Quiet is Violent {Newt | The Maze Runner}

23. Entrance or Exit

"Keep up guys, we're almost there!" Thomas's shout snapped her back into reality, letting Tasha and Newt push forward as they headed through the well travelled flats of the Maze beyond the usual labyrinth, past the monstrous, iron Blades. A new opening loomed ahead, one Tasha had never seen before, and the group made their way towards it. As they approached, Thomas flattened himself against the wall, just before the corner, the others following suit behind him as they waited for his call. The Runner peered out, his panting breaths mirrored by all those around him, especially the non-Runners. There was a menacing groan and click of something that wasn't human humming above all the other sounds and Tasha's stomach dropped. She knew those sounds all too well.

"Is it a Griever?" Chuck asked Thomas, the fear in his eyes inspiring terror in even Tasha as he nodded at the youngest Glader.

"Yeah." He swallowed hard, the group forming a tight huddle around him.

"Here, take this Chuck," Everyone watched as Minho handed the curly-haired kid the cylinder that had been covered in Griever guts only a day previously, "stay behind us." He told him, seriously. Chuck took the object, not fully understanding it's significance, but understanding the gravity of his task if the shaking of his hands was anything to go by.

"It's OK." Teresa told him, both her and Thomas picking up on his panic as the other Greenie gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Just stick with me." She told him, her expression determined as she turned to face the Greenie.

"Once we're through, it'll activate, and the door will open." Thomas addressed the group, "We stay close, we stick together, we get through this, we get out now." There was a pause, the group not daring to breath as he looked around at them. "Or we die trying." His gaze locked with Tasha's and they nodded in mutual understanding. "Ready?" Thomas asked, planting the base of his spear firmly in the ground, dropping Tasha's gaze and staring down the rest of them. There was the metallic swish of a blade as both Tasha and Minho drew their swords, almost identical smiles of bloody appreciation painted on their features. "Alright," Thomas yelled, marvelling at them, before his grin grew wider, "Lets go!" He roared, charging down the corridor towards the Griever, followed by the rush of Gladers.

They managed to gain the attention of the Griever with their warcry, causing it to turned abruptly, it's claws snapping as it released it's metallic cry. Charged at them, running directly into their spears, allowing itself to be pushed aside, maneuvering itself behind their group. It's ploy doesn't work as well as it had hoped and the Gladers realign themselves within moments, spinning to face the monster, stabbing and hacking away at the Griever before them with spears and swords. Thomas landed a hit square in it's squishy excuse for a jaw and it lashed out, tail swiping through the air above them as they ducked and thankfully missing them, but it's determined to have it's revenge, snatching up one of the others, throwing him, screaming, off the side of the bridge. The shock hits them almost like a physical wound but they recover quickly, no time for mourning in battle. The monster plants one of it's feet directly in front of Teresa, who managed to dodge just in time, hacking away at the leg with her sword. It reacted like it had just been stung, flinging it's leg into the air - and knocking the cylinder from Chuck's grip! He let out a cry of surprise and bolted after it, weaving through the fighting Gladers as it rolled closer and closer to the edge of the bridge. Teresa called out after him, but was blocked by others. Tasha was caught between helping Chuck and helping fight the Griever, but it appeared her decision was made for her as she lost sight of them as the remaining Gladers drove the Griever off of the side of the bridge. They pushed it back with all of their remaining force as it writhed and screamed in opposition. They watched as it lost it's grip and fell into the abyss below, as the Gladers let out an excited cheer. The joy, however, was short lived, as Teresa and Chuck ran back to rejoin the group, cylinder thankfully in hand, but tailed by two other Griever climbing the sides of the bridge. Tasha ran forward, joining Minho and Thomas to help stave off the Grievers as Teresa and Chuck ran straight through the group to the doors. The Gladers worked tirelessly to drive off the Grievers as a click and grinding thump radiated throughout the corridor; Tasha glanced over her shoulder quickly, seeing Teresa and Chuck running down a pathway that hadn't been there only moments before.

"Keep 'em back!" Minho shouted over the sounds of the struggles, lunging at the Grievers and slowly backing down the newly opened path.

"Stay together!" Newt yelled, his words overlapping with Minho's, his sword landing hit after hit into the slimy, oozing creatures. As the Gladers continued to back down the path, the Griever's assault became more aggressive and it was more often than not that Tasha was narrowly avoiding being stung or injured. As it was, she was littered with cuts and scrapes and bruises with no distinct memory if they were from this fight or the fight last night, all bruising her skin in different shades of blue and purple. It would be beautiful if it wasn't so painful.

The Grievers began to pick off the remaining Gladers, taking them off guard, snatching them up and throwing them back to the Maze. She could barely see or hear the other Gladers, her vision tinted red as she slashed away, the pitiful screams of the Grievers filling her ears. She heard somewhere in the back of her mind, or perhaps it was just dim to her oddly zen-like state of anger, Thomas and Minho arguing about the sequence of the Maze - he must mean the sequence of the doors opening - the voice in her head is mild where everything else is a blazing bonfire. That's when it happened, Newt's warning shout cut through her blind rage and she looked up, a Griever falling from the sky. It felt as if everything had begun to move in slow motion, she jumped out of the way in time for it to miss her, but it ended up pinning Minho, helpless, to the concrete. Snapping teeth kept at bay, Minho did what he could to fend the Griever off as he lay flat on his back. Tasha was frozen, unsure of what she do, but Jeff ran in, launching himself at the Griever and lodging his spear through it's head. Minho had used the Griever's confusion to his advantage, wiggling from it's grasp and stumbling away, however Jeff was not so fortunate and he remained stuck to the oozing skin of the Griever as it began to back away, like he was a fly trapped in the web of a spider. Jeff's agonising screams mixed with Winston's pained ones at seeing Jeff taken away and they were the only thing Tasha could hear as her body worked on autopilot. She was still in shock, pushing back the Grievers with Newt while Minho called out the sequence of numbers to Teresa. Jeff was her friend - she didn't have a lot of friends and losing one felt almost like losing a part of herself. She watched in mild fascination akin to horror as the doors began to slam closed in front of them, squishing the Grievers like bugs. The final creature lunged forward in a last-ditch effort to get to them, but before it could take a step closer to them, Thomas had lobbed his spear at it and lodged it in the Griever's face. The final stone door fell onto it with a loud bang, it's slimy, Griever fluids splashing out from beneath the door.

Everything is silent, the shock of survival almost tangible in the air around them. It's a coin flip between triumph or sorrow and nobody's quiet sure which they would pick at this moment. They stand as if in suspended animation, trying to make sense of everything, wondering what happens next, when a final door spins closed. There's a shout of surprise from the remaining Gladers and they're left in total, overwhelming darkness.