Chapter 18

The run started off slow, with Minho, Emily and Newt leading the way. Most Gladers were fit enough, but they weren't going to risk tiring them out so quickly.

"Left turn up ahead!" Minho's voice was the only sound resounding through the Glade,  besides the constant patter of the Gladers' feet against the ground.

"Do you remember where you saw the hole?" Minho asked Emiy.

"I can't say for sure, but if the Maze hasn't shifted much, then I should know where it is." Emily replied.

On and on they ran, the soles of their feet begining to get sore.

"It should be just around this corner!" Emily yelled, trying to reassure the rest of them.

She quickly ran up ahead to make sure, and almost froze instantly.

There, guarding a long passageway were three Grievers, spewing goo and sharpening claw against claw.

It didn't take long for the rest of the Gladers to notice either.

In less than a second, everyone had their weapons drawn - haphazardly made spears and butcher knives - all ready to attack the Grievers.

With a loud roar, everyone charged forward, trying their best to protect Minho, Emily and Newt.

They needed their leader, and the people who knew the way out.

Emily wasn't far too experienced with battling Grievers, but she stood her ground, running back and forth to come to the Gladers' rescue.

That's when she saw it.

The first blood.

A piercing scream echoed through the maze and for a split second everything froze, but the chaos resumed soon after.

Uncaring Grievers and Desperate Gladers made a gruesome fight.

"Emily! Over here!" Thomas yelled as he tried to catch Emily's attention.

Emily dodged and dashed past the Grievers as best as she could, trying to get ahead to Thomas.

"You and Newt go open the passageway!! It's probably our only chance of surviving this!" Thomas yelled over the piercing sounds of metal against metal.

Newt nodded and grabbed Emily's arm, dragging her straight through the long corridor.

Just as they were about to enter the opening, a razor came slashing down across Emily's back.

She let out a painful scream as her wound bled profusely.

Newt was stunned for a moment, then fury and anxiety took over, causing him to charge straight for the Griever.

Alby caught sight of this and ran over to Newt's side.

"NEWT STOP!!GET EMILY SOMEWHWRE SAFE. YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO TAKE THIS THING DOWN."

Newt ran towards Emily and gently but quickly helped her into the cave.

Once they were inside he cradled her in his arms,  panic taking over him in rapid giant waves.

Emily's eyes were fluttering close, and she seemed on the brink of unconsciousness.

Newt quickly took off his shirt and made a tight bandage around Emily's wound to stop the bleeding.

It kinda worked, but he knew there was going to be a massive infection later.

From Newt's arms, Emily slowly reached up and gently caressed  his face with her fingers, as if the soft motion itself was using up mostly her energy.

"I'm sorry Em. I shouldn't have let this happen to you." Newt's voice grew thick and heavy.

Emily shushed him and hoisted herself up.

"I'm fine Newt... you saved me... it's okay.."

Newt shook his head and even in the dim light, Emily could see his glossy eyes.

Slowly, she took his hand and hoisted herself up.

They crawled towards the same place and kicked it once more.

Once again, the rocks crumble to reveal and door.

This is it.

After all this time.

Newt told Emily to wait while he quickly went back up and shouted for the rest to follow.

As Gladers started to stream in, they could feel the excitement and anxiety.

One by one they made it through the long and narrow passageway, but the numbers were clearly less than what they had started with.

Emily and Newt were the last to go through, and Emily's hand was limply intertwined with Newt's the whole time.

Just as they stepped out to join the rest of the Gladers, a bright white light shone down, temporarily hindering their vision.

A tall sophisticated lady stepped out from what seemed like nowhere. She had a high and sharp nose, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun.

"Congratulations. You have made it through the Maze trials." She said, looking at each one of them.

Immediately Minho jumped out at her, knocking her off her feet.

"You better bloody tell me what's going on or else I swear I'm going to rip your body into two." He threatened, one arm pinning her down.

Thomas quickly ran up to Minho and pulled him off her.

"Calm down Minho,  let's see what this slinthead has to say. If it's anything we don't like, it's all of us against her." Thomas tried to coax Minho, but it was clear Minho was furious.

Newt looked around for Alby, but his heart sank when he couldn't find him.

Slowly releasing Emily's hand, he walked up to the lady dressed in office clothing.

"You're going to explain everything to us. You're going to tell us exactly what the hell we were doing in a shucking maze. And you're going to tell us why." Newt sternly commanded, looking her dead in the eye.

"Very well. My name is Chancellor Paige. You have just gone through a very carefully planned selection process, and you lot - are the best of the best, the strongest of the strongest." She said, smiling a little at the Gladers.

The Gladers simply stood there with crossed arms, and a murmur started to build up after hearing her speak.

"What do you think we are?! We aren't your shucking guinea pigs." Someone shouted.

The Chancellor pressed her lips together, but maintained her calm disposition.

"You probably don't know this, but this very world we live in has been taken over by the Flare. And you lot, the strongest ones, are our way out. By mapping your brain patterns, we are trying to figure out what it is about you that makes you special - what makes you immune. And from there, we will produce a cure."

She paused for a moment to let it sink in.

"You are humanity's last hope." She said, as her words ricocheted through the large greyish-blue room.

None of the Gladers spoke a word.

And in that moment, everyone felt more fearful than they ever had in the maze.

A few moments later, some guards appeared with giant cannons. They escorted the Gladers to their various rooms.

Most of the people remained silent, even Minho was too tired to fight.

The guard instructed Minho and Newt to take one of the rooms.

Newt immediately spoke up.

"No. I'm with her. At all times. She stays by my side. " Newt said, looking the guard dead in the eye.

Emily gently took Newt's hand, telling him it was okay.

Newt continued to eyeball the guard, and eventually the guard gave in, rolling his eyes as he ushered Newt and Emily to their room.

As soon as the door closed, Newt lay Emily down on the bed gently, using water to clean her wound.

After wrapping her wound with a bandage he found, he joined Emily on the bed

"Newt.. I'm so so scared." Emily said as she tightened her grip around his waist.

"Em.. it's going to be okay, as long as I'm here. I'll protect you forever. " Newt promised as he pulled Emily closer to him, almost as if she would slip away any moment.

As Emily turned to face Newt, he caught her lips with his.

He gently kissed her, as he ran his fingers up and down her arms.

Her fingers got tangled in his gorgeous sandy blonde mop, as she inched herself closer, yearning for more of him.

Newt broke the kiss momentarily, and looked straight into Emily's eyes.

"Em, I love you. I love you so so much." He confessed, before capturing her lips once again.

--------------------- THE END -------------------------

A/N. Hello guys! yes, this is the end, but who knows, there miiiight be a sequel coming up, although it won't be any time soon. Don't kill me! I really wanted to finish this fanfic for you guys and I will leave the sequel to a time where I'm not busy, because I don't want to produce crappy work (as my past few chapters probably have been)

I'll be posting my thanks and full authors note in the next post!!