The pounding of feet echoed against the ivy covered walls as Sadie and the Gladers' thundered through the Maze like a tidal wave. Beetle blades flashed angry red lights as they passed beneath them, making the message all too clear, that they were being watched. Those not used to running began to fall back, gasping for air as the group continued the surge forward around each turn and down each hallway with Minho in the lead. As the time went on Sadie felt Newt begin to draw back on her hand.

"You," he panted, "Go up there with Minho, I'll take a spot somewhere in the middle." Sadie shook her head and reigned back on her pace falling in beside Newt again. She gave him a sharp look, a clear warning in her eyes as she found herself in the middle of the pack with him.

"No. We stick together."

It took an hour for the Gladers to reach the Cliff. Newt hadn't run like this in a while, the feeling and pain was familiar but the difficulty brought on by his leg was all new. Sweat dampened his neck and brow as his lungs cried out in pain. It was easier to keep pace now that they were in the middle, because Sadie of course had stubbornly decided to run alongside him. She kept his pace easily, grabbing onto his arm whenever she knew a sharp turn was coming up, her hand grasping onto his forearm every time his leg caused him to stumble slightly. When Minho pulled to a stop up ahead, they all halted, waiting silently as the Runner peered around the edge of the wall.

"C'mon." Sadie mumbled tugging Newt's hand as she led them towards the front, Alby coming up behind them as they reached Minho and Thomas.

"There's a dozen at least. Maybe even fifteen. They're just sitting there, just shucking waiting for us!" Minho growled angrily, his hands racking through his hair as a wave of fear passed across all of their features. Newt felt his pulse quicken and his stomach drop. Sadie turned to look at Newt her eyes glassy with a look of horror that he had never quite seen on her before. He'd never seen her so terrified, she'd always been the brave one, the reckless one, the do-stupid-things-that-others-are-too-scared-to-do-because-it's-the-right-thing-to-do one. Fear makes people do crazy things. It drives people into dark corners and brews dark thoughts. He would know more than anyone.

"We all were expecting a bloody fight." He said, not quite sure where the bravery had come from. This had all seemed simpler when they had planned it out, the 'go out trying' encouragement that had fueled them before supplied Newt with nothing now. It was easier to sound brave than to actually be brave, especially when the fight was just around the corner.

Before Thomas or the others could say anything else the loud whirring and groaning of Grievers echoed on every side of them. Newt could see them rolling towards the group herding them into the center where three of the Maze corridors met in a T shape. Blades screeched as they were dragged against the stone walls, while the arms snapped and the knives whirred like chainsaws. Grievers rolled towards them on every side, cutting off their chances of escape and leaving them with only one option. They all came to a stop, all of them sitting idly, silently, their skin gleaming oily and their arms and needles click-clacking as they watched, and waited.

The Gladers all pressed into together, pushing Sadie up front so that she was tightly pressed against the sides of Newt and Teresa. Thomas, Minho, and Alby stood nearby taking up the front as all of the boys stood in silence, clutching their weapons as the Grievers waited calmly. It almost seemed like they were enjoying it, like the Grievers were proud of the little trap they had set. Sadie wondered suddenly if they could, would the Grievers be smiling right at them? She shuddered at the thought and pressed closer to Newt's side, she could feel him and Teresa trembling, all of the Gladers were shaking like leaves in a storm.

"What are they doing? Why are they just sitting there?" Thomas whispered, his voice startling them all in their terrified silences.

"I don't know Thomas, maybe they're waiting, maybe they can only take one a night. But- I don't know." Sadie replied her voice quiet. Sadie felt something brush past her arm and turned to see Alby pushing his way through the crowd and then walk towards the Cliff, the Grievers began to groan and click in excitement.

"Alby, what the bloody hell are you doing? Get back here!" Newt ordered stepping forward as Alby drew farther and farther from the group. And then the Keeper broke out into a full run, straight towards the Grievers.

"Alby!" Sadie screamed, her cry joining others as they all yelled at their leader. Newt tore away from the group and surged forward Sadie yelled for Thomas's help as she grabbed onto his arm and held him back. Newt struggled against them, cursing and yelling as they all watched in horror as Alby jumped onto the first monster. The other ones attacked immediately, their blades whirring as metal tore into skin and Alby's screams cut through the night. Sadie felt tears prick at the edge of her eyes as she gripped Newt's arm.

"Alby!" Newt yelled, his struggling coming to a halt as Alby's cries diminished into silence. The Grievers still pilled and pushed against each other all of them carving in cruelly to their leader, feasting on him. He's gone. She thought, her stomach turning. Had Alby been that terrified of going back? What horrors had the Grief Serum shown him that could have convinced him to turn to this? Was death really better then what was waiting for them on the other side?

