Chapter Ten

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. ~ Winston Churchill

The Glade plunged into silence, as if a large vacuum had been placed above and sucked out all the sound; odd it was. The dead boy, now lying still on the ground, was not dead anymore. Newt had gently taken the paper from my shaking hands and read it aloud to those who couldn't see it, but instead of erupting into a state of confusion, the Gladers all stood around, astonished.

I expected some shouts, questions, even an argument to explode from some characters. Nothing of the sort came out. All eyes were glued to the boy lying on the floor, asleep, his chest slowly rising and falling with shallow breaths. He was very much alive, and we all knew it.

I rose from my sitting position on the floor, backing up away from the comatose. I kept my eyes glued to him, making sure that he wouldn't suddenly jump up and attack me again. Newt took my side, lightly taking my elbows, guiding me away from the hushed crowd. I was still in shock from the events that just unfolded. He led me to a nearby tree, far from the Gladers but that bit close so that nothing important was missed. Letting go of me, I sunk down the tree, the rough bark scraping up my back as I fell.

"It's alright," Newt whispered as he knelt in front me. "He couldn't have meant you, it could have been Greenie for all we knew. You were the first person he leeched on."

I whimpered in response, burying my head into my lap. I felt Newt's hand tapping my head, trying to comfort me.

I tried my absolute best not to stick out, to be hidden among the crowd. Yet, it seemed that whatever I did always ended up with me in the centre of attention. All I could gather from the arrival was the idea I, indeed, was not expected in any way, and neither was he.

A fit of frustration came over me, the need to rub the writing on my arm remove its existence from my arm. Nevertheless, no matter how hard I tried to rub, it wouldn't go. Nothing would go.

"Stop that!" Newt exclaimed as he turned from watching the Box. He grabbed my hands from each other, fighting them both from attacking one another as best as he could.

"I don't want it. None of this. I want to go home!" I growled as I tried to yank my hands from his grip. He refused to let go, staring me down with his dark brown eyes. "Let go of my hands. This instant!"

With that demand, Newt dropped my hands onto my lap. He stood up from his kneeling position in front of me and leant against the tree above me. His dark eyes focused back to the scene over by the Box. Letting out a deep sigh, he cross to stand beside me and in turn slid down the side of the tree till he was sat next to me, his head resting on the bark, his eyes closed. I watched for a few minutes as he inhaled and exhaled in a rhythmic beat, as if he was asleep. It wouldn't have surprised me if he had.

"Haven't you got something better to do then sit here?" I questioned him, hoping that he would at least hear me.

"Yeah, I do," Newt replied, not opening his eyes. "But, Alby said this mornin' I was supposed to keep an eye on ya, in case you do anythin' … weird."

I huffed in response, annoyed that I was considered weird. I turned my attention back to the commotion that went on around the Box. Clint and Jeff had appeared by Alby's side after I was whisked away. He wanted them to move the unconscious boy into the Homestead where an eye could be kept on him.

How did I know this? Alby had been yelling his commands for the past five minutes, becoming very frustrated with every word he spoke. Clint bent over to examine the boy, picking up an arm then dropping it. After a few moments, he stood up and spoke to Alby on his left.

With a flick of the leaders' wrist, he nodded in agreement with what was said. My eyes narrowed as I watched Jeff step over to grab the boy by his arms, while Clint took hold of him by the feet. They lifted his body with great effort – he must have been heavier than they had expected. Alby leaned in one more time to have a closer look at his face. Satisfied, he nodded the Med-jacks away to the Homestead, the boy bouncing as they went.

"You've never seen him before?" came Newt's voice by me. His eyes were now open, watching the same scene as I was.

"I've already said that I don't," I said through gritted teeth, trying to avoid a snappy tone. I was sick of the consent questions that were asked of me. I had already answered them, they must listen to me and not doubt my words.

"You sure?" Newt probed, rising from his position on the ground. Once he was fully upright, he turned and extended a hand in my direction. I grasped it and pulled myself up until I, to, was standing. We both made our way back to the lessening crowd, where Alby and Greenie stood on the outskirts.

"… Why are you grilling me like this?" Greenie asked as we approached them in mid-conversation.

