découverte

~0~0~

2

The sun sparkled in the glow of the morning as the light-filled into a field of overgrown grass and weeds. She was normally the first one up in the morning, not that she minded it. It was nice to get a breath of fresh air before the camp was full of the children completing their jobs.

The old red barn was fading into a dark maroon color, which had been like that for as long as Lou could remember. She pulled back the wooden fence, which crumbled slightly as it was dragged across the mud.

The one cow they had, a brown and white stunning beauty whom the camp had decided on the name of Lilly, was in her small fenced pin, only about 10 feet in size. Lilly didn't seem to mind this, however, as she grazed in the area she was confined in.

Lou smiled softly as the cow raised her head slowly to look at her in the eyes. She reached out her hand, Lilly stared at her with her glossy brown eyes, then touched her nose to the palm of her hand.

"She's quite sweet." a voice said from behind her, causing her skin to prickle with goosebumps. Lou turned around slowly, seeing Zara, the farmer the camp had. Of course, she would be here, especially at this time. Lou allowed herself to relax.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Zara spoke with a sheepish smile, Lou didn't know how it was possible for someone to be so happy and cheerful in the morning, "I was just coming to milk her and I saw you here!"

"It's alright, I'll let you get to your job," Lou spoke as she stepped away from the cow, who didn't seem too bothered that she was leaving.

Zara smiled then pushed her braid behind her back, instead of it being to the right side of her head. She rolled up her green sleeves as she took her hand and climbed over the fence in one swift motion.

"Can I ask, why are you up so early? You don't have to be awake for another half an hour." Lou asked. Zara laughed, grabbing a metal bucket from one corner as she walked over to Lilly, who seemed comfortable with Zara right next to her.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to get a head start on my chores for today," Zara explained as she bent down to the ground, her boots soaked in mud and possibly other things Lou did not want to think about. This was easily one of the dirtiest jobs, but Zara always did it with a smile on her face.

"That's smart." Lou praised. Zara beamed as she milked Lilly, who didn't seem to have a care in the world. Lou watched for a few more seconds before she started to leave the farm, leaving Zara to complete her chores.

She looked down at her feet to see her boots and even the cuff of her pants soaked with dirt and mud. It had rained last night, causing all of the mud. She didn't like mud, but what was she supposed to do about it? She couldn't complain about nature, it wasn't something she could even control.

She continued back towards the main hall, which was a few minutes away from the farm. As she walked, she checked her harness - one she normally wore - for her knives, counting them in her head as she zoned out to the rhythmic thumping of her boots on the soft mud.

When she reached the main hall, a few of the camp members were already awake. She recognized all of them since she had seen them so often. Simon, the medical assistant was by himself - like he normally was - reading a book. He must have read that book millions of times by now since it is the only book in camp with a story.

Shep, Melvin, and Corine were all together, but Corine didn't seem fond of the boys infiltrating her space. Shep was performing a magic trick and Melvin was watching him with awe in his eyes.

Shep snapped, then reached behind Melvin's ear to produce a silver coin, which Melvin was surprised about. It brought a smile to Lou's face when she saw them.

"How did you do that?! Can you teach me?" Melvin asked. Shep laughed, handing him the coin.

"Sorry, Mel. A magician never reveals his secrets." Shep smirked, to which Melvin frowned. Corine looked at the two boys, rolling her eyes.

"He just hid it in his other hand," Corine stated simply. Shep looked at Corine, a small frown on his face but he also had a slight glimmer of amusement.

"You're such a fun sucker," Shep said, to which Corine rolled her eyes again. All it seemed Corine could do was roll her eyes. Lou chuckled, which brought the attention of young Melvin.

"Lou!" he called, waving her over, "Shep did a magic trick that is so cool, you have to see it!"

"Oh, I saw." Lou said as she walked over, sitting down across from Melvin, "It was very interesting." Lou spoke, glancing Corine's way. Corine sighed, looking at her hands and picking at the skin between her fingernails.

"Hey Lou, do the Hunters have a mission today?" Shep asked, glancing at Lou with hopeful eyes. Lou had to hold back a laugh.

"You ask me that every other day," Lou stated simply, to which Shep shrugged at.

