In The Maze

Chapter twenty-six (Y/N)

It's all downhill from here lol. Chapter 27 will be posted Friday March 17th!

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The grievers didn't kill me. Why I couldn't deduce. It would have been so easy for them to end me; to rip me limb from limb and consume me or leave my dismembered limbs for the runners to find, yet they didn't. Instead, they bickered between themselves, growling and snapping at each other while I could do nothing more than lay on the ground, paralyzed by fear and weak from the injuries I sustained.

I fought like Hell. Using my small size and fighting knowledge as an advantage I was able to inflict more damage than anticipated. One griever was now missing an eye and the other dripped black fluid from its neck and underbelly. But even with my skills, I was no match for the beasts. With another well-aimed sweep of a leg, I was thrown several feet. My machete, which was coated in griever flesh and goo, shattered easily under their mechanical feet.

This is it, I thought. This is how I die.

Instead, the grievers stopped mid-attack and left me writhing on the cold ground in pain; very much alive. Black spots danced in my vision and I nearly lost consciousness several times. Every time my eyelids slipped shut a mechanical click or animalistic screech startled me awake.

Eventually, the one-eyed griever grabbed me by my left leg with its tail. Its tail opened up like a hand at the end and it used the mechanical pincers to drag me through the maze. Belatedly, I realized that the grievers had been debating who got to carry me. It made me wonder how intelligent they are or if they're remotely controlled. Considering how mindlessly they behaved and how they were intent on killing me until they froze as if someone hit the pause button, I assumed the latter.

W.I.C.K.E.D controlled them. That meant, whoever was watching, didn't want me dead. At least not yet.

The griever dragged me deeper into the maze while the other peeled off and went in a different direction. My wounds screamed. Blood flowed freely from the scrapes and scratches that littered my body. The stone floor grated against my skin like sandpaper. A trail of blood indicated the path we'd taken but I doubted anyone would find it. The blood would dry and then be washed away by the rain or fade as the wind and dirt wore it away.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I cried. I didn't give a damn if the people watching saw it. I was in too much pain to care. My broken leg throbbed in tune with the beat of my heart and every little stone I got dragged over jarred my broken ribs.

The thought was fleeting, but for a moment, I wanted the griever to kill me. To end my pain and let me rest. 

That train of thought was interrupted when we crossed into section seven which promptly closed once we passed the threshold. It took me back to the new location I'd discovered less than an hour prior. The dead end wall opened horizontally, revealing another corridor illuminated by small fluorescent lights that lined each side. Unlike the rest of the maze, this passageway was rounded, but I couldn't make out anything else.

With another vicious snarl, it dropped me into the new passageway and the wall resealed itself. I tried to keep my breathing steady but it was a challenge. Fire lit up inside my chest with each inhale. It burned in a way I couldn't describe. Voices touched my ears and a bright light blinded me and I finally lost the battle with consciousness.

When I woke up, another blinding light assaulted my eyes. There were copious amounts of wires attached to various parts of my body and I no longer felt like one giant bruise. People I didn't know stared down at me; their attention split between me and whatever readings were on the beeping monitors beside the bed I was in.

My senses dulled further as a cool sensation - what I assumed were pain meds or sedatives - entered my vein via an IV. Before I fell asleep, a strawberry-blonde woman rested her hand on my ankle, a friendly smile on her red lips. "Excellent work, (Y/N). You were too fast for us. Don't worry, we'll get you back to your friends in no time."