The Girl in the Glade // Twins Series {Book One}[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

seventeen

Our footsteps echoed through the hall of the maze that lay ahead of us as we pushed ourselves forward. Minho gripped my wrist almost painfully as he drug me behind him. We heard the faint shrieks of the grievers as they thundered down the hall behind us, slowly closing the distance. Minho glanced over his shoulder and grunted as he pushed himself to run faster, pulling me along with him.

My legs felt like jello, trembling beneath me as we ran. My heart pounded painfully in my chest and my lungs struggled for air. Every breath I attempted to take was agonizingly painful. I gasped when we rounded a corner and there was a seemingly endless hallway before us.

"Come on. We can do it." Minho yelled out, breathless, as his grip tightened on me. Every step became increasingly more painful and difficult to take than the last. After what seemed like a lifetime of running we rounded the corner at the end of the hall and my feet stumbled slightly when I saw where Minho was taking me. He kept me upright and pulled me faster towards the cliff.

"Minho!"

We slowed slightly when we heard Thomas yell out from behind us. I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw Thomas come from a different hallway. He had a griever right behind him, joining the three that chased us. He faltered when he saw all of them and pushed himself to catch up to us.

"I know how we can lose them!" Thomas yelled out.

Minho glanced at him, keeping his tight hold on me as he did.

Thomas finally caught up to us as we neared the cliff. "Stop right in front of the edge and wait for them to charge us!"

Minho nodded in agreement as we reached the edge of the cliff. He pulled me closer to him as he stood us in front of the cliff, facing the approaching grievers. Thomas moved closer to me and grabbed my hand as Minho let go, gesturing for Thomas to pull me to his side.

The grievers made their way towards us in a single file line, charging at their prey. They shrieked in anger, ready to tear us to shreds. Thomas' hand tightened on mine and I saw him glance down at me from the corner of his eye. It was then that I wondered what I looked like, it couldn't have been pretty after everything that's happened.

They were now thirty feet away and still as pissed as ever. "Get ready." Thomas told us. He glanced over his shoulder at the emptiness behind us, the emptiness that would hopefully claim the grievers.

Ten feet away now and they looked hungry.

Five feet and their spikey arms were extending towards us.

Three feet and Thomas yelled, "now!" He pulled me over to the wall with him, wrapping his arms around me as he did. The first two grievers charged right over the edge without even a hesitation. The third tried to stop itself from falling over the edge but failed and the fourth one was able to stop itself just in time.

Minho's eyes widened from the wall across from us as he watched the griever let out a victorious shriek and turn towards him.

I reacted before I had even thought about it. I ran up behind the griever and pulled my machete out. I swung the blade at the griever's legs and it started slipping closer to the edge. I hadn't noticed Thomas come with me, his arms still loosely around me, until the griever's stinger plunged into my chest. It lost its grip when Minho pushed it from behind and slipped over the edge, the stinger breaking off as the beast fell.

I screamed out and collapsed in Thomas' arms at the sudden burst of pain that exploded in my body.

"Oh God, Clara!" He screamed out, now fully supporting my weight as I leaned back on him.

My shaky hands went to the stinger absently and tears spilled down my cheeks. I gasped as the venom quickly spread throughout my body, clouding my vision, stealing my breath, and shutting down my body in the process.