The Link // Maze Runner Fanfiction // Book 1

chapter ten

Minho and Alby were supposed to be back by now. I checked and rechecked my watch, but I was not seeing things. The walls would close soon, way too soon for comfort. I kept glancing nervously at the maze, hoping that the figures of my two best friends would emerge safely.

"They should be back by now," Newt muttered under his breath. I wouldn't have heard it had I not been pressed up against his side. I could not provide any comfort to him. I could only nuzzle my head in his neck and hope for the best.

"There they are!" Chuck shouted, pointing into the maze.

I shot up and sprinted over to the maze. Newt and Thomas appeared at my side. Off in the distance, I could see the moving outlines of Alby and Minho. Something was wrong though. One of them seemed to be dragging the other. The walls had already started to close. Now that they were closer, I could see Minho dragging Alby along. Minho could've made it if he dropped Alby, but I knew he would never.

"I love you," I whispered to Newt.

He tried to grab me, but my hand slipped out of his. I made it to them just in time to turn around and watch the view of the Glade grow narrower and narrower. I could see Newt's mouth moved as he shouted something. He was probably shouting to Thomas, who had separated himself from the Gladers and was advancing into the maze. He made it into the maze just as the walls slammed shut.

"Good job. You just killed yourselves," Minho grumbled, glaring at me and Thomas.

Alby groaned in pain and rolled out of Minho's grip. Minho explained that they had found a dead Griever and were expecting it when it came alive and stung Alby. Thomas surveyed the walls while Minho mentioned that Alby needed serum. I put my hands on my hips and felt something hard in my pocket. I remembered the vial of Grief Serum I kept in my pocket and held it up triumphantly.

"Why do you have that?" Minho asked as I injected the sky-blue serum into Alby's arm.

"I kept it on me since Ben got stung. Wanted to be prepared," I explained.

Thomas put his hands on his hips and proposed that we tied Alby to the ivy. Minho and I were skeptical, but the thick vines turned out to be reliable. The three of us set to work tying Alby to the vines and hoisting up a couple feet off the ground. When we had gotten him as high as we could, I heard the sounds of an approaching Griever. My body worked before my mind could come up with a plan. I pushed the two boys behind a corner and pressed my face close to their ears.

"If you get back to the Glade and I don't, tell Newt that I've always loved him. Tell him to find my sister," I whispered.

Minho opened his mouth to object, but I slapped a hand over it. He knew what I was going to do and knew that any attempt to stop me would be considered unsuccessful.

With the thought of saving my friends and only that, I stepped into the view of the Griever. I turned and ran down the alleyway. My whole goal was to steer the Griever away from my friends and by chance, it saw me and gave chase. Eager to kill, it gargled excitedly and made to pounce. Instead of a mouthful of human, the unnatural beast received a mouthful of concrete. I didn't know how I was going to pull it off, but one thing I knew was that I could never stop running.

Without any other options, I began to climb the ivy. It tried to stab me, but it never hit me once. The spikes or legs always hit the concrete, sometimes too close for comfort. I was unable to believe my luck as I swung from wall to wall on the vines. I thought of myself as some kind of lady Tarzan as I dodged everything the Griever threw at me.

Alby popped into my mind as I was forced to hang only by my right hand to avoid being penetrated by a long spike. I hoped a Griever had not found him or the other two boys. I didn't know how long I'd been using the ivy ropes to dodge the Griever, but I knew I couldn't stop.

When most of the ivy had been ripped off the wall and I had nowhere else to go, I returned to the floor. My throat and lungs were on fire and my heart almost beat right out of my chest as I ran around the maze. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and my feet carried me blindly through the winding turns and paths of the maze.

A hand reached out and yanked me to the left. I stumbled as I was guided blindly by a fist tightly gripping my blouse. It dragged me down until I regained my footing and kept up with the dark human. We came to a T in the maze where moonlight beamed down on the gray pavement. I made out Thomas' face in the silver lighting and smiled. If he was alive, chances were that Minho was too.

"Is Minho with you?" I whispered. I got a hushed "yeah" in response and beamed.

Thomas let go of my shirt and kept running ahead. I kept up next to him until we were joined by a third body. I could hear the Griever's screams behind me, but I didn't dare turn around. I didn't know how close it was until it snagged the back of my jeans. Minho and Thomas turned around to help, but I waved them forward.

The Griever's metal arm dragged me backwards. I shifted so that I was on my back, facing its ugly blubbery body. I could've given up, but I was intent on returning to my boys. I reared back my leg and kicked it as hard as I could. My boot hit its face with a sickly squish and it recoiled. I wrenched my leg free and sprinted as fast as I could towards Minho and Thomas.

I was aware of two things; Minho yelling encouragement as the walls slowly began to close around me and the Griever getting nearer and nearer to me. I sprinted faster than I ever had in my life, my feet pounding the concrete and my arms pumping at my sides. In a last and final attempt to kill me, the Griever tried to pounce on me. It died with a shrill squeal as the walls of its home crushed it. I had just escaped the same fate.

Thomas, Minho, and I looked at each other with wide eyes. We were drenched in sweat and exhausted, but we survived. I flung myself into Minho's arm and squeezed his torso tightly. When I hugged Thomas just as tightly, I could feel him lightly sobbing into my hair.

"Let's go find Alby and head back," Minho suggested.

I nodded and walked down the now lit halls of the maze, arm and arm with my two buddies. We found Alby a block away from the Glade and got him down safely. The serum seemed to have worked, but he was still unconscious. Minho and Thomas carried him back while I walked behind.

Chuck and the rest of the Gladers had gathered in the entrance of the maze. When they saw us, most of them broke out into smiles and started clapping. I found Newt in the crowd and ran to him. He welcomed me with open arms and I hugged him with every ounce of strength and love I had left in me. He kissed me like he had never before. The passion and love that crafted the kiss was almost overwhelming, but I lived off of it. I needed him like I needed oxygen.