ACT I SCENE XXXIV
NAUSICAA

"NO!" SHE GASPED.

The Griever had slowed to a gait and was now bearing down on her menacingly. She scrambled forwards to the wall, raking her nails across it, but it was shut tight. She looked over her shoulder at the monstrosity ambling towards her, as if enjoying its little victory.

Her heart thumped painfully against her sternum but she was too terrified to utter a single sound. She was going to die. This was how her life was going to end- slashed to pieces and gutted like an animal.

She curled herself into a ball, unable to look any longer, and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears leaked out, running down her cheeks, and she waited for the inevitable pain as her body shook violently from fear. All she could hear was its mechanical whirring, smelt the burning oil and decaying flesh.

Cassandra prayed for it to be quick and that it would take her mangled body away with it. She didn't want anyone to find her that way- especially Minho. It was better if she just vanished, make it easier for everyone.

A ripping pain shot through her arm as a metallic claw seized hold of her. She cried out in pain as the Griever pinned her against the wall, its tight grip already rupturing the blood vessels underneath her skin and leaving a discoloured bruise. Sobs wracked through her body and she felt like a rag doll about to be torn apart by malicious hands.

The claws unfurled and she dropped back to the ground in a pitiful heap, bringing her arms around her head instinctively. A long moment passed by without anything happening. She thought her perception of time had just warped from how scared she was and it would happen any second now. Everything would end soon. She would end soon.

Then there was the clicking of its claws against the stone ground. Anxious and befuddled, she dared to look up. The Griever had turned around and was walking away from her. It turned the corner where they had come up from and disappeared.

An unbelievable silence rang throughout the corridor after its departure.

Apart from her beating heart and short quick breathing, it was gone. It was gone?! She sat up and leaned against the stone wall behind her in shock. Relief, as well as questions, flooded through her mind. Why did nothing ever make sense? She felt like throwing her hands up in surrender and screaming at the same time.

There was a loud crack and she felt the wall behind her start to shift. She scrambled away from it and stared in continued bewilderment. The opening revealed Minho standing behind the wall, watching it move with utter confusion. When he saw her, his face went ashen as if he was looking at a ghost.

"Cassie...?" he whispered in disbelief.

They gawked at each other for a couple of seconds before he shot forwards and dropped to his knees. He took her face in his hands, rubbing the trails of tears that stained her cheeks with his thumbs and unable to believe his own eyes. Feeling her flushed skin against his, he let out a sharp breath before pulling her against his chest. She reached up to grab his sleeve with a hand to steady herself.

"How in the hell..." he started. "I thought I'd lost you forever. What... how...?"

"I-I don't know," she said, voice trembling. "It just stopped and turned around."

"Well, I'm shucking glad it did!" he exclaimed. "Cassie. You're alive! You're shucking alive!"

The celebration didn't last for long. They suddenly heard screeching in the distance, not entirely far away from where they were. A chorus of shrieks; at least two of them, and she turned to look at Minho apprehensively.

"Hey... do you think..." he looked into the distance.

"Thomas!" she cried. "They're going after Thomas! We need to help him!"

Grudge be damned, nobody deserved to die this way. She pushed herself to her feet and pulled Minho along. They ran back down the way they came, following the hell-raising sounds.

Eventually, they reached a short narrowed corridor and stopped at its opening. The shrieking had come to an abrupt stop. They peered around the corner and saw Thomas caught between four Grievers; one in front of them and three others scuttling forwards from the other end. Minho shook his head.

"We can't help him," his voice was soft with defeat. He was right. There was no way they could take on that many of them.

Then something incredible happened. With a great show of bravery, Thomas rushed towards the lone Griever ahead of them. His outrageous yell met with the Griever's shriek as it charged head on towards the boy.

Then at the very last second, he dove to the side and the Griever barrelled down the corridor. He immediately sprinted down the passageway past them. Minho and Cassandra pressed themselves against the wall as all four of the Grievers rushed forwards on their pursuit. They looked at each other in astonishment.

"Are you thinking... what I'm thinking?" she asked.

"Shuck yes," he replied with a grin. "Come on, we'll catch him down this way!"

