Bound | Newt Love Story

13 | Labrinth

We're moving fast. Or as fast as you possibly can when you're carrying a boy that's near 200 pounds of pure muscle. My arms are locked around Alby's shoulders and Thomas and Minho each have one of his legs. I thought running through the Maze was hard...but this...this is unimaginably difficult. 

"Come on." Minho gasps out, trying to encourage Thomas and I. Our gasps and groans grow louder with each turn we make. 

We walk into a clearing in the Maze. A dead end of sorts. The choice of going left or right stands before us. We're lost...that's a fact. As we've been rushing through the Maze, it's been changing. Constantly changing. My muscle's ache severely with the weight of Alby. I feel the frustration radiating off of Thomas and Minho as their heads whip left and right, trying to decide which way to go. 

Thomas finally gives up, "Let's just sit him down." He breathes out. "Just sit him down." Thomas repeats. 

Minho lets out a loud groan as we set Alby up against the Maze wall as gently as possible. I thrust myself down next to Minho, trying desperately to catch my breath. 

Then that scream echoes again. The scream that stopped me from sobbing more at the entrance of the Maze. The scream that haunts my nightmares and makes my heart drop. The screech of a Griever.

My head whips up and I look down to the right, staring back at me is an empty Maze. One that we all know isn't actually empty. 

"This isn't going to work." Minho exclaims panicky, standing up and starting to walk off. "We have to go. We gotta go!" 

"Wait, what're you talking about?" Thomas asks abruptly. 

I stand up, coming to the realization that Minho might be right. "We have to hide him."

Minho looks over at me, "Where?"

"There's got to be somewhere we can hide him." Thomas rants. "You two know this Maze better than anybody else. You can't tell me there's nowhere to hide him."

"Listen to me, Shank, all right." Minho growls. 

"Minho.." I warn.

"Take a look around. There's nowhere to go!" Minho's voice drops. "You don't get it...we're already dead."

Thomas watches Minho for a while before his eyes advert to behind him. I catch his gaze and follow it, looking up at the vines that course all the way up the Maze wall. 

"That's it." I breathe, running over to them. "Get Alby." I demand.

Minho just stares back at me. 

"Get Alby!" I repeat, my voice louder.

Minho and Thomas scramble over to Alby, picking him back up. I grab an edge of the vines and rip a part of it from the wall. I continue doing this until I have a good amount in my hands and then I look back at Alby. They bring Alby over to me and I start wrapping the vine around his chest and over his shoulders. 

"Alright, we're going to pull him up." I say.

"Are you crazy?" Minho asks. 

"Yeah, a little." I shoot back, grabbing onto the bottom vine and handing it over to Minho and Thomas. We all take a bit of it. "Okay, on the count of three."

"One." I say. 

"Two." Minho whispers.

"Three." Thomas calls.

And we hoist Alby up, little by little, inching him up the Maze wall. "Aah!" I groan out, pulling on the vine as hard as possible. I dig my feet down into the concrete trying, with all my might, to get Alby to safety. 

A low growl echoes throughout the Maze and Minho's body freezes up.

"Minho, what're you doing?" Thomas asks, his face panicking. 

Minho stares off past my head into the distance. I follow his gaze and see a creature of some sort climbing it's way out from behind one of the Maze walls. It's a bulbous and dark creature, with spikes, shears, and rods sticking out of about every place possible.

"We have to go." Minho begins mumbling over and over again.

"Minho, no!" I yell out. 

"Just a little bit more and we'll tie it off." Thomas says, trying to get Minho to stay. 

The whirring and screeches grow louder with each pull on the vine. Minho starts grunting and shouting as he can't take his eyes of the creature. I force my sight back up to Alby, focusing on the task at hand. 

"Stay with us, Minho!" I yell, trying desperately to get him to stay. 

"Just a little more!" Thomas yells out.

"I'm sorry." Minho mumbles before I feel the vine jerk up and hear loud footsteps echoing. I look down the Maze and see Minho running for his life. Thomas and I slam against the Maze wall, Alby's body falling slightly. 

"Hold on, Brooke!" Thomas yells as he props his foot up against the wall, stopping Alby from falling. I grip the vine harder, mimicking Thomas' actions. 

The screeches start getting so loud that my ears start ringing. 

"What do we do?" I yell, my eyes wide as I stare back at Thomas. 

Thomas looks off for a second, obviously thinking, before he wraps an arm around my waist and slowly un-props his foot, swinging us under the green vine, out of sight of the Griever. I feel my hands begin to get cut from gripping the vine so hard. 

A loud bang causes my head to whip up and see the spidery leg of the Griever just feet away from us. I start shaking violently and small gasps start to come out of my mouth. Thomas reaches over and clasps his hand over my mouth, muffling the soft cries. I press myself into Thomas as much as possible, sealing myself into the vines. The spidery legs continue passing, the whirring of the Griever sending vibrations through the concrete and through my body. The whirring grows quieter as the Griever walks away. I hear Thomas sigh out in relief.