Hey :) Ch 6 is coming :) But before that, let me clear some things about Zera's looking. Some of you didn't like how she was described, why she isn't pretty. Let me quote what I wrote in a letter about that topic:
"I don't think of Zera as an ugly girl :D She is just not that classical beauty with strong chest (if you know what I mean ;) and long hair and everything. She is a runner and runs a lot and if you run a lot, your body will change the fat into muscle, and yeah, you run off your breasts too. Most of the Olympic runner looks like that: slim, muscled women, without any fat. That means no big breasts."
This is why she is flat :) About the face: she is still not ugly. She is average. But she is also 16-17 years around, a teenage girl who starts to be interested in how she looks. Well, most of the teenage girls thinks 'I am ugly.' Even if it is not true. And especially if there are beautiful girls around.
So, I hope I cleared the things up a little :) Enjoy ch 6! :)
When the Sun was setting on the next day the boys gathered around their gate. The girls went over as well. The banishing had come. One of the boys whose name was Gally took the prison to the Gates. The boy was frightened and tried to freed himself but Gally held him strongly. Alby spoke some words about order and justice than simply pushed the frightened boy out with long staffs. The mass was there until the gates closed fully. They could hear the agonised crying from the boy and when the gates closed loudly total silence fell on the Glade. Slowly the boys and girls turned one by one and walked away. Zera did the same.
"Have a good night, you prick.", she murmured under her nose.
Some day later after the banishing the permanent tension was gone. No other attack happened and slowly the girls started open to the boys. First just a couple of curios girls appeared at the border between the two sides of the Glade. Some of the boys were curious too, but nothing more happened just a few "Hello"s. actually it was Sammy who broke the ice.
As the girls ran outside the Glade, Sam always said they were not enough to discover all of the Maze. Zera wanted to go with her but Harriet asked some more days from her just to see everything were perfectly safe for the girls in the Glade. They hadn't got any Newbie so far, so Sam had to improvise.
Minho and the others are also started to run outside and this gave Sam an idea. Why she would bother to get more runners if they already had twice of them as before? Maybe they can work together... Sammy never thought about things so much, soon she walked across to the boys and looked for Minho. When she found him and talked to him they agreed to share their running maps and experiences. Which walls moved, which sections were closed and things like that. With that agreement this was the first collaboration between the boys and the girls. The runners created a bridge between the two communities and did that without even knew about it.
When Harriet was totally sure about the boys she let Zera go. She happily went out with Sam and ran all day, in this new Maze.
"So... Why do you need twice as more runners then we do?" asked Minho as he sat next to Sam and Zera at the breakfast table. By that time some of the male runners go across freely to the girls, mostly to the runners to discuss routes and things. Zera felt it a little strange but it felt good also. It was nice to have somebody else around yourself and get to know him.
"The Maze is quite big Minho, I am sure you already know that." Sam tried to avoid the question. She didn't know how much Zera wanted to share. But Zera could feel this is the time when the boys had to know the truth. They'll know it soon anyway.
Minho already started to argue, but Zera was the fastest.
"We have two groups because we run at two different times. Sam and her group are running at the day. I and my group are running at night."
Minho stared at her in silence. He looked at her like she was completely crazy.
"Nobody can do that. Nobody… nobody survives a whole night in the Maze."
"Well, it seems it can be done. We survived. Almost a full year."
"That is not possible!" Minho argued "You just simply die! And why the hell you run at night anyway?"
"For a great exercise, what the bloody hell you think, why? We go out, kill as many Grievers we can, than go inside."
Minho just shook his head and couldn't believe what the girls said. Nobody could do that! That is suicide.
The news about the running girls at night spread like wild fire. The boys continued to told that it is not possible and totally craziness, but Zera didn't care. They hadn't got the guts to do it that was all. She tried to ignore their derisive words, but she couldn't help and smirked at the thought how the boys' faces will look like when they actually saw them running out of the gates at night.
