"The Maze? Are you jacked?" Minho hissed to Thomas after pulling both him and Green behind the kitchen and out of sight.
"Where else could we go that we wouldn't be found?" Thomas demanded. "They'll never look there, and if they do they won't be able to find us."
"Of course they won't be able to find us, we'll be shucking dead!" Minho nearly yelled.
"Shhh." Green warned.
"No. We're not going in there. We'll hide in Newt's room in the homestead. If he comes in there we can reason with him. " Minho stated.
"And if Gally comes in? Or one of his cronies? Can we reason with them?" Thomas pressed.
"Enough Thomas, we're not going into the Maze."
"Minho..." Green trailed, she stared at the Runner. Her eyes pleaded to his. "This might be mu only chance to live." She shook her head, sending coils of gold in different directions, "I've been conscious for only 3 hours. I don't want to die. And if I'm going to die-for whatever reason-in this maze, then at least I will die fighting."
"Green you don't understand whats out there." Minho said angrily.
"I don't understand whats in here either. I don't understand why these boys are so willing to end my life. But I'm not going to let them take me easily. I can't ask you to come with me, but I'm going."
"I'm coming with you Green." Thomas said.
"I'm not. Green, every shuck thing out there could kill you."
"Good. Let them try." She said with a smile.
"Fine, your funeral shanks." Minho grumbled.
"They'll never know you were helping me. Go back to the Deadheads. Act like you were taking a nap." Green insisted.
"You're are one jacked chick Green." Minho said, shaking his head. The girl confused him and astounded him. But he wasn't willing to die for her.
The girl shrugged, "I've got a color for a name. I don't think there is a piece of me that's sane."
"I checked every where, she's not in here." Some one called from inside the kitchen. They were closer than the group had excepted.
"C'mon." Thomas whispered. He clutched Green's upper arm and pulled her towards the north door of the Glade. The girl glance back at Minho. She flashed a small smile in his direction before joining Thomas completely with a running pace. They stayed low as the pair made their way to the door.
"Shucking idiots." Minho muttered to himself. They'd die out there for sure, and Minho wasn't going to be there to help them.
""""""""""""
Green and Thomas slowed as they reached the door. They'd kept close to the wall, hiding in the shadows. When they were only a few yards from the exit Thomas motioned for Green to stop.
"There's a guard." Thomas whispered.
"Shit. What do we do?" Green asked. Her hand snaked its way to the waistband of her skinny jeans where she stashed a knife from the kitchen.
"I'll talk to him. He doesn't know I'm on your side. Stay here."
Green nodded.
Thomas rose to full height. He straightened out his shirt and took a deep breath. His heart was beating twice as fast as normal. His eyes fluttered to objects around him as he walked towards Graham. His stomach turned into a tight knot.
The truth was Thomas had felt like an outsider from the moment he arrived in the Glade a week ago. He didn't accept his fate like the others had. He was curious and confused and mad. As he moved from job to job, keeper to keeper, Thomas felt more and more isolated from the boys around him. He saw the girl as an opportunity not only to leave the Gladers, but to maybe even find an answer to the sinking feeling that he never really belonged in the Glade.
"Hey Graham, Gally wants you. He told me to watch the door." Thomas lied as he approached the tall, dark haired boy with a scar of most of the left side of his face. As best as Thomas knew, it was a result from an "on the job" accident. Graham was a Slicer.
Graham crossed his arms. "Gally told me not to move. He told me to stay here all night."
Thomas shrugged. "He changed his mind."
The large teen narrowed his golden brown eyes, "What the shuck are you trying to do Newbie?"
"Thomas." He corrected, "And nothing. I'm just telling you what Gally told me."
"If Gally wants me, he'll come himself."
"Graham this is impor-"
Before Thomas could finish his sentence, some one shoved him to the ground. A figure darted past him and rammed Graham into the wall.
It was Green. She'd gotten the jump on Graham and managed to smash his head into the hard stone. She muffled his screams of pain with her free hand and used the other to yank on his hair. But a head start wasn't enough to overtake the massive teen. He regained his composure and threw his foot forward. He caught the girl in the ribs hard and sent her flying backwards.
"Oh I'm going to kill you She-bean." Graham spat with a crooked smile.
Green spun to her feet and clutched the knife in her hand.
Graham charged at her. She ducked under his first punch and jabbed at his gut. He grabbed her hand and twisted it away from him. With all of his force and a running start, Graham flung Green against the wall by her arm. Her back slammed against it and she slid to the ground.
A moan escaped her lips.
"You really thought you could take me?" Graham demanded.
Thomas had to hand it to her. She'd given a good fight, better than anyone could've expected from a girl her size.
Green lay, sprawled across the grass, blood pouring from her nose.
"Fuck you." She spat with venom and blood on her tongue.
Thomas snapped from his daze as Graham cocked his fist.
