You gotta remember.

You can't forget, not this.

Remember, something, anything.

About them, what they're doing.

The cliff, the cliff.

Go to the cliff.

My eyes opened slowly, I was sleeping huddled in my bag on the ground. Slowly I sat up, looking around my surroundings I saw that everyone was still asleep. I pulled myself free of the sleeping bag and tied up my shoes and pulled my fingers through my tangled hair. Outside there were only noises of animals and I could barely make out a few shapes of people wondering around the glade. I didn't feel the need to eat anything so I walked around for a little while. I walked around the glade finding myself outside the deadhead forest. Standing where the trees meant the field like land I looked over the glade. This couldn't be all that was meant for us, could it?

The maze.

The words blew through my mind like the breeze. I looked at the towering stone walls and at the large gap that was the door, I watched as Minho jogged out alone. This must have been the time the runners left. I needed to go out there, to see what was out there. To the cliff, something about the maze and this cliff called my name. I needed to see it.

"What are you doing up this early?" Asked a kind and familiar voice. I turned and saw Newt walking toward me. He always seemed to be at arms length, nearby and always able to find me. The thought made me slightly happy knowing there was someone I knew close by. But the realization that he probably only kept my at arms length was because he was responsible for me, occurred and I felt sad. Wishing there was another reason and other than the fact I was the new greenie.

"I just woke up," I told him as he joined me at the edge of the forest.

"Must be the doors, the rumbling often wakes a couple people," He said happily take up a position beside me.

"Have you ever been in the maze?" I asked looking back to the cold gray stone.

"Many times. I use to be a runner, as a matter of fact." I looked at him surprised.

"Really?"

"Yup, I'm glad I'm not doing it anymore, though. The Bloody place was afoul. Bad things happened."

"Is that how you got your limp?" I asked and immediately regretting it feeling as if I overstepped bounds. But he simply looked at me with a calm exception.

"I think that's a story for another day." He said and I felt relieved he didn't sound hurt or upset. It grew quiet between us and watched as the other leaders slowly rose and got went about their day.

"We should head to breakfast before there's nothing left."

We headed back through the field of grass and made our way to the kitchen. There weren't many people there but it was starting to fill up. In no time at all the room would be filled with people all eating quick and fast before heading to work. I looked around and Chuck was nowhere to be seen. So having lost site of anyone I knew I took up a seat near the end of the table. It was, after all, safer sliding into a seat then stepping over. The maze kept coming to mind, the things I had heard in my dream replaying over and over. When I watched a small boy take the seat beside me I was still lost in thought and it took his hand in front of my face to bring me back.

"Somebody's tired," He said taking the first few bites of his food.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"What about?" He asked taking another mouthful of food.

"The maze," I told him and he choked as I said that, taking a great swing of water to wash it down.

"Why are you thinking about that place?" I waited a minute before answering, making sure what I was saying was true and not a streak of crazy.

"I think, I might want to go in it." He looked at me with wide eyes.

"Are you crazy?"

"Yes, but that's beside the point," I said with a smile and he gave me a smile for the joke.

"Whatever, what happened after I left last night?" He asked and I thought back to the full conversation of last night.

"Nothing," I told him.

"Really?" He asked sounding almost surprised.

"Yeah, why do you sound surprised?" I asked narrowing in with suspicion.

"No reason. I just thought Minho would have had a lot to say." He said quickly and looking away. I didn't press him on it but he seemed uncomfortable like something was bothering him. I thought now maybe it would have been best to not bring up the maze-like I had.

