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My lungs are burning inside my chest and my body is aching. It feels like my legs have caught on fire and my hands are clutched into fists as I struggle to catch  just a tiny gasp of oxygen. The air around me seems to have evaporated, restricting me from breathing evenly.

The doors are closed. We're stuck. For the second time in my life. And most likely the last.

I look up and my eyes widen at the sight of Thomas on the ground by the doors. I forget about my aching legs, my burning lungs and my exhaustion and I stand up, swiftly making my way to the boy. Thomas had just risen to his feet when I shove him backward, making loose foot grip and stumble backward into the wall behind him.

"You idiot!" I glare at him. "You just got yourself killed."

He stares at me with his eyes widened.

"Congratulations, at least you got to live out your dreams of being a runner before you died." I let out a huff of air before turning to Alby and Minho. Falling to my knees next to the passed-out boy, I lift his shirt to examine the stung wound. "It's getting worse," I state, looking up at Minho.

"What happened to him?" Thomas asks as he crutchs down next to me.

"What does it look like?" I ask, whipping my head around to look at him, feeling the burning sensation of tears behind my eyes. "He got strung."

Thomas's gaze scans my face before looking back at Alby. "What happened to his head?"

I fall back, leaning against the wall behind me, still struggling to catch my breath. "I did what I had to do."

The ground under us shakes, an effect of the maze changing. Thomas looks around with wide eyes, frightened by the sound. I open my mouth to explain what is going on when a deafening noise slices through the air, instantly wrapping an invisible noise around my neck. My hair rises and panic crawls up my spine. The sound of the Greiver in the distance makes me shuffle backward, staring into the maze corridors. Terror prickles my skin with goosebumps and I feel my lungs shrink, forbidding me to breathe.

Thomas's gaze latches itself on me as I stare in horror in front of me.

"Are you okay?" His question snaps me out of my panicked state, finally allowing myself to take steadier breaths. His worried eyes scan me, making me stiffen and sit up straight.

"I'm fine," I mutter. "We have to go, the maze is already changing."

Minho stands and begins to limp away from the three of us as I help Thomas lift Alby's body. Taking one arm over my shoulder while Thomas grabs the other, we drag Alby through the corridors in the maze.

I hope to disguise my panic by clutching my free hand into a fist, letting my fingernails dig into my skin giving me a momentary distraction from the fact that I was walking deeper into my worst nightmare.

After walking for what felt like forever, I hear Thomas shout out for Minho.

"Minho." He says, without gaining anything attention from the boy who walks a few feet in front of us. "Minho!" Thomas repeats. "Minho, take over for Vanya."

I whip my head to him. "What? No, I've got it."

"I don't care." He says, without looking at me. "You need to rest."

"I told you, I'm fine." I snap back at him.

"Minho, come on man," Thomas says, like he didn't hear what I just said.

"Thomas, I told you-" I almost lose foot grip, hearing the screening Greiver noise, erupting from within the maze, not far from us. My breath catches in my throat and it takes me a moment to finally allow myself to breathe again.

"In here, let's put him down," Thomas says and turns the corner. The two of us place Alby against the wall and I sink down next to him, allowing him to lean slightly against my shoulder.

"What do we do?" Thomas asks me and Minho, like the two of us are a handbook in surviving in the maze.

"I don't-" My cracking voice and stutters are just a telltale of the thundering panic within my chest.

A Greiver cries out, closer to us this time. I shoot up, stumbling backward as I stare at the direction of the sound. Sweat beads my forehead and palms as I stare mindlessly into the corridor in front of us for several seconds, not even hearing Thomas and Minho's argument behind me.

I'm thrown back into reality as another Greiver is heard in the distance. I spin around, facing the two boys behind me. "Up there," I say, paying no mind to the fact that they're in the middle of arguing. I point to the wall of climbing plants. "We can hide him up there."