Alby shook his head in disagreement, then turned to Newt. "Something's whacked. We need answers. Call a Gatherin'." He said this gently enough that only I and the key surrounding people could here. Then the leader and co walked off, leaving Greenie and I alone in silence.

"What's a Gathering?" Greenie questioned, his eyebrow raised.

Shrugging my shoulders, I replied with the best answer I could give. "I think, now don't quote me on this, when the Keepers meet when somethin' weird happens. They had one when I turned up."

"It's also to decide punishments," came a squeaky voice from beside me. Chuck had approached from behind, intent on scaring the living daylights out of us. "And Runners."

"Thanks for the input," I mumbled. "Now what do you want?"

Chuck looked up to me, his mouth partially opened, when a loud rumbling sound interrupting what he wanted to say. I turned to see Greenie's face deepening into a bright shade of red. "I didn't finish my breakfast this morning," he stuttered as embarrassment flooded him. "Is there any food to eat?"

I sighed with annoyance. At a time like this, all he can think about is food! Placing my hands on my hips, I spoke words that I made sure that wouldn't hint at my anger. "Come on then, Frypan must have somethin'."

The kitchen was not far away from where Chuck, Greenie and I stood by the Box. Carefully, we snuck into the building, making sure that we weren't seen by Frypan or any of his cooks. It was fairly big, the Kitchen, with everything in it that could make a decent meal. A big oven, a microwave, a dishwasher, a couple of tables. All the essentials placed within, but it seemed old and rundown; thankfully clean.

The last time I had stepped foot in these parts was when I created a huge mess of the place. I'm surprised Frypan was able to get the mess out of the walls.

"Chuck, I'm gonna leave you to it. I've got stuff to do," I said as I left them both ransacking a cupboard.

I felt an inclination to go back and once more search through my bag; to try and find something that may have helped with who I was. As I entered outside, I headed straight for the Homestead, walking through the open door and tiptoeing towards my room. Silently, I opened the door. Once safety inside, I again silently closed the door, pushing the door slowly so that the click wasn't as loud as it could have been.

My room was of basic nature, with everything that would normally be found in a room. The walls were white-washed, no distinguish colour about them; in places they were peeling. A small cot was located underneath a very small window. Window, no, what I meant is a square hole in the wall. It never rained here, so there wasn't a need for glass to protect the inside. A single light hung from the ceiling, dirt smothering the tips of it. The small cot was the best part of the room, the sleeping bag laying on top on a not-so-comfortable mattress – lovely.

Alone, finally, I let out a long sigh of relief and jumped on the thin bed, knocking my bag off in the process. I hadn't realised how tired I actually was, waking up at god-knows-what-time running round the Glade, and the nightmares that kept me awake whenever I had them. No one really knew about what I was going through, the fear of falling asleep. Eventually, someone would find out and ask questions I couldn't answer.

I sat up from lying down, bending down to pick up one of the fallen notebooks from the floor. I skimmed through it, scanning each page as it fluttered by. The circles etched within the book meant something important, a code of some sort that told all the answers I needed. I read over that book, over and over again, trying to make sense of what was needed to solve it.

I individually separated each page on my lap as I studied the circles intently. Few hours' sleep seemed to catch up fast as each page I turned again and again started to blur into one. Circles formed into a mess on the page as my eyes tried to shut, searing pain vanquished as they closed tight. A quiet, muffled thud echoed through my room as the book, placed on my lap, fell onto the floor.

My mind still fully conscious, I felt my body slowly collapse onto the thin mattress; a small silver string lightly tugging my mind into a dark unforgiving sleep. As my head crashed onto the bed, the silver string's pull became stronger, pulling me into a nightmare that I truly though I could never wake from.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Hiss.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Hiss.

My eyes snapped open to darkness. A darkness that was dimly lit by an unknown source of light. I closed them again and wished for my body to wake up, but it wouldn't. I was stuck here, inside my head to face the nightmares.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Hiss.

I, again, opened my eyes to the strange darkness to see where exactly I was placed. At this point I could only see above, a dull metallic ceiling that reflected the light that came into a sort of metal room. Now fully awake, I tried to sit up from lying on the strange bench, but I couldn't, my arms and legs were bound tightly by something hard and unforgiven. Panic surged up as I tried to twist my arms and legs free from my bonds. A few moments of trying to do this, the bonds simply clicked open and I was released from the bed.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Hiss.

