Lost in a Maze

Chapter 37: Aftermath

Alby, Clint and Jeff were standing ready to fight, breathing heavily in fear. We rushed in, Newt locking the door behind us. "Chuck?" I panted, the boy curled in the corner of the room, his face stained with tears.
"Hey!" Thomas slid to his knees beside him, his hand on Chuck's shoulder. "Hey, you're gonna be okay, here. You have a weapon?" Chuck shook his head.
Thomas looked around at the rest of us for help, "I only have one knife."

"Here." I pulled the blade out of my boot, certain that my leg was cut open whilst I was running. Hastily wiping the blood off on my jacket, I handed it to him.

"Alright, come on stand up, you're better on your feet." Thomas said assuringly, helping him to his feet.
Suddenly the mechanical whirring of a Griever sounded outside the door, causing us to all form into a sort of fight circle, our weapons held tightly in our hands.
Thomas lifted his finger to his lips and looked at us all, ensuring we stayed quiet. Ever so gently I grabbed onto the feathers of one of my arrows, slowly sliding it out of the quiver.
Thomas nodded as I preparing it against the bow, pulling back the string.

The crack from underneath the door to the ground was a few inches tall, allowing a little light to shine under it. The Griever began to sniff around like a dog, it's disgusting nose and mouth appearing to us at that crack, trying to see into the room. Then it thrashed its body into the door, but the boys had locked it.
It chittered angrily around the Council house as we all held our breaths, watching it move around through the very slight cracks between the branches that formed the walls. Against the wall that curved round to our right, it threw its body again, causing another bang.

"Stay back," Newt whispered, pushing the circle backwards so he was in front. I slowly stepped forwards beside him, the tip of my arrow following its movements.

There was another thump that came from directly above us, immediately I pointed my bow upwards, feeling everyone move hurriedly backwards, away from the security of the Glade wall, and back towards the door. Careful not to bump into one of the beams that held up the ceiling, I too backed up with them but mainly because Newt was pulling the back of my jacket.

It kept chittering, it was like listening to a lion growl, ready to pounce on its prey. I pitied rabbits, deer and anything else that spent their lives running, and realised that we were really the same. I saw Rebels jaw start to quiver, I knew she was about to bark. Slowly I crouched down beside her and spoke in more than barely a whisper, "Shh, quiet."

Suddenly the Griever stuck its tail forcefully through the roof, causing Jeff and Chuck to cry out in alarm, and me to release an arrow. Cleverly the claw seized the beam that held the ceiling up and pulled it, causing some of the ceiling to come tumbling down on top of us. A few people cried out in alarm, I was barely touched. Seeing Newt pretty swallowed by the wood I grabbed his arm and helped him back to his feet, my forehead sweating even in the cold.

"Is everyone alright?" Newt asked in a low voice, scanning the still-intact half of the ceiling for sign of the Griever. Again, it chittered, heavily exhaling. As it moved you could see the ceiling sink a little, which gave a good idea of where it was. However figuring out when it would pounce, was another story altogether.

Another section of the ceiling in front of us rapidly caved in, the Griever's gnarly face appearing to us. Triumphant it screeched, the clawed tail seizing whomever it could reach as Thomas shouted and shoved us all out of the way. "CHUCK!" He screamed as Chuck screamed and ran towards us, the Griever seizing his back. He was pulled into the air, trying to be forced out into the open to be Griever food, but Thomas grabbed onto his hand. I ran forwards with Emily, as did Newt, grabbing onto his arms and pulling, trying to free him from the monster's grip. "CHUCK DON'T LET GO!" Thomas yelled, pulling the boy hard.