𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦, thomas (tmr)

Chapter Twenty Six

"Why aren't the doors closing?" Clara asked Newt breathlessly, her eyes wide in fear and watching the corridor of the Maze.

Newt was too terrified of the situation to respond sarcastically to the stupid question. There was no way he'd know the answer to it.

If the Maze doors stayed open all night, what was going to stop the Grievers from coming inside? They all knew the answer to that question was nothing.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting noise broke the air, making everyone's hands fly up to cover their ears. The doors in front of them weren't moving, but there was an audible rumbling coming from elsewhere.

Spinning around, Clara found herself rooted to the spot as she stared up at the walls opening up. The three other walls - which had always been closed - were opening.

We're well and truly shucked.

The sky was entirely black now, speckled with stars, and a sense of anticipation hung lowly in the air. Everyone was lying in wait, to see what happened next before they moved. Clara was the first to realise they didn't have time for this.

"We need to move somewhere safe. Get everyone to the Council Room, then barricade the door afterwards."

Thomas nodded in agreement, beginning to hand out orders to the helpless Gladers all frozen in place. Soon enough, with the help of Newt and Gally, a group of boys were headed to barricade the Homestead and another to gather some weapons.

Clara turned back to look at the Maze corridor, to see if any Grievers were in sight yet. Thomas knocked her arm with his hand, nodding back towards the Glade.

"We're gonna go get Alby."

She nodded in agreement, beginning to move with him towards the Med-jack hut. Shrieks erupted from the Deadheads then, where Gladers were sprinting out of it, torches being brandished.

And then a snarling came from behind them.

In the shadows of the corridor, Clara could see a Griever scuttling towards them. For a moment, her accident in the Maze flashed before her eyes and she was frozen.

"Everyone hide!"

The group still in front of the Maze immediately dispersed. Clara watched Teresa, Zart and a few other boys disappear into the fields. She followed Thomas past the fields and towards the Med-jack hut where Alby was staying and resting.

The scream of a Griever behind her told them they weren't alone. It was far too close for comfort, and far too similar to the dreaded happening back in the Maze.

They weren't going to reach the Med-jack hut in time.

Clara made the mistake of looking behind her. She was only confirmed of what she suspected - the Griever close on their heels - still growling and ready to stab them both with its Stinger. It distracted her.

And so she stumbled.

Not enough to fall to the ground, but enough to make her fall behind Thomas. It was certainly enough to allow the Griever to catch up to her in mere seconds.

She accepted it then. She was certain - for the second time in the history of being in the Glade - that she was going to die.

Instead of trying to catch back up to Thomas and get to the Med-jack hut in time, she stopped. What was the point in continuing to run? She'd get Stung either way, but in this way, Thomas would have the chance to save Alby.

At least, that's what she expected to happen.

But what she should've learnt from the past two years, was that nothing she expected to happen ever really happened.