The Maze Runner - Chapter 44

said to
him, too, the very first time—that he and she had somehow done all of this to them.
This code has to mean something, she added. And the thing I wrote on my arm—WICKED is
good.
Maybe it won’t matter, he answered. Maybe we’ll find an exit. You never know.
Thomas squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds as he ran, trying to concentrate. A pocket of
air seemed to float in his chest every time they spoke, a swelling that half annoyed and half
thrilled him. His eyes popped back open when he realized she could maybe read his thoughts
even when he wasn’t trying to communicate. He waited for a response, but none came.
You still there? he asked.
Yeah, but this always gives me a headache.
Thomas was relieved to hear he wasn’t the only one. My head hurts, too.
Okay, she said. See you later.
No, wait! He didn’t want her to leave; she was helping the time pass. Making the running
easier somehow.
Bye, Tom. I’ll let you know if we figure anything out.
Teresa—what about the thing you wrote on your arm?
Several seconds passed. No reply.
Teresa?
She was gone. Thomas felt as if that bubble of air in his chest had burst, releasing toxins into
his body. His stomach hurt, and the thought of running the rest of the day suddenly depressed
him.
In some ways, he wanted to tell Minho about how he and Teresa could talk, to share what was
happening before it made his brain explode. But he didn’t dare. Throwing telepathy into the
whole situation didn’t seem like the grandest of ideas. Everything was weird enough already.
Thomas put his head down and drew in a long, deep breath. He would just keep his mouth shut
and run.
Two breaks later, Minho finally slowed to a walk as they headed down a long corridor that
ended in a wall. He stopped and took a seat against the dead end. The ivy was especially thick
there; it made the world seem green and lush, hiding the hard, impenetrable stone.
Thomas joined him on the ground and they attacked their modest lunch of sandwiches and
sliced fruit.
“This is it,” Minho said after his second bite. “We’ve already run through the whole section.
Surprise, surprise—no exits.”
Thomas already knew this, but hearing it made his heart sink even lower. Without another
word—from himself or Minho—he finished his food and readied himself to explore. To look for
who-knew-what.
For the next few hours, he and Minho scoured the ground, felt along the walls, climbed up the
ivy in random spots. They found nothing, and Thomas grew more and more discouraged. The
only thing interesting was another one of those odd signs that read World In Catastrophe—
Killzone Experiment Department. Minho didn’t even give it a second glance.
They had another meal, searched some more. They found nothing, and Thomas was beginning
to get ready to accept the inevitable—that there was nothing to find. When wall-closing time
rolled around, he started looking for signs of Grievers, was struck by an icy hesitation at every
corner. He and Minho always had knives clasped firmly in both hands. But nothing showed up
until almost midnight.
Minho spotted a Griever disappearing around a corner ahead of them; and it didn’t come back.
Thirty minutes later, Thomas saw one do the exact same thing. An hour after that, a Griever
came charging through the Maze right past them, not even pausing. Thomas almost collapsed
from the sudden rush of terror.
He and Minho continued on.
“I think they’re playing with us,” Minho said a while later.
Thomas realized he’d given up on searching the walls and was just heading back toward the
Glade in a depressed walk. From the looks of it, Minho felt the same way.
“What do you mean?” Thomas asked.
The Keeper sighed. “I think the Creators want us to know there’s no way out. The walls aren’t
even moving anymore—it’s like this has all just been some stupid game and it’s time to end. And
they want us to go back and tell the other Gladers. How much you wanna bet when we get back
we find out a Griever took one of them just like last night? I think Gally was right—they’re
gonna just keep killing us.”
Thomas didn’t respond—felt the truth of what Minho said. Any hope he’d felt earlier when
they’d set out had crashed a long time ago.
“Let’s just go home,” Minho said, his voice weary.
Thomas hated to admit defeat, but he nodded in agreement. The code seemed like their only
hope now, and he resolved to focus on that.
He and Minho made their way silently back to the Glade. They didn’t see another Griever the
whole way.

Categories: The Maze Runner