THE HEARTS » TMR [1]

15. Griever's Hole

Minho led the group inside the Maze after Gally had said that, their faces etched with guilt and sadness.

     Margaret felt uneasy and anxious as she entered the Maze, observing the massive, ivy-covered walls that towered over her small figure. When she touched the concrete, she felt the roughness of the solid material. She had a feeling she'd been there before.

     Margaret's thoughts were then interrupted by Thomas.

    "Hey, Margaret, you feeling alright?" He asked, softly patting her back.

     Margaret nodded slightly. "It's just—does anyone else think we might be doing more harm than good?"

     Thomas shrugged. "This is the only way out of this thing." He patted her back once more before yelling at the entire group to head in the right direction in the Maze.

     The entire scene began to change right in front of Margaret's eyes. They all entered Sector Three, as Minho had mentioned, a place called by the Creators. The stone walls weren't as close as they had been before. There was, in fact, a lot more room. But, of course, there wasn't much time to explore and survey, so they kept running straight, panting and sweating from the heat of the sun.

     "Keep it up, guys, we're almost there!" Thomas yelled in an attempt to keep the Gladers up and running.

     Margaret continued to observe as she ran. She noticed they were in a different place. The Blades, as Minho and the Runners had named it. And she could see why. There were many rusted and copper-colored blades stacked vertically. And they were nearly as tall as the stone walls.

     After passing through them, Thomas brought the running to a halt. They were all huddled together in front of a massive stone wall, right beside the stone bridge that eventually led to the escape entrance. Thomas drew his finger to his lips and peered around the corner with caution. Margaret and the others were startled when they heard a familiar growl come from the other side. Thomas turned back around, his breath quickening by the second.

     "Is it a Griever?" Chuck asked, and Thomas gave him a small nod in response. "Shit."

     Margaret took a deep breath as she felt the hairs on her arms stand up. This could be her first close encounter with a Griever.

     Minho, standing right beside her and looking braver than ever, took the metal tube from his backpack and handed it to Chuck. "You take this, Chuck. Stay behind us."

     Teresa, who was tying her hair up into a ponytail, smirked at him and said, "It's okay. Just stick with me and Margaret. We'll keep you safe."

     Margaret looked down to see Chuck, who was terrified, fearful for his own life. It had given her a reason to be strong. Strong enough to protect Chuck, her little brother, her friend. 

     She took his hand in hers and gently squeezed it. "Don't leave our sight." Chuck squeezed her hand back with a small smile.

     "Oh, and one more thing," Minho said, grabbing everyone's attention, "don't die."

     Margaret would have laughed if she could, but it wasn't the right time.

     "Great, we're all bloody inspired," Newt said, rolling his eyes. 

     Thomas ignored them and took one last glance around the corner. 

     "Okay," he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Once we're through, it will activate and the door will open. We stay close, we stick together. We get through this. We get out now, or we die trying. Ready?"