The doors were open. The sky was dark. Voices filled the air, full of panic and fear. It was only a matter of time before Grievers stumbled upon the open doors and entered the Glade.
Suddenly, there was a loud clank behind them. Emma's body jerked, body ducking down. Turning around, her eyes widened when she realized the other set of Maze doors were opening.
Then the doors to the right began to open, and then the left. Now, there were four open sets of doors leading to the Glade. Four different ways for Grievers to enter.
Emma looked around, processing the current situation. It wasn't good. "Chuck," Thomas broke the silence. "Go to the Gathering room. Start barricading the doors."
"Winston, go with him," Newt added.
"Get the others," Gally said. "Go tell them to hide. Now!" A few Gladers nodded at him, running off toward the forest.
"Minho. I need you to get every weapon you can. We'll meet you there."
Minho nodded, "let's go." He ran toward the Runners hut in the woods, Newt and Frypan following him.
"Teresa, Emma. We are going to go get Alby." Emma glanced at Thomas, who was already looking at her. She nodded, unable to say anything. On the inside, her mind was falling victim to panic. On the outside, she looked bland. Like nothing was affecting her when it was the opposite.
"Run!" Some screamed. "Grievers!"
"Run! Go back!"
"Run!" A screech echoed down the Maze corridor. Emma glanced over her shoulder to see two Grievers inside the Maze.
The Grievers were coming. Emma took a step back, eyes wide in fear and horror. The creatures were more terrifying in person. "Okay, everyone, hide!" Thomas took off in a run, nudging Emma to follow. However, Teresa didn't. She was paralyzed by fear. "Teresa." He ran back and grabbed her hand, tugging her roughly in order to get her to move. It did the trick. She started running.
"Run! Run!"
"Go!"
"Run!"
"Go!" Emma ran as fast as she could toward the crops. Several other Gladers were with them, hiding in the only place they could. It was close, and they didn't have time to go elsewhere. Not without a plan on how to get to the Med-Jack hut safely.
Emma felt her steps start to falter. Looking around, she noticed two things. One, there were Grievers inside the Glade already. Two, Gally wasn't with her anymore. In fact, she couldn't see him anywhere. "Gally?" Emma searched for him, pausing her steps without realizing it. "Gally!"
"Emma!" Thomas ran back. "Come on!" He grabbed her arm, dragging her into the corn stalks. Emma moved with him, but her mind was still trying to figure out what was happening.
Grievers were in the Maze. They were trapped. Gally was missing. She had no idea what was going on. Emma had never felt so scared.
"Help me!" Gladers were screaming from each direction.
"Someone help!" More screaming.
"Run!" Grievers screeched.
"Stay down!" Thomas pushed Emma to the floor, along with Teresa. They crouched against the soil, bodies trembling.
It was dark. The sun was long gone. There was silence within the group hiding in the corn stalks, but outside there was screaming. It surrounded them. Reminded them of what was going on.
It was hard to see. The only light they had was from torches. Emma felt someone brush their shoulder against hers. She glanced at the person. It was Jack, her friend. He was beside her. They stared at each other, terrified and unsure of what was happening. The Maze doors hadn't closed, and nothing made sense. Emma had no idea what to do. Right now, she's following Thomas. It didn't matter that Gally hated him. She didn't. She trusted him.
In the silence, they failed to notice the Griever approaching. It wasn't until it pinned Zart to the ground that they realized it was there. The blond, curly-haired boy screamed, hand extending for help. "Zart!"
There was nothing they could do. Emma barely had time to blink before the Griever threw Zart through the air. "No!"
But he was gone. Emma felt any resolve she had left crumble. Zart was her friend. A good friend of hers, someone she knew well. Now, he was gone. He was dead.
Zart was dead.
"Help me!"
"Get to the hut!" They were running again. Emma wasn't sure how her legs were working. It was like her mind and body were two separate things. Like they weren't connected. Her mind was still stuck in the corn stalks, and her body was running toward the Med-Jack hut.
"Run! Come on!" They had to get to Alby before meeting Chuck at the Gathering hut.
She ran out of the crops, following closely behind Thomas. Her legs were shaky, but she kept moving.
When they arrived at the Med-Jack hut, Jeff and Clint were already outside carrying Alby. "Alby."
"Are you guys okay?"
"What's going on?" Alby was confused, unsure about what was happening.
Thomas looked between them. "They're here."
"Grievers?"
There was screaming throughout the Glade. Grievers were wreaking havoc everywhere. Nowhere was safe. "What do we do, Thomas?"
Suddenly, a Griever appeared behind them. "Help!" Someone was dragged into the darkness. Thomas grabbed a knife that was hanging on the wall.
"Help!"
"It's got me."
