My heart was pounding in my chest, ragged breaths escaping my lips as I gulped in the dusty air. And I had all but lost track of time and in doing so all sense of how far we'd gone. And then, I ran into something, almost breaking my shins in the process. I fell forward, with small yelp of surprise, and I knocked my chin on… stairs? And I smashed my forearm into the stairs.

"Stop! Everybody stop!" Minho yelled. "MaC!" He said quieter, a bit worriedly. And though he too had run into the stairs, he hadn't fallen face first on top of them as I had.

"I'm okay," I grumbled, getting back on my feet and rubbing the bruised bones. People were panting. I was too, but I was more focused on the stairs.

"Why'd we stop?" Frypan.

"'Cause I almost broke my shins on something up here!" Minho shouted back. "I think it's a stairway."

"Well, let's go up 'em," Frypan said far too happily.

"Ya think?" Minho said. "What would we do without you, Frypan? Seriously."

"Oh, just shut up and check 'em out will ya'? That actually really buggin hurt." I muttered loud enough so only Minho would here.

And after his loud exhale of air, which was probably in response to my comment he stomped up the stairs. They were made of metal, I'd found after I'd face-planted and because of that his footfalls left a high-pitch ringing noise. I followed behind him with only a seconds delay, the others following behind.

A bang sounded a few steps above me.

"Ow."

"Min- Ow!" I cut myself off as my head collided with… something.

"You two okay?" Newt asked.

"What'd… you hit?" Thomas called up despite his labored breathing and that of all the other Gladers.

"The shuck top, that what," Minho said irritated. "We hit the roof and there's nowhere else…" He trailed off.

"You think there's some sort of… Aha!" I exclaimed, the hands I'd been running along the roof –a handle. I pushed it up, a light igniting the room, blinding us all temporarily. My eyes had instinctually closed at the searing light after being in the darkness for so long. I scramble to pull it close once again, Minho helped ad with the scrape of metal and a thunderous thunk the darkness returned.

I opened my eyes warily, blinking rapidly. "Shuck me," Minho said. "Looks like we found a way out, but I think it's on the freaking sun!"

"Let's just open it a crack and let out eyes get used to it," Newt suggested. He walked up to join us at the top of the steps. "Here's a shirt –wedge it in there. Everybody shut your eyes!"

We did as we were told, I covered them with my hands as well, not eager for a repeat. There room glowed orange and after a moment or so I was able to lower my hands and slowly open my eyes. I had to squint, and it still seemed as though I was staring at the sun, but it did become bearable. A few minutes more and it was bright, but I could see.

Looking around I saw Tommy and the others maybe twenty steps down. Three shining lights shone down at the edges of the door. Everything around us was bland. Gray and boring and dull. Looking down I saw that the stairs we'd come up disappeared into darkness far below them. We climbed a whole lot farther than I had originally thought.

Minho called own to everyone asking. "Anybody blind now? I feel like my eyeballs are roasted marshmallows."

I could relate. My eyes burned… and they kept tearing up. Looking around, Gladers everywhere were rubbing red-eyes, water-wet eyes.

"So what's out there?"

I shrugged, looking to Minho who peaked through the small opening with a raised hand in an attempt to shield his vison. "Can't really tell. All I can see is a lot of bright light –maybe we are on the shuck sun. But I don't think there're any people out there." He paused. "Or Cranks."

"Let's get out of here, then," Winston pushed. He stood a few steps below Thomas who was looking down at him as he spoke. "I'd rather get a sunburn than get my head attacked by some ball of steel! Let's go!"

"Alright, Winston," Minho replied. "Keep your undies on –I just wanted to let our eyes adjust first. I'll throw the door all the way open to make sure we're okay. Get ready." He moved up a step as he spoke and pressed his shoulder against the slab. "One. Two. Three!"

He straightened his legs with a grunt, pushing the slab upward and over. The door opened with a horrible squeal as impossible light and searing heat burst through the opening. With a small, "Ah," I looked towards the ground, holding up a hand. The light seemed too bright, impossibly so… even if we had spent countless hours wandering in pitch black darkness.

Shaking my head an opening my eyes I watched as Minho and Newt scrambled out of the hole which was quickly turning into an oven of sorts.

"Aw, man!" Minho said with a wince. "Something's wrong, dude. It feels like it's already burning my skin."

"He's right," Newt said, rubbing the back of his neck, his hair in his face. "I don't know it we can go out there. We might wait until the sun goes down."

"That bad, huh?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

"Worse," he mumbled.

An outbreak of submissive groans from the Gladers erupted, but they cut off by a sudden outburst from Winston. "Whoa! Watch out! Watch out!"

I turned to look at Winston. He was pointing up at the ceiling… or not the ceiling. In the direction he was pointing, just a few feet above their heads, a big sort of… glob with liquid silver was fusing, seeping out of the wall and into a floating teardrop of the stuff. And it grew. Bigger and bigger in just a manner of seconds until it became a ball of sliver rippling ball of goop! Before anyone could react it had detached itself from the ceiling, falling away.

It didn't splatter at out feet as it should have. Instead, it completely defied the laws of gravity and flew horizontally, hovering directly over Winston. And then it dropped, enveloping his face. His horrific screams pierced the air as he plummeted backwards.

Tommy was the first to react racing down the stairs after him.

