The Maze walls loomed around you, silent and foreboding. You had been running for what felt like hours, heart pounding in your chest, every shadow feeling like it was closing in. Thomas’s voice echoed behind you

“Hey! Stay close!” he shouted, grabbing your arm just as you stumbled

Before you could respond, a section of the Maze floor gave way beneath you, and you both fell into a hidden chamber. The walls were high, jagged stone, and the ceiling just out of reach. The entrance above you had collapsed

You scrambled to your feet, panic making your breath short“Thomas… what do we do?”

He looked around, eyes sharp but calm, the same Thomas you’d always trusted in the Glade“We figure out a way out. Together. We’ve survived worse.”

Hours passed as you searched the chamber, trying to find a weak point in the walls. You were exhausted, muscles aching, but Thomas refused to let fear take over. He kept talking to you, making jokes, distracting you from the fear gnawing at your chest

At one point, you caught him glancing at you, a mixture of concern and something more in his eyes“Don’t look at me like that,” you muttered, embarrassed

“I can’t help it,” he admitted quietly “I… I don’t like the idea of something happening to you.”