The Healer

Chapter 53: The Cliff

The four runners stood at the corner looking down the stone corridor. At the very end of the extra long corridor was a black wall. The long straight hall had many joining halls. Like all other halls lead and connected to this hall. The metal thing in Thomas's hands was beeping at regular intervals. 

"Well shuck me." 

Minho started down the corridor. Everyone following on his heels when he slammed to a stop, his feet almost skidding out from under him. Minho jumped back and shoved all of them into the next corridor, slamming his hands over the girls mouths. Teresa looked pale, her big blue eyes wide in fear. Evelyn's eyes went wide, and ripped his hand off her mouth. 

"Shh," Minho whispered. "There's a freaking Griever up there."

"What?" Thomas asked, and poked his head out into the hall. Evelyn grabbed Thomas by the shirt, pushing him against the wall, and slapped a hand over his mouth. Thomas widened his eyes in question. 

"Shhh." Evelyn placed a finger to her mouth. 

Minho simply nodded, he also put his finger to his lips. Evelyn let go of Thomas's shirt and took a step back, Minho let go of Teresa. Minho crept up to the corner and then very slowly, he leaned forward to take a peek. Minho's head jerked back and he turned to face the rest of them. His voice was still a whisper. 

"It's just sitting up there...almost like that dead one I saw."

"What do we do?" Thomas asked, as quietly as possible. 

Evelyn tried to ignore the panic flaring inside her. She could hear the quiet moaning and whirring of the Griever. She bit her lip to keep from whimpering.

"Is it coming toward us?" Thomas whispered again, his face also looked pail and fresh beads of sweat on his forehead. Teresa  had reached over and took hold of Evelyn's hand. Evelyn was thankful for the physical support.

"No, idiot! I just told you it was sitting there."

"Well?" Thomas flung his arms out towards the corner. "What do we do?" 

Standing so close to a Griever seemed like a really bad idea to Evelyn. She was trying really hard to keep her panic contained. Her side was aching just at the thought of how close it was. Minho paused a few seconds, thinking before he spoke.

"Well I wanted to go deeper and poke around, that Griever brain thing led us here...Let's just watch it a while...if it comes after us, we'll run back to the Glade."

He took another peek, then quickly looked over his shoulder. "Crap! It's gone!"

"Wait...what?" Evelyn frowned and she peeked around the corner. The hall was empty.

"Well...it could be hiding down one of the side halls, no?" Teresa asked also peeking around the corner.

"True." Minho stepped out into the hall, "come on! Just keep your eyes peeled."

They caustically crept down the hall, Minho holding tight to Evelyn's shaking hand. She couldn't take her eyes off the end of the stone hall. The corridor didn't end in another stone wall, like the ones around them. It ended in blackness. Evelyn narrowed her eyes as they crept toward the wall of darkness, trying to comprehend what they were approaching. The two ivy-covered walls on either side of the group seemed to intersect with nothing but sky up ahead. Evelyn could see stars. As they got closer, she finally realized that it was an opening.

The Maze ended.

Minho seemed to sense the excitement from his three companions, "Don't get excited!" He muttered.

They had indeed reached a way out of the Maze, but like Minho had said, it was nothing to get excited about. All Evelyn could see in every direction, up and down, side to side, was empty air and fading stars. It was a strange and unsettling sight, like she was standing at the edge of the universe, and for a brief moment she was overcome by vertigo! Her knees weakened before she steadied herself, she was glad Minho was already holding her hand.