CHEATING DEATH - A Maze Runners' Tale • 001

CHAPTER 24

"we should do a round check just to make sure everything is good around here." I suggested.

"Probably a good idea." He agreed and got to his feet.

We went to check on everyones sleep spots first. Everyone who was there was just setting up there sleeping bags but we heard distant conversations about the sky. It was still gray despite this being the time where night would come over the glade.

"Everything looks fine. We should go see zart about the gardens." I said and we walked away and over to the gardens where zart was cleaning up.

If the sky stays like this we won't have any sunlight for the food to grow which means we can't feed the animals and we aren't getting supplies so we will starve and die.

"What's your plan with the weather?" Minho asked zart and he got to his feet to face us.

"We're gonna keep going till everything dies." He said as he kicked a post in the ground.

"We can do some transplants and put plants under lights at night but i don't think it will make a difference." I suggested.

"Its worth a shot. Thanks Margo." Zart said as he pat me on the shoulder.

"No problem." I replied as Minho and I walked away.

I looked around the glade searching for something else to go check on when my eyes glazed over the wall and across the doors. The open doors. I took a double take and stopped in my tracks.

"Come-on Minho, the doors are open." I said fearfully as I grabbed his arm and started running in the direction of the open doors.

"What time is it?" He asked as he got his arm out of my grip and ran beside me on his own.

"Too late for the doors to still be open!" I shouted.

"This is bad." He said under his breath.

"I already made that clear." I replied as we arrived at the doors.

"Throw something at it." Minho suggested and I picked up a stick and threw it at one of the spikes. It bounced back and nearly hit us but we ducked out of the way just in time.

"Maybe if I walk in it will close." I thought aloud and Minho nodded before he realized what I said.

"No no no no no, your not going in there unless I'm going with you." He said as he pulled me close to him preventing me from leaving.

"We can go together then." I said.

"Together." He repeated as he loosened his grip on me but still held me close.

"Now?" I asked.

"Yea." He replied as he finally let me go and I took his hand in mine pulling him along with me as I slowly stepped into the maze.

We didn't say a word as we crossed the threshold and entered the very place we could be stuck in for another night. Thankfully the doors remained open even after we stood there on the other side for five minutes.

"I think there stayin' open." I said as I let go of his hand and walked back into the glade.

"So the grievers can just come into the glade now?" He thought aloud once again.

"Oh no. Nobody else has watches and the sky isn't changing so they probably don't know it's past the closing time." I said in a panicked state.

"We've gotta get everyone in the homestead now." Minho finished and we both dashed in different directions to go find Alby and newt.

I ran into newt who was at the kitchen with frypan chatting and once he saw how worried I looked he and frypan dropped their conversation to listen to me.

"The sky isn't changing so no one knows but the doors were supposed to close like half an hour ago. We have to get everyone in the homestead and reinforce it. Minho and I already tested our best theory and there just staying open so the grievers could come out at any moment." I explained and they both imedeately took action.

"It's that girl. She's the reason all this is bloody happening." Newt said as he pulled me along to find her.

When we got to Teresa Alby was already there. Alby told her they were taking her to the slammer and as much as I didn't want to punish her for nothing, I agreed to put her in the slammer because she would probably be safest there.

She complied and went into the slammer without struggle. At one point Alby tried to push her ahead but I slapped his hand off of her and repressed him. Normally I wouldn't talk to Alby like that but something in me told me I would protect this girl like she was my best friend.

Alby and newt left and Thomas arrived a little while later. I stayed at the slammer with Teresa and Thomas listening to their conversation but I didn't say anything. I was to busy focusing on different theories about the maze.

"Margo I need you to help me with something." Minho said as he arrived behind me. He was holding out his hand for me but I got up on my own and gave him a high five instead.

"Very funny, now come-on we need to talk in the map room." He said.

"Why the map room?" I questioned.

"Alby said something and I got a little paranoid." He said vaguely.

"What did he say?" I asked again.

"He said something about reinforcing the map room and protecting the maps." He answered.

"So are we gonna go hide the maps?"

"Yes, and we're going to leave the trunks Incase someone sabotages it. I've got a feeling Alby knows something about gally that we don't." Minho shared his suspicion.

When we got into the map room Minho closed the door and started pulling boxes out of a corner. I picked up a marker and started writing numbers on the boxes. Once I was done with that I joined Minho in putting all the papers into the boxes.

We had eight large boxes to carry out of the homestead and eight empty chests to act as dummies. We carried them all at once to the homestead which was empty. Minho moved a pile of blankets out of the way and removed a few boards out of the floor to reveal a hole big enough to fit a few bodies.

"That thing could fit like four bodies in it." I said as I dropped a box in it and Minho moved it to the back of the hole.

"Why is that the first thing that comes to your mind?" He questioned.

"Uh..." I started.

"Don't answer that." He interrupted quickly as he shoved another box in the hole.

Once we were done we put the boards back and tossed the blankets back on top. We left the homestead and saw that many of the gladers were coming in our direction and finishing up the reinforcement of the homestead. Then, we heard the clicking.