"Hey!" He yelled. He lunged at Graham and shoved him away from the girl. Thomas elbowed Graham in the nose. Suddenly Green was on her feet. She stubbed her toe into the Slicer's side. Thomas pulled him to his feet and pushed him hard in to the wall. Graham stumbled, swayed and then crumpled to the ground.
"Run." Thomas ordered.
Green snatched up her knife and darted into the Maze. Thomas stared at the boy, trying to stand up.
"Sorry Graham." Thomas said before shoving his foot into the boy's face.
""""""""""""
Minho was furious. He grumbled to himself as he jogged through the Glade and towards the Deadheads. How had it gotten to this? How had Alby and Newt allowed this? And why did Green and Thomas think it was ok to go into the Maze? Didn't they understand how dangerous it was?
"Shucking morons. See how they like it when they're dead." Minho muttered under his breath.
As he stormed past the Gathering hut a small voice caught his attention.
"Min? Is that you?"
Minho immediately recognized the accent. "Newt?" He turned around and sprinted into the hut. His excitement faltered as he entered the room. The Glade's two leaders were bond to chairs. Alby was motionless with blood pouring from a gash on his head. Newt was awake but definitely weakened by an attack.
"Newt what the shuck?" Minho demanded running over to his friends.
"Alby and I just couldn't agree to killing the girl. So Gally rallied everyone against us. They tied me up and then knocked Alby unconscious. You got to help her Minho." Newt pleaded.
"Shh. I'll cut you two free."
"No. Minho, if they see that we're free they'll know you're here and your helping her. You need to go find her now. Besides we can't help either way. We're too weak."
"I'm not leaving you here." Minho said.
"You bloody have to if you want the girl to live."
"She's with Thomas right now."
"Tommy? He's with us too?" Newt asked.
Minho nodded.
"Where are they?" Newt asked.
"The Maze."
"Minho! Bloody hell, they'll be dead in an hour! They need you."
"Newt I told them not to go. They went anyway."
"So go help them. They are going to die with out you."
Minho shook his head. "I refuse to die or let anyone I care about die for this shuck girl."
"You're better than that Minho." The Runner studied his shoes. His eyes refused to meet those of his closest friend. "You could save them both."
""""""""""""""
"So what's the buzz about the Maze?" Green asked, rubbing her bear feet. She'd yet to find a pair of shoes, and her dogs were barking big time.
In her mind, she masked the fear that had consumed her with easy to reach goals and positive internal reinforcement. She refused to address her issues aloud. Discussing the current situation was the last thing she wanted to do.
"I'm not sure exactly. But I do know there are things out here... creatures that everyone is scared of. They say the walls of the Glade protect the Gladers from these-these Grievers. They're deadly monsters who roam the halls of the Maze."
Her heart rate spiked. Deadly Monsters?
Breath Green, just breathe.
"Ok. Not a big deal. So we just avoid them for..." She glanced at her watch, "9 hours. We can do that, right?"
Thomas shrugged.
"What should we do first?" Green asked.
Thomas bit his lip, he looked at her with warry eyes, "Green, I have no idea. I've never been here before."
The girl raised a dark brow, "So we're both entirely clueless?"
He answered with a quick nod.
"Fuck." She pushed her hands through her hair. Her fingers caught a thick knot. She yanked at it in frustration then gave up and sunk to the ground.
"Don't worry. We can stay here. We're just out of sight from the doors but close enough so we won't get lost." Thomas assured her.
"And if a Griever comes?" She demanded.
"Then we run." He responded simply, as if it were that easy.
"Ok. What do we do till then?" Green asked.
"Why don't you try to sleep? I'll let you know if anything changes."
She wanted to refuse him, but her eyes felt heavy and her feet screamed in pain. A few minutes of shut eye wouldn't hurt. Green looked at Thomas."Thanks... for everything Thomas.."
"Don't worry about it." Thomas said with a smile.
Green took off the over sized black hoodie she'd arrived in an balled it up under her head. She lay flat on her back, staring at the sky.
There wasn't a single star in the vast, black void above the Glade. Her heart ached for the twinkling lights as she drifted off.
""""""""
"He's just lying there for everyone to see him rot!" The girl screamed at some one standing in front of her. She was young, blonde haired, and pale skinned with freckles dusting both cheeks. She was wearing a uniform, all black, with the name Richards embroidered over her heart in grey thread. She carried several weapons as well as a helmet under one arm. Her curly hair was tied back into a pony tail and a mixture of blood and dirt was smeared onto her face.
"Enough. I won't listen to the whines of some guard. Go back to your post or forget about your job." A man spat.
"A.D. Janson, please. Just send me his body." The girl pleaded to the salt and pepper haired man.
"I won't hear any more of it Richards. Leave my office at once or else I'll call Jones and Chapman in here to throw you out. And if I have to do that, they'll be throwing you out of the building, out of a job, and out of my protection. Understand?"
