[2] Remember Me ➝ The Maze Runner ✓

*Swinging Vines*

*Swinging Vines*

"What does that mean?" Azela asked, equally as baffled as the other two. Axel and I shared a glance of horror and quickly skirted in the opposite direction.

"It means run!" He called, his voice laden with alarm. The other three quickly caught onto our panic and bolted away from the 'mechanical slug', a metallic ringing sounding from it's grinding claws.

My head thudded as we darted past the towering blocks of the maze, cocooned in tendrils of dark ivy and swinging vines. None of us spoke. None of us made a noise, save for the brisk thumping and laboured breathing as we bolted away from the griever.

"Oh, shuck," Axel exclaimed, peering over his shoulder. "There's two of them!"

My heart sank. "We need to split up!" I yelled, pushing Axel down a small passage. Glancing behind me, I saw that Soldier had followed, and Kyle was racing after Azela.

Use your powers, I said, directing my voice into Azela's thoughts. It disables the griever.

I'll try!

Noticing a niche in the corner of my eye, I suddenly reached out to Axel. Keep running forward, I'm going to try and get behind the griever!

He glanced at me incredulously. What if it comes after you?

I shook my head. Just do it, I replied defiantly, suddenly skirting to my left and into the crevice. Soldier exclaimed in surprise, but Axel ordered him to keep running forward. I halted, pushing myself close to wall to merge with the shadows, and watched silently.

I tried to control my breathing and keep it steady, but my heart was palpitating violently, and my head was beginning to ring.

I sucked in a sharp breath as a scuttling approached. Then the griever appeared, racing past. I waited for a few seconds, then emerged from the gloom and peered out after it.

It's bulky figure was receding into the darkness, and I sprung after it, keeping it in sight as I tried to break into its mind, clawing, scratching, forcing my way through.

And then I was in, and I was crushing its thoughts with an imaginary fist, crumbling it to pieces.

The griever shrieked and tottered forward, its spindly legs sprawling out as it collapsed in a heap of metal.

I slumped against the wall, trying to catch my breath. I heard footsteps approach, and dragged my gaze up to see Axel emerge from the gloom, side by side with Soldier. They paused beside the griever, and Soldier prodded it with his foot.

"You did this?" He breathed, looking at me incredulously.

I nodded, my vision swimming. Axel approached and patted my shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded, slowly. "Just a bit exhausted," I murmured, smiling wearily at my fellow 'test subject'.

"Come on, we've got to find the others."

Axel and I nodded, jogging slowly after Soldier as he began in the direction we had just ran.

We heard them before we saw them; Azela was groaning, and Kyle was trying to comfort her.

"What happened?" I gasped, doubling over in front of Azela, now breathing hard and sweating profoundly, slumping against a wall. She was trying to put pressure on her stomach, where blood was seeping through her shirt; a vivid crimson patch, stark against the white cotton.

"Shuck it. You get stung?" Axel inquired, dragging a hand through his ruffled hair.

She frowned at the use of language, but nodded, her eyes blinking away the perspiration.

"We need to get to the maze!"

Kyle nodded and we all rushed forward as her head slammed against the wall and her arm fell limp. She'd passed out.

"We need to move!" Soldier urged as we heard more scuttling draw closer. Kyle nodded and slipped his arms under her back and legs, lifting Azela from the floor.

We moved quickly; Axel occasionally giving directions. Apparently he'd been a runner in his own maze, and they were identical, so he remembered the way pretty well.

"Hey, don't you think it's weird that the grieves are out in the day?"

I nodded, thoughtfully. "Yeah, but, before I left, grievers came into the glade. That was strange," I murmured, casting my mind back to the memories.

"I hope that isn't the norm now, else I doubt they'll be many of them left."

My heart turned icy with dread. Axel was right. I hadn't considered what had happened to the other gladers after I'd left. What if there were only a few left?

I sighed, lost in thought, when Axel sudden exclaimed in horror. A blood-chilling cry of agony erupted from Kyle's arms, and Azela began thrashing wildly.

"Shuck. Azela's going through the changing."

omg, it's been, like, four days! i'm so sorry. but i hope this was an okay update. i know some of you want me to get to the newt part, but i can't just rush in there... well, i suppose i could, but i want to make the story more interesting. and anyway, newt will either be in the next chapter, or the one after, idk, but it's not that long away!! 'kay. thanks for reading.