.

We run at a comfortable space in the direction of the Griever Hole. Newt, Alby, Minho, Thomas, Teresa, Chuck and I lead the group, since we know where the Griever Hole actually is.

"Lori?" Newt puffs, as he runs alongside me.

"What Newt?" I sigh.

"Please tell me you believe me, I had no idea Clara would do that. She was talking about who we were before the Maze, and then next thing I know, she's bloody kissing me. Lori, you have to believe me when I say that I meant for none of that to happen." He shouts a bit, over the commotion of the crowd.

"Look, there is still about forty-five minutes left of this run, so if you want me to forgive you, you have forty-five minutes to convince me why." I know it's a weird conversation to start on the way to where we're going, but I want the chance to be able to forgive him. I loved him at one point, I want to be able to again.

//////////

After an hour, we are around the corner from the corridor to the Cliff. We all pause, deciding to take a minute to catch our breath and gather our thoughts.

The group of us who were leading, circle and begin to talk. But before we even start, we hear the screeching of Grievers. And the scream of one very confused Clara.

"Do you hear that?" Minho whispers to us all.

"Minho, we're not deaf, of course we heard that!" I redicule. We all freeze as Minho tip toes forward, until he's peeping around the corner. We hear panicky words escape his lips, and that's when I feel my own fear boil in my stomach.

"There's at least a dozen of them. Maybe fifteen. They're just waiting for us!" He gasps.

"Minho, you need to calm down, you're one of the Keepers, so you need to pull your shit together!" I say as quietly as possible so that the other Gladers behind us don't hear the anxiety in our voices.

Newt shrugs, "Well, we knew we'd have to fight." There is no fooling us though, especially me. He's scared. The tremble in his voice gives him away at the blink of an eye.

After a while of trying to replan around all of the Grievers, Thomas points out once more about the whole 'Grievers take one a night' thing.

Alby's eyes widen to some extent, "Maybe I should . . . " But at that point, it's too late. Alby walks towards the Cliff, slowly, kind of looking hypnotised.

Newt's worried voice cries out, "Alby? Get back here!" But Alby doesn't bother to slow, he speeds up, taking off to the Grievers basically guarding the Griever Hole.

"Alby!"

The Leader of the Glade leaps onto one of the Grievers, being sucked into the blubbery back of the creature. About half a dozen more join in on tearing Alby apart, and I kinda feel like I'm going to throw up.

Newt is set into action, pacing forward to go and help Alby. But he isn't given the chance, before Thomas grabs his arm.

"Let go!" Newt shouts, trying to release himself from Tommy's grip.

"Are you nuts?" He yells. "There's nothing you can do!"

Minutes later and sound has escaped from Alby. How is he not screaming?

"I can't believe it" Newt whispers so quietly, I almost don't catch it. "I can't believe he just did that."

We all stand in silence, waiting for the Grievers to stop tearing our friend apart.

Minho takes a step forward, and places a light hand on Newt's shoulder, "We can't waste what he did." Minho turns towards the rest of us, "We'll fight 'em if we have to, make a path to the Cliff for Thomas and Teresa. Get in the Hole and do your thing - we'll keep them off until you scream for us to follow."

Thomas takes a gander at the Grievers also, before turning to Minho and nodding. "Hopefully they'll go dormant for a while. We should only need a minute or so to punch in the code."

Newt kept his head lowered in revulsion at the boys, "How can you guys be so heartless?"

"What do you want, Newt?" Minho asks. "Should we all dress up and have a funeral?"

There was no response from Newt as he kept his focus on the Grievers, looking like he's staring down the barrel of a gun.

"Alby didn't wanna go back to his old life. He freaking sacrificed himself for us - and they aren't attacking, so maybe it worked. We'd be heartless if we wasted it.

Newt shrugged, so I decided to put in a few words of my own. I went and stood next to Newt, going onto my tip toes to whisper in his ear. "Newt, I promise they all care, but we want to get out of here. Please, can you help us get out of here?" He nods once.

Minho shouted to the Gladers, "Listen up! Number one priority is to protect Thomas and Teresa. Get them to the Cliff and the Hole so-" But something cut him off. Screeching. Screeching from the Grievers. And a squeal once again from Clara, who is standing uncomfortably close to Newt.

The sacrifice was obviously unsuccessful.

//////////

We are all running towards the Cliff, trying to get there before the Grievers get us. I see Thomas, Teresa and Chuck running ahead of everyone, preparing to jump. They seem to finally coax Chuck to go with them, and then they're gone. Word was sent down that we are to stay up here and fight, while they shut down the Grievers. We all begin to attack them, trying to give the three time to put in the code.

"Lori, you need to go with them" I hear Newt shout over the noise of the Gladers versing the Grievers. I don't like how I'm the one who feels bad right now. He's the one that made the mistake. How do you forgive someone for doing something like that?

"No, I'm not leaving you all here to fight these Grievers off. They have three of them down there, they'll be fine" I shout back.

There are at least six Grievers surrounding around forty-one Gladers. And yet, we're still losing. The boys are being thrown down all over the place, being stung, cut, and stabbed and more. I feel the bile rising in my throat at the sight.

I lift up one of my daggers and start slashing at the Griever currently trying to kill me. How lovely.

"Lori!" Newt screams.

"No!" I scream right back, "I'm not leaving any of you!"

