Chapter 20

As the Griever climbs toward Thomas and Alby’s hiding place, Thomas realizes staying put will expose Alby. He unwraps himself from the vine and begins moving laterally along the ivy, drawing the Griever’s focus away from Alby and toward himself. He then starts slipping down the vines to reach the ground despite burning hands and fatigue.

At a sudden corridor turn, Thomas slams into a wall and nearly falls as the Griever lunges with its claw and needles. He catches a lower vine, kicks the Griever’s claw to deflect it, but his swing carries him onto the creature’s gelatinous body. Thomas shoves off, narrowly avoiding the needles, suffers a scratch on his back, and slides down a vine to the Maze floor.

Thomas sprints through multiple turns, mentally tracking his route while the Griever relentlessly pursues him. Exhaustion mounts, but he refuses to stop, listening to the machine’s grinding advance as he navigates right and left through long corridors.

When Thomas rounds another corner, he halts: three Grievers are rolling toward him from ahead. Trapped between pursuers, the danger multiplies and the chase reaches a critical impasse.