After about an hour of wondering around the glade, we decided it was time for work. The others were just starting to acutely work when I walked up some of the boys were trying to cut out a tree trunk from the field but most others were on their hands and knees in the dirt of the fields. I was quickly ushered to work by Zart. Harvesting the garden and placing everything in a basket I had been thrown. After clearing a few plants free of anything worth taking I was ordered to go give everything to Frypan. Without hesitation, I got up and gladly crossed the Glade away from the hard labor. I made my way into the kitchen to find it empty Frypan wasn't anywhere in sight. I made my way into the back and heard a loud crash. Peering through the doorway there stood an angry Minho fighting with another boy. He was repeatedly punching him beating the boy over and over. The other boy was fighting back but not very well. He grabbed the boy by his shirt and threw him hard against a wall. He was shouting at him then threw another punch at the boy then let go letting him drop to the floor. He stormed from the room and I jumped back from the door. Still, even after moving he ran into me. He paused for a moment then realized I might have seen what happened.

"How long have you been standing there?" Minho asked

"Longer than you'd like," I said stepping back, I was intimidated by the boy.

"You aren't going to say anything about this right?" He said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Of course not," I said stepping back, I knew it would be a terrible idea to mess around with the keeper of the runners, and a boy possibly twice my size.

"Good." He said with a half smile then he turned to leave. Then it occurred to me that he was the keeper of the runners and I had something on him.

"Wait," I said and he stopped and turned around, looking at me with squinted eyes of suspecting.

"What?" He questioned.

"I won't tell anyone what I just saw if you do something for me." He looked almost shocked but then smiled.

"Looks like you're tougher than I first thought. Alright, what do you want?"

"Take me in the maze." His eyes grew huge.

"You're crazy. Why would you want to go in there?"

"That's not important."

"Forget it, if I take you in the maze I'm in the pit for the next week, fighting or the maze same punishment. No deal."

"What if no one finds out you took me in the maze? No one knows so no one gets in trouble." I said I could feel his frustration and felt dumb doing this myself, threatening someone far superior to myself.

"And how well is that going to work, Newts always keepin' an eye on you. Once he sees you're gone he'll know something's up."

"Not if I get Chuck to cover for me, get him to say I'm sick or something." I said going through the plan in my head. He was quiet for a moment.

"What happens if we still get caught?"

"I tell them it was all my idea."

"Which it was." He made clear. After a moment for him to think he finally answered

"Fine, I'll take you in the maze. Tomorrow you get up before dawn and we leave before Alby or any of the others wake up. You listen to every word I say and don't tell anyone. If I get caught bringing you into the maze it might be worse than getting caught fighting." Without another word, he stormed from the room. I thought about what had just happened, it was clear he and I wouldn't be the best of friends but I won and he was taking me into the maze. Now my only problem was getting Chuck to help.

The next morning came too early, Minho had roughly shoved me with his foot to wake me up. I scrabbled to my feet and followed him out of the homestead. Outside was empty not a single other glader was out there. Never had I seen it so empty before. Minho let me choke back some food before dragging me to some shed. He threw some kind of harness at me and told me to grab two knives of my choosing from an old box in the corner. He looked through a bucket for shoes but none of them would fit me. So since it was only for one day we told me I didn't need them, he tossed me a bag and we headed out just as the walls opened.

"If we get caught I'm blaming everything on you," He said as he jogged out of the glade. I took my first steps on the stone ground then another and another. I felt so strange to leave the glad almost scary but before I knew it, the glad was completely out of sight.

My lungs burned and my legs begged me to stop, perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. Minho ran without fault ways in front of me, I was dying behind him barely able to keep up.

"Getting tired there Greenie?" He scoffed I wanted to shot some sarcastic remark at him but needed the air too much to waste it on talking. Soon he stops and I nearly fell over when he did.

"We'll take a break, for now, then we should head back," He said as he took a seat near one of the walls. I dropped to my knees trying to catch my berth. My clothes we drenched in sweat, my feet throbbed along with my knees. I can't believe I'm saying this but I miss the field work. I drank all of the water I had from one bottle and half of the other. Minho just laughed, he didn't look tired at all just broad.

"It's harder than you thought huh?" He asked and I nodded "Why did you even want to come out here?" He asked taking a bite of a sandwich he had in his bag. I couldn't bring myself to eat anything, I felt close to throwing up.

"I wanted to see the cliff," I told him and he looked utterly confused.

