

Minho exhaled deeply. He was never going to be a parent. "I didn't want to do this, but you've given me no choice, Gibson."

Minho wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. She wasn't lighter than ordinary, but Minho's arms were toned from months of being a Builder before they decided to venture into the Maze. What he hadn't accounted for, was the thrashing.

"Put me down, you slinthead!"

She clawed at his arms, leaving pink, crescent moon shaped dents in his skin. The whipped her head backwards into his and Minho had to stumble back to maintain his balance.

"Could you not?" He said once the throbbing had slowed to a bearable pulsing. "I'm trying to help you here!"

Thea completely disregarded him and continued to kick. Her foot hooked around his leg, just below the knee, and she whipped her head forward. Her hair ribbon spun in the air and floated to the ground as she fell forward. Thea caught herself before she hit the ground, partly aided by Minho's grip around her middle, and grabbed his ankle, pulling it beneath her legs and knocking him to the ground.

His head crashed against the stone, sending ripples of pressure through his skull, and the air poured out of his lungs. Minho let out a groan. What was wrong with that girl? She could not be normal.

Thea panted, "I told you... to put me down."

A thud sounded and the screeching stopped.

Minho's heart fell into his stomach. With some effort, he pushed himself onto his hands, trying to ignore the pain rushing through his body, and turned to the Doors. Even though he hoped to see the Glade and its inhabitants, hope can't stop fate. The stone was sealed shut and he and Thea were locked in the Maze.

"What. Have. You. DONE?" Minho roared. He took some satisfaction in seeing her flinch. "Congratulations, you've gotten us both killed!"

"You didn't have to come in after me," she shrugged. In the russet crystals of her eyes, Minho saw a glimmer of doubt, but the fear was well masked, only to be found if one was searching for it.

"Didn't have to come in after you? I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't gone running into the most dangerous place in the entire Glade! And on your first night too! What were you thinking? What, that we were lying about it being dangerous? That we would make up a load of klunk about the monsters in here? We're not sick animals like you!"

His nostrils flared as he fumed, expelling all his pent up anger on her.

Thea placed her hands on her hips and sneered, "You expect me to just trust a bunch of teenage boys? Yeah, right. I'm not entirely oblivious. I can put two and two together; hormonal boys, no girls... there is no way I'm going to trust you and if you don't want to be around me so badly, go find your other monster buddies and hang with them."

"Ya know what?" Minho said. "The Grievers aren't sounding so bad now! At least they'll give me a quick death so I won't have to endure this torture anymore!"

"Go for it! See if I care!" Thea spat back, refraining from asking what exactly the Grievers he referred to were in order to maintain her facade. "In fact, please do! I can feel my IQ lowering with every word I speak to you!"

Minho huffed in disbelief and shook his head at her. "You're losing a valuable ally. If I recall correctly, I'm the one who knows my way around the maze. I'm the one who knows what's just waking up in there. I'm the one who knows what's going on."

Thea walked deeper into the maze instead of replying to him. Well shuck that and shuck her.