The Labyrinth: Chapter Twelve
"We gotta get back," Thomas wheezed as we turned another corner of the Maze. "Gotta get Alby off the wall."
The confusion on both of our faces hinted to Thomas for a further explanation. Apparently, he had hoisted the Leader from the ground and wrapped him in vines to keep the Grievers from finding him on the floor.
"Why is Alby wrapped in vines and not here?" I asked. There was something I had missed with my own drama and the Doors.
"He was stung when we went to see the Griever," Minho stated without anything further. "That's why we were so late coming back. Had to drag his sorry arse all trough the Maze. Then this shank here decided to join us when the Doors closed."
"Ah," I nodded. So that's why Thomas was in the Maze.
"And you?" Minho added, this time with less of the demanding part.
"I don't know how to explain it," I said. "One minute I was by the Kitchens, the next I was in the Maze and I couldn't move. Then I was being attacked by Beetle Blade's then chased by a Griever and then it was dead wrapped in loads of vines." Neither responded to me. "This is why I didn't want to say. You're thinking I'm crazy."
"No we don't," Thomas quickly added in. He glared over my head at Minho. "I don't think you're crazy. It's just … there's something missing from that. People just don't randomly forget how they got somewhere. And a Griever are hard to kill, trust me."
I huffed. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"You're gonna have to at some point. So better get it all out now so you can get the story straight." Minho retorted.
I planted my good foot on the ground and refused to move any further. The boys noticed when they struggled to walk any further. Minho pursed his lips together and let go of me. He paced a few steps in front of us and rubbed his forehead. A loud sigh came from him. He placed his hands on his hips and slowly turned to face us again, and with an icy coldness "You are covered in blood, dirty and all scratched up. You have, what I assume, a broken ankle and somehow you are talking to us even though I know that you don't. There is something not quite right with you. Anyone who is ever entered the Maze has not survived. And yet here I am with two Greenie's who both did. I know everything about this damn place and yet even I could barely do it without his help. How were you able to as well like this?"
"I dunno, I don't know why I'm here," I stuttered. I pulled back from Minho, who was slowly creeping forward, and hide part of myself behind Thomas.
"You must know. Clearly you weren't meant to be here. They only send boys." Minho was dangerously close, to the point you could see the little indentations on his face from the anger. Thomas stepped in front of his and held his arm up as a warning. "I barely survived and here you are apparently proving that you can do a better job."
Minho shoved Thomas to the side and gripped both of my shoulders. The awkwardness of the moment sent hot pains up my leg. I winced in pain and attempted to free myself from him. I just had no strength left in me to do so.
"Get off her," Thomas growled. He approached Minho, but was shot away with a nasty glare.
"Are you a spy?" Minho demanded. "Are you here to kill us?"
I couldn't respond. I didn't know what to say. This was why they looked at me funny. They didn't know why I was here. Neither did I. Yet they barely believed that.
Thomas came from behind and yanked Minho free from my shoulders. I stumbled backward and landed on my leg. There was nothing for it, I cried out in pain and fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Hot tears fell from my eyes as the moment shocked me. Even with everything I edged away from Minho and cradled my tender ankle. A whimper escaped as I drew it closer.
"Stop this!" Thomas shouted at Minho. He shoved him in the chest, catching the Runner off-guard. "We are wasting time with your nonsense. Like you said we need to get back. This is something that can be dealt with in the Glade, not out here where we still haven't actually made it back yet."
"It. doesn't. make. Sense!" Minho screamed at him. "How can you both be here and survive?"
His words echoed of the wall and deep into the Maze. Minho was right. This made no sense. But he was searching for answers form people who barely knew themselves. This was always going to end in disaster.
"We need to go," Thomas finally spoke through the silence. "We need to get Alby down."
"He's not alive," Minho muttered. He ran a hand through his matted hair and stared in the direction we headed. "Those poor shanks that get stuck in the Maze through the Changing never make it. We only ever find them later. Days later, sometimes, if at all. All them killed in ways you don't wanna hear about."
Thomas side stepped away from Minho and bent down to me. He hooked my arm over his head and helped me from the floor. "You're wrong," he told Minho as we did this. "He'll be there and he'll be alive. You've just lost all hope."
Minho clicked his tongue then stormed off. He didn't wait for us to catch up, he stayed out in front far from us that he didn't have to talk, but close enough that we didn't get lost. He was a total prick, but apparently not a huge one.
