𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒, maze runner

[18] Party of the Dead (pt. 1)

"Why are you helping us?" Thomas questions Brenda.

"Trust me." She messes around in with her backpack. "Jorge thinks you guys are our ticket to the Safe Haven."

"The what?" Thomas and Becca ask in unison.

"Paradise. Safe from the sun, free of infection. Supposedly, the Right Arm's been taking kids in for years. Immunes anyway." She explains, putting on her backpack.

"And you know where this is?" He asks, pulling Becca along after Brenda. She shines a flashlight around the room.

"No, but Jorge knows a guy. Marcus. He used to smuggle kids up into the mountains. If Jorge made it out, that's where he'll be taking your friends."

"If he made it out?"

"You ask a lot of questions. Can you just come over here and help me with this?"

Thomas and Brenda successfully take off the grate after a heave. A shrill scream echoes down the tunnels.

Thomas looks up to Brenda then Becca. "Well, that doesn't sound good."

"Was that one of those creatures?" Becca asks.

"Yeah. Down here they'll be full term." Brenda explains. "Let's go." She jumps down the hole, no looking back. Becca follows, then Thomas.

The trio continues through the small,graffitied tunnels. Thomas shines his flashlight along the walls, trying to figure out which way was an exit.

"I think it's this way."

"You think? Do people live down here?"

"The Solar Storms forced people underground. Jorge says there's settlements all over these tunnels." Brenda informs.

"So, what about Jorge? Is he your father?"

Becca nudges Thomas. "You can't just ask someone that!"

"Close enough. Truth is, I don't really know what he is. He's just always been there. And I've always done what he's asked me to do, no matter how stupid."

"So you don't think the Right Arm is real?" Becca questions.

"I think...hope is a dangerous thing. Hope has killed more of my friends than the Flare and the Scorch combined. Just thought Jorge was smarter than that. Damn." She whispers to herself when they approach another cross road. The whole tunnel was split into different paths.

Thomas searches ahead to look down one tunnel.

"Hey, I think it might be this way." He calls from a few paths down. They didn't go over, they were too busy looking at the what seems to be vines and old fungus growing on the walls.

"Brenda? Becca?"

"I'm over here. Look at this." Brenda answers.

"What? What is it?" He whispers once he met back up with them. "What the hell is this?"

"I don't know..."

A rat scurried toward Brenda. She kicks it away and the rat scurried away. Suddenly, a hand gripped the rodent. The Crank starts to rip itself, around four others follow after it. As they turn around, the trio came face to face with the creature.

Thomas grabs Becca's wrist before looking over Brenda's shoulder. He grabs the machete that was strapped on to her backpack. He whacks the Crank right in the face before dragging the girls out of the section fast. The sound of the Crank being hit alerts the others. The three ran aimlessly through the tunnels in the direction of where Thomas believed was the exit. Their flashlights shining everywhere waving in every direction.

"Jesus. Go, go, go!"

"Oh, my God!"

"Come on! Keep going! We're almost there."

They near the edge as Thomas stops just in time to grab both girls from practically killing themselves by running off the edge of the cliff. The screams of the Cranks follow them, forcing them to move fast.

"Come on! This way!" Brenda calls as she begins to climb the rubble. Becca follows after her,

"Thomas! Come on!" Becca calls to him.

The climb was long and dangerous. Any wrong footing, and you're done for.

~~~

They reach another section of the building, Thomas slips through the rubble at the entrance as it starts to collapse again.

"Thomas!" Becca shouts, imagining the worst about to happen.

Brenda was already up on the half stable metal staircase that circles that building.

"Are you okay?" Brenda shouts down to the pair. Thomas shouts back that he was fine and begins to climb back up to the girls.

"I'm right behind you! Go! Go! Go!"

The cranks made it into the room now. They seem to climb the stairs much faster than the group. Thomas just reached Becca when one of the Cranks climbs to their level. Brenda was quick to react by kicking it so it fell back down the staircase.

They were almost at the top when Brenda tries to grab onto a handrail to pull herself up when it broke, sending her backwards through a door and sliding down to the glass below.

"Brenda!" Becca and Thomas yell.

"You okay?" Thomas calls down.

"Yeah..."

"Alright, hang on! We're gonna find a way down!"

Brenda cautiously lifts herself up to her feet. The glass starts to crack even more. Thomas and Becca maneuver through the rubble down to the glass. Thomas grabs Becca's arm as an anchor to grab Brenda.

"Brenda, grab my hand, grab my hand!"

"Incoming Crank!" Becca announces.

"I can't reach!"

Then above the snarls of the Cranks, came a sound of smashing glass and then silence. The Crank fell to the ground. Becca and Thomas holding Brenda who was grasping for dear life.