I quickly detached myself from the unforgiving bench, not wanting to get locked in again if I left my arms and legs in there for too long.

I hopped off the bed and to my disappointment I saw that I was stuck standing in a small metallic room with no exit. The room quickly reminded me of my unpleasant journey up in the Box, how alone I was, and how very trapped I felt. I clutched my stomach to stop it from throwing up. Where the heck was I?

For one thing, it didn't feel like a nightmare or a dream. It felt completely real. Another memory that I would have to act out, again.

A small light was located on the far corner of the room, emitting as much light its small stature could do. Which wasn't enough for my eyes to fully adjust to the darkness.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Hiss.

It was chilly inside the metallic room, with nothing around any source of warmth. The best I could do was place myself into a corner and hug my knees until some warmth came back into them. But that wouldn't happen, the thin hospital gown that I wore brought no warmth or comfort, just the smell of death and despair. My head collapsed into my knees, creating a small ball that I could curl into.

Who knows how long I was in that room for?

The next thing I knew, a low click came from the opposite wall. I peered up from my tight ball to see a door appear on the other side of the room. The door stood out like a sore thumb. Unlike the metallic room, the door was a soft brown colour, presumably was wood. A large, golden handle beckoned my hand to open the fine wooden door and to peek at the wonders that could be found beyond it.

I was suspicious at first, the door suddenly appearing when I wasn't looking. Was this some sort of test? Was I expected to go through that door? I waited to see if my theory was correct. I wasn't going through unless dragged through kicking and screaming.

I waited and waited, but for a while nothing did. There was nothing to tell me to go through the door, so I wouldn't.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

You would say that that was the first time I had registered the strange noise that vibrated throughout the room. Its sequence had changed over the time I spent here. Whatever was out there made me want to stay in this metallic box and not leave more.

Now aware of the noise beyond, I focused in on them, waiting for the next sequence to come. I remained sitting in the corner, curled up in a ball, anticipating the next sounds to rumble through. There was at least a five minute gap between each one, but not this time. Twenty minutes passed before I knew any better.

I zoned out in that time waiting, my mind trying to think up possible ways to escape the memory I found myself in. After a while, a noise started to play in the room. It sounded exactly like a smoke alarm. At first it was like a ringing sound in my ears, but seconds later it amplified enough that it drowned out any thought I had. I covered my ears with my hands, nonetheless the sound only got louder and louder.

"Turn it off!" I yelled to whoever flicked the switch. In response, the volume only increased. My head felt like it would split in half from the noise if it didn't stop promptly.

I stumbled away from the wall, the volume immediately lowering from a deafening shriek to a piercing whistle. I took another step towards the wooden door and the volume dropped a fraction of what it was. I took another towards the wooden door and the volume dropped a fraction of what it was. Something clicked in my head and I got the hint. When my hand touched the golden brass handle, the noise dropped to an annoying buzz.

So that's what they want me to do, to risk my life and go through this unknown doorway. The ringing cut off entirely when I pressed down on the handle. Even though I resented the torture, I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

But, I waited there too long to open the door, and the heinous buzzing resumed. They desperately wanted me to go through this door. Curiosity grabbed me, and I hastily released my hand from the handle. The piercing noise in my ears reached siren level, my eyes watering.

Without thinking, I clutched the handle and pushed it down, but the wailing kept going on. The noise wouldn't' going to stop until I went through that door. I had no time to process what was going on; all I wanted was the noise to end.

So, I hesitantly pulled on the door to see if the noise would lower to the annoying buzzing sound. It did not; they weren't taking any chances this time. They wanted me to go through that door. My exit now pulled fully wide open, I ran through to escape that horrid room into … another room. This just keeps getting worse and worse.

The door swung shut behind me, its boom ringing through the white room which I now found myself in. This room was completely empty; nothing littered the floors, nothing littered walls. I glanced behind me to see if the wooden door was there, again it had disappeared from view leaving no exit. Unsure of what I was supposed to do, I walked to the other side to try and discover if there was anything of interest that I might come across. But the more I walked, the further away I got from the wall. Well, what I thought was a wall.

My bare feet plodded along the hard ground, until something soft tickled the bottom of them. I peeped down to discover that I was no longer standing on the white harsh floor, but in a patch of bright green grass.