"I like being in the loop." Shep coolly replied. Lou shook her head and chuckled, not wanting to give Shep's hopes up. He always seemed ready for a mission he was probably the only one who wanted to be outside the camp. It's quite reckless, but also it showed his determination. He was a very different character when they first met.

Melvin and Shep continued to talk. Melvin looked up to Shep as an older brother, and Shep took care of Melvin too. Their relationship was good, like a family. It made Lou's heart warm as she thought about family.

On the other hand, Corine didn't say anything as she stood up, walking away from the group. She never wanted to talk or even be a part of the family. Lou knew she meant well, she was as bright as bright can be and she always helped her no matter what. Corine just seemed… lonely, yet no matter what Lou or any of the camp members did, she didn't see anyone as family.

Lou heard from her left ear the sound of a door opening. She glanced and saw Slyiven exit the sleeping quarters, a tired expression on his face.

"Good morning Slyiven! We have a mission today." Shep called, smiling slightly.

Slyiven shook his head, "Not in the mood today, Shep." he replied as he continued down towards the main hall, where Breakfast was being served.

"He woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Shep joked to Melvin, who chuckled slightly.

Lou frowned instead of laughing like the boys did, however. Slyiven told her about his nightmares, most likely the reason he seems tired this morning. If he was tired all the time, that would affect his performance on the field. Maybe she should consider a new warrior, but then again, no one else was as skilled at archery as Slyiven was. It would take weeks, if not months to teach a new warrior.

Before Lou got the chance to consider the choice, a gut-wrenching scream rang throughout the entire camp. It grew eerily quiet after that, everyone's faces etched with concern. Lou sprung up immediately, Shep soon standing up after her.

"Melvin, stay here," he spoke quietly to the boy, who nodded. Lou didn't wait for another moment as she sprinted down the muddy hill, trying to find where the voice came from. Shep followed her, drawing two blades from his back pocket.

It wasn't long before the two of them reached the gate, which was closed. Lou took a deep breath in.

"Looks like you get your mission, after all, Shep." she murmured as she grabbed the gate. She lifted it high in the air, letting Shep under the gate before she moved to the outside of the camp and let it go.

They were now in the Maze.

"It didn't sound far from the Camp, are you sure this is the way to go?" Shep asked, looking at Lou with concern but also determination.

"Positive," Lou responded as she took out one knife, starting to walk straight. The giant walls loomed over them both as they both walked in silence. It was eerily quiet, the only sound being the footsteps of the two and their deep breathing.

When Lou turned a corner, she immediately saw a dreadful sight. A body laid bleeding out. She almost started to cry, thinking about who she could have lost. Shep immediately froze next to Lou as they both stood, staring at the body.

However, the more Lou looked at the body, the more she realized she didn't know who this person was. For starters, the clothing she wore was nothing that the camp had. she had what looked like a white jacket, but the jacket was pristine other than spots of blood. Also, she had glasses and gray hair.

She seemed… old…

Yet this wasn't possible. Lou knew everyone in camp, and this person was not from the camp. Lou walked over to the body, bending down and examining her. She found a blue card attached to the jacket with a metal clasp.

She pulled it off, wiping off the blood from the card to read what it said. It was a bunch of numbers and a photo, the photo of the woman lying in front of her. She put the card in her pocket as she reached for the woman's neck, checking for any sign of a pulse.

"Who is that?" Shep asked. Lou shrugged.

"I don't know…" she murmured, standing up and looking around, "She was attacked though." she sighed, "She's still alive, barely. Come on, help me carry her. I don't want to be here when the creature who attacked her wants seconds."

"Why are we taking her back to the camp?" She asked.

Lou glanced at Shep. He wasn't the brightest at planning, but Lou didn't mind. Asking questions was good, especially if you didn't know what to do in this kind of situation. Lou looked back at the body which was still bleeding out. If they didn't treat her soon, she would die.

"She could provide information. She could help us get out of this maze." Lou stated simply. Shep nodded, walking up to the woman as he picked up the woman and carried her bridal style. Lou nodded towards Shep and they walked back to the camp in silence once again.

Information; the most important thing the camp needed. Who was this woman? How did she even get here? Lou had a lot of questions.

She just hoped they would be answered.

Aye another chapter! I love all the characters I have gotten so far and I'm so excited for more! No deadline still, I don't know when it will be.