Boom, Boom, Boom

It started out with the doors not closing.

BOOM!

But then, it evolved into another door opening.

BOOM!

And another door opening.

BOOM!

And it ended, with the final doors opening. While Hope and her friends stood before the Maze's opening, three more doors opened up, one on each side of the Glade. Each time the doors opened up, a shock-wave of sound reverberated through the area and the ground shook underneath them. At that moment, seeing all of those doors open up, it didn't even need to be nighttime for a darkness to seep across the Glade. Hope could only stand there, a darkness within her own eyes; she knew what was about to happen, and she knew that, after tonight, the Glade would never be the same. If the doors weren't going to close, then the monsters would find them in the darkness. They'd find her darkness. But instead of Hope being utterly terrified, she was ready for the darkness.

"Chuck, go to the Council Hall," Hope said, yet she wasn't the only one. Thomas and Hope had told Chuck this at the same time, but unlike the last time they'd simultaneously said something, the two just went with it. "Start barricading the doors."

Chuck looked scared, but nodded nonetheless. "M-Mhm."

"And Hugo, you go with him," Hope said softly after kneeling down in front of her dog. "Protect Chuck for me, okay?"

"Ruff!" Hugo barked. "Ruff, ruff!"

"Winston, you go with him!" Newt also added, prompting said boy to immediately run after Chuck and Hugo.

"Got it!"

"Get the others! Tell them to go into the forest!" Gally started ordering as well. "Go hide! Now!"

"Minho, I want you to grab every weapon you can find," Thomas remarked in a hushed yet stern tone. "And Hope, you get your bow. I'll meet you at Council Hall."

Upon hearing this, Newt grabbed onto Hope's hand and Hope accepted his touch. But before she ran off with Frypan, Minho, Newt, and everyone else, Hope showed Thomas a dead-serious look. "Be safe."

"You too," Thomas whispered back. "Don't be an idiot."

Hope managed to smile as she ran off with her group, leaving Thomas with his own. But right as she started running-

"RUUUN!"

"GRIEVER!"

It wasn't surprising, but it wasn't any easier to handle, either. Grievers, the thing that all Gladers were afraid of, waltzed into the Glade like it was theirs to destroy. Years of work being destroyed in a single night; years and years of hard-worked peace, destroyed in mere moments. The screams of the Galders echoed through the Glade, telling everyone of their untimely deaths. They died, and for what? What did their deaths prove? Absolutely, positively nothing. They died for nothing, yet lived with purpose. Some had survived for three years, and had actually survived long enough to start living. But now, that life was taken from them, never to be seen again. Their purpose was to try to be happy with what they were given, yet they died having it taken away from them. That was what hurt Hope the most: the fire. The fire that burned the Gladers' life away. It burned their buildings, their crops, their homes. Three years of surviving, and this was what their survival had led them to.

Monsters, fire, and death.

Though, maybe some of them didn't have to die.

Frypan, Hope, Minho, Newt, and Winston each got their weapons and ran back outside. At the perfect moment, too, because they all saw Thomas' group getting chased by a Griever. Therefore, they picked up their speed and sprinted over toward the group, who was now facing the monster head-on; they knew they couldn't outrun it, so they instead tried to fight it. Though, Hope had to grumble to herself upon seeing Thomas' unbreakable bravery and also because it was him who'd told her not to be the 'idiot.' Still, Hope would help out that brave-idiot friend of hers regardless of his IQ. Hope took an arrow out from her pouch, positioned it against her bow, and took a deep breath. While she did this, Minho and Newt stood on either side of her, spears in their hands, and when they saw Hope shoot her arrow, they threw their spears at the same exact time. Each of their attacks hit the Griever, piercing its skin and causing it to roar a scream-like sound.

"OVER HERE!" Frypan then shouted to the group. "LET'S GO!"