And that moment was close. Zera and her group ran with Sam's group every day and collect every tiny information about the maze, the routes, the changing walls. They created maps all of the changes, so they got every version on paper. The boys were a huge help. With them, the girls didn't have to run around their parts too – it was so much quicker. Of course they run in their territory for several times, just to knew that part too, but they didn't bothered with creating maps about it. They already got that part done.
The first sign about Grievers happened soon. It was sunset when they heard the screaming, close to the boys' gate. In the next second they saw two boys: one was screaming and the other grabbed the screaming one and helped him to walk. Everybody ran toward them, and started asking questions. Two seconds later the boys' leader Alby was there too.
"What happened?"
"It was a shucking Griever. We ran into that monster about twenty minutes ago; we headed back when it happened. Everything happened so quickly. We tried to run out and lost the thing but it was quicker and stabbed Sam.
Zera knew what that means. The Chancing is coming. First the person who was stabbed could feel only the pain, that's why Ben screamed so much. Then unconsciousness was coming and without antiserum; death. The girls also suffered that kind of pain and agony before, but with time and experience they learnt how to avoid the needle. Well, most of the times. You couldn't always outsmart a Griever.
Med-jacks were coming to Ben and took the serum with them. One of them injected into the boy's vein and after a minute Ben fell into silence. He couldn't feel the pain now. But the worst part was before him.
Ben's screaming haunted the Glade. Zera couldn't imagine how much pain he felt, but according to his screaming a lot. It was horrible to hear him day and night, all the time. It reminded everybody how cruel the life was here and they didn't know why they were here or how sick minded people could do this with them. She was almost happy because of running outside that night; couldn't hear the horrible screams at least. Usually they went out one hour before the sunset, in that way they still have an hour if something horrible happen and could go back to safety.
When Zera and her group were preparing in front of their gate to be ready, some of the boys gathered to watch them if they really run outside that gate. They yelled some things, like "Don't go out, it's suicide!" or "You're crazy! You will die!" and things, but the girls totally ignored them. They knew what they were doing. Soon, every one of them was ready and they ran out, into the falling night.
As the girls went Minho watched them. When the group was gone he just couldn't believe his eyes. He walked back to the boys' Glade and found Newt.
"Can you believe those girls?" he asked as he walked to his friend.
"Who? "
"The Night Runners, as they called themselves. It is a bunch of girls, who run outside… at night."
"Yeah, that is what the 'Night Runners' supposed to mean."
"Whatever, but can you believe it?! How could be anybody that stupid?"
Newt just shrugged. "If they believe that will help them somehow, let them do that. Who knows? Maybe killing Grievers is the ticket out of here."
"It is too dangerous."
"Perhaps. But perhaps they just have to do something. Some people cannot sit around and do nothing."
They started walking as they speak and reached the boys' gate. The loud noise just begun in that very moment: the gates were closing. Maybe that was the reason why they didn't spot the danger or they never looked that direction anyway. But in the very next moment a body crashed against Newt's and grabbed him. Somebody screamed constantly, and run forward fast, never let go Newt's shirt.
"Newt!" Minho screamed and after a moment he started to run. But it was way too late. The attacker was a Runner and Newt wasn't. The boy was fast and Newt struggled to escape, but his feet couldn't find a stable spot on the ground. They approached to the gate quickly. The blonde boy almost saw themselves as they were crushed by the gate. Minho screamed for help and still ran after them. As they reached the gate Newt closed his eyes: he didn't want to watch how it kills them. But in the very next moment he was thrown next to the hard and cold wall and heard the gate closing. Opened his eyes and Newt saw Ben. The guy clearly wasn't over the changing and was totally out of his mind. His crazy look never stayed in one spot, he looked everywhere. And then he flinched from a sound that just he could here inside his head and run off like a frightened pray. Newt looked around. He was all alone. In the Maze. At night.
Woah, Newt all alone in the Maze with Grievers :O Poor little thing. Will he survive? Who knows. Until that: the girls and the boys are friendly with each other at last! :D Hurray, hurray, well done Sam! I always loved you ;)
