Chapter 7

Joan gasped. "It's the Creator's lab, I bet"

She walked over to study a couple monitors and screens. I looked over and saw the Glade from various views on the screens.

"They were watching us." She said quietly, brushing the screens with her hand.

I looked over and saw these weird oval shaped cocoons. I walked over and looked at the tag. It said Section 3, subject F in bold letters on the side. I realized the other half was transparent, so I walked around to see what was inside. It was a Griever.

I turned around and bolted for the others.

"Out out out out." I was pushing them towards the door.

They looked at me confused. I just kept pushing them towards the rope that led to the top of the cliff. Once everyone was out of the lab, I heard a soft click. I turned around to see the top of one of the pods opening.

I shrieked and shoved the door closed. I looked around, and almost everyone was back in the Maze. Only me, Gabe, and Joan were left.

"Go-go-go!" I yelled, hoisting Joan up towards the cliff. I turned around when I heard a large crash. Gabe turned around too.

"What was that?" He asked quietly.

I looked at him. "Grievers." I said simply.

With that, he pushed me back up towards the Maze. I grabbed a small ledge and pulled myself above the black plane. I reached out, and several people grabbed my hand. When my feet were on the ground, the Builders pulled Gabe back up.

We heard a screech from the darkness, and I started shoving people down the corridor.

"Go, head for the Glade. Run!" I commanded. The head Runners nodded at me, and took off. Everybody else followed. I ran at the back, in case the Grievers followed.

When we reached the Glade, we were met by all the people left behind. Charlie ran up and gave me and Joan a big hug, whether we wanted it or not.

Will walked up to Gabe.

"So what'd you shanks find?" He asked.

Gabe looked up."The way out of the Maze." He said.

Will stared at him.

"You're joking." He said, shocked.

Gabe shook his head, and Joan walked up.

"He's telling the truth. We found the Creator's lab. It's the way out." She nodded.

Will looked back and forth between them, then his eyes landed on me.

"Cleo, what'd you find?" He asked, jogging up to me.

Gabe and Joan stuttered in disbelief. Will ignored them.

I looked up at him, my face still horrified.

"We did find the exit, but it's got Griever guard dogs." I said hollowly.

Will's face fell, and he looked at me gravely.

"Did we lose anyone?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, but we will." I said sadly.

I left Will to talk about preparations for tomorrow. I walked towards Bonewoods.

The forest was quiet, because the creators hadn't put any wild animals in them. The leaves were casting ashy shadows on the moss. I looked up, and the sky was still gray.

I walked for a while, until I reached the graveyard. I had come to say my final goodbyes to Victoria, or what was left of her.

I kneeled down and gently brushed the cross marking her grave. I placed the single daisy I had picked on top of the small mound of dirt.

Only a single teardrop fell from my eye, splashing on a daisy petal. I stood up to leave, when I heard a quiet rustle. I looked up, and saw a shadow racing away through the trees. I sprinted after it.

It wasn't clear to me what it was, but as I reached the edge of the woods, I caught it.

It looked like a small mechanical lizard-bug, it's eyeballs were little cameras. I assumed the creators were watching, but could also hear me as well.

"Creators," I said to the machine, "I know you can hear me. We are not lab rats, animals meant to be trapped and studied. We are getting out, and coming to kill you." I glared at the cameras with as much force as I could. "You are truly wicked." I said calmly.

Then I smashed it against a tree.

Later, I found Gabe helping pack food and other necessities, because we didn't know where we were, or what we were going to come out in.

I helped him fill pouches with water and vegetables from the gardens. We split the preserved meat, bread, and plants into different bags, in case that was important.

The other Runners and Mappers were planning out a route for us to take, the Builders and Bricknicks were making weapons, the Slicers and Track-hoes were gathering food and water, and the rest of us were packing.

I stood up and decided to take a break, so I headed over to the routing group. I leaned in next to Joan.

"What've you got?" I asked.

Joan looked up at me. "We were going to take this shortcut that just opened up. We used to have to go around, but now we don't have to." She answered, motioning to the map they were drawing out.

I pointed at the lab.

"But we need a code to get through the door to the outside." I pointed out.

Joan's face changed. "Oh, that's not good. Do you have any idea what that might be?" She asked me.

I shrugged. Then it seemed an idea hit her.

She motioned towards the maps.

"Can we layer every map we have for each section together?" She asked.

I looked at her, confused.

She sighed. "We choose the one map we think is the best representation for that section on that day and layer it. Do it for the whole cycle." She explained.

I nodded, and called Bits over to help. As she turned back towards the other workers, Charlie ran up to me. I turned to face her.

"So what'd you guys decide?" I asked.

Will had called a meeting with all the Keepers. He said I didn't need to go, so I decided to help prepare.

Charlie caught her breath, then looked up at me.

"It's all ready. We leave tomorrow if it's all good. He'd rather us leave tonight and not risk two more Gladers, but he knows we're not ready." She said awkwardly, casting me a sideways glance when she mentioned the Gladers getting taken by the Grievers.

