Tired of Running

39|| into the maze

//   follow me into
the great unknown \\

    •
    Just before lunch was served, Harper sat up gasping.  Newt jumped back, startled by the sudden movement.  Minho and Thomas both jumped to their feet and rushed to her bed. 
Her veins weren't bulging out of her skin, they weren't black, and her shoulder was almost normal colored again.  Harper gave them all a week smile, "I'm sorry..."  She sat up, resting her head against the wall, "I'm okay..."
Relief flooded the boys' faces; all beyond happy to hear her voice again.  "The changing...
It didn't effect you like the others..."
Minho looked confused. 

    Harper didn't feel or react as the other boys did either.  "I just saw flashbacks..."  She studied the boys' faces, "I remember everything...  What they did...
Why we're here..."  She shook her head,
"We have to get out of here.  Now."
"No, you just woke up—"
"Newt.  Listen to me."
She grabbed his face,
"We need to get out of here. 
If we don't, they're going to kill all of us..."
Harper's eyes were pleading. 

Newt sighed, "Alright..." 
He looked to Minho, "Get everyone together."
Minho nodded, disappearing down the stairs.
Thomas was the first he ran into.  "Thomas...
Find Chuck and Teresa.  Tell them we're leaving."  Thomas's jaw went slack; his eyes hardened, a determined look crossing his face.

    Half hour later, all the gladers were once again gathered in a large group.  Harper's heart ached seeing all the missing boys.  There had been over 30, and now there were maybe 18.
"You either come with us, fighting your way out, or you stay here and wait for the grievers."
Frypan was the first to speak up, "Well that sounds like a lose-lose situation." 
Minho crossed his arms, "You wanna stay in this shuck place for three more years and wait until these freakin' creators kill you all! 
You be my guest."
Harper shot him a look, before she turned to the gladers, "Come with us..."
Winston and Frypan stepped forward.
Jeff hesitated, looking unsure before joining them.  Alby stepped forward; a few other boys added to the group.  In the end, all of them decided to go.  Harper took a deep breath.  Staring at the faces of those around her, she smiled.  She knew not everyone was going to make it out of this.  More familiarity she would have to say goodbye to.  And she knew she would never see them again.  She sighed, eyes setting on the maze corridor.

    Minho and Thomas lead the pack; Teresa and Chuck were right behind them, while Newt and Harper took up the rear.  Newt was further behind than the group, but Harper never let herself get ahead of him.  His limp had gotten less noticeable as the time passed, but it was still there.  A permanent souvenir from the maze- a tragic reminder of what happened. 
She gave him a reassuring smile as his face paled.  He returned it, nodding once.

    The group had skidded to a stop.
Harper slowed, moving to the front.  Minho looked at her, jaw clenched.  "Griever?"
Chuck's voice shook.  Minho nodded, pulling his spear out.  "Shuck..." Chuck went pale, his eyes watering.  Teresa hugged him from behind, "Don't worry.  Just stick with me."
Minho nodded, "Chuck, you take this.
Stay behind us.  We'll protect you."
Teresa kept him next to her; Chuck hugged the key against his stomach. 

"Ready?" Thomas looked to the quivering gladers behind him.  Newt stood next to Harper, spear in hand.  Newt squeezed Harper's arm.  "Let's go!" Thomas roared, charging forward, his spear pointing outward.
The griever jolted forward, clearly surprised by it's oncoming attackers.  The gladers all yelled in unison; ten spears sticking into the creature all at once.  The griever tensed; he recoiled and fell off the cliff. 

Thomas, Teresa and Chuck were the first down the hole.  Up above, more grievers had gathered; sensing their home was being invaded.  Summoned by a great something, they closed in around the gladers.
A boy screamed, being thrown off the cliff.  Another boy was taken into the griever's blubber, unable to fight back.  Alby's eyes raged, burning with madness.  He screamed, running towards an approaching griever.  He jumped, landing on top of it with a grunt.  He stabbed into the monster's back, twisting, yanking, beating and jabbing.  The griever, off kilter, threw itself off the cliff, Alby falling with it.  Newt shoved Harper down the hole, no longer caring about anything else.  She screamed as she landed on top of Thomas. 

    Harper tried drowning out the screaming as she ran to help Thomas punch in the code.
FLOAT
CATCH
BLEED
DEATH
STIFF
P—

It flashed red.  Nothing happened.
"It's not letting me type Push!"
Thomas pounded on the keyboard frantically.
Harper let the screams drown out her thoughts.  Her friends were dying.  She didn't even know if Newt was okay. "Hey..." Chuck was bent over, looking under the computer,
"Why don't you just push that button?"
Are you serious.

Harper shoved the three out of the way to look for herself.  She actually fought back the urge to laugh.  Right there, in front of her, was a big red button.  A label hung below it.
Kill the Maze.
Faster than she'd ever done anything, Harper pushed the button.  A low moan shuddered through the walls.  Up above, the screaming all stopped.  One moment the grievers were killing, ripping and throwing; the next- they all collapsed into motionless heaps of jelly.

Seconds later, boys began dropping down the hole; all landing on top of each other, ungracefully.  Winston, followed by Frypan, followed by Jack, followed by Newt, then finally Minho.  Eight.  Only eight had made it.
Less than half.  Harper felt the tears coming again.  She sucked in a stuttering breath as she reached and pulled Newt and Minho into a tight hug.  They both look exhausted, Minho was completely covered in bruises and scrapes, blood dripping from his forehead.  Newt didn't look much better, his shirt now looking more like a shredded scrap of fabric and a bloody scrape running from his shoulder to his chest.  But they were alive.  Overwhelmed by their loss, the fact that they made it, she closed her eyes and allowed herself, finally, to sob. "I love you," she felt her knees grow weak as she said it again, not even sure if she was saying it to Newt or to her few friends that had survived. Harper melted into Newt, her legs too exhausted, pushed to hard to hold her up.  She was met with a strong embrace, tears slowly wet her own shoulder, "We made it," Newt's voice shook, more in disbelief than anything.  Minho let his head fall back against the wall, still struggling to catch his breath, he glanced over to Harper and Newt slowly.  It was all worth it if he got his two best friends out. The death and blood and nightmares.  They had made it.

    Thomas pushed on the door, turning the wheel slowly.  It creaked open, a dull light shining through.  He took a step. 
"You're shucking kidding."
"What?" Minho looked at him, worry etched in his face, "What?!"  Thomas just stared at him, as if he wasn't able to process what lay in front of him.  "It's a slide..."