"You blackmailed me into taking you out here, putting myself at risk so you could see the nothingness that is the cliff?"

"Yup." I panted

"You're crazy." He laughed

"Yeah, so I've been told." It was finally quiet, my berthing back to normal and my tired knees begging me to just sit there forever.

"If you really want to see the cliff, it's around the corner. Turn left past that wall." He said point to one of the Ivy draped gray slabs. I stood up ignoring the pain that came with each step as I went around the wall. I found myself facing eternal nothing. Just empty space that looked like it stretched on forever. I looked out over it like watching the sea from afar.

The cliff

You know it's the cliff

The words sounded in my head like a whisper. I got closer, the edge my toes just on the edge of the cliff. I looked out and felt like I was looking at something, something important. I clawed at hand through the air in front of me to feel it was real. My hand hadn't even fallen through my stride when I was suddenly pulled backward and onto the ground.

"Do you have a shuckin' death wish?!" Minho shouted over me he sounded totally enraged "Had you been any closer to the edge you would have fallen right off the cliff! Gone!" He shouted

"I was just looking!" I shouted back getting to my feet.

"Well next time do us both a favor and don't." He was a little calmer but still angry.

"Come on. Let's get back to the glad before you go and find some other way to kill yourself."

He said and began jogging off in the other direction. I looked over my shoulder starting at the cliff once more before falling behind him again.

It was endless silence as I jogged along behind him, thankfully he had slowed his pace and made it a little more bearable for me to keep up.

"Half way h-" he was cut off by a loud metallic sound. A ghastly wail filled the air followed by the sound of metal on stone. Minho stopped dead in his tracks,

"A geriver." He said under his breath almost to himself. "We gotta go." He said and took off in a full on sprint. He moved faster than I could possibly.

"Minho!?" I shouted he was getting too far ahead. My heart raced faster and faster as I tried to keep up, fear pulsing through my veins. I was afraid, terrified I'd be left alone there with this monster in the maze. He didn't slow down and soon he was out of site I ran as fast as I could but couldn't keep up. One corner after another but I still couldn't see him. Suddenly the loud metallic sound was back, this time, louder, closer, to close. I froze, fear the only thing I knew, it got closer and closer. I looked around and it sounded like it was behind me. I ran to the nearest wall and piles the long Ivy stands over me. Hiding beneath them. Soon the sound was closer, right in front of me and the metal scrapping came around the corner. I felt my whole body shaking my knees weak and my berthing sounded too loud like it would hear me. I clamped one hand over my mouth and tried to breathe through my nose. I watched as the blob of skin and metal crawled past me. I didn't know what I was expecting but, I wasn't expecting this. It's strange noise consuming the air around me. As it slowly went by I smelt the metal and oil thick and sticky in the air. Suddenly it stopped dead in front of me. It scanned everything around it with a red light. It knew I was there. Out of now where something lashed out and grabbed my ankle and dragged me out of the vines. I screamed, screamed so loud the gladers must have heard it. The thing then shot out a needle-like arm. Plunging the sharp metal towards me I rolled out of the way. It missed stabbing the hard ground, deforming the metal tip. Frantically clawing at the knife on my backpack I swung at the beast. Slicing some of the grey pinky flesh. A white puss like substance oozed out. It made a noise so loud I had to cover my ears. It let go my of ankle and I scrambled to my feet and sprinted away. I had never run so fast in my life. Terrified all the pain of my limbs was gone. I heard it coming after me, the loud and fast pace of the claws on the stone ground. It caught one of my legs and I fell smashing my face on the ground, arms breaking most of my fall. I was dragged backwards, I clawed at the vines holding on as tight as I could with sweaty hands. It was pulling with great force it felt like my leg might come lose but the vine did. I grabbed the knife again and repeatedly stabbed at the metal arm that dragged me. I stabbed until something broke. The arm came lose releasing its grip. I swung the knife at the creature, slicing and cutting its fat like flesh. I kept moving never staying in one place. Cutting and stabbing at the thing, I felt crazy and terrified. It lifted a long metal arm about to lung, I threw myself forward and landed behind it. I plunged my knife it a lose hanging flap of skin with a metal piece sticking out. The thing made a terrible sound then stopped. Everything about it, the nose, the moving, all stopped. Unable to believe it was dead I stood there staring. Minho then came running around the corner. He stopped totally shocked.

