"This way," Minho says with a light pant, turning down one of the long hallways. "Not much further to the inner ring, let's go."
I slow down as we reach the end, and rush into a completely different area of the maze. It's much more open, with large pillars creating more corridors, each one more confusing than the last.
I stand there, marvelling at it, wondering why Minho hadn't told us about how each section looks different. I'm broken from my trance as they call out in front of me, "Hurry up shuck-face!", and return to my stitch-inducing sprint.
How does he do this every fucking day?
We keep going, pushing through the wheezing and the clutching at my ribs that comes with the lack of substantial training. I'm still straying behind the other two, trying to look tough whenever one of them turns their head to check I'm still there.
We pass one of the shorter walls, and I gaze up at it, having to shield my face from the tormenting sun. Painted perfectly across the concrete, is the number 5 in a rustic red hue, looking old and decayed. Minho had told me about these signs before, they signal which section of the maze you're in, which means we're in sector 5.
By the time we make it to sector 6, I'm beginning to feel the true effects of exhaustion. I decide to take my own advice and call the others over so that we can take a break. We all sit in a small circle, keeping our senses heightened on the lookout for grievers as we snack on the small provisions that we brought.
"What exactly are we looking for?" I ask, scrunching the wrapper of my bar into a pathetic ball, and then hurling it at the wall. "Anything really." Minho replies, doing the same with his leftover plastic.
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The day drawls on, and we know we must continue. Arriving at sector 7, my legs have grown accustomed to the uncomfortable burning that gurgles deep inside them. The walls are now adorned with rusty metal stabilisers and poles, but it's uncertain of what the true purpose of them is.
"Seven's not supposed to be open for another week. But since you found that 'dead end'..." Minho begins- but he doesn't need to continue, we know what he means.
Things are changing.
We're walking now, in an attempt to regain or even just preserve what little energy we still hold.
"What the hell is this place?" Thomas asks. I'm glad he did because I was thinking the exact same thing. Towers stand in the place of walls, tall, thin and long, all facing in the same direction to mirror vertical rows. "We call them blades." Minho explains, and as we get closer, I can see why. They stand on strange circular bases, ones that they most likely spin on. The edges are sharp and tarnished, it could easily cut skin if you brushed your hand over too quickly.
We walk through them cautiously, Thomas still peering up at them with his mouth gaping wide open.
God, that boy always looks absolutely clueless.
There's a flimsy chest pack and red cloth sprawled carelessly along the floor, and Minho kneels down to pick it up. When he lifts it, I realise what it is, and who it once belonged to.
Ben.
It's his shirt. His once white, now blood-drenched, shirt. I have to look away in order not to cry, or puke, or both simultaneously. This was definitely not what I expected when embarking on this journey.
They're pulled from their conversation as we hear a high-pitched metal whir from somewhere near us. As we exchange a look of confusion, Thomas flips Minho around, pulling the now buzzing device that we found inside the griever from the back of Minho's pack. It's producing clicking noises in a steady rhythm that accelerates as Thomas moves around.
"I think it's showing us the way." He says, staring into the distance as though he's locked in some deep philosophical thought. I for one thought that was a pretty obvious observation. "No shit, Sherlock."
Unfortunately, they both ignore me, and start powering forward in the direction that offers the most 'bleeps'. My recent failure of a joke leads to me fall further behind the others, my arms crossed over my chest in defeat and embarrassment.
We take a sharp right, and the device intensifies, leading us into a dark tunnel of abyss, each step sending my stomach into a deeper pit of turmoil as anxiety bubbles, smashing incessantly against my skin. The walls dip upwards in a steep slant, as though we're at the bottom of a half-pipe. "Minho, you ever seen this place before?"
"No..."
We continue across what seems to be a bridge, both sides plummeting into darkness with no bottom in sight. In front of us, is another wall. I'm getting really sick of walls. This one's taller, the same as those that encase the Glade. On the side, is another painting, 'WCKD'. This tag seems to be following us around- providing us with all things, both good and bad.
"Ah, it's just another dead end." Minho exclaims, but I wouldn't be so sure, especially considering what the last 'dead end' lead to. Suddenly, the gadget stops clicking, and instead, the red buzzer and number 7 turn into a vibrant green, and the walls begin rumbling, and one beside us pulls upward, then the one behind that, and the one behind that, and it continues down a path, creating another hallway. Finally, a circle engraved in the wall opens, and we all freeze.
"You sure about this?"
"Nope."
Thomas begins to move down the new passage, but I hesitate behind them, unsure about whether this is a good decision or not. Large patches of light shine in from holes in the walls and open areas above.
They peer inside the circle, and Minho swipes his hand against the wall beside it, which immediately becomes drowned in the dark, sticky goo that I recognised from my last venture inside the maze.
"Grievers." Minho warns, sounding quite calm considering the discovery he'd just made. At what seems to be the end of the tunnel, a red-light flashes, and a scanning laser brushes up and down our bodies. "What the hell was that?" Minho asks as the sound of a hatch opening echoes through the establishment.
I cover my ears as groaning metal drills into them, machinery clicking alongside it. Thomas throws Minho the device, that we're now calling 'the key', and we all sprint away. I turn around and notice the walls slamming shut behind us. "Oh fuck, run!"
I'm starting to wish we'd had a bigger break now that the inferno in my legs was being pushed to its limit. At least I had a head start due to my cowardice.
We return to the section of the blades, all of which are now spinning into series, connecting to create walls with no escape. Fear spreads through my veins as the possibility of being trapped here again becomes more probable.
I use my speed to its full ability, staying in line with Minho as we run for dear life. Thomas however, is not so gifted, and stays a few paces behind us. We twist and contort our bodies to slip through the closing gaps.
Minho jumps forward, I lunge into a clumsy dive, and Thomas gets closed on. I push myself back onto my feet as Minho and I run side by side with him, racing against the converging walls.
"Run, Thomas!" I scream, holding my arm out towards him as though him catching it would save him.
Somehow, he manages to slide just between two of the sections, and we keep pushing forward, leaving the blades in our dust. We fall to a halt as the floor in front of us cracks, splitting into four parts and rising vertically into the air. The rusted pillars I noticed adorned the walls earlier suddenly fell, heading straight for us, and we move just out of its reach.
I grab Thomas' hand, pulling him along as the floor behind us breaks and rises towards the sky. With each falling confine, I stumble a little harder, but I refuse to let my clumsy nature come to play.
We jump up onto one of the closing walls, one that could potentially lead to us being squished, but we try anyway. The two boys leap with ease, their height giving them a great advantage. I, however, am not so lucky. I narrowly miss becoming a pancake before Thomas pulls me up and we slide through the restricted gap.
As we lay on the floor, the hole we had just escaped through was no longer existent.
None of us have enough energy to get back in anything faster than a slumped walk, making the journey in complete silence.
YOU ARE READING
Jealousy // Gally x reader
Fanfiction"You could have anyone you want, why would you want to be with me?" - Jealous, Eyedress This book follows the story of Gally and y/n (you) on their journey as they fall in love. It blends the storyline of Maze Runner books and movies, straying more...
