PROLOGUE
He's running, frantic. A Griever pursuing him. He flashes a glance over his shoulder, lets out a cry at the sight of how close the monster is. His best friend's name slips from his lips: "ALBY!"
The Griever screams, making him want to clap his hands over his ears. Instead he shouts again. "ALBY, HELP!" If he can stay alive long enough for Alby to get here, they can fight off the Griever together. "ALBY!"
He skids around a corner and nearly runs into a dead end. Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. "ALBY!" There's nowhere to go now.
Unless . . .
The Griever rounds the corner, making his decision for him. He spins and starts climbing the wall, something he's never done before but is relatively easy to do: there are cracks in the wall that make for good hand-and-footholds, and the vines are like ropes, strong and steady. He reaches the top and starts running along the top, thankful for the thickness at the top. Six feet of space is easy to run along. And from up here, he can see the entirety of the Maze. He's already on the outskirts of the inner circle surrounding the hellhole called the Glade. "ALBY!" he yells again, his voice starting to go hoarse.
"Newt?" He hears Alby's voice faintly. He's probably only near the Doors. Newt flings himself across a gap, stumbling as he lands on the next stretch of wall.
"THERE'S A GRIEVER CHASING ME!" Newt screams. It's getting hard to see where he's going: the sky's getting extraordinarily dark.
"Run faster!" Alby's voice is somewhat closer.
"NO SHUCK!"
He pushes harder against the wall, barely sees the next gap in time. After making it across he glances behind him. The Griever's gone, but if he wants to make it to the Doors before they close he has to keep running. He fumbles behind him for his flashlight, not caring if it'll attract Grievers to his location. He finds it, flips it on.
"Hurry, Newt!" Alby's definitely close. Newt spares a glance up, away from his footing, and finds that the Doors are right there, maybe only ten feet away. Before he can stop running, a Griever springs onto the top of the wall, blocking his way. He swears it's the same one that was chasing him earlier. He has no time to stop.
I hate this place.
He jumps.
He goes flying over the Griever, soaring over it's shuck head, and then towards the Doors, falling.
"ALBY!" The word is torn from his mouth, and then he hits the ground feet first.
The last thing he hears is Alby's enraged bellow.