He runs over and starts fighting next to me, helping to gain the smallest of advantages against the slug-like creature. We swing at the appendages, it effortlessly deflecting our hits every time.

As I go to try to strike the Griever again, it notices early, and hits the blade out of my hand.

I hear the blade hit the cold stone of the Maze with a clank, as it tumbles further away from me. As I run to get it, the Griever grips onto me like it did my first night in the Maze; When it left that tattoo on my neck. Similar to last time, it lifts me above the ground, but this time, it is actually choking me.

The silver claw doesn't lose tact as Newt hits it and screams at it. I try to say something, anything, but the Griever is holding too tight, cutting off any use of my vocal chords.

Finally it releases me, but not before throwing me as far away as possible. I soar towards the opposite direction of the cliff, and smack into the Maze wall. Pain ricochets within my skull, hitting every possible corner. I crawl to my knees and open my eyes. There are dots and the world is contorted, kind of like looking into a kaleidoscope.

Suddenly, my world snaps back into focus, and all I see is Newt running towards me.

I glance down to the ground where I was thrown, only to realise the worst thing that could possibly occur at this very moment.

The ground around me is crumbling. The stone flooring of the Maze is breaking off and falling into a dark abyss. The cracks spider-web across the ancient stone, deep enough to cause frailty within the structure. The structure on which I kneel.

I switch my gaze to Newt, only to find the reflected fear I am feeling, evident on his face.

"Newt" I whimper "Newt, what do I do?"

He tries to get closer, but I am a metre or two past where the fractured stone begins.

"Don't move, I'll come to you."

I quickly raise a hand up, a tear rolling down my cheek. "No, it'll be too much pressure on the ground. We'll both fall."

Newt crumples to his knees, a sunken look on his face. "Lori, I-I don't know what to do" he stutters as his lip quivers the slightest.

Seeing him like this only makes the tears fall faster.

"Just don't worry about me. You need to save your friends" my voice cracks at the request.

"No, I can't. I won't. Lori-"But I cut him off.

"Newt" I take a deep breath, gathering my thoughts and feelings. "Everything that has happened, it somehow leads back to me; you read that freaking tattoo. I'm 'the Deceiver'! What if that means I'm not really in danger right now? What if this is some sick trick WICKED is pulling to make you think I am, so that you die?"

"Then I bloody well die" his face goes steely, with no hesitation in his response.

I laugh slightly at his response, the tears definitely are not going to stop any time soon. "No, Newt, I can't do that to you. I can't do that to them" I gesture to all the boys, still defending themselves against the Grievers. "Alby is gone, and they need you."

"Don't you get it? I need you, Lori! I don't care what you may or may not have done, I'm not leaving without you" his determination astounds me, and I realise he's being serious. He needs to go though. He can't stay here. Least of all, not for me.

"But what about Clara?" I ask, my voice shaking. Interestingly self-absorbed question to ask when the love of your life might be about to sacrifice himself to save you.

Newt runs a hand through his hair in frustration. "Lori, don't you get it? She might remember me, but I don't remember anything of her. This is a new me, and you are all I care about now."

His words pump adrenalin through my veins, and I slowly rise to my feet. Newt quickly stands and holds out his hands. I take a few steps forward, gently stepping on the stone. I go to take another step, when the ground makes a cracking sound. One fleeting glance at Newt, and I am leaping towards him, reaching out to him with my hands.

He grabs me around the waist, placing me in front of him on the edge of the crater full of darkness where I was once standing. His eyes search my features, seemingly looking for something. Newt embraces me, and I feel his warmth envelope me. But all that warmth is frozen solid when I hear his yell.

My eyes snap open to see a Griever behind him, a fairly lethal appendage dripping with blood. Someone comes up behind the Griever and distracts it as Newt stumbles forward, sending me backwards.

I scream, the air leaving my chest before my mind has even registered that I'm falling. I close my eyes, expecting it to be over. What I wasn't expecting was Newt to be holding my hands, preventing me from doing so.

"Newt-"I attempt to speak, hearing Grievers grow close, but unable to see them, due to being lower than ground level.

"No, don't talk. Lori, I'm sorry, for everything" he shouts over the noise, talking very fast. "I'm sorry for Clara, I'm sorry for letting you walk away, and most of all, I'm sorry that I lied to you; When I said nothing was everlasting that first time in the Maze, I was wrong" He stops for a moment, his eyes focusing on mine.

"Lori, you and me, what we have. What I bloody feel for you; I can promise you, that's everlasting" Newt holds onto my hands, desperately trying not to lose his grip on me. I want to reply the same, but all eligible responses get caught in my throat, when I see the shadow of a Griever's appendage begin to creep up behind Newt.

"Newt, you can't fight them off and hold me as well" I reply, tears restricting the ability to yell very loud. "I need you to make it out of the Maze. That's all I want right now. You've been here for two years, I want you to escape. Please."

"Well, lucky I don't do what you bloody tell me to do then" He says with a forced smirk.

"I'm sorry" I whisper.

A few tears escape from his eyes. "Lori?" As I start to unravel our fingers, he deciphers that my 'sorry', was actually a good-bye, and begins yelling again.

"Lori, don't you bloody let go!" He doesn't even falter before continuing to try to get me to stop.

"Lori, you can't leave me, please. I lov-" But I don't give him the chance to finish. I never do. His torn up expression is the last thing I see, before I slip my hands free of his.

Before I fall into the darkness.