The Maze Runner {Thomas love story}

Chapter 42

Immediately, the Grievers shut down wholly, their instruments sucked back into their blubbery skin and the bright flashing lights in their eyes turn off. A loud echo of the Grievers falling to the floor sounds in the maze, but nothing else is heard. I look at Thomas, and his emotions seem to be so jumbled up, he doesn't know how to react. First he gasps, and then he laughs, before choking on a sob and laughing again. Chuck scoots are far as he can away from the Grievers and bumps into me. I hug him tightly, squeezing him into a fierce embrace.
"You did it. We made it ,Kaya." Thomas whispers. Thomas lets out another laugh, in disbelief at what we just went through. It almost seems impossible - but it isn't.
"He's right, Kaya- you saved us! I told you that you were important!" Chuck agrees, as Thomas joins our hug.
"What about the others?" I ask, nodding my head towards the Griever hole.
"Minho! Are you okay? What about everybody else?" Thomas shouts as Minho makes his way towards us, frowning.
"We lost a ton of people... it's a mess of blood up there... then they all just shut down." Minho speaks up, gulping in large breaths. "You did it. I can't believe it actually worked." Newt comes in then, followed by Frypan, Winston and eight other boys follow. Soon, there are twenty-one tired, sweaty Gladers in all. Every last one is smudged in blood. Griever or human, I don't know, probably both.

"The rest?" I ask, terrified as to what the answer will be.
"Half of us," Newt says in a weak voice. "Dead." Nobody says anything for a moment. For a very long moment, actually.
"You know what?" Minho starts, standing up taller. "Half of us might've died, but half of is shucking lived. We've gotta get out of here."
Too many. I hear Thomas say, and I don't think he actually meant for me to hear it, once again. Too many by far. I have to agree with him.
"Let's get out of here, right now." Newt agrees.
"Where do we go?" Minho asks and Thomas points down the long, dark tunnel.
"I heard the door open down that way." I push away the aching feeling of so many dead Gladers being left behind - and the horror of the 'battle' that we just 'won'. This is all just an experiment, anyway. It's not real life.
"Well - let's go." Minho answers. The older boy turns and starts walking up the tunnel without waiting for any sign of response. Newt nods, ushering other Gladers to follow him. One by one, they all walk and Thomas volunteers to go last. I walk next to Newt, rubbing my eyes a little.
"Are you okay?" I ask him. "I know this isn't the best time to ask... But is your ankle feeling okay?"
"I'm fine." Newt tells me, but I know he's lying. Nobody's going to be fine ever again after what we've just been through. I won't be fine after what I went through in the past six days. We stay silent as we walk down the tunnel, the torches we're holding still washed out by the darkness surrounding us.

After a minute of walking, I hear a shriek from ahead, followed by another, then another, and another. Their cries seem to fade and get quieter, as if they're falling or disappearing somehow... Murmurs travel down the line of boys, making their way to Newt, Thomas, Chuck and I in the back.
"Looks like it ends in a slide up there, shooting downwards." A Glader says and my stomach drops uncomfortably. I slip down the slide after Chuck when it's my turn and am immediately hit with a sent. Burning plastic or an overused machine. Almost like a factory. I look around at the area encircling me, and my jaw drops. It seems to be some sort of lab that's been attacked somehow. Broken machinery and dead people are lying around, the people all wearing white lab coats.

The Creators.

"Who are those people?" Chuck stutters, looking around.
"The Creators." Minho mutters back, glaring at the people. Sparks come from broken electrical chords around the room and it's some of the only lighting in the dark room. Emotions fly through my body and I can barely focus. Relief. Worry. Confusion. Anxiety. Fear. Still, everyone stays behind Thomas, until Newt steps forward and walks towards some computers, staring at what's on them. It's the Glade.