She opened her mouth the speak, to yell at him and tell him that he was an awful person. Rage built up inside her. With every bone in her body she yearned to hurt the man. But something made her close her mouth and look down at the ground. The girl gave a reluctant nod before marching out of the office. As soon as the metal door slid shut behind her she took off running. She didn't stop until she reached some place; an empty area in what looked like a warehouse. She threw her gear to the ground and slid down the wall so that her knees were pressed into her chest.
The girl fished something out of the pocket on her chest. A piece of paper, folded two ways. Tears slipped out of her green eyes as she unraveled it.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered to the people in the photo. Two young girl and two young boys, hanging on each other with large smiles on their faces. Each had a mane of blonde hair and eyes the size of saucers, filled with happiness.
The girl began sobbing into her hands, her shoulders heaving and her breaths increasing.
"I'm so so sorry you guys." She repeated over and over again.
"""""""""
"Green! Hey, wake up!"
The girl jolted to consciousness. "Wha-what's going on?" She scrambled forward, clutching the knife in her hand and wielding it out in front of her.
"Woah woah! Nothing! Chill. You were breathing really heavily and squirming. I thought I should wake you up." Thomas defended himself, holding his arms in front of him.
It was still dark, but Green could just barely make out the boy across from her.
"It was just a dream. Not a big deal." She insisted, turning away from him.
"That is a big deal. I've asked the others before. No one else has dreams execpt for me. And... well I guess you now too."
"What?" Green asked.
"The creators, when they took our memories they took our dreams too. I think, and I'm really just guessing, but people who dream are really getting memories back. For some reason we get little snippets of our old lives."
"Why us?"
"I don't know. What was your about."
Green shook her head, "Nothing important." She lied. "Nameless faces, faceless names. That kind of thing. How long was I out?"
"I dunno, you have the watch."
She glanced at the time. 7 hours remaining.
"Two hours huh? That's not too bad. You want to get some sleep now?" Green asked.
"Yah. Wake me up in an hour."
The boy rolled onto his side, facing away from her and quickly fell into steady breaths. Green put on her hoodie, pulled her knees into her chest and thought about her dream.
If they were memories, then she was the girl. The man called her a guard. And she had lost some one or some ones who were important to her.
Her heart ached for the unknown people she'd probably never see again.
A sound echoed in the distance from with in the Maze. A mechanical noise.
Green sat up straighter. She grabbed for her knife again.
It was a whirring noise, something that came from metallic moving parts. Something that was picking up speed.
"Thomas!" Green hissed, lightly kicking her companion.
"What's wrong?" He asked, sitting up quickly.
"There's something out there."
It didn't take long for Thomas to hear it as well.
"Get up. We need to go." Thomas ordered.
Green stood up hesitantly, knife loosely in hand and eyes locked on the sight directly in front of her.
150 feet in front of her or so, was a blobish animal. It had metal legs like a spider and the body of something she'd never seen before. It was a blueish grey color with spikes down its appendages and a gaping hole that served as a toothy mouth.
"Green. Green!" Thomas screamed. "Snap out of it!" He yanked her backwards and forced her into action.
"What is that?" She cried.
Thomas didn't respond. He darted down a corridor and took the first right. Green tried to keep up as they weaved through the Maze.
"Thomas slow down! We're going to get lost!" She heaved.
But the boy didn't stop. He kept going as fast as he could. Left. Right. Right again. Straight. Another left. They slipped further and further into the unknown lands of the Maze.
Finally, Thomas slowed to a halt. The incessant sound of feet pounding against stone ended.
Green stopped as soon as he came into her line of sight.
"What... the hell... was that?" She panted.
"A Griever I think." Thomas sputtered.
"Did we lose it?" Green asked, standing up straight.
"I think so. I can't hear it any more."
"That was horrifying. How many are there?"
"No idea."
Green studied the hall in front of her. "We need to make some sort of plan. We can't just run from those things for the next 6 and a half hours."
Thomas nodded in agreement, "Any ideas."
Her eyes travelled to the large walls. They were covered in long vines from top to bottom. "What if we climbed them?" Green said to herself.
"What?"
"Yah, yah that could work." A new excitement burst through her. "Thomas what if we climbed up these walls? We could get to the top and stay there quietly until the time ran out."
"How are we going to climb them?" Thomas demanded.
Green ran to the wall, "We can tie one of these vines around our waist and use another as a rope. We'll make it up in no time! Then we can scale down as soon as the sun rises."
"What if we fall?"
"We won't." She insisted. "Besides, what choice do we have?"
A sound echoed through the corridor, louder this time, faster this time. It came from either direction, both the left and the right.
Thomas looked at Green, clutching a vine tightly in her hands.
"Hurry." He ordered, making his way over to the wall. "Tie yourself in tightly, and be careful."
"And be fast." Green added.
As soon as they were both secured by a rope, the pair began pulling them selves up the 30 foot high wall as the sounds of Grievers scrambling for their next victim resonated through the corridors.
"""""""
Thanks to those who reviewed! I'm really getting into this story! Let me know what you think. criticism is welcome, just keep it constructive please! Oh and of course everything except the story line and Green belong to James Dashner!
