Chuck had unlocked the way out.
The boys and I walked through the silent, dark tunnel. Water dripped from the walls, each plink of the drops echoing. I rubbed my arms, trying to get rid of the chills. This place was creepy. There was a faint light ahead, but it seemed very far away.
Next to me, Newt's eyes reflected the light, seeming to glow. "You okay?"
"Yeah." It was a half truth. I wanted to throw up and take an hour-long bath. But I didn't want him worrying. For his sake, I forced a smile.
He didn't smile back. "Don't lie to me."
I pouted. "Who says I'm lying?"
No answer, just a long look cast my way before speeding up to catch up with Minho.
I huffed.
Soon, we came to a... lab was the only way to describe it. It was like the one I'd seen in my dream. Like, exactly like it. Except...
There were dead people everywhere.
Blood was splattered on the walls, corpses lying spread-eagled on the ground. I couldn't do anything but stare. They'd been shot with guns. Who were they? The Creators? Were these the people who had chucked us into the Maze?
"Hello."
The voice made me jump. I turned, realizing that someone had pushed a button, and a hologram had appeared. A woman was on it. The woman from my dream.
"My name is Chancellor Ava Paige," she said. "I am part of a group called WICKED. I'm sure you're all feeling scared. Lost. Confused. Angry. But I assure you, everything we've done to you was for a reason." She paused, letting the words sink in. "Years ago, the sun ravaged our earth. Millions died, and resources dwindled. What came after was worse. Disease, unlike any we'd seen before. It eats away at the brain, killing sanity. Killing everything that makes you human. Until all that's left is rage; animalistic rage. There's no cure. We had no hope. Then a new generation was born.
"You are extremely important. All of you are immune to the disease. Once we discovered that, we did everything we could. Suddenly, there was reason to hope for a cure. But the young would have to be tested; sacrificed, even. Unfortunately, the Maze was just the beginning." She sighed deeply before holding something to her head.
A gun.
"Remember," she said shakily, "WICKED is good."
There wasn't a single person who didn't look away as the gunshot sounded.
There was silence. Then, a boy spoke quietly. "Now what?"
I looked toward another tunnel, this one with an "EXIT" sign. Could it really be that easy? I would have thought there would be another test.
"She said we were important," Newt said. "What are we supposed to do now?"
Thomas, who was at the front of the pack, turned to face us. "We get out. For good."
We'd escaped the Maze.
Sudden excitement pulsed through me, and I felt eager to get out, to see the real world. The sun. Disease. Not pleasant at all, but if we were immune...
"We can't."
I nearly jumped out of my pants.
There, standing a few feet away, face pale, hair stringy and soaked in sweat, was Gally.
"Gally," Thomas said cautiously. "Gally, we can. We're out. We're free."
I didn't understand why he spoke so carefully until I saw what Gally held in his hand. A gun. Just like the one Ava Paige had used to shoot herself in the head. And veins bulged out of the boy's temple, sweat pouring down his face. He looked like Alby had after Minho and Thomas had dragged him back into the Glade. Gally had been stung.
"No," he said. "Free? Out there? We'll never be free. They won't let us be."
"Gally," said Thomas desperately. "We already are. Look; we made it. We can go home, Gally. Home."
Slowly, shakily, Gally raised his arm. The one holding the gun. "We can't. The Maze is my home."
"We can help you," Thomas persisted. "Find Grief Serum, cure you. Just... just put down the gun."
Silence. It seemed to last a lifetime.
Then Gally said, "I belong in the Maze."
The next few things happened so fast, I barely had time to register any of it in my mind.
The gunshot was the worst thing I'd ever heard.
Worse even than the heavy, wet thud of Minho's spear hitting home in the boy's chest. The sound of him hitting the ground.
Not wanting to see what had happened, I turned slowly.
Just in time to see Chuck collapse slowly to the ground.
No.
No.
No.
Thomas fell next to him, mouth open in horror and disbelief. "You're... you're gonna be okay," he said. "You'll get better."
I barely registered the tear trickling down my cheek. All I knew was that I was being torn up from the inside, wishing I'd never had to witness the murder of an innocent boy. A boy who couldn't even remember his family.
"Thomas," Chuck rasped, his voice barely audible. "Find my mom... Tell her..."
He trailed off, and Thomas broke down.
"No!" he screamed. "No, dude, you'll get better... You have to... Wake up, Chuck, please! Please!" Tears were streaming down his face, splattering on Chuck's white cheeks. "We made it out! Come on, please... please..."
I almost stumbled to my knees, but I felt a hard body next to mine, keeping me from crumpling to the ground. I looked sideways at Newt. He was crying silently, a hand clasped to his mouth. Somehow, seeing this, seeing tears gleaming on Newt's face, made it even worse.
"DAMN IT!" Thomas screamed. "DAMN IT!" He beat the ground with his fists, not seeming to care about the bruises that were sure to form. He cried, even when people I'd never seen before appeared, ushering us out of the lab, towards the EXIT sign.
The next few minutes went by in a blur of heat and tears. We were dragged outside. Outside. The sun beat down on my skin, burning like flame. The other Gladers and I followed the strangers into a helicopter. I fought to get a glimpse of Thomas. He was trying to escape the grips of two grown men, trying to get back to Chuck. Fresh tears poured out of my eyes.
How could this happen?
As soon as Thomas was thrown in with us, the helicopter took off.
"You kids okay?" a man asked us.
No one replied.
The man looked like he was trying to smile, but unsuccessful. "Everything is going to change!" he shouted over the sound of the engines.
Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
