The Player of the Maze

The Truth

Gasping awake, screaming Paige would wake up sat up. Waking everyone up, Paige would look around then calm down.

"I'm. I'm sorry." Paige said moving the hair out of her face.

"Hey it's okay." Newt said sitting up on the bed in front of Thomas. "We all get it. Maybe not as bad as others."

"What happened?" Minho asked looking down at Paige.

"Chuck. Replaying in my head. Alby. Jeff." Paige said holding her head in her hands. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Thomas said looking next to her.

Suddenly, a man barged in the room, the same guy has yesterday.

"Wake up!" The man shouted.

"So much for hospitality." Frypan smiled. Getting up from Thomas' bed, Paige walked over to the sink where she splashed her face with water. Concerned, Thomas and Newt stood up looking over than at each other.

"Sleeping in the same bed now are we? Moving a little fast right? I mean what about Teresa." Newt smirked.

"Relax. I just wanted her to feel safe and have sleep. Plus she doesn't even like me back. And Teresa is not in the picture." Thomas said. "And we have other things to worry about."

"Oh yeah?" Newt laughed.

"Yeah Newt." Thomas said looking at the man who had unlocked their room walking away. "There's something going on here. I know it. Paige knows it. We have to figure it out."

"Just relax mate." Newt said. "For one day."

So that's what Thomas did. Watched everyone move, every name that went through. Watched Paige. Watched the Gladers. Until finally they were chucked back into their room like prisoners. As the day came to a close, the Gladers led in their separate beds. Thomas couldn't get to sleep, neither could Paige. Looking at her jumper from the Glade, she reminded herself of Chuck. How she would put it over him at night when she was cold. But now no one wanted it, it felt wrong for Paige to wear it as Chuck wears. Wore. It more than her. Maybe she should have left it over his body.

Rattling, from under Thomas's bed and then a whisper.

"Down here." A random voice said. Sharply, Thomas looked upside down under his bed to find the vent unhinged from the wall and a tired, skinny boy looking back at him. So did Paige, except she wasn't upside down.

"Who the fuck?" Paige said as the boy put a finger over his lips.

"Come on." The boy said. The heavy bags under his arms indicate he hadn't had any sleep for the last few days. "Follow me."

"Are we really going to do this?" Paige asked Thomas who was going to crawl into the vent following the boy. "Guess we are." Paige followed Thomas putting the vent back up behind her the best she could without fully turning around. Crawling through the vents, Thomas followed the boy like he was out of his mind. Sliding and grunting from the boy in front.

"Hey wait a second what the hell are we doing?" Thomas asked.

"Come on we're going to miss it." The boy said.

"Miss what?" Paige asked. Thomas looked back at Paige then at the stranger who they were following in a tight vent.

"Just stay behind me." Thomas said who continued to crawl.

"Yes sir." Paige said giggling. Thomas couldn't help but smile to himself. Crawling to an end, Thomas looked to his right to find the boy looking down at a floor.

"Come on." The boy said. Thomas and Paige both crouched over as this bit was bigger until they could see what was happening. "Watch."
The three survivors of the maze watched, a women with a white jacket and a key. The same key as Janson had stopped just below the vent in the ceiling. Looking around almost the women stopped then continued to do what she came to do. Swiping the key, a door unlocked. Then, trolleys. With a boy pictured on it with technology. Heart beats. Tubes. Bodies. All covered up yet you could understand they were bodies. One after another like clockwork. 5,10. The same amount of people that were called out by Janson.