Thomas stare at me in shock before the three of us grab a vine, wrapping it around his stomach. Using all our last strength, the three of us pull the vine, slowly moving Ably's body up the wall.

"One, two, three..." I count, grunting as we hiss him higher. "Okay, again. Almost the..." I pant but pause mid-sentence as I notice Minho has stopped. I glance over my shoulder, seeing the boy stand completely frozen behind me, staring at something at the far end of the corridor. "Minho, come on."

"We've gotta go. We gotta go." He whispers.

"What? No." I shake my head, trying to see what it is that Minho is staring at. My heart sinks, seeing movement within the darkness around the corner.

"I'm sorry, V." He whispers and before I have any time to react, he takes off. The lack of strength holding up the vine, causes me and Thomas to fall and slide over the floor. My already sore muscles ache as we struggle to keep Alby up.

I glance around the corner, seeing the Grevier moving closer to us. I draw a sharp breath, my knuckles whitening around the vine. Panic clutches around my heart, squeezing it until my blood has frozen completely. I drag Thomas in between the gap in the wall before sliding in under it.

My heart hammers against my rib cage to the point I'm sure that the Greiver will hear it. My body goes rigid as I watch the Greiver place its metallic foot right in front of our faces. I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping to control my panic.

Thomas seems to have noticed, wrapping his hand around my wrist in hopes of calming me down. He firmly holds it, until the Greiver has passed and even after that. We stay in our hiding spot until we know for certain that the Grover is gone.

I finally allow myself to breathe. Grabbing the strongest root, I tie the vine that holds Alby up around it, making sure it's secure before sliding it from under the vines.

Thomas joins me in a stance and our eyes dart around the corridors to make sure the Greivers aren't in sight. My head spins around, hearing the noise from afar.
Before I have any time to process, I feel a hand on my wrist, pulling me around the corner. Thomas presses himself against the wall while pressing me against him. The two of us listen as the sound gets closer and my breathing gets louder. Thomas presses a hand against my mouth, suppressing my rapid breathing.

The clanking sound becomes distant and once it's out of earshot, we emerge from our hiding. I drag my hands through my hair, trying to slow my heartbeat down. Thomas and I stare at each other hoping that the other has any ideas of how to at least try to survive the rest of the night.

"Couldn't we climb?" Thomas tears his gaze from me, backing away as he stares up at the tall wall.

"Those bastards can climb," I whisper. I look around me, hoping to find something that like help us. Either a weapon or someplace to hide. The spot under the vines is too risky. We were just lucky that the Greiver didn't see us.

Clanking and rumbling is heard from down the corridor and I grab Thomas's arm to pull him and me back. We walk backward into a smaller corridor while scanning our surroundings. It was dark with only the moon to illuminate our path.

I suddenly feel myself stepping into something. I lift my shoe to examine the soles. The sticky substance, glisters in the moonlight. My heart sinks upon the realization.

"Thomas.." I call out faintly as I slowly tilt my head back.

"What is tha-"

"Oh, shit." I grab Thomas's arm before he even gets a chance to see the source of the sticky goo. The Griver jumps down from its hiding, landing on the ground behind us, and roars at us.

Thomas slips over the ground, bringing me with him but the two of us shuffle backward, hurrying to a stance.

We pace out of the corridor, ducking and sprinting away and through every corner. The burning pain in my legs is long forgotten, replaced with an adrenal strengthening. I turn the corner, almost sliding due to the speed I'm having. I catch my feet and pick up my pace.

"Come on, Thommy!" I yell at him, seeing as he has fallen behind.

The Griever climbs with its outstretched metallic limbs almost catching up to the boy. I glance back again but this time, only seeing Thomas.

Just as I look forward again, the Greiver appears from around the corner, landing right in front of me. In a moment of panic, I lean down and slide over the floor, under the Grivers body before rushing to my feet on the other side.

The Griever seems to have lost all interest in me and begins to crawl in the opposite direction, toward Thomas.