Where had that come from? I thought.

The patch looked strange against the harsh white room, the colour bright against the white. Though it was strange, I didn't complain one bit, for I accepted the brief relief from the cold, hard ground I'd been walking on. I wriggled my toes in the grass, letting the soft ends tickle my feet. A small giggle escaped from me as I did this. I must have been mad.

The grass stirred beneath my feet, a dark stem weaving and twisting, a small bud forming at the end of it. I studied the strange show of the little flower blossoming so swiftly beneath me; a little red rose exploding from it. My brows furrowed together in confusion towards the strange plant that finished growing. A small smile creeped along my face with the fascination of how this plant go do something as extraordinary as this.

Boom.

My head snapped up to the deafening sound. But, my confusion was, once again, greeted with an extraordinary happenings. A bright, brilliant blue sky splashed itself up above me, white fluffy clouds drifting along over my head.

"This is odd," I mumbled, arching my head all the way up. "No sun, though."

I gazed back down towards earth for an answer, to find that trees had grown around me. I, the centre. I spun on my heel to try and registered the magic behind the illusion, to discover I stood in a small meadow with the only flower located right in front of me.

I, like the clouds, drifted away from the flower towards the line of trees to find an exit. A noise started to play throughout the room, the same annoying buzz that I dealt with in the metallic one. Immediately, I stopped in my tracks, the annoying buzz carrying on.

I cautiously took another step towards the glade of trees. Instantly, the buzzing sound increased in volume to a piercing whistle once more.

"Fine," I said, holding my hands up in defeat. I guessed what they wanted and made my way back to where the flower stood high and mighty. I positioned my feet in their original spot and waited. The noise returned to an irritating buzz. "What am I supposed to do?" I called out to the nothingness.

"Survive," a gruff voice replied, vibrating around the room.

"Survive exactly what?"

"Pick the flower and survive," was all that was said.

I paused for a few moments, testing the people behind the button. I knew they were watching, there presence clearly indicated with the interaction. Waiting only amplified the annoying buzzing to an ear piercing screech. Unable to bear the noise, I bent down and snapped the thin stem of the rose. I clutched it tightly in my hands and thrusted it up into the air for the people to see.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Hiss.

In return, a thunderous roar boomed across the room, the trees shaking with fear. The ones directly in front of me started to shake, threatening snaps becoming predominantly louder as it got closer. The ground shook beneath me, dirt rising as it tore apart.

"Clarke?" a muffled voice spoke behind me, familiar but unseen. "Wake up, Clarke!"

The whispers of the voice increased in volume as I stumbled backwards from where I stood.

Trees collapsed as another roar bellowed from the direction. I spotted tips of a horns bobbing above the treeline, heading straight for me. What was I supposed to do, protect myself with a flimsy flower? Prick it to death? I growled in frustration, picked my feet up and ran for the furthest away trees.

I heard the final defence of trees crack behind me, I turned my head to see, for the first time, the creature that hunted me down. The stench that radiated off that thing was foul, its grey furry body oozing with a green gooey liquid that emitted the horrid stink.

Its body stood at least fifteen feet tall and forty feet wide, gigantic. The creature's face was squashed in many places, a large scar running down the left side of its face. Something must have gotten to it if it was able to injury the nasty creature. The mouth, however, stopped me dead in my tracks – frozen in fear. Too scared to run. Two sharp, long tusks stuck up curving round its head. A few teeth poking out.

How the hell was I supposed to bloody well survive with only a shucking flower?

"Wake up, Clarke!" the voice spoke once again. The creature reacted badly to it, lifting its enormous body from the ground onto its hind legs, roaring in anger. The surrounding trees quivered from fear. The room shook as the creature landed back onto the ground, anger filling its large yellow eyes. Not good news.

"Just throw water over her, she might wake up then," a different voice spoke, replacing the old.

"I don't want to die," I screamed at the people watching. A final roar came from its mouth, and it charged in my direction. I forced myself to move, willing my legs to run as fast as I could. But, I was a slug and it was a lion.

One of the creature's front legs hooked round my waist, dragging me back towards it. I screamed in fear as its long, sharp claws digging into my skin. I screamed in pain as I felt a warm sensation along my waist. I screamed for death to come.