She Way Out [The Maze Runner Fanfiction]

f i v e

For a moment, only our heavy breathing filled the air. Then a door behind us opened with a hiss. They looked at it wearily but I knew it was safe. We were safe. I was safe. I made it.

I almost sighed in relief but something didn't quite feel right, heavy apprehension hung in the air like a dark smog so I held my breath and pushed the metal door to open wider, it creaked as it went.

We were in the underground passages along the perimeter of the Maze and part of the WICKED institution. I've only been here once before but once was enough to know where this led to. The hallway's lights lit up one by one, illuminating the passage.

We walked slowly. Too slowly for my liking but I figured if I ran ahead of them they'd know that something was up with me. Maybe they already knew but kept their mouths shut because I was helping them. We found another metal door that had a green light lit up beside it. It also had and 'EXIT' sign above it that glowed. I almost laughed at WICKED's morbid humor.

"Seriously?" Frypan scoffed as he saw it.

As I got closer to the door I heard the warning sirens had gone off. Something was wrong. I pushed it open and I silently gasped as my eyes met the sight. Dead employees lined the hallway. What the hell was going on? I examined them closely and saw gunshot wounds.

Gunshot wounds?

We kept walking through, bullet shells were scattered all across the floor. It seemed like there was a shootout of some sorts. It didn't add up.

"What happened here?" Thomas asked, expecting me to have an answer.

"I don't know," I advanced slowly into the next room. It was one of the many rooms they had for observing but this one wasn't where the main observation happened.

Broken glass, broken screens and more dead bodies, I knew some faces but there wasn't anyone in particular I recognized. The whole place was trashed but there were some screens that were still functioning. I was afraid of what they were showing and how the Gladers would react to it.

Some screens were showing the scan of their brains, others showed the data and responses and others showed videos from the Glade.

"So they were watching us." Newt stated in realization. "This whole time."

I felt Thomas and Teresa have a sense of déjà vu as they explored the area. I went to one of the larger screens that were still functioning. A button was glowing, indicating it had a message of some sort. Thomas came beside me and touched the screen before I could and it activated.

Suddenly I could see my mother on the screen.

"Hello, my name is Ava Paige. I'm the director of the World Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department."

We all inched closer. She looked like she aged a decade since the last time I saw her.

"If you're watching this it means that you have successfully completed the Maze Trials. I wish I could be there in person to congratulate you."

What does she mean? Did she leave? Without me?

I inhaled the air of apprehension.

"But circumstances seemed to have prevented it." She said in a grave tone. "I'm sure by now you must all be very confused, angry, frightened...I can only assure you that everything that has happened to you, everything we have done to you, it was all done for a reason."

"You won't remember," She continued. "But the sun has scorched our world." The air suddenly grew even thicker and tears pricked at my eyes, it was a painful reminder. The others didn't seem to notice my discomfort and I was a bit relieved for it.