Edge of Insanity

Chapter Eight

Three weeks passed with no new discoveries or anymore Griever encounters in the Maze.  Minho and I settled back into our old routine, along with the rest of the Runners.  Any anxious feelings we had felt about running the Maze were soon nonexistent.  

Then it was only one week away from another Greenie coming up in the box. 

The newbie had remembered his name one night at dinner, standing up so suddenly that all his chili had been dumped on Thomas.  "Chuck!  My name's Chuck!"  The rest of us had cheered and clapped, glad to finally have Chuck fully immersed in the Glade. 

Then the day before the box was scheduled to come up, everything changed. 

When I stepped out into the Glade that morning, it was a hazy mess.  I squinted barely able to see more than a few feet in front of me.  I looked up to the sky but couldn't see the sun or anything else for that matter.  I slowly picked my way across the Glade to where the other Runners were gathered by the East Doors.

"What the hell is this?"  Jack asked, swiping a hand around through the haze.

"I think it's fog," Kyle answered. 

"It's so thick, I can barely see."  Thomas held his hands out in front of him.  "Do you think it's like this in the Maze?" 

"I doubt it," I yawned.  "The walls probably kept it out."  However there was a pit in my stomach and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. 

"Alright, that's enough talking, shuckheads.  Time to get moving."  Minho listed off the running assignments for the day.  I ended up with Ben in section 3.  As soon as the Doors rumbled open, we took off into the Maze.

"Well you were right," Ben glanced around.  "No fog in here."

We fell silent after that, which was unusual for Ben.  I didn't mind however as I kept glancing over my shoulder.  Something felt off. 

"Whoa."  Ben said suddenly and I turned my gaze forwards again.  We both slowed down, gazing down the passage in front of us. 

"Isn't there supposed to be a wall there?"  I asked.

"Uh yeah."

Where section 3 should have ended there was a huge empty space.  I glanced down it but could only see more Maze. 

"What the hell?"  I muttered.

"No idea," Ben said, equally as confused as I was.

We both started forward and crossed over into the new part of the Maze.  I glanced around at the walls but they looked the same as the rest of the Maze.  Nothing different about them.  "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Me either."  Ben picked up the pace.  "I think it ends there," he pointed to where the path grew narrower. 

I slowed to a walk as we approached it.  It was smaller here, and I glanced over the edge to see only black oblivion.  "Well, whatever you do don't fall."

"What's that?"  Ben's gaze was fixed on a black hole in the wall. 

Suddenly there was a loud banging sound, like a gunshot.  My vision blurred and I fell to my knees.  The sound came again and my stomach clenched as the dizziness intensified.  I squeezed my eyes shut and was vaguely aware of Ben yelling at me but I couldn't make out the words.  The sound came a third time and I forced my eyes open.

Ben was crouched in front of me, saying something over and over again.  I looked passed his shoulder and my heart stopped.  I opened my mouth to scream a warning, but I was too late.

A Griever emerged from the hole, uncurling as it went.  Ben whipped around to see the monster hurtling at us.  I stumbled backwards before scrambling to my feet, yelling one single word: "Run!"

We took off in the opposite direction.  My vision blurred so badly Ben had to grip my arm to keep me upright.  The clicking and whirring of gears filled my head as we sprinted. 

But we weren't fast enough.

The Griever was gaining on us.  I made a split second decision and lunged to the left, down a separate passageway hoping to lose the Griever in the Maze.  We turned right and then left again before Ben pushed me against the wall with a finger to his mouth.  "Shhh."

I held my breath, remembering the last time I'd hidden from a Griever like this with Thomas.  It was eerily quiet now.  Nothing made a single sound as we crouched there for several minutes. 

Ben glanced around before slowly standing.  "I think-"

With a horrific roar the Griever leapt from above where it had been perched on the top of the Maze wall. 

"Ben!" I screamed as the monster landed atop him.  I reached for my knife, jumping to my feet but there was nothing I could do as the Griever stabbed it's leg through Ben's chest.  He let out a gut-wrenching scream. "Ari, run!"

"No, I won't leave you!"  I lunged forward, swiping with the knife.  It connected with the Griever's leg and the thing shrieked, reeling back.  It's tail swung up and around and I barely had time to throw myself to the ground as it swept over me.  The Griever roared again and this time I heard another roar from somewhere in the Maze. 

There were more coming.

I glanced at Ben, blood rapidly pooling around him.  "Go," he said hoarsely.  "Go."

Tears streaming down my face I turned and sprinted down the passageway, trying to drown out Ben's screams.  I ran and ran, until I finally stopped, chest heaving.  A sob broke from my throat.  Ben was dead.  Those monsters had killed him.  I had to get out of the Maze.

But before I could take another step, ringing filled my head.  I stumbled and fell to the ground, pressing both my hands over my ears.  The stone walls swam before me and I pitched forward just as everything went black.