My face went grim, but I nodded.

Charlie looked behind me.

"So, uh, what're you doing?" She asked.

Joan spoke up.

"We need a code to get out, so that's what we're doing." She called.

Charlie raised her eyebrows.

"Are you guys gonna have enough time, though?" She asked.

Joan shrugged, then went back to work. Charlie turned towards me.

"Well, I'm bloody convinced. You should probably ask Will to give you at least another day to crack that code." She said sarcastically.

I nodded. "Yeah I probably should, but not right now."

I turned towards the Maze door.

"Right now, I'm gonna scout for any signs of Grievers." I said, hefting my pack onto my shoulder.

Then I started jogging towards the entrance.

The Maze was eerily quiet, no walls moving, no Grievers out. I ran between the walls, listening for anything. I turned a corner and tripped on something.

I stumbled, but I caught my balance before I fell. I looked down to see what I tripped on.

It was a small box sitting on the Maze floor. I picked it up and opened it. Inside was a note.

The note said: You are not getting out. You never will.

I stared at the note. I flipped it over to check the back, but it was blank.

I heard a screeching sound, and my head shot up. There was movement at the end of the corridor. I jumped up, ready to run, when I realized it was the walls. The walls were moving.

They were closing in on me from either side. I realized if I didn't get out, I'd be squished.

I turned around and bolted for the exit. My feet pounded the ground, and I had flashbacks to the time David chased me after he'd been stung, and when I had been running from the Griever.

I turned the corner and raced towards the distant green of the Glade.

As I reached the doors, I doubled over to catch my breath. People were running over to me.

Will jogged over to me.

"Cleo, what happened?" He asked.

I looked up, then handed him the note.

He took it and scanned it over with his eyes. His face went grim and he passed it to the Glader next to him. He looked back at me as I straightened up.

"Who gave this to you?" He asked.

I shook my head.

"Nobody. I found it on the Maze floor." I said unsteadily, still catching my breath.

Will's face went blank. He took back the note and wandered off.

I looked at the other Gladers, then shrugged.

I had just finished changing into fresher clothes when Bits walked in. I heard the door open and turned around to see her standing in the doorway.

"What do you want?" I asked.

She folded her arms.

"Tell me about Victoria." She said calmly.

I looked at her slowly.

"How the shuck do you even know about her?" I asked.

"They told me after you were taken." She responded.

I huffed angrily. "They shouldn't have."

Bits shrugged. "Maybe, but I still want to know."

I turned around and ignored her, but she didn't leave. I sighed.

"Fine. What about her?" I asked without turning around.

I heard Bits pull up a chair.

"I want to know what she was like." Bits demanded.

I turned around and leaned against the table.

"Well, she was funny, and blunt in more ways than one. She also wouldn't let herself be pushed around by anyone." I was staring at the ceiling, trying to re-count my memories about her.

Bits shifted in her seat.

"How long were you friends?' She asked.

"We were close since the day I got here." I said.

She hesitated, then nodded.

"Alright, I understand now. I wish I could have met her."

She got up, then quickly walked out the door.

Will had a plan to spread out the Gladers more, hoping to lose less that night. He instructed six Gladers to hide in the box, since it had not gone down yet, and would not if there was a person in it.

A group were to hide in the Slammer, and most of the Mappers hid underneath the Maproom in a secret basement-like room no one else knew about.

The rest of us hid where we would normally be, at Homestead. I was crouching under a table with Charlie next to me, gripping a knife I had swiped from the kitchen.

The Grievers had come later tonight than they normally did. I could hear them snuffling and squeaking outside the buildings, their mechanic organs clicking and beeping.

A shadow momentarily blocked some light as a Griever crawled past a crack in the wall.

Then it seemed to give up and move away, the sounds of it's wheels getting fainter. We cautiously stood up and looked around.

I heard a loud creaking sound from above, and my head shot up.

A Griever claw burst through the roof and grabbed a girl. She screamed and tried to run, but it was too late. The Griever yanked her up, and she was gone.

I knew there was nothing I could do, so I collapsed in a heap of despair. There were other Gladers sobbing in the background, but they were all partially relieved, knowing the Griever wouldn't come back for a second one.

I leaned my back against the leg of the table, wishing we could have all gotten the chance for freedom.

The next day, we gathered around the doors. The walls seemed taller and more forbidding than ever. Joan was explaining her plan.

"So we'll attack the Grievers head on if any wake up, but hopefully they won't." She stood up and turned to look at me.

"Cleo, you've organized all the food and supplies, right?" She asked.

I nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Feeling bossy today, eh Joan?"

She rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

After all the Griever attacks, we were down to about thirty or so Gladers. I did a head count, and there were 32 able-bodied Gladers.

After we had distributed the food and water, we turned around to take one last look at the Glade.

Then we headed into the Maze.