"We have to make a go for it." Minho said, clamping a hand down on Thomas and Newt's shoulders. "We'll fight them off, make a path for Thomas and Teresa, and you," He said pointing a finger at Thomas, "you punch in that code and get us the hell out of here. We can't let Alby's sacrifice go to waste." And as if the Griever's had heard Minho's statement, they all began to roll towards them. Their knives glittered and their needles clinked as the moved in on either side of them, at an agonizingly slow pace. Alby's sacrifice had failed.

"We have to clear a path!" Sadie yelled in Minho's direction as she hoisted her spear. The Keeper nodded and turned towards the group his face grim as he tried to speak over the sounds of the advancing Grievers.

"Listen up! We're going to go straight for the Cliff. Our number one priority is to clear a path and get Teresa and Thomas to the Cliff. Sadie, Newt and I will lead. Stay together and push them out of the way!" The Gladers all nodded fiercely and readied their weapons, Teresa, Chuck, and Thomas positioning themselves in the rear as Sadie found her way towards the front. Sadie pulled out her long curved blade, a spear gripped tightly in her opposite hand. She felt small and weak, the weapons seemed insignificant in comparison to what they were about to face, but the glint of blades in the hands of the Gladers around her gave her some of her confidence back. "Ready!" Minho yelled, raising a barbed wire wrapped spear into the air. "Now!"

Sadie and Newt took off after Minho, the boys around them roaring as they ran into battle. They crashed into the Grievers. Sadie's spear piercing blubbery skin and clanking against it's metal interior as screams and roars pierced the night. She tore out her splintered spear and plunged the sharp end into the Griever over and over again. Her other weapon slashed at it's sides as she tried to herd it against a wall. The Griever let out an earsplitting scream as it rolled, attempting to crush her under its needles and body. Sadie ducked, rolling against the ground and out of the way only to find herself in the middle of the bloody fight. The stone hallway was filled with the screams of Gladers, the groaning of engines and the clash of metal against metal. Red flashed in Sadie's peripheral vision and she heard a scream for help, so she did the first thing that came to mind, she ran back into the fight, and towards three monsters. One had a boy pinned against the wall, she couldn't make out his face but from the sound of his screaming she knew things weren't good. She threw her spear with deadly precision, sending it flying like a javelin as it found its mark in the Griever's back. She didn't stop there, no, it was enough to draw away the creatures attention as she leapt and tore into it's skin with her knife, her other hand yanking on a grease covered appendage until it came loose, causing the Griever to scream. The Griever dropped the boy. Its body falling into a limp puddle on the ground as she yanked her spear out of its hide.

"Sadie!" A voice called, causing her head to snap around in a frenzy.

"Newt!"

"Sadie duck!" She did as she was told and dived, her shoulder hitting the ground with a painful cracking as a spear whistled overhead. She looked up to see it embedded into the open maw of a Griever that had been mere seconds from ripping into her. Newt ran over pulling her up from the ground. She yelled a quick thanks and spun until her back was pressed against his, her hand reaching down to pull a machete from her belt as another Griever whirled towards her.

"We stick together!" She yelled her blades slashing against its side, Newt's spear dove into its skin, causing the Griever to retreat from them. Sadie saw a flash of movement out of the corner from her eye and heard Minho yelling for them to keep the path clear for Thomas and the others. Newt's arms looped through hers, picking her up against his back as he swerved them away from a Griever with another Glader in it's clutches. Judging by the throat wrenching screams, the Glader wasn't winning the fight. The sounds around them grew into an orchestra of terror, screams, and pleas for help echoed as metal clashed and knives sliced into skin, causing sickening sounds to build up as blades snapped and engines wailed on every side of them. Sadie continued to slash with her blades left and right. Her machete eventually stuck into the underbelly of a Griever and it rolled away from her, taking her weapon so that she had to resort to fighting with the dozens of smaller knives that she had strapped to her sides and legs. She threw blades at every nonhuman flash of skin she saw.

Newt fought at Sadie's back, both of them working to keep the Griever's pressed against the right side of the Maze walls. They moved together, spinning and pushing their way forward, clearing a path as they neared the Cliff. A Griever steam rolled towards Newt and was nearly on top of him, he drove his knife upwards, cutting through it's gaping mouth as an arm sprang out and grabbed him from around the waist. Newt let out a yell as it plucked him off the ground, it's red eyes flashing at him as the hot oily skin began to grow closer.