With Thomas' and Hope's group now merged into one, they all ran straight toward the Council Hall. Behind them, the Griever was trying its best to pull the weapons out of its body, which gave everyone the precise amount of time to get into the Council Hall. Thomas was the last one out, who immediately shut the door behind him and locked it with a wooden beam. Those with weapons stood before the door, readying themselves for what was about to come. Suddenly, the door of the Council Hall started to shake, since the Griever had started hitting it with all its might. No sound was heard except for that one, everyone else dead-silent. Almost all of the Glade hid within those walls - the only people that Hope didn't see were Clint, Dan, Hank, Gally, Zart, and a few others. They were either dead or hiding somewhere else, and Hope prayed for the latter.

But then, the banging stopped and the door went still. Now, the only sound being heard was the scared breaths of the Gladers. Bang! The Griever suddenly hit another part of the Council Hall. Bang! And even another. It was looking for weak spots, places it could easily get into. Everyone could hear it crawling around outside, its alien-like sounds reverberating through the space. And every time it hit the hut, everyone flinched back in fear. More so, every time they heard the Griever move, the group moved to the opposite side of the Council Hall. It was the only thing they could do. But then-

BANG! The Griever's claw-machine-type tail busted through the roof, snatching a wooden beam from inside, throwing it outside, and making a part of the roof fall down. Some got caught underneath the fallen material, while others somehow dodged it. The ones who dodged it helped those who got stuck, but the moment that Thomas tried to help a stuck boy, was the moment he was pulled away by the Griever. They could all hear the boy's screams, yet they couldn't focus on the terrible sound for long before the monster's tail shot through the roof once more. And, in a horrible stroke of misfortune, it was right next… to Chuck.

"CHUCK!" Almost everyone yelled for Chuck, but it was to no avail. The Griever's tail latched onto Chuck's legs, yanking him into the air. But before the monster could pull him out of the Council Hall, Thomas, Hope, Minho, and Teresa lept into action and grabbed onto either of Chuck's arms.

"Don't let go!" Thomas shouted, making the young boy let out a scoff.

"No shit!"

Behind them, a certain boy had an idea: he saw a wooden tool beside his feet, and when he looked back up Chuck, he saw what had stung him a few days prior. Alby saw that needle attached to the Griever's tail, and an anger coursed through his veins. The older boy couldn't see Chuck go through the same pain he just did; it would be too much for Alby to handle. Therefore, Alby picked up the wooden tool, ran forward, and slashed that needle off from the tail. This caused the Griever to roar in anger, while that anger only made the Leader even angrier. Alby started slashing and viciously hitting his weapon against the Griever's tail, going as fast and as hard as he could. Eventually, the monster couldn't take it anymore, so it let go of Chuck and moved its tail out of the space. Chuck fell to the ground, everyone crowding around him.

"Are you okay?!" Thomas and Hope asked at the same time. "Are you hurt?!"

"N-No, I'm fine," Chuck stammered, sitting up and taking the Griever's needle into his hands. He then showed Alby a thankful stare. "Thanks, Alby."

Alby didn't respond - he merely stared back down at the boy. Oh, but that wasn't the end of the misfortune. Not even close.

"...ALBY!" Hope and Thomas were the first to see it. "WATCH OUT!"

But it was too late. The Griever's tail flew back into the Council Hall, grabbing onto Alby in revenge for what he'd just done. Thomas and Hope leapt to their feet, grabbing onto either of Alby's arms. Sadly, however, everyone else was in too much shock to do anything. So, Alby knowing what was about to happen to him, gave Hope and Thomas his last words. "Get them outta here, Thomas. And Hope, look after them for me."

"NO!" Both Hope and Thomas screamed when Alby left their grasps, watching with horror in their eyes as their Leader flew into the darkness. For a few moments, Hope could only stand there, her eyes wide with denial and grief. That did not just happen, Hope thought. No way. But it did, and everyone could hear Alby's death even from inside. They heard him yelling in pain, and knowing the last thing that he'd ever see would be a monster, made Hope's eyes naturally tear up. As she stood there, Hope couldn't stop herself from wondering who else had died; who else's last memory was a Griever stabbing him in the chest. Even when Thomas ran out of the Council Hall, wanting to follow after Alby and not being able to accept his death, Hope stood in place. She just stood there in the Council Hall, her body feeling numb. Mostly everyone else had followed after Thomas, not wanting him to kill himself as well. Though, there was one person. One person who stayed within the now silent room with Hope. Well, there was also an animal in there too.

