control ⇢ the maze runner / thomas [1] ✓

Chapter Fifteen

"If you are broken, you do
not have to stay broken."
—Selena Gomez

CONTROL,
CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE BEAST'S SPIKES embedded into the stone as it made its way up. Its lights pointed directly at them and didn't move away. The two of them began unraveling the vines around them. Except Ruby began to crawl down. "Where are you going?", Thomas hissed.

"I need to do something", Ruby responded simply.

"Ruby—!"

But she didn't stop. "Sorry, Alby, I'm gonna need your knives", she mumbled, removing the weapon from the boy's body. For a second, the Griever looked confused on who to follow. This gave Ruby the time she needed to propel herself down the wall. Did she have a death wish? Probably. Ruby shut her eyes, took a deep breath. "Hey, ugly!", she called. "This way!"

Just as she hoped, the Griever altered its course from Alby and headed straight towards her, spinning towards the ground. She gave Thomas two thumbs up. "I'll catch up, J promise."

"I thought I said no splitting up!"

"Just go!" The Griever was getting too close for comfort. Ruby swallowed thickly. Digging her heels into the ground, she had no other choice but to run. "Why couldn't you have packed a longer blade, Alby?", she asked bitterly. But the machete in her hand would do, she hoped. The weight of the thick hilt was heavy in her hand. Once she was free, weapon in hand, she began running. "Come on, bud, follow momma", she called. Glancing over her shoulder, the Griever was still coming. Good.

At the last second, its claw almost gripping her hair, Ruby fell onto her back. She didn't slide or anything, just dropped. With the Griever being so big and clunky, it struggled to stop. Instead it slid over her, just as she hoped. As it struggled to stop, sliding over her, Ruby sank the machete into the thing's stomach, shredding it open. The Griever cried out, but it fell in a heap before her. Ruby gagged, covered in the disgusting yellow slime. Panting, she stood up once more and approached it. It breathed heavily. Ruby found the ticking arm. With a cry that let out all her growing frustrations, she stabbed the beast.

Ruby fell backwards into her butt, breathing heavily. Her hair had long since escape its ribbon, falling messily into her face. She blew a loose strand from her face, glaring at the beetle blade that watched her from the wall. "I'm not weak", she spat at it. She was more so talking to herself. "I'm not weak", she repeated, grabbing the hilt of the blade and jerking it out. She was amazed that she was able to pull that off. It had just been instinct. She doubted she would get so lucky again.

More clicking came around the corner. Click-click-click. Ruby wiped her face and began running once again. "Fuck this. Fuck you!", she shouted at the beetle blade, for once abandoning the Glade's slang. "Y'all can kiss my ass", she added with a groan. She was sick of this test. She was sick of everything. Maybe that was why she was able to kill the previous Griever. She was so sick of feeling weak, so angry. And she was damn sure gonna use that anger to her advantage.