"Newt!" Sadie screamed from somewhere behind him and the Griever let out a howl. Several daggers embedded themselves in it's side and Sadie jumped onto it's back her arms raising as she drove her knife into it causing the Griever's attention to be drawn to the new pain in it's back. Newt grabbed onto his knife – still stuck in its gruesome face, and used it as leverage to pull himself out of its grasp. He pulled himself onto it, slimy skin pressing against his body as he slid towards Sadie his arm outstretched as he looped it around her waist. Together they drove their blades into it's back as the slid over its oily body. Newt felt metal arms and blades bang against his sides as him and Sadie left a ravaged and torn path in their wake. They slid down it like a slide their feet hitting the ground hard and sending them tumbling away from the monster as the Gladers fought similar battles around them.

"Are you okay?" Newt yelled over the noise.

"No, but I'm not dead either!"

"They're in!" Someone yelled from up ahead, causing the surviving Gladers around them to roar. Sadie pulled herself to her feet and yelled, her voice surprisingly loud as she called for the boys' attention.

"Make way towards the Cliff! Keep them from the entrance until Thomas shuts everything down. Together now!" The Gladers' did as they were told, thundering towards the Cliff in a pack as the Grievers rolled after them. They made a wall in front of the Cliff's edge their spears raised as boys hacked and sliced into the thick skin of the Grievers, trying desperately to keep them at bay as Thomas and the others, hopefully, punched the code in. Hurry Thomas! Sadie thought wildly as another Glader was plucked from their ranks and tossed backwards into a group of frenzied Grievers, his screams trailing after him.

One monster, smarter then the rest, waited until a small opening appeared and roared through it, plowing over two unlucky Gladers as it disappeared from sight into the Griever Hole. Shit! Sadie thought her blade sinking into a creature as she prayed that Thomas had the sense enough to keep watch while Teresa typed in the code.

It was difficult to kill the monsters, but not impossible, fallen Grievers lay behind the advancing ones, their bodies gray and limp as yellow goo flowed from their bodies like blood. Sadie was bathed in the stuff by now, her legs reeking of motor oil as more of it leaked from the Griever she was cutting into.

The Griever's pushed the Gladers backwards until Sadie felt her heel scrape against the edge of the Cliff, she let out a scream as a claw sliced into her thigh and suddenly became aware of the bruised and bleeding injuries that littered her body. Her back was cut and her sides ached from the battering they had received. They weren't going to survive for much longer.

And then everything froze.

The Grievers' arms sunk back into their flesh and their motors powered down leaving them sprawled in front of the Gladers in lifeless balls. Sadie let out a sob of relief and sunk to her knees. A terrified and relieved laugh wracked through her body as the boys around her broke into a triumphant roar. She felt two arms lace around her and yank her up into a hug. Newt.

He crushed her against his chest as the others clapped each other's backs, some whooping and others sobbing as they hugged and yelled to each other. Minho came up behind them and pulled them both into a hug, his voice hoarse from shouting as he yelled into their ears.

"It's over. We did it. It's all over!" Sadie whooped in response and raised her fist in the air, the other boys following her lead as she faced the Griever hole.

"How many?" Newt interrupted his voice quiet. "How many did we loose?" The boys around them silenced as they looked back at the blood bath they had barely escaped.

"A lot. We lost too many." Minho replied his voice sharp and serious as he took in their number of losses. Sadie felt her heart sink as she took in the battered and torn up group of boys before her. Half. They'd lost half of the boys they had come with. And here she was shouting and whooping with laughter. Sadie felt her stomach turn in guilt as the adrenaline began to leave her body. She was aching and bleeding, they had all scraped by, but it had been close, now wasn't the time to celebrate, or to mourn.

"It's time to leave!" She shouted, motioning for the boys to gather at the Cliffs edge. Minho was the first to jump through the square of gray and blink out of existence. Sadie jumped next an icy feeling cutting through her body as she slid down a metal shoot and out of the Maze.

"Minho! Newt, Sadie!" Tommy yelled as they fell into a small room, with nothing but a computer and a narrow hallway leading off into darkness. "Are you guys alright?"

"Half," was all Newt could say as the twenty one surviving Gladers fell into the room behind them, "Only half of us survived." Tommy's face melted into one of defeat as he took in the sight of them. They all probably looked worse for wear.

"Let's not start this here." Sadie spoke up from Newt's side her hand tightening in his as her voice came out angry and hard. "Yeah we lost a lot of good Gladers, but we cant wait around here and count our losses. That's an insult to their memories. We need to get out of here, if we get out then they'll leave with us." Newt felt himself nod and watched as the other boys murmured in agreement. Sadie had come far, she was no longer the small, confused girl that had shown up in the Maze. The Gladers all showed her respect now that had been nothing but distrust a mere few days ago.

