Rose// Gally Maze Runner

Claimed

A/N: This is a double update, so make sure you've read the previous chapter first!

The pace toward safe ground was more akin to a sluggish jog. You dragged your feet, and Ben couldn't be bothered to urge you any faster. His thoughts were heavy too. He and Minho had also been close friends, after all. Given the circumstances, everyone in the Glade cared for each other deeply, even if they rarely crossed paths. The greenie's face was also sunken in defeat and it seemed as though his mind was miles away, he had probably left it back with his hope in the area Minho split off in.

You were more inclined to believe he left his brain in the shucking box when he came up, because who the hell in their right mind would dare to run into the Maze at night? No sane person.

There was something off about Thomas other than just the shooting pain in your temple when you dared to glance over at him. Just because he tried to save you from the griever by calling it toward himself did not make you question your beliefs and automatically trust him. If anything, it made him more suspicious. Why would he risk so much for a girl he hardly knew, not to mention one that clearly didn't like him?

"Up ahead," Ben panted as the three of you came to a long corridor. "Across that is section one, then we find our way back to the gates. To Alby."

But before the three of you made it to the entrance of the corridor, a familiar thundering shook the walls around you. The Maze was changing right before your eyes with the walls you were just about to run down every so slowly inching closed.

"We can make it!" Ben turned to face you two with a huge sigh of relief. The lazy smile turned into a devilish one when his eyes locked on something behind you.

Against all odds, Minho was coming in hot with a griever howling behind him, though he had managed to get rid of the other three. He perked up as he locked sights on the three of you. A joyous fist was pumping in the air.

"I still got it, baby!"

Let's hope that was true. Ben waved for him to follow and then started down the shifting corridor. You followed close behind, giddy and practically skipping now. Minho had done it. He survived. That absolute badass.

Wanting to share the spark of new hope, you looked back at Thomas expecting to find a smile had replaced the lost look he had before. You nearly tripped from the shock of seeing how far away the boy was. He stood at the opening, or rather, closing of the corridor seemingly waiting for Minho to catch up. That was puzzling, though, because Minho was sprinting at full speed. If Thomas didn't start running now, the Keeper was going to fly right past him.

"Thomas!" your yell came out sounding more like a mother nagging her child, "What are you doing? Run!"

And then, just as you predicted, Minho sped past the boy while urging, "Move your ass, shuckface!"

But Thomas didn't move a muscle. You and Ben had made it to the other side of the hall now, safe from the impending doom of the closing wall. The expanse must have been nearing forty yards. There simply wasn't time to run back and grab him without getting flattened by a fifty-foot wall of stone.

The terrified screams from you and Ben were just background noise to what Thomas had his sights on. The griever that had been chasing Minho was slowing. It wasn't going to follow them down the closing corridor. Thomas squeezed his fists at his side to calm his nerves as he dared to yell out. "Come on!"

An ear-splitting screech erupted from the beast, accepting the boy's challenge. Now that it was after him, he finally turned and started down the now very narrow hall. After fitting his shoulders, there was maybe an extra foot of space, but that was quickly dwindling.