The Griever's spikes tore into the stone, sending torn ivy and rock chips. Arms with sharp picks drove into the wall for support, two arms with lights at the end of them were pointed directly at Clara and Thomas, and this time they didn't move away. Clara knew the only option was to run. It was now or never. Clara quickly signaled Thomas to unravel the vine around his chest as she did the same. She had to direct the Griever's attention away from Alby, so she grabbed a vine and wrapped it tightly around her hand and yanked on it. It held. The Griever was halfway to them.

Clara heaved her body to the left, scraping her side with a jagged piece of stone as she swung by. She gritted her teeth in pain but there was no time to stop. She reached for another vine before her pendulum swing took her back to Alby. She looked back and was relieved to see Thomas was following her lead. Clara shuffled to the right as far as she could then let go, grabbing another one in the process. Then another. Clara kept going, the sounds of her pursuer going on relentlessly. The Griefer altered its course from Alby to Clara and Thomas. Finally, Clara thought, something went right. She could hear the Griever getting closer; they had to get back to the ground in order to escape. On the next switch, Clara saw Thomas slip a little before clasping tightly again. At first Clara thought he was falling and her heart skipped a beat, but then she realized he was sliding down the vines. She imitated what Thomas was doing, the ivy burning her palm. She made it halfway down to the floor, pain flaring in her arms; the sting of raw skin burned her hands. Adrenaline coursed through her, it helped push away the pain and fear.

Clara looked up and realized that the walls were moving, one of them right in her swinging path. She braced her feet on the wall and pain shot up her legs on impact. Her grip loosened and she slid down the vine. She snapped out of it and caught herself, her arms almost ripping out of her sockets with the sudden stop. Thomas didn't see the wall either and he slammed into it, losing his grip, grasping and flailing as he fell. Thankfully, he caught a vine and stopped himself. The Griever was right on their tails. Thomas pushed off the wall and kicked out with his leg, connecting with an arm attached to a claw. A sharp crack revealed a small victory as Thomas swung back, but the momentum was pulling him back down, right on top of the Griever.

Thomas drew his legs together and pulled his legs against his chest. He ran straight into the creature, sinking inches beneath its slimy skin. He kicked with both feet and squirmed to avoid the swarm of needles and claws coming at him. He swung his body out to the left and jumped toward the Maze wall, trying to grab another vine. The Griever's tools snapped and clawed at Thomas until one of the arms scratched his back; a thin line of blood appeared on his shirt. Thomas lost his grip again, falling.

"Thomas!" Clara shouted, quickly grappling the rest of the way down the vine onto the ground. Her legs ached from connecting with the wall. She touched the wound she received on her side and was horrified when her fingers came away coated in dark liquid. She looked up as Thomas grasped another piece of ivy and slid the remaining feet to the ground. The moment his feet touched the stone floor they sped off. A loud crash boomed behind them, followed by the rolling and whirring of the Griever.

Clara and Thomas rounded a corner of the Maze, then another; Clara could feel hot blood seeping through her shirt. Right, then left. Down a corridor, right again. Left. Right. Two lefts. Another long corridor. The shrill cries of their attacker weren't fading. On and on they ran, gasping for air. Clara knew they wouldn't last much longer. When they rounded the next corner, Clara skidded to a stop, putting her arm out to halt Thomas. Panting uncontrollably, they stared.

Three Grievers were up ahead, digging their spikes in the stone, rolling straight towards them.

They turned to see their original pursuer still behind them, though it had thankfully slowed down, clasping and unclasping its metal claw, as if mocking them. They were surrounded. It was over. No, Clara thought, I've come too far to give up now. If I go, I'll go down fighting.

Preferring one over three, Clara raced straight at the Griever that had chased them there. The creature retracted an inch and stopped moving its claw, as if shocked by her boldness.

"Clara!" Thomas yelled "What are you doing?"

"Follow my lead!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Just trust me!" Clara screamed as she charged the Griever. She heard Thomas yell in frustration and take off after her.