"Sadie's right. Let's get the hell out of here, I'm tired and never want to see this shucking Maze ever again." Minho added his voice strong as he led the rest of the boys into the narrow tunnel Sadie and Newt took up the rear with Teresa and Tommy. Newt flicked on a flashlight, it's beam bobbing in the darkness as he and Sadie made their way through the tunnel together.

It wasn't long before a surprised yell echoed down the hallway followed by another until all of the boys had stopped in their tracks to whisper to one another nervously.

"It must end in a slide." Teresa whispered from behind Newt as word traveled up to the front of the pack. Sick bastards. Newt thought, seething. The Creators really are treating this whole thing like a game. Sadie went first, she sat and pushed forward with a surprised and excited yell that caused the tiniest trace of a smile to pull at Newt's lips. He slid down next. The greasy metal of the slide sent him rushing down into chilly darkness causing goosebumps to rise on his arms. The tunnel smelled awful, a rotting and oily scent filling Newt's nostrils, as the slide seemed to spiral downwards forever.

He couldn't tell how long they had been on it, an hour? Two hours? It felt like forever, and his stomach was tightening with nausea from the constant movement. He was starting to feel fear creep up on him when he felt something bump into his leg. He reached forward and latched onto what felt like an arm, it's owners arm grabbed onto his ankle and gave it a gentle squeeze. Sadie. Newt thought in relief, forcing himself to go faster until he was caught up with her, his arms curling around her sides as the never ending darkness pressed in on them.

"How long have we been falling!" She shouted her voice carried back to him by the rush of wind slapping against their faces.

"I'm not su-" But before Newt could finish the metal disappeared from under them and they both went falling forward, Newt landing on top of Sadie. "Sorry love." Newt mumbled as he crawled off of her the Gladers around him groaning as the stood up and took in their surroundings.

They were in a large chasm, the walls and ceilings high and dark, with machinery and computer panels coating the walls like ivy. But the thing that caught everyone off guard was the wide, dark tinged window that took up one wall. And behind the glass studying them like insects under a microscope were…

"The Creators." Tommy breathed from beside Newt. The people, varying in men and women watched them through squinted eyes behind the glass. Their fingers, like pale claws clutched at pens that danced across the clipboards in front of them. Newt almost couldn't believe it. The people who had sent them into the Maze, all along they'd been nothing but ghostly versions of sickly scientist.

"What are they doing, who are they?" Chuck whispered, backing up slightly at the sight of the sallow and gaunt looking figures in lab coats. Sadie hugged Chuck, her arms squeezing him tightly as a feeling of roaring rage began to boil in inside of her.

"They're the bastards that sent us into the Maze." Minho growled his face glinting harshly in the fluorescent lighting of the room. "I'm going to shucking punch every last one of their faces in!" He yelled, spitting on the floor angrily. Sadie wanted to yell in agreement she wanted to use every last ounce of energy she had left and throw herself against the window until the glass burst and her fist connected with the face of a Creator. She could see herself now, punching and hitting until her knuckles bled. She and Minho probably would have charged forward that second if it weren't for the sudden beeping and flashing light that began to pulse through the room.

"What's goin' on?" Frypan yelled over the noise all of them clamping their hands over their ears to try and block out the loud beeping. Thomas shrugged and shook his head, his eyes focused on something to the right of all of them. Sadie followed his gaze and watched as a door swung open from the wall and a woman stepped out followed by another figure.

She was average looking with brown hair and watery blue eyes that analyzed them in a calculating, uncaring manner. The words WICKED were stitched across the pocket of her white shirt and the appearance of her sparked a small memory in Sadie. She turned towards Thomas and Teresa and saw the recognition in their faces as well. I know you.

The woman stopped in front of them, her face neither happy nor threatening as she took them all in. The figure next to hers face was shrouded by a hood, their jacket too large as it draped over their shoulders.

"Welcome back." The woman said in a cool, cut-to-the-chase manner. "I'm surprised to see so many of you survived after almost three years in the Maze. Congratulations."

"Excuse me?" Newt hissed from beside her, his voice angry and cold.

"Things went surprisingly well Mr. Newton," The woman replied her eyes focusing on Newt and causing a new sense of anger to coil in Sadie's gut. "We thought that more of you would have given up." She said simply, as if commenting on the weather before reaching up and tugging the hood off of the figure next to her. Everyone let out startled and confused gasp as they took in the face of the person before them.

"Gally?"