"Woof!" Hugo barked when he saw Hope fall to the ground, running right up to her. "Woof, woof!"

Hope's hands fell onto the ground in front of her, her knees bent, and her eyes stared down at the ground between those hands. Her eyes were still wide, which allowed her tears to fall freely. Drip… Drip… Drip… Hope's tears slowly dripped onto the ground below her, causing the earth to wetten below her. Even as Hugo tried to comfort the girl with kisses, Hope's eyes stayed wide. Everything had… Everything had crumbled… Everything… was gone.

"You were made for me, Hope."

The girl.

"Wherever you go, you bring darkness."

In the darkest moments in Hope's life…

"You bring sadness."

The girl was always there.

"It's not my fault you're like this."

She was always waiting.

"I'm not like you."

Waiting for Hope to fail.

"Which is why I can save you."

So that she could drag Hope further into her personal hell.

"Hey…"

But there was someone else.

"Hope."

Someone that could pull Hope from out of her hell.

"Hope, please."

He wasn't like the girl.

"Please, look at me."

He was Hope's…

"I'm right here."

He was Hope's hope in the darkness.

"N-Newt…" Hope whimpered, slowly lifting her head. Kneeling before her, Newt was there. As the night sky shined through the hole of the roof that had taken Alby's life, Newt sat there and blocked it. And, somehow, he had made such a terrible feeling… feel so much better. "Newt, I… I think I need you."

"That's okay," Newt assured with a sad smile. "That's more than okay, because I… I think I need you, too."

Thus, Hope and Newt wrapped their arms around one another without a single hesitation. Hope clung to Newt, while Newt clung to Hope, either of them unable to let go - Hope cried softly, while Newt cried silently. Either way, they found comfort in one another that nobody else could make them feel. Hugo entered the hug as well, and both of the teenagers wrapped one arm around the black dog. However, little did they know of what insanity Thomas had just pulled right outside of the Council Hall.

The first boom were the doors, the second boom were the Grievers, and the third boom was Thomas purposefully stinging himself. Yep, you heard that right, Thomas had used the Griever's stinger that Alby had sliced off and stabbed it into his body. On purpose. What had caused this action was seeing the Glade up in flames, Gally punching him in the face, that same boy blaming Thomas for what had happened, and then Thomas believing that it was his fault. Thomas felt guilt. More guilt than she should have. Though, he also couldn't take the mystery anymore. He wanted to know what his dreams truly meant, he wanted to understand what Alby had meant, and he wanted to remember his past. All of it. He couldn't take the mystery any longer. Hence, Thomas stabbed himself with that stinger, knowing that it had allowed Alby to remember as well. And despite this being Thomas' choice, he still wasn't fully ready for the whole, uncensored truth.

"Teresa… Why're we doing this?"

Thomas' own voice.

"Excellent, Thomas. Come with me."

The woman's voice.

"WICKED isn't good."

Teresa's voice.

"WICKED is good."

The woman.

"I can't keep watching them die."

Thomas himself.

"It's going to be okay."

Thomas' eyes snapped open upon hearing that final, unknown voice. The voice hadn't been Teresa's or the woman's: it was a girl's voice, but his brain couldn't pinpoint the owner of it. Regardless, Thomas didn't ponder that thought for very long before his open eyes found another pair of eyes. Above him, he saw deep blue eyes, dark brown hair, and the relieved smile of Teresa pointed down at him. "Hey," she whispered. "You okay?"

"...What the heck were you thinking?!" Chuck's voice abruptly boomed, causing Thomas to fully wake up. He noticed that he was laying in the Pit, his head laying on Teresa's lap, and that the sun had now almost fully risen. To his left, Chuck, Minho, Newt, and Hugo were sitting against the doors of the Pit, worried looks in their eyes. But the thing that made Thomas sit up in surprise… was what he saw behind those four boys. Hope was merely standing there, a sadness in her eyes that Thomas had only seen during Ben's banishment. The look made Thomas unable to keep quiet any longer.

