To The Shucking End

Chapter 6

Tanya and Gally were talking to the ex-Runners about where they would want to be placed for work now when Minho approached them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Tan for a moment," he said to Gally as he placed his hands on Tanya's shoulders.

"Go ahead. I got them," he promised to Tanya who simply shrugged before tapping his arm.

"Have fun with that," she said before following Minho. "Uh, Minho, where are we going?" she asked when she realised that he was taking her partway into the forest.

"Nowhere. We just needed to be far enough that they couldn't hear us," he answered, and she furrowed her brows.

"And why wouldn't you want anyone to hear us?"

"Because I need you to come into the Maze with me."

For a solid ten seconds, Tanya did nothing but blink and breathe as she tried to process what Minho just said.

"I'm sorry, but that sounded like you just asked me to go into the Maze with you, which would be hilarious considering that a) I'm not a Runner and b) I'm even less fond of the Maze after what happened to Alby and c) it's against the rules."

Minho looked slightly pained at the mention of Alby's name but continued on with his plight anyway.

"Just hear me out," he pleaded, taking her silence as an indication that he should continue. "We've got a dead Griever just sitting in the Maze. Thomas thinks that there might be a clue there that could maybe lead to a way out. Either way, he wants to go back into the Maze and I promised I would get him some back up seeing as the rest of the Runners quit this morning."

Tanya inhaled sharply as she shook her head.

"Minho, Gally's not going to like any part of this. Hell, I don't even know if Newt would condone this."

"But that's the upside to you coming with us!" he exclaimed. "You're Newt's second and you have Gally wrapped around your finger, so I figure if you come with us and help explain everything after, it won't be that bad."

Tanya's expression was conflicted.

"I don't know, Minho. I've never -"

"Before you say no," he interrupted. "I'd like to remind you of the promise you made me. That we'd go to the shucking end."

Her eyes narrowed.

"That is unfair! That promise is a goodbye, not to emotionally blackmail me into running into the Maze like a dumb shank."

"Tan, please. You know I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think that this could be something," Minho pleaded and she exhaled heavily.

"You're a shucking slinthead, Minho," she insulted, and Minho knew he'd won her over as he punched the air. "But, I will be taking my machete. And we better be back here hours before sundown."

Minho exhaled in relief as he held her biceps.

"Thank you. And I promise you that you'll be safe."

"Alright. When do we leave?"

"15 minutes, but uh, you think you could help me convince a few others to come with us?"

She just shook her head at Minho.

"What would you do without me?" she laughed before walking back the way they came, Minho chasing after her.

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They'd gathered three others, Frypan, Zart and Winston, before heading to pick up Thomas, and for the first time since she arrived in the Glade, Tanya followed Minho into the Maze.

Thomas was surprised to see Gally's girlfriend with Minho wanting to help him, but he didn't say anything beyond a puzzled look before they began jogging through the Maze.

If she thought the massive doors in the Glade were intimidating, it was nothing compared to the tall stone walls that surrounded her in the small corridor as they went.

She didn't realise how much she trusted Minho until this moment because as much as she tried, she couldn't keep track of the way they'd come. Minho was the only way they'd get back to the Glade.

She was jogging easily next to Minho, her machete in her hand as they went, her toolbelt still around her waist with her mallet safely inside. She wasn't the only one armed either, Zart was running with a spear in his hands and Frypan with some of his knives strapped to him.

They didn't have to run very far before Minho pulled them to a stop as they saw the metal legs of a Griever sticking out between a gap in the wall.

Their steps were slow as they approached, Tanya's grip on her machete tightening as did Zart's on his spear.

"That's disgusting," Zart said as they saw the fleshy guts of the Griever splattered on the walls and floor, but that's when Tanya heard a sound.

"Can you hear that? That beeping noise?" she asked with a hand on Minho's arm.

They all seemed a little confused before Thomas took a step toward the Griever.

"There's something in there," he said, and Frypan's brows shot up.

"You mean besides a Griever pancake?" he asked.

Minho peered forward into the darkness of the gap, believing to see a red light shining inside as he moved closer.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. What are you doing?" Zart asked.

"Minho, please be careful," Tanya urged as he reached his hand into the gap.

For a few seconds, it was fine as he felt around, and then the Griever's leg moved.

Minho jumped, as did everyone else as they backed away, Frypan with his hand on Tanya's back to keep her from losing her balance as Winston and Thomas held up Minho.

"I thought you said it was dead?" Frypan asked.

"Reflex?" Zart suggested.

"You hope," Winston retorted.

"Come on, let's try and pull it out," Thomas proposed as Tanya tucked her machete into her tool belt, flexing her fingers as they all gathered around the Griever's leg.

"Ready?" she asked as they all took hold.

"On 3. 1. 2. 3," Thomas called as they all pulled as hard as they could.

The leg didn't move at first but eventually, they were able to tear it from the rest of the fleshy mess inside the gap, Frypan, Thomas, Winston and Tanya falling to the ground, however.

Minho was the first to help her up as he placed his hands under her arms and lifted her up, Thomas standing to help Frypan while Zart helped Winston.

"Everyone ok?" Tanya asked, being met with nods before Winston said,

"I can hear the beeping now."

Minho then made his way over to some of the Griever guts that they'd pulled free, and the boys all groaned, Tanya scrunching up her face at the disgusting juices and slime that dripped off Minho's hands as he pulled a beeping device with a red light out of a sack of skin.

"What the hell is that?" Thomas asked as the device beeped again.

"Interesting," he muttered as he ran his fingers over it, both the device and his fingers still covered in slime as he eyed the number 7 that was illuminated on it.

"Whatever it is, can we take this back to the Glade? Because I don't want to meet this guy's friends," Frypan said as Minho looked up from the device.

"He's right. It's getting late. Let's go. Tan, stick close," he instructed, still holding onto the device as they began running back to the Glade.

The meeting they had when they got back would be interesting.