Day Seven Hundred and Thirty Five

The world was shrinking, growing smaller and smaller, a haze of yellow and abandoned structures, rotting and decrepit. Ada pressed her forehead against the window, the glass cooling her heated skin, and watched silently as they rose into the air.

"You guys alright?" Someone asked, one of the men who had rescued them. His voice was gruff, concerned, and when she turned her head to face him she saw that he was looking around at their group with something close to pity in his eyes. "Don't worry. You're safe now."

She was sandwiched between the window and Newt, with Thomas and Minho opposite them. They were sharing tense looks of disbelief, and Ada found herself sinking back into the plush leather seats, not used to the luxury and comfort they provided.

"Holy shit," Newt exhaled in disbelief, leaning over her head to peer out the window. She tilted her head away from the seat, nestling it against his collarbone instead. He took a moment to press his lips against the crown of her head, lifting his hand to cradle her cheek, before returning his gaze to the window.

She followed his stare, gasping at the view, aware of the others stretching up to do the same. She was looking down at the maze. The structure was colossal – she had known it was massive from the years spent running its corridors, but there was something about looking down at it from above that rendered her speechless.

She had run every inch of it, recognised every crevice and every hall, every stretch of stone and ivy. Two years reduced to nothing as she stared down at the prison she had spent what she could remember of her life trying to escape. Minho let out a low whistle of incredulity, reaching out blindly to take her hand in his. She squeezed his fingers, lump in her throat.

The glade was still on fire. It looked strange in the daylight, the square of grass so small, so insignificant. That had been their home, she thought as she stared at the remnants of the familiar buildings, the tendrils of smoke curling high into the air.

The maze shrank further into the distance, and Ada watched it until it was nothing more than a blur.. When she could no longer see it, she turned her face back to the inside of the helicopter, to the friends she had faced death with and came out the other side. There were so many missing, so many faces she wished were there with them, but as Newt intertwined their fingers and rested his cheek against the top of her head, eyes slipping shut, she felt some semblance of calm and bone deep exhaustion wash over her for the first time in a long time.

She caught the stare of one of the strange men, and his lips quirked up in a strained smile. "Relax kid. Everything's gonna change."

Ada nestled herself back into the cushions, hand in Newt's, surrounded by her friends. They were safe. They could go home.

She closed her eyes, letting the exhaustion sink in, bruised and bloodied, and allowed herself to be carried into a new world.