𝑳𝒂𝒃𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 - ᴀ ᴍᴀᴢᴇ ʀᴜɴɴᴇʀ ꜰᴀɴꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ

𝟷𝟼 - 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

The hours flew by, and the doors would close soon. Desperate not to be trapped in the maze, I crawled faster, heart pounding, until I finally emerged into a corridor. It seemed familiar—everything did at this point—but there was something different about these walls. Unlike the ones deeper in the maze, they were recognizable. Relief washed over me as I realized where I was.

The Glade's walls.

Without hesitation, I sprinted toward the Glade's entrance. Navigating the twists and turns of the maze was torture. My legs screamed in agony with every step, but I couldn't afford to slow down.

When I reached a more familiar part of the maze, I took a brief breather and transitioned to a jog. I had a lot of time.

Or so I thought.

But I was so fucking wrong.

As I examined the elongated device in my hands, a guttural sound echoed through the maze—a sound I knew all too well.

I glanced behind me without stopping, and there it was.

A Griever.

Panic surged through me. I sprinted again, forcing myself to ignore the burning pain in my legs as I raced through the dark corridors and sharp turns. The maze felt endless now that the Griever was on my heels. Unlike the other one from earlier, this one never stopped. It just kept coming, its footsteps growing louder and quicker with each passing second.

I ran and ran, adrenaline surging through me, pushing me to go faster. My chest heaved as I gasped for air, but I couldn't afford to stop. The thought of getting back home kept me going, driving me to my absolute limit.

I needed to come back home.

As I rounded a corner near the Glade's entrance, the ground rumbled beneath my feet, stronger than before, and nearly throwing me off balance.

What the fuck? It never did this.

I quickly regained my balance and continued sprinting until I reached the main corridor leading to the maze's entrance. Relief flooded my veins as I finally saw the greenery at the end of the corridor.

But, as always, nothing goes my way.

That relief was quickly replaced by fear when I saw the doors moving. The gap was getting smaller.

They were closing. And at the same time, my watch alarm blared.

It was just 4 pm and the doors shouldn't close until 6.

The Griever was closing in on me. And either it pulls me back, and I die, or I get crushed between those stone walls.

I had no choice. I had to sprint faster, even if my life depended on it—because it did.

I ain't dying tonight, motherfucker.

Fear gave way to something greater, something more primal than bravery. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and I screamed as I ran faster than I ever thought possible.

Excruciating pain shot through my legs as I pushed myself beyond my limits. Blurry figures of Gladers began to come into view.

It'd be so embarrassing to die in front of them. Getting yanked by the Griever or crushed by the wall—holy shit.

Suddenly, their voices echoed throughout the maze, screaming for me just like they did for Minho. They didn't run away from the Griever behind me; they just kept yelling, urging me on.

As I inched closer, a slight buffer figure stepped forward at the maze's entrance, arms outstretched, shouting words of encouragement.

I was running so fast that everything became a blur. It might've been exhaustion too, but adrenaline kept me going, desperate to make it out of the maze.

I didn't care about the Griever anymore, convinced it was far enough behind me. When I reached the doors, the gap was still wide enough for me to slip through, but I underestimated it.

The walls were closing in fast. I shuffled sideways through the narrowing gap, pressing my hands against the cold stone as if I could somehow hold them back. It was still a long way to safety, but their voices of encouragement kept me pushing forward, squeezing through as quickly as I could.

"Come on, Wren!"

"Keep going, c'mon now!"

"Don't mind the Griever. It's far away now!"

"Ya got this, girl!"

"You can do it, Bean!"

His voice.

The gap kept getting smaller, the walls pressing against my palms and back. My vision blurred again, tears welling up out of fear. My chest tightened, my stomach churned, and I felt the urge to throw up.

Not now. Not an anxiety attack. Please.

I was terrified of how this would end for me. I didn't think I could make it out just by shuffling. Not all of me would successfully make it out.

I looked at Minho, who was just inches away from the door. His arm was reaching out to me, his face scrunched up as he shouted words I couldn't even make out anymore.

As I neared the end of the door, I desperately reached for him, tears streaming down my cheeks as I continued shuffling through, feeling like I might not make it.

Minho, being the dumbass that he was, slightly leaned in and got a hold of my wrist.

I dove into the Glade as he tugged me with so much force that we stumbled backward onto the ground. He held me tightly, his arms wrapped securely around my torso.

Not even seconds later, I heard a loud crunch as the door slammed shut.

Panting, I turned to look behind me. A flimsy piece of steel stuck out from the crack in the door, dark liquid seeping through.

I just stared at the door, hearing only the distant noise of Gladers cheering. Their blurry figures began to fill my vision, replacing the walls and greenery around me.

I wasn't aware of what anyone was saying, where I was, or how I was positioned on the grass. I just knew that I had made it back in one piece—and that I had something in my hands.

The beeping device.

Without thinking, I raised the object into the air, gasping for breath which was quickly replaced by chuckles and snorts, and became laughter in no time.

I threw my head back, shutting my eyes as I placed my other hand on my stomach, feeling the ache from laughing so hard.

Laughter of relief. I couldn't believe I made it back. Success felt so damn good.

But I stopped immediately when I felt something hit the back of my head. I realized there were legs on either side of me, something behind my back, and light hands on my waist, holding me in place.

I didn't move. My raised arm suddenly grew weak as I felt my body giving out. I fought the urge to lean back, but within seconds, my eyes fluttered closed, and I finally slumped into the arms holding me. The adrenaline faded, and anxiety quickly took its place.

As always, the cheers became a ringing noise in my ears. Needle-like pain spread across my head as I felt lightheaded, my body numbed by exhaustion. My chest was still tight from fear.

Tears began to fall as I shut my eyes.

Darkness.

I'm familiar with it.

I've known it my whole life.

Yet I'm still terrified of it.