In all directions, Grievers were attacking. People were being killed, hurt, or running away. "Okay, everyone, run. Get to the Gathering hall." Emma turned on her heel, running in the direction of the Gathering hut. "Go, go, go, go!" Thomas was screaming at them to keep moving.
They had to keep moving. To get to where Thomas told them to go. That's where Chuck was waiting for them. Newt, Minho, and Frypan would get weapons with others. It was their only chance.
Emma thought of Gally, who she had been separated from. He had been by her side, and then he was gone. She had no idea where he was or if he was even alive.
As the group ran towards the Gathering hall, they were stopped by a Griever. Its body went barreling through the Kitchens, sending pieces of wood everywhere. Emma slid to a stop, stumbling over her feet. Jack ran into her back, unable to stop fast enough, but she barely noticed. All she could focus on was the massive creature in front of her.
It was worse up close, Emma thought. Covered in spikes, half of its body was made of metal, while the other half was flesh. Its long tail was in the air, ready to strike them.
It shrieked at them, tail spinning. Emma stepped back, but there was nowhere to go. Luckily, Teresa reacted quickly. She grabbed a candle jar off the ground and hurled it at the creature. Instantly, its body was engulfed in flames. The Griever squawked and started reeling in an attempt to put out the fire.
Emma was shocked, but there wasn't time to stand around. "Come on. Keep going!" The group moved around the Griever as they ran toward the Gathering hall. "Go, keep moving! Run!" They had to keep running. Standing out in the open wasn't smart. It could get them killed.
Already, Emma could see the bodies scattered throughout the Glade. People were dead. People were dying.
Still, it didn't feel entirely real.
"It's getting closer!" They weren't going to make it to the Gathering hall. A Griever was coming toward them quickly.
"He's right behind me!"
"Help!"
There was a scream. A second Griever hit someone's body, but there was still one following behind them. "Keep moving! Don't stop!" They couldn't stop. "Go!"
Alby's legs gave out from under him, and his body tumbled onto the ground. Jeff tried to help but fell as well. Emma slid to a stop, turning around. She noticed that their group was nearly half the size it was originally. "Alby!"
"Everyone, get behind me!" Thomas stood in front of them, holding a knife in his hand. The Griever towered over them. It snarled, tail raised in the air, ready to strike. "Come on!" Emma stared at the creature, trying to prepare herself for what was about to happen.
It jumped to attack but never had a chance. A spear embedded itself in its stomach. The Griever recoiled, body jerking to the side. "Over here!" Emma looked to her left, finding a group with weapons. The person who had thrown the spear was Minho. "Come on!"
Minho wrapped an arm around Alby, helping Jeff carry him. "We need to go!"
Emma began running again. She moved quickly and without any grace. Simply desperate to get away from the Grievers.
"Guys!" Chuck was standing outside the Gathering hall. He was holding a lantern, frantically waving at them. "Over here. Hurry! Come on!"
People were already inside when Emma entered. "Get Alby inside." They helped carry him inside. "Chuck, get in. Everyone get in. Go, go, go, go." Once everyone was inside, Thomas closed the door. "Lock the door."
It was dark in the building.
They only had a few torches, which provided some light but not enough to see much. Emma stepped back, shoulder bumping into someone. Newt now stood beside her, eyes straight ahead. Looking around, she noticed that a lot of the Gladers were inside the hut.
But not Gally.
The door moved as something tried to open it. Newt raised his machete in the air, prepared to do whatever needed to be done. The Griever tried the door again, but it didn't budge.
The Griever then pounded against the side of the building. It was looking for a way in. "Everyone, stay back." The Griever flung itself against the wall, but it didn't break.
The Griever jumped onto the roof, shaking the building. Dust started to rain down, along with pieces of hay. Emma bent down slightly, as did the others. They slowly moved in the opposite direction. The Griever walked along the roof, attempting to find a way in, but the plan didn't work. The structure was sturdy.
It made noises like it was chattering. Emma couldn't explain it.
Suddenly, its tail broke through the roof and grabbed the supporting beam in the middle. With one tug, the roof came crashing down on top of them. Emma fell to the ground, covered in dust and wood.
There was coughing from some to her right. "Is everybody all right?"
"I'm fine," it was Jeff.
Newt wrapped a hand around Emma's arm, helping her to her feet. "Thanks, Newt."
"Help!" Someone screamed. Emma instantly looked around, but she couldn't see anything.
"Get him." Thomas, Minho, and Frypan tried to grab someone, but he was dragged away. "Get back!"
"Watch out!"
"Get back!" There was shouting from everyone.
The wall beside them broke from the force of a Grievers tale. Several Gladers jumped back, but not everyone. "Chuck!"
"No!"
It grabbed him, lifting him into the air. Thomas darted forward, as did several others. "Grab him!"
"Chuck," Emma screamed, grabbing onto his other hand.
