𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝝠𝗧𝗛𝗪𝝠𝗬𝗦-𝗠𝝠𝗭𝗘 𝝝𝗙 𝗪𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗 ➳ TMR

Chapter 22- Death in the Maze

T/W: Blood mention and cursing

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Minho reached out for Thomas and yanked him into the hallway.

Thomas didn't realise it was Minho, nor me.

"Thomas... it's us. Calm down!" I yelled at him.

"What-?"

"Slim it both of you and follow me!" Minho yelled, already dragging Thomas away, making me have to follow. Thomas quickly got on his feet again.

We ran through corridors, a lot of turns, my exhaustion of the panic situation earlier shining through. Stay flicking focused for once.

Flicking? What the hell does flicking mean?!

Whatever Diana, fliming, flicking, finching, fucking, it doesn't matter. This is a finching death situation, that's what it is.

Minho never stopped or paused to think about his decision on left, right or middle.

As we rounded up the next corner Minho attempted to speak, between heaving breaths, he gasped, his voice raspy, "I just saw... the dive move you did... back there, Thomas... gave me an idea... we only have to last... a little while longer."

Thomas probably didn't think it was worth it to waste his breaths to asking questions. But I did.

"What... dive?"

"If you don't shut your hole, I will-"

The Griever behind us shouts out a mechanical screech which shuts him up, gladly.

Thanks, Grievie Bievie.

Sounds like something Marlise would say, a small smile fades onto my face, even though we weren't the closed she was literally the twin version of Mari. Weirdly enough she's best friends with a person who's more likely has a personality like me-

Do I have a small attention span or do I not realise when we're in a dangerous situation and I shouldn't think anything but run?

A few turns later there's something ahead of me... that looks like... no, well, yes that looks like the...

That would be weird if it would be.

A little bit of light emanates from our followers make the oddness up ahead all the more odd. The corridor didn't end. It ended in blackness. I could see stars again as we got closer, now I was sure, it is the Ledge.

Now I get it, so that's what Minho wants to do...

Thomas seemed to tense up a little next to me, probably the same thing every Mapper experiences when they see the Ledge. Should I tell him that that's not the exit?

"Don't get excited, shank" Minho struggled to say. Harsh you damn freak, he almost died and I... left him to die... but he's alive at least, well, breathing. Very much, actually.

"Are we going to-" Minho cut him off.

"Your wait-and-dodge move... they might be fast... but they're not... smart." Say that again to the things that are trying to kill us.

"You sure about that... they seem pretty smart on how... to kill a person." Minho gave me a death stare. Thanks dude, you too, you too.

"They want to... kill a person so bad, they... don't even notice their... surroundings or where they're heading."

Not wasting another breath on him. And now I didn't have the privilege either, I needed every last one.

We came with every second closer to the ledge.

About 300 meters left...

A few moments later 200 meters...

Now 100 meters, normally running isn't that fast, is just death making it faster so we don't have to experience it in normal speed?

50...

30...

"Get ready," a mumble from Minho, as if we didn't notice, smartstick.

10 meters and I don't slow down even though my whole body and consciousness is telling me to.

Before we run into the void, I jump with Thomas to the right side, pushing us against the wall.

Now I could see how many were actually following us, it wasn't just one or two, there were four.

The first one didn't even have time to stop and ran straight into the nothingness, the second tried to stop itself but failed miserably and the third stopped but had so much momentum with it that it slid into the emptiness. Finally the fourth flew past us, but before we could feel relieved it scraped the floor with its claws, an horrible noise.

The claws were trying to grab everything, the walls, the stones on the floor and... me. The claw flew to my hip faster than I could register it.

A cry left my mouth as the grip tightened, my mouth as dry as I wish it was when I told people to dry up.

Thomas didn't hear it or thought it was a scared scream.

He ran forward and tried kicking the Griever off while it was holding me like a scared kid in a thunder night holding its stuffed animal.

Thomas kicked again, this time with Minho, pushing it completely off. Me sliding with it... a help formed on my lips, a way too late help.

And I thought I escaped my end earlier.

I was just about to fall of the edge, of to meet Anne and all the other brave Icers that are dead, but two hands grabbed me.

"Thomas, chop off the arm!"

The hands gripped me tightly, yanking me back on the edge just in time.

I felt the rush of air from the abyss below as the Griever's claw pulled me closer to the brink. It was a horrifying sensation, one that sent a jolt of panic through my entire body.

I couldn't see whose hands had grabbed me, but I didn't care—they were my lifeline.

"We don't have all night, Thomas!" Minho shouted, his voice sharp and urgent.

Thomas didn't waste a second. He grabbed a sharp rock from the ground and swung it down on the Griever's extended limb with all his strength. The creature's metallic screech cut through the air like a knife, making my ears ring. The rock struck true, slicing through the joint that held its claw extended. I give my truest ever thank you to that rock, I salute... Rockstar the Rock.

With a sickening crunch, the Griever's arm detached, and its claw released its death grip on my hip.

I was free of it, falling backward onto solid ground as Minho and a few seconds after also Thomas pulled me to safety.

For a moment, I lay there, dazed and gasping, feeling the rush of blood pounding in my ears.

My hip throbbed with pain, but the terror of nearly falling into the abyss was worse. The sound of my ragged breathing was the only thing I could focus on, each inhale feeling like fire in my lungs.

"That definitely doesn't look good."

A/N: Woah, again I did it, said I'll try publishing more and here we are. I just had no motivation at all, but I hope that will change for the next chapters, even if most people aren't actively reading right now.

Stay safe and lots of love,
X Liz