The boy eventually did come to a stop, his back thumping against the step, though it was nowhere near the end of the stairs. The bright light from the open door illuminated the chamber, lighting everything with flawless clarity. Winston screamed, clawing at his face and pulling at the liquid silver substance with had already merged with his head, consuming some of his face and above his ears. Like syrup it was dripping downwards over the rim of his ears and covering his eyebrows.

Tommy jumped on him as I attempted to push past shocked Gladers standing in place, unmoving with eyes glued to the scene unfolding before them.

Winston was screaming, thrashing about and kicking as he pulled at the liquid desperately in an attempt to keep it from enveloping his eyelids. "Get it off me!" He screamed in absolute agony, his voice strangled.

It was like it was alive, stubborn and persistent, slipping down around his fingers and trying again every time he pushed a portion of it up off his eyes. Winston screamed, crying out something unintelligible, but I still wasn't in close enough proximity to help. I could just see what was going on between the shoulders of those blocking my way.

Thomas shook off his pack, dumping the contents of it –fruits and packages scattering, bouncing down the steps-. He took the bed sheet and wrapped it around his hands for some sort of protection against eh metal goop, and then he went in, grabbing a section that had covered the boy's ear.

A disturbing sucking noise sounded as Thomas pulled the metal substance away before it slipped through his fingers slapping back down onto Winston's head. And somehow he screamed even louder, I cringed, pushing past another Glader to help.

Thomas shouted, waving us off, saying we'd only get in the way. I suppose he had a point.

"We have to do it together!" Thomas yelled at him, fumbling to get a firm grip on the boy. "Listen to me, Winston! We have to do it together! Try to get a grip on it and lift it off your head!"

Winston showed no sign of understanding as he twisted under Tommy's grip. He probably would've tumbled down the rest of the way if it hadn't been for Thomas.

"On the count of three!" Tommy yelled at him. "Winston! On the count of three!"

Still nothing but screams.

"Just do it! One! Two! Three!" He gripped the silver, yanking it up away from Winston's head. He must've have heard Tommy. Either that or it was dumb luck, but at the same time Winston pushed at the substance with the heels of his hands, looking like he was trying to peel off his own forehead. The entire mess of the stuff came off in a big wobbly sheet of silver. Tommy didn't hesitate. Flinging up his arms throwing the stuff over his head, down the stairs before spinning on his heels to see what happened.

After being thrown in the air, the mess of silver quickly formed itself back into sphere. The surface rippled for a moment before it solidified. It stopped a few steps below the pair, just hovering, like it was looking over its handiwork. Then it shot away fast, blasting down the stairs and disappearing into the darkness below.

Gone.

It hadn't attacked. Huh?

I drew my eyes to the whimpering boy beside Thomas. He had pulled his knees to his chest, his whole body shaking. His hair was gone, replaced with raw skin and splotches of seeping blood his ears were cuts, the edges ragged and bloody, but whole. He was sobbing now, surely from pain, but probably the trauma as well. His acne covered face looked clean and fresh compared to the wounds covering the rest of his head.

"You okay, man?" Thomas asked. It was a dumb question, but it wasn't like the rest of us were saying anything.

Winston shook his head quickly, his body still trembling

My eyebrows furrowed in concern I crawled down beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Winston?" Now Winston and I had never been close, or anything even close to friends but… still…

He leaned into my touch, shaking. I shoulder trying to comfort him a bit, let him know he wasn't alone.

"What was that shuck thing?" Minho said, his voice just above a whisper.

"Magic goop that eats people's heads that's what it bloody was," Newt said without an ounce of humor in his voice.

"Has to be some kind of new technology." I was surprised to hear Aris speak, this was the first time I'd heard him enter a conversation since that first day, and it seemed I wasn't the only one. He looked around at the surprised faces and shrugged embarrassedly. "I've had a few splotchy memories come back. I know the world has some pretty advanced techno stuff –but I don't remember anything like molten metal that tries to cut off body parts.

Minho pointed own the stair well past Thomas and me. "That crap must keep gelling around your face and then eat into the flesh of your neck until it cuts clean through it. Nice. That's real nice."

"Did you see?" Fryan said. "Thing came right out of the shuck ceiling! We better get outta here. Now."

"Couldn't agree more," Newt added with a slight nod.

Minho glanced down at me and the boy curled in on himself by my side. He'd quit shaking and his sobs had ceased to that of only a stifled whimper, but he looked awful. He'd been permanently scarred.

"Frypan, Jack!" Minho called. "Get Winston on his feet, help him along. Aris, you gather the klunk he dropped, have a couple of guys help you carry it. We're leaving. I don't care how bright or brutal that light is up there –I don't feel like having my head turned into a bowling ball today."

He turned without waiting to see if anyone was actually following his orders. He didn't have to. Minho had a strong presence. Even when he wasn't the 'leader'. He always did. He was strong, and yes a bit sarcastic and volatile at times but he knew what he was doing and he was good at it. He commanded a certain amount of respect and the Gladers gave it willingly. "Come on, Thomas, Newt, MaC." He called over his shoulder. "We're going through first.

I looked once back at the bloody broken traumatized boy sitting on the stair beside me before looking up at Newt, who looked at me with curiosity. An eagerness to move on. To get away from this place, and poor Winston. "Let's go." He said it as if he had no choice in the matte, but his eyes betrayed him. He wanted away from the poor boy just as much as I did. I moved to the side, letting the three boys by before following Minho and New up the stairs towards the burning light above.