Chapter 44 Chapter 44: Unavoidable Facts

Thomas and Minho didn't stop and ran until they were halfway to the end of the eighth district.The sky was gray, and Thomas was glad he still had a watch to tell the time.Their speed was great, for it became clear shortly after the start that the wall had not moved since the day before yesterday.Everything remains the same, there is no need to draw maps or keep records.Their only job is to run to the end and back, all the while looking for something they hadn't noticed before - anything.Minho agreed to rest for twenty minutes, and then the two started their return journey. All the way they did not speak.Minho had told Thomas that talking was a waste of energy, so he focused on his steps and breathing.Keep a constant speed.The pace is steady.Inhale, exhale.Inhale, exhale.They ran deeper and deeper into the maze, leaving only the rushing thoughts in their hearts and the thumping sound of their feet on the hard stone floor.

In the third hour Tereza startled him suddenly—she spoke to him in the glade. We're making progress - two more words have been found, but none of them make sense yet. Thomas' first instinct was to ignore her, denying again that anyone could break into his heart and invade his privacy.But he wanted to communicate with her. can you hear mehe asked, those few words surfaced in his mind.He teleported them to her mind, in a way he couldn't explain himself.He concentrated and said it again: Can you hear me? heard it!She replied, you made it very clear the second time. Thomas almost stopped in surprise, he succeeded!

Don't understand why we can do this.he said in his heart.It was mentally draining to talk to her in this way - he was starting to get a headache. Maybe we were lovers once.Teresa said. Thomas tripped and fell to the ground, he smiled shyly at Minho, Minho looked back and did not slow down.Thomas scrambled to his feet and caught up with him.What?he asks. He felt that she was smiling, with a supple and bright face.This is so strange, she said, as if you were a stranger, but I know you are not. Although sweaty, Thomas felt a cool pleasure.Sorry to spoil your fun, but we are indeed strangers.I just met you, remember?

Don't be silly, Tom.I think someone changed our brains, put something in it before we got here, that allowed us to be telepathic.I think we've known each other before. That was exactly what he had guessed, and maybe she was right.Hope so - he's really starting to like her.Changed our brains?He asked, how to change? I don't know, I can't hold onto certain memories, I think we did some big things. Thomas remembered the connection he had felt with her ever since she came to the Glade.He hopes to use this to explore further and see what she will say, what are you talking about?

I also want to understand that I'm just testing your mind to see if I can spark any memory in your mind. Thomas thought of what Gary, Ben, and Alby had said—that they suspected him of being an enemy of the Glademen, that he could not be trusted.He also thought of what Teresa had said to him the first time—it seemed that the two of them had caused it all. The code must mean something, she added, and the words I wrote on my arm - WICKED is good. Maybe it doesn't matter, he replied, maybe we'll find the exit, no one knows. Thomas's eyes were tightly shut for a few seconds as he tried to concentrate.Every time they talked, it was as if a cloud of gas floated in his chest, puffing up, irritating and exciting him at the same time.He realized that she might be able to read his mind even when he wasn't trying to communicate with her.He opened his eyes.He waited for an answer, but there was no sound.

are you still there?he asks. Yes, but doing so always gives me a headache. Knowing that this wasn't just happening to him, Thomas was relieved.My head hurts too. Well, she said, see you later. No, wait a minute!He didn't want her to go.She was able to help him pass the time and make running easier. Goodbye, Tom.I'll let you know if we figure something out. Teresa, what's with the writing on your arm?A few seconds passed with no answer.Teresa? She was gone, and Thomas felt the gas in his chest explode, releasing the poison in his body.He had a stomach ache and was depressed thinking about running the rest of the day.

In a way, he wanted to tell Minho about the connection he had with Teresa, before it made his head explode, but he didn't dare to do that.In the current situation, it's not a good idea to bring up telepathy again, everything is weird enough for everyone to bear.Thomas lowered his head and took a long breath.He could only shut his mouth tightly and continue running. After two breaks, Minho finally slowed down and started walking. They walked through a long passage.The passage ended at a wall.He stopped and sat down at the end of the passage.The ivy here is extraordinarily dense, a thick green, and impenetrable hard stones are hidden among them.Thomas sat down beside him, and they ate the simplest of lunches—sandwiches and fruit slices.

"That's it," Minho said after taking a second bite, "We've run the entire area. Surprise or surprise—there's no exit here." Thomas already knew this fact, but saying it from Minho made his heart sink even more.They didn't say another word, neither himself nor Minho.After lunch, he was ready to continue exploring, to find something that even he didn't know what it was. For the next few hours, he and Minho scoured the ground, groped along the walls, and climbed ivy at random places.They found nothing, and Thomas grew more and more dejected.The only thing that aroused people's interest was that he found another weird sign that read "Disaster World: Killing Zone Experimental Headquarters".Minho didn't even bother to look at it.

The two ate some more and continued to search for a while, but still found nothing.Thomas began to prepare to accept the inescapable fact that there was nothing to find.It was time for the gate to close, and he began to pay attention to the traces of the Griever, being more cautious at every turn.He and Minho kept holding the knife tightly in their hands, but until almost midnight, nothing appeared. Minho noticed a Griever disappearing around the corner ahead and never came back.Thirty minutes later, Thomas saw another end, which disappeared like the previous one.An hour later, a Griever suddenly rushed past them without stopping, and the sudden fright caused Thomas to almost fall.He and Minho moved on.

"I think they are deliberately playing tricks on us." Minho said after a while. Thomas realized that he had given up trying to find among the high walls and was just walking dejectedly back into the glade.Judging from the expression on his face, Minho was also the same as himself. "What are you talking about?" Thomas asked. The Guardian sighed. "I think the creators want us to understand that there's no way out of this place. The walls don't even move anymore—it's all just a stupid game, and it's time to end it. They want us to go back and tell the other Gladers. Dare you Don't bet we'll go back and find that a Griever has taken one of them again, just like last night? Guess Gary's right - they'll kill us one by one."

Thomas didn't say anything - he felt that Minho was telling the truth.The hope that had risen in his heart when he set out had been shattered. "Let's go back." Minho said wearily. Thomas refused to admit defeat, but he nodded in agreement.At a time when the code seemed to be their only hope, he was determined to focus on it.He and Minho walked back to the glade without saying a word, and they didn't see a single Griever on the way.