"W-What…" Thomas looked between everyone. "What happened?"

"Gally's taken control," Newt replied in a dejected tone. "He said we had a choice. Either join him… or get banished at sundown with you."

Thomas scoffed as he moved his sore body to lean against the wall. "And the others agreed to that?"

"Gally has everyone convinced that… you're the reason this is happening," Teresa stated, causing Thomas to let out yet another scoff.

"Well, he's been right so far."

"...What're you talking about?" Minho asked dubiously.

"This place… it's not what we thought it was," Thomas started explaining, glancing between all five of them. "It's not a prison, it's a test. It all started when we were kids. They'd give us these challenges. They were experimenting on us, and then… and then people started disappearing. Every month, one after the other, like clockwork."

"They were sending them up into the Maze…" Newt concurred.

"Yeah, but not all of us," Thomas acknowledged, and everyone could see a deep look of remorse seep into his eyes. Even when Newt asked what Thomas was talking about, that look only got worse, especially when he came clean. "Guys, I'm one of them. The people who put you here, I worked with them… I-I watched you guys for years. The entire time you've been here, I was on the other side of it." Thomas then glanced over at Teresa. "So were you."

"W-What?" Teresa squeaked in fear, making Thomas shake his head.

"Teresa, we did this to them."

"No…" Teresa could only shake her head back. "That can't be true."

"It is," Thomas urged. "I saw it."

"But why…" Teresa huffed. "Why would they send us up if we were with them?"

Thomas shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"...He's right," Newt suddenly chimed in, causing everyone to look over at him. There was still sadness within his own eyes, but also so much determination. "It doesn't matter. Any of it. 'Cause the people we were before the Maze don't even exist anymore. These Creators took care of that. But what does matter is who we are now, and what we do right now." Newt smiled a small smile. "You went into the Maze, and you found a way out!"

"Yeah, but if I hadn't," Thomas looked away, "Alby would still be alive."

"That wasn't your fault." For the first time during that conversation, Hope's voice cut in. Chuck, Minho, and Newt each looked behind them, while Teresa and Thomas looked up at her, each of them seeing anger and a resolve in her own eyes. "Thomas, what happened happened, and none of it was your fault. You didn't want any of them to die, that wasn't your intention. Alby wouldn't blame you for this, either. Neither would Clint. Neither would Zart. And neither would the countless others that died last night. S-So, instead of blaming ourselves and regretting what already happened, let's try to do something about it." Finally, Hope looked straight into Thomas' eyes. "So get us out of here, Thomas. For all those who couldn't."

Newt had to smile upon hearing those final words, a sense of nostalgia washing over him. He remembered the day when he'd told Hope that exact same thing, and it warmed his heart that she remembered it as well. And now that she was now using his words to help Thomas, allowed Newt to see how far she had come. Hope wasn't that shy, timid girl anymore who first came up in the Box. She was a resilient, determined girl that was ready to face anything. Therefore, Newt was ready to face anything, too. So, turning his head back toward Thomas, he showed the boy a determined look of his own.

"She's right, y'know," Newt remarked, and Thomas' eyes turned even more emotional. "We have to finish what you started, because if we don't, then that means Alby died for nothing. And I… I can't have that. I can't."

Thomas looked between everyone, remorse still very evident in his eyes. Nevertheless, there was also a newfound hope within him. A reason to continue going and keep on fighting. Chuck, Teresa, Minho, Newt, and Hope each deserved to be free of this place. All of them did, and Thomas wanted to help them accomplish that. He needed to do it. After all that he'd done, after all that he'd allowed to happen, Thomas needed to finally set things right.

"It's going to be okay."

But even as the group thought up a plan…

Even as he was readying himself for anything…

Thomas couldn't shake that unknown voice.

It was a girl's. A very, very young girl's voice.

Yes, there were still some things that Thomas couldn't remember.

And one of them… was his family.

A/N: I still can't believe we're at the final parts of the Maze Runner... Time flies by fast.