"Hey, Shankface!" I shout, hoping to gain the Greiver's attention to prevent it from reaching Thomas. And just as I wanted, the Greiver spins around, charging at me. Unfortunately, I hadn't thought about this part of the plan. I begin to run. I pace down the corridor, with the Greiver only seconds away from grabbing me.

Taking an unpredictable turn, I pace around the corner, rounding the pilar that delegates me from the Geiver. Coming up behind it, I take off in the same direction where I had just come from. It is stupid, knowing that every Grever would have heard the commotion that we had caused in that direction, but Thomas is back there and Im not planning on leaving him to die.  

I look back, grinning at the sight of a long distance between me and the Greiver but my grin quickly disappears as I feel my body crash into something.

"Vanya!" Thomas gasps. I grip his arms, staring at him in shock and disbelief for several moments before snapping back into reality. I look back over my shoulder, noticing the Greiver getting closer.

"Go, go, go!" I scream at him and we sprint away. The two of us run for dear life until we're brought to a halt as we find ourselves in a dead end. Our heads whip around, desperately seeking an exit. I curse under my breath, seeing the Greiver dart out from the corner.

"Here!" I shout to Thomas, pointing to the big rock by the decayed wall dressed in vines. The boy scurries at it, instantly understanding my idea as he uses the rock to shoot himself to the vine-covered wall where he clings to the plants.

I run up to mimic his actions while grabbing my knife in the process. The creature is so close behind me that I feel its metal claws grazing my back. I place a foot on the rock, pushing myself off it before clutching onto the vines. I hastily pull myself to the top of the wall where I join up with Thomas. But instead of following the boy as he runs forward, jumping to the next closest wall, I spin around and hurry to the edge.

Thomas stops behind me and shouts for me to come with him but I don't listen. Instead, I step forward, jumping off the wall before landing on top of the Greiver. The creature moves manically, squirming and swinging its tail around. I dodge it with a mere inch before ramming my knife into its head. Over and over, letting the sticky substance stain my clothes.

My attack doesn't seem to have any impact on the creature, so I change tactics. I pierce my knife through the skin where one of its arms starts. My blade slices through the flesh, chopping through the cable that connects the arm to its body. The creature's arm falls to the ground making it screech.

As I move to do the same to its other arm, I suddenly feel my body getting grabbed by the Greivers gripper, that sits attached to its tail. My body is lifted in the air before the Greiver tosses my body backward.

I collide with the wall behind us, with a thud before falling to the ground. The fall sends a harsh pain through my foot, that radiates through my entire leg. I cry out in pain as I force myself to a stance, looking the Griever dead in the eye from afar.

It charges at me and I force myself to not think of the pain as I sprint at it. When we're seconds away from crashing into each other, I lean down, sliding over the floor under it with my knife in hand. I press my knife through the flesh in its stomach, slicing it open.

Once I'm finally on the other side of the creature, I force myself to a stance before speeding toward the vine wall. I scurry up the vines hearing the Griecer right behind me. Thomas, who stands on the top waiting for me, grabs my arm and pulls me to the top.

We don't waste a minute before taking off. We run to the edge, pushing ourselves off the wall, flying through the air before landing on the closest wall top. Pain shoots through my leg but Thomas swiftly helps me to my feet.

We run to the edge, almost falling over it. With nowhere else to go, we're forced to jump to another vine-dressed wall. I glance over my shoulder, watching the Greiver limp due to the loss of an arm and having its stomach cut open.

The creature jumps, landing right above Thomas. It's seconds away from stinging him but the boy manages to dodge it but his hand slips in the process. The boy drops to the floor along with the Greiver who brings the whole vine plant with it. The vine that I'm holding onto snaps and I fall to the ground.