The Griever came to life, spikes popping out of it; it rolled forward, ready to collide head-on with its foe. At the last second before the collision, Clara grabbed Thomas' wrist, planted her left foot, and dove to the right, taking Thomas with her. Unable to control its momentum, the Griever zoomed past them before digging one of its claws into the floor and shuddering to a halt. With a metallic howl, it swiveled back around, ready to pounce on its victims. But now, no longer surrounded, Clara and Thomas had a clear shot back down the path. They scrambled to their feet and rushed forward, all four Grievers following close behind.

Three corridors down, two hands reached out and grabbed Clara and Thomas, yanking them into the adjoining hallway. Clara's heart leapt into her throat as she struggled to free herself. She turned around and her face was inches from Minho's. She and Thomas stopped.

"What-!" Thomas began.

"Shut up and follow me!" Minho yelled, already running. They sped through the corridors without stopping, Minho taking the lead. As they turned the next corner, Minho attempted to speak through heaving breaths.

"I just saw..." he gasped "the dive move you guys did... back there... gave me an idea... we only have to last... a little while longer."

Clara didn't respond, not wanting to waste her breath, so she continued to run alongside Minho. She could hear the distant howling of the Grievers behind them and knew they would catch up sooner or later. Every ounce of her body ached; she felt lightheaded from the loss of blood and dehydration, a wave of nausea overwhelmed her. But she ran on.

A few turns later, Clara saw something ahead that didn't click with her brain. It seemed... wrong. And the faint light emanating from their pursuers made the oddity even more apparent.

The corridor didn't end in another stone wall. It ended in complete darkness.

The two ivy-covered walls on either side of them seemed to intersect into nothing but sky. Clara could see stars. As the three got closer, Clara realized it was an opening- the Maze ended. Clara decided not to get their hopes up after seeing the look on Minho's face, telling that he'd already come across it numerous times. Clara saw Thomas staring into the blackness, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Don't get excited." Minho said, noticing Thomas. A few feet before the end of the corridor, Minho pulled up, holding his hand in front of the other two so they would stop. Thomas stepped out, gazing into the empty air as pink shades of dawn streaked the sky.

"I don't get it." he whispered. Do you ever?, Clara thought.

"Careful," Minho replied "You wouldn't be the first shank to fall off the Cliff." He grabbed the Greenie's shoulder "Did you forget something?" He nodded back towards the Maze and the ever- increasing sounds of their pursuers. They turned to face the creatures, now only a couple dozen yards away. Strangely, they were lined up single file, but moving surprisingly fast.

"These things may be vicious, but they're dumb as dirt." Minho said "Stand here, close to me, facing-"

Clara cut him off "I know. I'm ready." Thomas nodded in agreement. The three of them scrunched together in front of the Cliff in the middle of the corridor, facing the oncoming Grievers.

"We need to be in sync!" Minho yelled, almost drowned out by the deafening noise of Grievers thundering towards them "On my mark!" The monsters were only seconds away from crashing into them, ready to kill. "Ready, not yet... not yet... NOW!"

Just as the first Griever's arm came to nip at them, Minho dove to the right, Clara and Thomas to the left, towards the outer walls. The tactic worked; the Griever tumbled off the Cliff, screeching the whole way down. Clara landed and spun around just in time to see the second one fall over the edge. The third one planted a spiked claw into the stone, but momentum got the best of it, and if fell a second later.

The fourth one was teetering on the edge, a spike lodged into the ground. Clara watched as Thomas and Minho exchanged looks and, as if they'd made a silent agreement, charged toward the creature. They jumped at the Griever, kicking out at the last second. The last Griever plummeted into the abyss, its roar echoing through the corridors.

A few seconds of silence passed, and Minho sat back against the wall, sighing in relief. Thomas curled into a ball next to him, his body shaking with sobs. Clara closed her eyes and felt a moment of peace, realizing the fight was over. She was almost home.