Variables → Group B [AU]

21 → "ESCAPE"

21 → "ESCAPE"

ADELINE TUMBLED TO the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs. Placing both palms of her hands on the ground, she sucked in mouthfuls of air, each breath hurt her chest. When she felt like she could breathe again, Aris helped her up, and Adeline grabbed the torch light. Then, a shriek emitted from above them, and Adeline sensed that Rachel had finally come down. The only light was the torch. Once Rachel had made it down, Adeline had only just started to shine the torch light around. Until it landed down the tunnel, on a small square of glass where a keyboard was set into the wall.

"Guess that's where we enter the Code." Rachel muttered. Adeline nodded.

"Aris was right. Even if you did just guess." Adeline agreed. "We should —"

Before Adeline could respond, there was a screech that caught their attention. Adeline pointed the torch up, where they found a Griever dropping down towards them. It landed right where they must've landed, landing in a pile of gloop, before its instruments spiked back out, poised to attack.

"Rachel, go put in the Code!" The words left her mouth before she could process them, but Rachel didn't think twice. She shoved her hand into her backpack and grabbed a torch she'd packed, before slowly moving towards the computer station behind them. Adeline dropped her torch and kicked it behind her in hopes that it's hit into the wall and give them some light. Before both Aris and Adeline, they watched as the Grievers instruments retracted into its goopy body, before it popped out a rod, which unfolded into an appendage with three spinning blades, moving towards their faces. Aris gripped his spear. She completely forgot that was the weapon he'd chosen earlier. Adeline reached for the machete she had carefully placed in her belt before she catapulted down into the hole, drawing it outwards, while Aris slowly drew his spear.

"Rachel." Aris kept his voice steady. "You enter the Code?"

"Almost." she rushed out.

In a attempt to hold off the Griever, Aris rammed his spear into the bladed arm, sending it retracting backwards at the Griever. Adeline gripped her weapon, kept herself poised to attack in case. Aris' idea backfired, making the creature angrier. It let out another ear piercing shriek, it's arm restricting into its body, only for it to pop out more instruments; spikes, a claw. The spikes drew close to Adeline's face, and the claws reached out and snapped Aris' spear in two. Adeline rammed her machete into the arm of spikes, hitting it away. The arm restricted back slightly, but continued to draw closer to her. Another arm with the spinning bladed popped out of the Grievers body, spinning, drawing towards Aris. Using what was left of the spear, Aris attempted whatever method he could to beat the Griever, while Adeline hit away at the bladed arm, using her machete to bring it backwards into an arch, until the blades cut into its face. Letting out a wail, the Griever swung the arm back, barely missing Adeline's face. She crashed onto the ground, and the Griever shoved Aris away. About to pounce, she watched as Aris grabbed the pointed end of the spear and slammed it into the Grievers body. Forgetting about Adeline, the Griever dropped into a ball, spikes and instruments protruding from its skin, before it rolled towards Aris. Adeline got to her feet, grabbing her machete in the process, before stumbling towards Rachel, who was constantly typing the word PUSH. But it wouldn't allow her to do so.

"It's not coming up." Rachel rushed out, "It's not letting me —"

Another wail caught Adeline's attention. From behind, she found the Griever spewing a yellow substance from its body. It continued to do so, twitching, spikes popping in an out of its body. And then it stopped. Aris' arms were covered in the substance that had came from the Griever's body, as was his spear. He looked worn out, chest heaving in an out. Wiping the substance from the spear with his shirt, he wondered towards them.

"You defeated it." Adeline said in awe. "You actually killed a freaking Griever."

All Aris did was give a grin, before he noticed their other situation. Rachel frantically continued to type in the word PUSH but it still would not show up on the screen. Adeline went to grab her torch light, and right as she shone it before her, her worst nightmare came true. Another swarm of Grievers had managed to make it down without them noticing. Until now.

"Guys." she breathed, but they didn't hear her. "Guys! We have a problem."

Rachel shone the torch towards her as she spun around, landing on where Adeline stood, Adeline's torch light on the swarm of Grievers. Rachel turned back towards the screen, frantically typing in the same word over and over. Aris tried it too, nothing happened.

"Nothing's happening!" She frantically rushed out. "I put in all the words and one by one they appeared in the screen and then there was a beep and they'd disappear. It's not letting me type in the last word!"

Adeline rushed back towards them. Maybe there was a button. Maybe PUSH meant a button. Shining her torch light frantically, she looked for a button. And then she found it, underneath the screen and keyboard. It was stupid, but it was possible to miss it being in the dark. She didn't think twice. Instead, she dropped to her knees.

"There's a button!" Adeline rushed out. "No freaking way."

There was the sound of moaning from behind, the sound of whirring and clicking. The swarm of Grievers were charging towards them. Adeline didn't think twice, she slammed her hand against the button. Against the stupid button with the words printed; KILL THE MAZE on it. The button that would shut down the Grievers.

KILL THE MAZE.

It was so simple.

So easy.

So she pushed that button, and the moment she did, it went dead silent. And then came the sound of a door sliding open from somewhere down the tunnel, and the Grievers shut down.