Maze girl

✧༺ 20. Newt ༻∞

The excitement was everywhere, crackling through the Glade like electricity. Word of the possible exit spread faster than the morning wake-up bell, and by the time I’d gotten to breakfast, practically everyone knew.

I kept replaying Rune’s face in my mind when she’d first told me about it. Her eyes had been alight with something I hadn’t seen in a long time—a mix of hope and disbelief, like she could barely dare to believe in a way out. And now that she, Minho, and Thomas had brought back news of a crack in the wall, a glimmer of something outside, I felt that same dangerous flicker of hope. The kind of hope that had been nearly beaten out of us, buried deep by years of surviving here. But the Maze itself? It wasn’t exactly known for offering gifts without a cost.

I leaned against the side of the Map Room, watching Gladers huddle in groups, talking animatedly, voices rising and falling. Everyone was already throwing around opinions, their reactions as mixed as I’d expected.

I spotted Frypan and Gally near the center, their tones low but intense, and made my way over. They weren’t alone—Clint and Winston were there too, along with Alby, who was listening intently but wearing his usual stoic expression. As I approached, their voices grew louder, the conversation heating up.

“So you’re just going to trust this crack in the wall?” Gally’s voice was sharp, laced with his usual skepticism. “For all we know, it’s a bloody trap.”

Frypan shook his head, crossing his arms. “Yeah, and maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s exactly what we’ve been waiting for, what we’ve needed. You want to spend the rest of your life here?”

Gally’s eyes narrowed. “I’d rather be alive than be tricked into wandering into the Maze and ending up dead. Look, they’re Runners—they know the Maze. But if it were that easy, don’t you think we’d have found a way out by now?”

Winston shrugged, glancing from one to the other. “You’ve got a point, Gally, but maybe this is different. Rune said there was light on the other side. Why would the Maze set a trap that shows us light?”

Gally rolled his eyes. “You think the people who put us here wouldn’t be smart enough to make it look real?”

“That’s enough, Gally,” I said, stepping forward. He looked at me, surprised, but didn’t argue.

Alby cleared his throat, breaking the tension. “Look, I understand both sides here. It’s a risk. And we’ve already lost enough people to this place. None of us want to walk into something that could kill us.” His eyes flicked to me, searching for agreement. I nodded, feeling the weight of his words settle over me.

“But,” he continued, “we’ve been here long enough to know that nothing changes unless we make it change. Sitting around and pretending there’s nothing out there just because we’re scared doesn’t do us any good, either.”

Frypan nodded, glancing around the circle. “We’re stuck in a giant stone box, day in and day out, with Grievers lurking behind those walls at night. And if Rune, Minho, and Thomas say they’ve found something… then I believe them.”

I looked around the group, noticing the doubt and hope flickering in their eyes. The Glade was our home, yes, but it was also a prison. And even after so many months here, I could see it was starting to break people down.

“Look,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm, “we all know the risks. None of us are stupid. But if there’s a crack, a possibility of something beyond this place, we have to try. We’ll be smart about it. We’ll take time to investigate it, make sure it’s not a trap.”

Gally shook his head, muttering under his breath, but I knew he wouldn’t go against the group. For all his bluster, he still trusted Alby and me enough to follow if we led. And he wasn’t wrong to worry; the Maze had proven time and again that it was dangerous and relentless. But if we let fear rule us, we’d be trapped here forever.

Alby clapped his hands, his tone commanding. “All right. We’ll organize a team to investigate the crack tomorrow. Minho, Rune, and Thomas will lead—they know the area better than anyone else. We’ll get Frypan to pack supplies, just in case. And if we find anything that proves it’s dangerous, we pull back. Understood?”

There were murmurs of agreement, though I could tell Gally still wasn’t convinced. But for now, it was enough.

As the group broke apart, Frypan walked over to me, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “You all right, Newt? You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”

I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair. “Yeah… just thinking about what this means. About what happens if it’s real.”

He nodded, his gaze understanding. “It’s a lot to think about, mate. But we deserve a chance, don’t we?”

I didn’t say anything, just watched as the Gladers scattered, their voices a mixture of excitement and worry. I couldn’t help but feel that same swirl inside me—the thrill of hope, yes, but also the weight of responsibility. If this really was a way out, I wanted it more than anything. But the cost of that hope, if we were wrong? I wasn’t sure I was ready to pay it.

As I looked out over the Glade, I felt Rune’s presence nearby. She wasn’t looking at me, but I knew she felt it too—the hope, the fear, the uncertainty. And somehow, just knowing she was there made it easier to bear.
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Alright...
3 chapters left. And I have to warn you, get your tissues ready in the last chapter.