𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦, thomas (tmr)

Chapter Twenty Eight

Saving Thomas and Teresa from being Banished to the Maze was actually a lot easier than you'd expect. Even when they found out Gally was planning on sacrificing them instead of Banishing them, they had enough people on their side to overthrow him. 

It was simple.

Clara couldn't lie; she shed a tear when she turned her back on those staying in the Maze. Particularly Gally. They didn't often get along, but they didn't need to get along for Clara to consider him family.

She had known him for as long as she had memories, and maybe longer than that. Leaving him there was difficult, but she couldn't change his decision. His mind had been made up.

Clara had to forget all about him when they entered the Maze.

It felt like it had been so long since she last did it. It was almost overwhelming: the footsteps slamming onto the concrete, the sound of ragged and nervous breaths, the weight of escaping feeling heavy on her shoulders.

What if we can't make it out?

The girl realised this wasn't an option they could think about. Especially not while their lives were hanging in the balance.

Thomas led them through the corridors of the Maze, with Clara recognising all of it until a certain point. A new section had opened up next to the Blades with a long stretching corridor over a drop that seemed to never end.

They stopped at the wall, hovering behind it, out of sight from whatever laid at the end. Clara knew it was a Griever. Chuck's question to Thomas, which he painfully answered, only confirmed it.

"Chuck, you look after this." Minho said seriously, handing the boy the cannister.

The younger boy took it in his hands, gripping it tightly and nodding solemnly back at the Runner. Teresa reassured him of staying with her, determined to keep the small boy safe.

"When we're through, that'll activate." Thomas gestured to the cannister. "It'll make the door open. We need to stay together, stick as a group. We'll get through it and we'll escape now. Or we die trying."

His eyes found Clara's and her expression told him she agreed completely. There was no way she could go back to the Glade, not now, not ever.

"Ready?"

Thomas didn't give much warning to the group after posing the question, but everyone had been awaiting it anyway. He let out a yell to get them moving, and the Gladers broke out into a sprint down the long corridor towards the Griever, letting out battle cries that disguised their screams of fear.

Most of the Gladers were armed with the long wooden spears they used at Banishments. It was unclear how effective they would be in use against Grievers, but they were about to find out. The Griever waiting for them had shrieked in response to their advancements, and started scuttling down the corridor to meet them in the middle.

Their spears broke the seemingly inevitable impact. The Griever looked to be put off by the wooden poles, crying out as their shoves pushed it towards the edge of the platform they were fighting on.

A number of more jabs from their side didn't seem to have much impact. The Griever snarled at them, lifting its claws and swiping for the group. It managed to grab one of the boys, yanking him from the ground and throwing him down the bottomless drop.

This only increased their force on the Griever. Clara felt particularly spiteful as she put all of her might into the spear piercing the Griever, helping to drive it over the edge of the platform and down the drop into the unknown.