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Thoirl he’d once thought was his best friend Even in all of his memories―it was always the two of the to come up with all the ways possible in the universe to hurt ht ry breaths, his heart thu a deadly pace

"Fine," she replied "Aris, let’s open the door Ti, to either of theht He resolved to wait and watch for the best opportunity

Aris kept his knife pointed at hile of illulass Thomas couldn’t deny his curiosity about the door

She reached a point where the glow silhouetted her whole body ItShe walked across the cave until she’d left the light co a finger on what had to be some sort of keypad that Thomas couldn’t see

She finished up and stepped back toward him

"We’ll see if that actually works," Aris said

"It will," Teresa replied

A loud pop sounded, followed by a sharp hiss Tho outward like a door As it opened, wispy strea crack, al-abandoned freezer releasing its cold air into the heat of the night Darkness lurked inside even as the rectangle of glass continued to ereen radiance

So the door wasn’t aat all, Thoreen door Maybe toxic waste wasn’t in his near future He hoped

The door finally stopped, thued rock A pit of black now lay where the door had once been―there wasn’t enough light to reveal what lay inside The mist had completely stopped as well Thomas felt an abyss of anxiety open up beneath hiht?" Aris asked

Teresa put her spear on the ground, then pulled her backpack off and dug through its contents A ht and flicked it on

Aris nodded back toward the opening "Take a look while I watch hi, Thomas I’etting stabbed to death"

Tho his pathetic oath to stay silent froht about the knife and whether he could take it froaping rectangular hole; she shone her flashlight inside Swept it up and down, left to right It cut through a fine cloud of h to reveal the interior

It was a small room, only several feet deep Its walls appeared to be made of some silvery metal, their surfaces broken up by s in a black hole The little knobs or spouts were set about five inches apart, rid across the walls

Teresa turned to Aris, flicking off the flashlight as she did so "Looks about right," she said

Aris snapped his head back to look at Thoe roo "Exactly like they said it would be"

"SoI guess this is it?" Teresa asked

Aris nodded, then switched his knife to the other hand, holding it o on inside Who knows,test and once you’re in they’ll let ya go and we can all have a happy reunion"

"Shut up, Aris," Teresa said It was actually the first thing she’d said in quite some time that didn’t make Thomas want to punch her She then turned back to Thoet this over with"

Aris waved his blade, indicating that Tho you in"

Tho to keep a blank expression as his e of panic boiled inside hiaze to the open doorway and started sloalking toward it Three steps and he’d halved the distance Teresa had straightened, her arms tensed in case he caused trouble Aris kept his weapon trained on Thomas’s neck

Another step Another Now Aris stood directly to his left, just two or three feet away Teresa was behind hiht, the open doorway and the odd silver rooht in front of him

He stopped, looked sideways at Aris "What did Rachel look like as she bled to death?" It was a gamble, a pitch to throw hi Thomas the split second he needed

He ju his left arm in an arc to smack the knife out of his hand It clattered across the rocks Tho hi to suck in a breath

The click ofthe boy at his feet He looked up to see that Teresa had picked up her spear They locked eyes for an instant; then she charged him Thomas threw his hands up to protect hih the air and smacked him on the side of the head Stars floated before his eyes as he fell, fighting to stay conscious As soon as he hit the ground, he scraet away

But he heard Teresa screa down on the top of his skull With a thuh his hair and trickled onto both teh his head, as if an axe had been driven straight into his brain It spread to the rest of his body, round and flopped onto his back to see Teresa with the weapon raised above her once h heavy breaths "Get in the roo it till you pass out or bleed to death"

Aris had recovered and gotten back to his feet; he stood right next to her

Tho with a knee on both of the on top of each other The physical effort sent a horrible rush of pain raging through Thoroaned as he struggled to et his hands under hiround when Aris landed on his back, sla him down Soon the boy’s aroing in that room," Aris spit in his ear "Help ht them off The double blow to his head had soone dory to tell therabbed both of his ar hi hi into his skin

"Don’t do this," he whispered, giving in to desperation Every word sent a surge of pain across his nerves "Please " All he saere flashes of white on black A concussion, he realized He had a terrible, terrible concussion

He was barely aware of his body crossing the threshold, of Teresa resting his ar over his up and over so that he now lay in a heap, facing the side Thoth to look at thee of the sick boy, Ben, being Banished back in the Glade swam into his brain An odd time to think it, but now he kne that kid had felt in those last seconds before the walls sla him in the Maze forever

"No," he repeated; it was so quiet he couldn’t iine they heard him He ached from head to toe

"You’re so stubborn," he heard Teresa say "You had to make it harder on yourself! Harder on all of us!"

"Teresa," Thoh the pain and tried to call out to her telepathically, even though it hadn’t worked in a long time Teresa

I’ain But thanks for being our sacrifice

He hadn’t realized the door inging closed, but it slammed shut just as that last horrible word floated across his darkening thoughts

CHAPTER 52

The back of the door they’d shut on hi the sht’ve cried, ushed tears and snot and wailed like a baby if his head didn’t hurt so h his skull, and his eyes felt as if they were boiling in lava

But even then, through all that, the deeper ache of truly losing Teresa gnaay at his heart He just couldn’t let himself cry