I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner]

[21: The Exit]

"You did it, Elle," Thomas whispered. "You figured it out."

"I didn't do anything," Elle denied. "Minho remembered the code, and all of you fought off the Grievers. This was teamwork through and through. I won't accept anything else."

Thomas laughed in disbelief at what they had just gone through. He couldn't believe he was right; he had found the way out of the Maze and saved several lives. It was nice to know he was right to believe in this, right to believe in himself and the possibility of freedom.

The Gladers were barely given a second to breathe before the lights turned off, and the room was dipped in darkness. Before anyone could say anything, the room dropped like an elevator descending. Everyone screamed, holding onto each other or clutching the walls to stabilise themselves. Elle wondered if this was the opposite of the Box; if the Gladers had to go up in the Box to arrive, then maybe their exit meant they had to get back down again.

When they reached the ground, the door opened by itself. The luminescent lights above made them squint, struggling to adjust after coming from a pitch-black room. As she was closest to the door, Elle's face was illuminated in the darkness. Her brown hair and green eyes shone as she gazed into their exit.

"Is everyone okay?" Elle whispered.

When she heard everyone mutter an affirmative, she stepped forward and pushed the door open. It felt incredibly symbolic to her, being the last person to arrive and the first person to leave. Nevertheless, it felt like a lot of responsibility. A swarm of butterflies fluttered in her stomach, leaving Elle uneasy and nervous. She'd caught her breath from the exertion of running through the Maze and figuring out the code to exit, but her palms and temples were slick with sweat, and it was difficult to swallow.

Chuck winced, holding a hand to protect his eyes from the light.

Elle turned back to look at the Gladers one last time before they exited the Maze for good. "Are we ready?" she asked them.

The room was now bright enough that she could see the Gladers' faces. They were scared and sceptical, but they also looked ready to leave. Taking their silence as confirmation, Elle made the first move and left the room behind, pushing the door open as she went.

The large, mechanical door opened up into a darkened hallway. The hallway resembled an old industrial tunnel, only lit near the door they had just opened. Just as Elle was about to ask if anybody had their flashlight on them, a sound rang above their heads, and the floodlights in the tunnel turned on, starting on their right and leading to their left. The lights reached across the tunnel and illuminated the rest of the tunnel.

"I guess that solves our lighting problem," Elle commented, dubiously watching the lights continue to cast light upon the tunnel. "Is everyone all right? Are we really doing this?" she wondered aloud. She was noticeably more dishevelled than before she entered the hallway to type in the code. The adrenaline was wearing off, and Elle felt less sure of herself and more concerned for the future.

Everything in the Glade and Maze had a system; this was uncharted territory.

The Gladers exchanged glances before landing on the Keeper of the Runners for help. "No turning back now," Minho answered with a shrug. He pointed in the direction the lights were leading. "All we can do is move forward. You with me?" Elle nodded in agreement, following Minho as he walked down the tunnel. "Let's go, guys." Neither Elle nor Minho waited for anyone to respond. Newt agreed, ushering other Gladers to follow him after following Minho and Elle's lead.

One by one, they began walking down the tunnel, watching carefully for any movement or change. Elle let Minho and Thomas lead the way, lagging behind slightly so she could catch up with Newt. "Are you okay?" she asked him, putting some distance between them and the other Gladers so their conversation could stay private. He glanced at her with tired, questioning eyes. "I know this isn't the best time to ask, but I wanted to make sure your ankle is okay. That you're not in too much pain," Elle explained after receiving a confused frown.