We trudged along the Maze in silence. Not a word spoken between us. Even just thinking about talking sapped energy from me. My only focus was getting back to the Glade. The further we walked, the more I felt Thomas tense up. A minute or two passed when I plucked the courage to ask him, "what's wrong?"
"What if another Griever got Alby after I diverted the one chasing me?"
Even a couple strides ahead, I spotted Minho peer over his shoulder in curiosity.
"What if he really is dead."
"Let's hurry then," Minho said in front. Our steps hastened, trying to keep up with Minho who had widened his own to almost a jog. The urgency to get back now had hit, and pain was pushed to the back as we preserved to get back. It was just … the energy from me was slipping. The walls merged into one and I swear Minho disappeared at some point in a mirage. I tried my best to keep up with Thomas. At times my feet more dragged along the floor than actually moved. He must have noticed as at one point, he leaned in and whispered, "we aren't that far away, you can do it."
I hummed in response and lifted my heavy head. I needed sleep. Badly. A dull ache around my forehead formed, like an elastic band squeezed my head until it would explode. The noises were the first thing that I noticed. The constant tapping of our shoes was drowned out by voices from further ahead. I felt my body tense up, the muscles tightening as we inched closer to the corner. Thomas guided me forward, not stopping himself from walking. He was determined to get back, I sensed it in the way he walked. We came to a junction when I firmly planted my good foot on the floor. Thomas stopped with me. Minho noticed
"What is it?" he asked. "We're back, why have you stopped?"
"Everything's gonna be different," I muttered. Minho retraced his steps back to us.
"Why have we stopped?"
"She just stopped."
"So, get her moving."
There was a pause.
"For goodness sake, here." Minho walked up to use, took the other side of me. "She's not that heavy, you've managed it this far."
"No thanks to you." I heard Thomas mumble under his breath.
"Let's go, I want something to eat and a warm bed." Minho led this time, forcefully taking us past the junction and down the corridor that led to … the Glade.
I could see it.
The Homestead.
The trees.
The Gardens.
I sighed, the sight almost making me want to cry. I wasn't the only one. Both Thomas and Minho had the same reaction. It had been one night, but it felt like a lifetime since I had been there.
At the opening of the West Doors, a group of Gladers had made camp. They must have been keeping an eye out for survivors. Not like there were any. Until now.
An eruption of gasps and mummers of confusion circulated around the small group. Some breaking away and shouting back into the Glade to come see the miracle in front of them.
For a moment, I felt the weight of all the pain lift from my shoulders and the blackness return, letting the world slip from under my feet. I stumbled into Thomas's side, my good leg knocking my bad. I cried out in pain. I collapsed onto Thomas's shoulder, bringing Minho along with me. There was no strength left in my body to move any further. I was surprised with myself that I was able to get this far.
"It's okay. It's okay." Thomas repeated, trying to help Minho stand while he took all of my weight. A second later, we were once again back in our same positions, now shuffling towards safety. More Gladers had now arrived at the entrance, pointing at the three miracles in front of them.
A few of them had broken away from the group once they had heard me cry out in pain, rushing over to help us.
I felt the lightheaded feeling again, the world being pulled from beneath me. I stumbled once more, my legs knocking against one another. Too weak to hold any more, Minho let my arm slip from his grasp as he collapsed beside me, his body crashing to the floor. Thomas's knees buckled from the weight of trying to hold me. With a quick reaction, he shoved my weak body as hard as he could away from his, before he too was on the ground, exhausted. I stumbled away from him, landing heavily on my broken ankle. The world narrowed around me. All I could feel was the agony of the pain, the searing rods that shot up and down. I was sure that I was going to black out. It would have been a welcome if I had.
I watched as the walls of the Maze moved further and further back from me, the world spinning too fast for me to catch it. I was flying for sure, my body so light that the wind rushed by me to keep me afloat.
I expected to hit the floor in a crumbled mess, the pain to flare up even further. But, two strong arms grabbed me at the last second and held me there. My skin crawled and I glanced down at my hands, noticing that my hair was standing up on end. The world around me blurred, and all I could focus on was to stay awake and stay conscious. My head drooped and spun as I tried to force my body to push away the darkness. It only kept creeping up, slowly at first, and then at full force. The two strong arms around me tightened their grip and shook my body softly, trying to stop me from going into the darkness.
I couldn't fight the urge for long. It's seductive pull whispering me to join it in an eternal slumber. All energy had been spent getting to this point. I had nothing left to give. I let my head relax back, allowing it to fall behind me as I went into a deep soundless sleep that I so desperately needed. I could hear whispers of shouts as I finally let go of the reality around me.
"You survived."
