Thomas hears a girl screaming after dark. Though he thinks he might be imagining it, when the other Gladers catch on and everyone stops, they hear the unmistakable sounds of “the kind of noise that made your skin crawl and made you press your hands to your ears and pray it went away” (105). Minho says the sounds remind him of Gladers who are going through the Changing, and for a second, Frypan fears that they might have to face Grievers again. Newt tries to reassure them that the dirt and air are too much for a Griever’s body to handle.

The group stops to rest and eat, and their conversations center on the Rat Man and the Variables. As the Gladers start out on their trek again, Thomas realizes that there are a lot more buildings up ahead than he previously thought; it looks like a major city that has been devastated by an apocalypse.

Thomas talks to Aris again, asking him about his experience in the Maze in detail. To Thomas’s amazement, Aris relays an experience almost identical to his and Teresa’s experience. The main difference is that fewer of the girl group died when trying to exit the Maze.