Song - Unstoppable (The Score)
I followed in step with Newt and Thomas at the front of the group. I wiped my face with my sleeve. No time for tears now. Focus.
And when I did, I actually saw what we were running in.
The maze was exactly like I imagined. Staggering cement walls. Ivy creeping up the sides like cobwebs. Shadows blanketed every corner, and some foul stench consumed the walls. I followed the boys through the intricate path. How anyone could remember the path was a mystery to me.
We reached the end of the first section and were met with wider open spaces, the walls becoming thicker but less frequent. The cement floor now like a desert. It made me feel very small being met with the massive metal towers.
"Keep it up guys, we're almost there!" Thomas yelled to the group.
I breathed heavily through my mouth. Trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. I tried to just look ahead. Not at the towering structures surrounding me.
I ran beside Newt, watching his slower pace compared to the others. He had a slight limp, and the right side of his body seemed to weigh down him. I'll ask what that's all about after this is all over. If this is ever over. I shook the thought from my mind as Thomas led us to the side of a cement wall. He glanced around the corner and turned back, face pale.
"Is there a griever?" Chuck asked nervously.
"Yeah," He breathed, just as I heard the familiar chittering that made my stomach twist.
"Shit," I heard someone whisper behind me.
"You take this, Chuck. Stay behind us," Minho instructed the small boy while handing him the key. I patted him on the shoulder and smiled to try and give him some encouragement.
"It's okay Chuck, just stay with El and you'll be fine," Newt comforted. I smiled at him and he responded weakly.
"Once we're through, it'll activate, and the door will open," Thomas explained firmly, everyone's attention on him.
"All right, we stay close, we stick together, we get through this... we get out now... or we die trying," Thomas affirmed, his eyes as determined as ever. At that moment, I saw him and the effect he had on all the boys. The way that now everyone wore the same determined look as him because we trusted him. And I know for one that I would follow him anywhere. And so would every single boy in this group.
"Ready?" he murmured before slamming the bottom of his spear on the ground, "Alright! Let's go!" He screamed followed by all our yells, screams, and roars. I joined the hollering as we ran around the corner and were met with the griever around ten meters in front. I saw now that the path we must follow was in between two massive drop-offs, that seemed to have an endless abyss. At the end lay just a cement wall... but I knew it was our escape.
I grabbed Chuck by the shoulder and hauled him to the side, letting the others pass.
"We got this," I whispered into his ear before following after the boys. I held out my spear, I wouldn't know how to use it if it wasn't for Gally's training. He taught me every possible way to kill a man with this stick. He said that right through the heart was the best option... but I don't think this griever could possibly have a heart.
It was a painful watch... the boys that have become my brothers run towards the creature that has killed so many of us. Newt, Minho, Thomas, Frypan, Winston, and Jeff. But I didn't tear my eyes away from the creature as we clashed.
The impact made little difference to the animal, but we pushed it with our spears slightly to the side. Just in front of the seemingly endless drop-off.
"Push it!" Thomas roared to the others just as the griever's tail swung high, ready for its attack,
"Watch the tail!" Minho warned as it swung over our heads. We all ducked... except one, Jack. I didn't really know him, but I watched as he was grabbed by the claw and thrown down the abyss, his screams blood curdling, making me want to throw up. I felt the shift in emotions among the boys, now feeling so much more real. The griever's claw swung back around and landed in the cement with so much force that it forced a crack in the ground, making the floor shake, putting us all off balance. I landed on my knees right in front of the claw. Without thinking, I grabbed the knife in my pocket... the one Gally gave me, and swung at the claw. I sliced it clean in half but the force I swung at the claw made me bump into Chuck, pushing the key out of his hands and high into the air. It landed... but skidded for the edge of the path.
Chuck sprinted to grab it, too close to the edge,
"The key!" he squealed.
"Chuck! Watch the edge!" I screamed while sprinting after him. As the key fell over the edge Chuck leaped and caught it, half dangling over the side. I slid and grasped his ankles, using all my strength to hold him.
"It's okay, I've got you," I stammered while grabbing him by his backpack and hauling him up. As I did, I noticed the two more grievers climbing up the side of the wall.
"Shit," I cursed while pulling Chuck to his feet. "Come on!" I screamed as we sprinted back to the boys, seeing them push the first griever down the side. I heard the grievers gallop behind me. Right behind us. So close, that the wind of their swinging tails cooled the back of my neck.
"Thomas!" I screamed, the boys turning to us.
"Ella, Chuck go!" Tom hollered as he ran to us, followed by the other boys. I ran into Newt's arms behind Tom as the other boys pushed forward and met the grievers with their spears.
"Look out!" Minho bellowed,
"Keep it steady guys!" Tom ordered as they held the line in front of us.
"Ella! Go now!" Tom barked, not even turning his face from the griever. I let go of Newt, grabbed Chuck by the shoulder, and pulled him towards the solid cement wall. It slid up with a groan like Thomas told us it would when we got close enough. It revealed a long hallway with several other cement walls sliding up. I looked back to the boys; they were barely keeping the grievers back-
"Ella! Go!" Tom screamed and with no hesitation I turned and sprinted through the passageway, finding a tunnel at the end, that ended with a metal door. Chuck and I reached it but were met with no clue as to how to open it.
"Come on! There has to be a way out!" I screamed while feeling around the door. I heard the grievers scream behind me, mixed with another boy, I turned, terrified of who I was about to see. Newt, Tom, or Minho? It wasn't any. It was Harry. I turned back around to the door again to stop myself from throwing up at the sight of him.
I kept moving my hands around the door until I felt something click under my hand.
The center of the metal door activated and turned red, revealing a spot to write a code. Eight numbers.
"Tom! There's a code! Eight numbers!" I screamed back to him, he turned to Minho.
"Hey Minho! What's the sequence?" He yelled over the top of the griever's screeches.
"What?" He gasped, out of breath.
"The sections of the maze! What's the sequence?" He repeated, taking another jab at the griever,
"Seven! One! Five!" Minho started to yell as I spun and punched the numbers on the door.
"Two! Six! Four-"
"Heads up!" Newt bellowed as everyone looked up and saw a griever, falling down a hole... on top of their heads. Everyone got out of the way... except Minho.
I screamed as it landed on top of him, pushing him to the ground. Minho shoved his spear into the griever's mouth, using all his strength to hold it back. I heard another scream... Jeff. As he ran forward, swung his spear and stabbed it into the head of the griever.
"Jeff! No!" Winston cried following after him. Minho scurried along the ground out of the firing line as Jeff held his spear in the griever's head... until the other griever bit him around the waist. He screamed in agony,
"Jeff!" Winston screamed making a run after him, but Minho held him back. Jeff's body went limp as the griever dragged him back and tore into his body.
"Noooooo!" Winston roared before falling to his knees, sobs wrecking his body, Newt hauled him up and dragged him to the back of the group.
"Minho! What's the sequence? Come on!" Chuck bellowed, snapping my attention back to the code in front of me.
"Uhh, six! Eight! Four! Three! You got it?"
As I punched in the last number, it made a triumphant-sounding beeping noise and turned green, the word 'complete' appearing on the screen.
"Yes!" I yelled in triumph, before hearing a familiar rumbling. I spun and saw the cement walls come crashing down on top of the grievers. One griever almost made it back to us, but Tom threw his spear at its head. A perfect hit. And as it staggered back, the last wall came crashing down and squashed it like a bug, its guts spilling all over the floor. Sighs of relief were quickly replaced with shouts as the tunnel door shut... leaving us in total darkness.