Luckily, both mine and Thomas's falls are moderated by the plants under us. I roll around, twisting and squirming violently as I am tangled in the vines. I watch the Greiver rise in front of me and Thomas. The boy manages to get out of the plant's grasp and hurries to his feet where he helps me out.

We're finally freed and are now running hand in hand to the end of the corridor.

"Are you hurt?" Thomas yells as we run.

"No!" I shout back. "Are you?"

"No!" He shakes his head.

The two of us slow down, seeing that the Griver is still stuck in the vines. A grin brushes my lips but it's quickly washed off as I feel someone bump into me.

"Crazy sons of bitches." Minhos says, staring at the two of us in shock.

I open my mouth to snap at him but Thomas pushes both me and Minho into a new corridor at the sight of the Griever rising to its feet.

"If this Griever doesn't kill you, I'll kill you myself!" I shout at Minho as we race through the maze.

We make our way around a corner, with Minho in the lead. I look back, seeing the Greiver not far from us, limping down the gravel path.

The walls around us, twists and rumbles.

"This section is closing!" Minho tells us as we stop in front of a long corridor. I stare at the Greiver as it gets closer. Minho sprints to the end of the corridor and Thomas follows him. I let go of his hand bringing the boy to a halt.

"Vanya, what the hell! Come on!" He shouts and waves at me to follow him. I remain in my spot, watching the Greiver limp toward us.

"Come on, Klunkface!" I shout at the creature, ignoring Thomas's shouts. The boy stares at me in shock for a moment before joining up next to me.

"What are you doing?" I snap at him.

"I'm helping you! I'm not gonna let you get yourself killed." He says before turning his attention to the Grevier. "Come on! Come get us!"

The two of us, shout and wave for the creature, watching it crawl closer.
Minho stands at the end of the closing corridor, shouting our names.

"Come on," Thomas says, grabbing my wrist to drag him and me to the end of the corridor. I glare at our united hands. I can handle myself.

The Grevier crashes into the wall behind us before setting off after us. We run until it feels like our legs will fall off. The walls around us are slowly closing the little space that we have to run in, to the point where I have to twist my body to the side to fit through.

We squeeze out of the small gap, shooting out from the doors. I stare at the Grover as it is being squished to death between the walls.

I hunch over, gasping for breath while resting my hands on my knees. I almost collapse, as the adrenaline washes off me and I realize the amount of pain that shoots through my foot. Despite that, I can't help but smirk, knowing that we not only survived but killed a Griever.

"You're crazy, you know that right." Thomas pants next to me.

"Says the person who ran into the maze." I chuckle.

༻❁༺

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐄. Most of them had turned to walk away when we arrive.

"Yeah!" I heard Chuck shout, sending a wave of energy to me making me limp toward the exit faster. Thomas and Minho walked behind me, carrying Alby's limp body.

Everyone cheers and waves as we get close while some stares in disbelief at us. Chuck, hurries forward, bringing his arms around me but quickly pulls away, grimacing at the stench of Greiver goo coming from me.

"Yuck! What happened to you." He says, staring at my body, covered in grieved blood and goo.

"Ran into some trouble." I grin. "I'm okay."

"You're not okay." Jeff chimes in. "Your foot is fucked."

I just wave him off and go to kneel next to Alby's body which has been placed to the ground while Clint examines him.

"What happened out there?"

"How did you guys make it out?"

The questions spew from the boy's mouths, almost throwing themselves over us.

"What is that?" Newt asks, referring to the substance that covers my clothes.

"You guys saw a Greiver?" Chuck questions.

"Yeah, we saw one." Thomas and I say in unison.

"They didn't just see it," Minho speaks up. "They killed it."

Every head turns in our direction as we sit crouched next to each other. Silence falls over the Glade as they stare at us, unsure if they should be impressed or petrified.

𝟑𝟑𝟏𝟕 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
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𝐚𝐯𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬!!!
this feels a little rushed but we got some Tanya moments (i can't think of a better ship name for them atm please help a girl out)