Chapter 6

The Dead walker screeched when the marbles flared. Thomas flinched and started running; he got halfway before his pursuer was on him. They struggled and fell to the floor. Face screamed and ran into the hall towards him. Newt followed her. She grabbed a flashlight from her bag and threw it at Thomas, intentionally hitting the dead walker first. It barely noticed the hit as it tried desperately to bite Thomas.

Thomas grabbed the flashlight and turned it on. The bright light made the walker squeal again and it retreated. Face motioned for Newt to help Thomas get up and before they could register what was going on, she pulled out a gun, and fired at the walker. She hit him perfectly through the head and he fell on his back.

"What the hell?!" Thomas breathed.

Face tucked the gun away and hunched next to the dead walker.

"I'm sorry James." She whispered and struggled to get up again.

After the buzz from the gunshot died down, she turned to look at Newt and Thomas. They were watching her intently.

She jerked when she saw the silhouette of another person standing just outside the light of the room they had occupied.

"Thomas, did you come here alone?" she whispered as she walked closer and reached for the flashlight.

"Patrick brought me to the building, he told me you'd be in the basement."

She took the flashlight and tilted the light towards silhouette. It screeched.

"This way," she yelled as they set off running, the dead walker on their heels. Face turned the light in her hand, illuminating the ground behind them. This kept the follower at a distance. Face led them down another hallway and before they reached a dead-end, they turned into a dark stairway. They shut the door and hurried up the stairs. Footsteps followed them from lower levels and they kept the light near them. They ran up two levels before Face ran into the door.

The struggled to get the door open and the footsteps kept getting closer. Face cried out and ran further up the stairs. They reached the next floor and pulled and pushed at the door. The door swung open and they fell into a brightly lit hallway. They shut the door behind them and tried to catch their breaths.

"What was that?" Thomas asked.

"The dead." Face answered what she considered it to be a stupid question.

"The infected don't die." Newt explained. "They turn into that, and they still live in the city."

"Like stupid Zombies?" Thomas asked, wondering why he even knew what that was.

"No, more like vampires. They move fast and bite…"

"Zombies bite." Newt added. "I don't know how I know that."

"Why did you come here?" Face asked Thomas.

"Patrick wanted me to warn you about a sand storm."

"And he sent you alone into the basement? We could have been anywhere. I'm going to kill him."

"I have to go back."

"Don't tell him that I want to kill him. I want him to be surprised." She said and added. "I'm kidding," when they stared at her, shocked. "You should go, before the sand storm."

Face walked him to the open plan lobby. And he left down the wide stairs. She and Newt watched him run down the street as the wind picked up in the distance.

"We going back down there?" Newt asked.

"No, it's not safe. We'll check out the upper floors." She turned and they walked to the nearest door. She opened the door and checked inside. There was a bit of light in the room and she walked across the floor to the window where she ripped the curtains open.

"Library?" Newt mused as he checked out the stacks of books. "I don't remember anything about my life before the maze but I remember what a library looks like?"

Face gave him a loaded look. "You don't remember anything?" she asked.

"No, but it sounds as if you do." Newt crossed his arms. She looked away and started scanning the books.

"Just boring books. Laws and things that are redundant now." She said as she threw another book down.

She turned back to the window and threw a heavy book through the window.

"What did you do that for?"

"So that no sand can ever block the window and make this room dark."

"They don't like the light, do they? That's vampire for you." Newt frowned. "Why do I know that?"

"Concept studies. We studied a lot of things before going into the mazes."

"What was your maze like? Who led you out? How long were you in there?" Newt asked without thinking.

"It was like a jungle. Everything was always wet but it didn't rain as much as we wanted it to. There were snakes and bugs everywhere." She shuddered. "I was the last girl they sent up. And then Patrick and all went to hell after that."

"Same happened with us when Thomas came up. Did you lead them out?"

"I had to. Things got really bad really quickly and we had to get out or die."

"How many got out?"

"Seventeen." She paused. "Only two of us in the manor now."

"Patrick."

Face sighed and looked out the window. "We should probably go before the storm comes."

"We'll come back?" Newt asked.

"Yeah." She nodded and they headed out.

They walked in silence out towards the city center as the wind blew lightly over the sand.

"What were you looking to find in the Golden Hall?" Newt finally asked.

"A map. Information. Identification. I don't know. Patrick's priority is to get the food and clothes and medical supplies out of the buildings as they change around. I want to find a way out."

"What's at the end of the city?" The ocean on the one side. Wasteland on the other."

"Then, where do you want to go?"

"They have to have a place where they're watching us from. If this is a test, they won't let us be out here without monitoring their test subjects. I just want to be away from here. Show them that they can't have me."

Newt watched her. A sudden wind nearly blew her off course and into him. The sand rose around them and blew in all directions.

"Perfect." she yelled as she tried to cover her face from the harsh sand. She had a genuine grin on her face and Newt didn't understand why.

"We should take cover." Newt called.

"Anywhere indoors wouldn't really be safe." She yelled and grabbed a corner of her outfit and twisted it around her. She was wrapped in layers of thin material and as she pulled it off layer-by-layer, she remained decently covered but the material was flying everywhere. She stepped closer to Newt and wrapped the material around them both like a veil. They moved to a corner where the wind wasn't trying to blow them over and sat down, covered in the cloak-like cover. It merely kept the sand out of their faces.

"You'll get cold." Was all Newt could think of saying as he looked at her exposed skin. She had distinctive scars but instead of it looking horrible, it actually made her look strong. Newt pulled her arm closer and saw a crescent shaped scar on her shoulder. She'd been watching his reactions to her scars and got bored. Newt looked up at her and frowned.

"Someone bit you?" she checked the mark he was referring to and pulled away from his touch.

"Yeah. That night I was out here alone."

"Doesn't that get you infected?"

"I suppose it should."

"But you're fine."

"Yeah." she twisted aside and showed him a strange mark. "I got stung too."

"You survived."

"I remember everything." She said suddenly.

"Thomas remembered everything too after he got stung."

She shook her head. "I've always remembered. When I woke up in the Maze, I knew everything. However, everyone I've told, has died." She looked at him intensely.

"Brilliant, you just signed my death warrant."

"No, that's why I'm telling you now. The wind and sand is drowning out every sound recorder out here."

"That's brilliant. Why are you telling me?"

"Because I remember you."