"Pull him back!" Several people were holding onto Chuck, refusing to let go.
"Don't let go."
"No shit," Chuck responded to Thomas.
Emma held onto him tightly. Minho's arm was over her, his grip on Chuck's arm tight. "Hold on!"
"Pull!" The Griever was strong. Its grip was unrelenting as it held onto Chuck. Emma wouldn't let go. Chuck was her friend, and he was just a kid. They had to save him.
Abruptly, Alby screamed. He grabbed something off the ground and repeatedly slammed it into the Griever's tale.
"Hold on, Chuck," Emma begged. "Just hold on." She couldn't lose Chuck, not like this. He was her friend. She already lost Zart and likely many others.
"No!"
"I can't hold on much longer!"
Alby continued to hit the Griever. Eventually, it let go of Chuck and withdrew its tail. Emma fell from the unexpected shift in weight. Alby screamed as the Griever vanished. "You okay, Chuck?" Emma coughed, rolling onto her side and taking a deep breath
"Yeah," he responded. Emma glanced at him. The young boy was holding a device in his hand. Something Alby had knocked off the Griever. "Thanks, Alby."
There was chirping from the Griever once more. "It's coming back!"
"Alby!" The tail burst through the roof and grabbed onto him. Like Chuck, it lifted him into the air.
"Grab him," Newt shouted. Emma scrambled to her feet. Thomas bolted forward, but Alby was almost entirely gone. He was holding onto the roof.
"Alby," Thomas said as he tried to help them, but there wasn't anything he could do. Alby was too far out of reach for them to help.
"Thomas," Alby responded. "Get them out." With that, he was gone, dragged away by a Griever.
"No!"
Thomas rushed toward the door. "Thomas, no!" It wasn't safe to leave. "Don't go!" But he was already gone. Several other Gladers followed after him, Emma included.
She ran out of the destroyed Gathering hut, only to see what was left of the Glade. It was destroyed. The Kitchen was gone. Part of the Med-Jack hut was still standing, but the rest was in pieces. The Gardens were obliterated. The Homestead was on fire. The Builders hut was barely hanging on. The corn stalks were up in flames, creating a cloud of smoke.
"Where is everyone?" Emma didn't see any Grievers. She assumed that was good. They had probably retreated back into the Maze for the night.
"Who is that right there?"
Marching through the smoke was Gally. "Gally." Any relief Emma had about seeing him vanished as he punched Thomas in the face.
"Gally!" She cried, mostly in shock.
"Woah!"
"Hey!" Several Gladers grabbed Gally, forcing him away from Thomas. "Calm down."
"Stop!"
"This is all you, Thomas," Gally screamed at him. "Look around you."
"Back up, Gally! Back up, now," Minho demanded. "This is not Thomas's fault."
Gally ignored him, still fighting against the people holding onto him. "You heard what Alby said. He's one of them!"
"One of who," Jeff questioned.
"Them," Gally roared. "They sent him here to destroy everything, and now he has! Look around you. This is all your fault!" Thomas looked around the Glade. "This is your fault!" Emma stared at Gally. She knew what happened had nothing to do with Thomas. He didn't ask for the Grievers to destroy everything.
"What are you talking about?"
"Calm down!"
"Gally, stop!" Minho had a hand on his chest while others struggled to hold him back. However, Frypan was doing most of the work, trying desperately to hold his friend back. "Calm down. This wasn't because of Thomas."
"Get off of me!" Gally was still struggling. "Let go of me. This is all his fault!"
"Thomas didn't do this." Frypan tried to reason with him.
"He's going to destroy everything we've built! That we've worked so hard to maintain!"
"There's no point, Gally. Stop!"
"Hey," Newt said. "Hold him back." Newt glanced over his shoulder at Emma, who was watching the scene unfold in front of her with tear-filled eyes. She knew Gally hated Thomas, but this was extreme. He attacked Thomas, knowing the rules, knowing what Jordan had done to her. He believed in the rules but was okay breaking them himself.
"What if he's right?" Emma shifted her attention to Thomas. She noticed he was holding something in his hand. It was part of the Griever. It was what they used to sting people with.
"Let go of me!" Gally was still shouting.
"You need to calm down," Minho yelled. "Calm down, Gally."
"Thomas?" Emma wasn't sure what he was doing. He was staring at the object intensely.
"I have to remember."
Teresa realized what he was about to do. "Thomas, wait-" he slammed the needle into his leg. "No!" The struggling stopped. All eyes were now on Thomas.
"Thomas!" Emma dropped to her knees beside him. A few of the others ran to help.
"Chuck," Teresa cried. "Go get the other syringe!"
"Hurry!" Thomas jerked on the ground. "Thomas?" Emma rolled him onto his back. "Thomas?" His eyes closed, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Thomas!"