She dashed after him down another corridor. The one Thomas had just gone down was an incredibly long path that led to a dead end, with three turns and only one exit further down its middle. They cut across the maze towards that opening, overtaking the monsters and the fleeing boy.

The two Runners stopped at the end of the last corridor and peeked around the edge. A moment later, Minho reached out and grabbed hold of Thomas to pull him in. The boy started freaking out, flailing his arms violently before he realised that it was them. A look of relief washed over his face as he stared at them like they were angels sent down from heaven.

"How did you-?" he started.

"Shut up and follows us!" Minho yelled, dragging him roughly by the shirt.

Thomas complied implicitly and they sprinted, turning sharply down another passageway to buy them more time. Halfway there, Minho attempted to explain their idea to Thomas. "The Cliff-" he managed to breathe out before grounding his feet to a sudden halt. Cassandra rammed her nose against his back painfully.

"What? What?" she looked around anxiously.

"The hell? This way should have been open," he looked at the wall in front of him.

"Uh... Minho..."

He weighed their options. The Grievers were coming up fast from behind them and on their left, a new passageway seemed to have opened up. Without further ado, they ran down it despite having no idea where the path led to. From what the two Runners could tell, they were sort of heading in the right direction but the corridors were all messed up.

It was like a long funnel; all the exits and openings had been shut closed. She glanced at Minho, who had a disturbed expression on his face. It was like they knew what they were trying to do- the Creators. Were they helping them? It didn't make sense but there wasn't any time to dwell on it.

They continued westwards, into the middle section, to where the Cliff was. Several turns later, she could finally see the dark empty expanse in front of them and slowed to a stop. Minho put his arm out to make sure Thomas didn't fall in and the boy looked out in awe, jaw hanging open with wide eyes.

Cassandra stepped up next to him and peered out at the fading twinkle of stars. She felt that magnetic pull whenever she looked into it, always lasting for only the briefest of seconds. Turning to Minho, she found excitement in his eyes.

"Careful there. Neither of you'll be the first shanks to fall off the Cliff," he said, a small smirk on his face. "Hey, forgot something?"

Thomas turned back around and looked down the corridor. The Grievers had caught up to them and lined up in single-file, heading in their direction.

"Okay, we got this," Cassandra said as they arranged themselves on the edge of the Cliff. She could hear her heart beating nervously in her chest. "Stand here, Thomas."

"I know," he told her. "I'm ready."

"We need to be in sync!" Minho yelled as the Grievers rushed towards them. "On my mark!"

She could see every detail of the monstrosities now; their hideous faces with lifeless black eyes and gaping mouths with rows of razor sharp teeth. Greying flesh wriggled under the jerks of their limbs and the faint light glinted off their metallic arms cruelly, allowing her to see each deadly attachment.

"Ready..." Minho said, voice steady. "Almost... not yet..."

She steadied herself as the Grievers grew closer and coiled her muscles ready.

"NOW!"

As soon as he gave the signal, they dove to the left and Thomas threw himself in the opposite direction. She felt the first Griever's arm catch at her hair and pull her head backwards. It only lasted a second as the sharp metal sheared through her dark locks and the Griever tumbled over the edge of the Cliff with a dying screech.

One by one they went plummeting past them; their frenzied cries getting suddenly cut off. The last Griever had stopped in time, digging its metal spikes into the hard ground and hung on tenaciously. It swayed back and forth on the verge of falling. They looked at each other.

Cassandra drew out her knife and sent it flying through the air at the Griever. It lodged itself deeply in the creature's neck and it lifted its front legs, squealing angrily as it slipped further down. Thomas and Minho pushed themselves off the ground, ran forwards and kicked at it. There was another shrill cry as the Griever soared over the precipice.

Thomas scrambled to the edge and peered over to take a look but they were already gone. Breathing heavily, he laid down and drew his knees up to his chest. A moment later, his body shook as he started to sob.

Cassandra exchanged a glance with Minho as the both of them stumbled backwards into the wall and slid down to the ground at the same time. She put her head between her arms and tried to catch her breath.

Dawn started to peek out, sending out a dusky glow that settled over them. For once, it actually warmed her skin. Somewhere in the distance, she heard a long groaning rumble that announced the opening of the Doors. She looked up at the pale dark blue sky and closed her eyes.