The Real World || The Maze Runner Fanfiction (1)

Chapter 22

Immediately the grievers snapped to attention and turned on us. The mechanical clicks of their movements mingled with the sound of battle, echoing off the stone walls and making it impossible to hear one another. Me and my army managed to push the grievers up against the walls, allowing our friends to escape whilst we guarded the exit.

I was posted near the cliff, as I knew where the hole was and therefore could direct anyone if they needed help. Newt was the first one through, our eyes locked as his head disappeared through the hole and I wondered if I would ever see him again.

My mind forced itself to focus again on the battle raging around me. Dead bodies littered the floor, making it hard to stand on solid ground. I was currently fighting with one griever, Minho directly behind me and Thomas to my right. I knew I would have backup if I needed it, but for the minute I was fine.

My knife plunged through the slimy surface of the griever's back multiple times, each time ripping apart the skin only to realize it didn't affect the monster in any way. Multiple horrifying aparatures struck out at me, and I could only block them as best as I could. In five minutes I was covered with blood and had made no progress in killing my beast.

Minho let out a yelp behind me, causing me to steal a glance around. He was limping very badly because of a gash in his leg, whilst blood dripped into his eyes from another on his forehead.

"Minho!" I shouted, trying to be heard over the noise. "Minho, go! We can handle the grievers, and you're in no condition to fight."

He is a very stubborn and sarcastic person, but when his eyes found mine, there was none of his usual banter in them. With a quick nod, he ditched his griever and fell into line with the leaving gladers.

With help from Thomas, we managed to direct all three grievers (mine, his and Minho's) against one wall, where we proceeded to hold them off.

I lost track of time, my mind buzzing with the hum of war. I barely noticed when my fellow warriors also started retreating down the escape hole.

"Libellus! Let's go, we're the only two left," Thomas announced to my side.

Abandoning my griever, I stepped back and surveyed the scene. Thomas was right, we were the only two gladers still in the maze, and we were facing a dozen grievers.

"Go ahead, I'll go last."

I watched as Thomas disappeared through the hole, then prepared to jump myself. As my feet left the ground, I felt a sharp pain in my ankle and a heavy weight followed me over the side of the cliff.

There was screaming. Coming from me, I think. There was also pain, blood, Newt's angry voice calling for me. The creature was pried off of my ankle and I heard a sickening sound as I turned to watch my boyfriend hack away at the beast until it was no more than a pile of twitching slime.

He dropped his knife and limped over to my side, crouching down beside me and clutching my hand. I tried to tell him I wasn't that badly hurt, that I would be fine, but my voice caught in my throat as a nightmare happened before my eyes. The gladers were all so focused on me and Newt, that no one except from me saw it happen. In it's dying seconds, my beast managed to sit up and swing a mechanical arm towards Newt's back.

Without thinking twice, I used all of my body weight to push Newt out of the way and lie on top of him. My eyes went wide as I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my back, and felt blood trickle out of the corners of my mouth.

"Newt..." I managed to utter whilst fumbling for his hand.

"No, no! Lib, stay with me, don't leave me. Not now, we're free! We escaped!" Newt cupped his hands around my face, his eyes filling with tears. "I can't lose you..."

I lost control of my body and felt it go limp. My side struck the floor, my face still on Newt's. My eyes allowed me to watch him be dragged away. My ears allowed me to hear him scream and shout over the sound of my own heart beating. My mouth did not allow me to say goodbye, did not allow me to give him one final kiss. My heart did not give me enough time to be with the one I loved.

The pulse stopped and my vision filled with white, and all images of my hysteric boyfriend disappeared.