"You killed it." He finally managed. "How?"

"I-I don't know." I muttered. "We should leave." I mumbled. He nodded and I jogged up beside him, then ahead not able to let the adrenaline wear off until I was safe again.

We reached the door back to the glad but, before I turned the corner to the glad to be out of that place Minho stopped me.

"Wait here awhile, there's probably people watching the doors since they probably heard the geriver and chances are your screams. But don't wait around to long, the doors will be closing soon and you might have killed a geriver but at night there's often more than one." I nodded still shook up from the attack. I stayed in the corner watching as he ran back into the glad. I wanted nothing more than to go back inside. But as I watched Minho jog deeper in the glad where he was confronted by someone, then a bunch more boys. He looked back over his shoulder at the door where I was hiding. He laughed and walked away the boys close behind him. I slowly stepped around the corner and started walking toward the door. I stuck close to the walls I took long steps over the tangled vines on the ground. I was just outside the door now and no one was there. Slowly I jogged past the stone door, looking at the spike that stuck out from the left side. I reached the soft grass again and felt the want to just fall down. I couldn't, so sticking close to the walls were hidden by the shadows I kept going. I was a fair distance away from the door when I felt the ground shake and all doors rumbled shut. Thankful I had made it through onto safe ground. Everyone seemed to be watching the door like they were afraid they wouldn't hold the gerivers back. I remained there ways from the door and felt the horrible pain in my joints, there was blood on my arms and a few starches. I thought I was concealed in the dark but when Chuck came jogging up to me he looked horrified.

"What happened?!" He asked

"Long story, but it starts with the unfortunate meeting of a geriver." I said slowly walking to homestead not taking my eyes off the frail building in hopes to just go to sleep.

"Were you stung?!" He asked scared

"No, just took an afoul beating." I told him stopping to calm the frightened boy.

"You need to go see Jeff." He said pushing me toward the building faster. Chuck helped me to the med-jacks room and onto one of the cots. I asked him to get me a few things and I started tending to my wounds. Jeff came in after dealing with Nick no doubt. He then took the cloth from me and the bandage and did it himself. Telling me I was doing an afoul job, the concern the boy felt was clear to see as he tended to the cuts on my arm.

"Newt came around here earlier looking for you." He told me.

"What did you tell him?"

"That I didn't know where you were." I nodded

"How did things go today?" I asked Chuck my voice tired and sore.

"I did my best but I think people were a little suspicious. Especially Newt went off to look for you the second I said you weren't coming to work."

"You told them I was sick right, everything we had discussed?"

"I did the only problem is I'm a terrible lier."

"He is." Assured Jeff, he looked up at me while wrapping a cut in my arm.

"You're not going to ask what happened?" I asked him not sure why he hadn't said anything.

"I have a pretty good idea. I'm not going to tell anyone if that's what you're wondering."

"Thank you," I said and rested my head against the wall behind me I was so tired.

"I did tell Newt I saw you with Minho this morning." I opened my eyes again looking at him

"Great, I'll have to deal with him later a suppose." It was quiet again until Chuck thought to change things.

"So what happened to it, the geriver?"

"I don't know. It attacked me and then it stop."

"It's stopped like it left or it stopped like dead?"

"I think I killed it," I said eyes still shut, thinking back to the moment I plunged the knife into it and it let out the horrible noise then stopped altogether.

"Ow," I shouted as Jeff applied some of that burning cleaning stuff.

"I've been here for a very long time never has anyone ever killed a geriver." He said morbidly, I didn't know what to say I just remained quiet. He finished wrapping the cuts and told me I was going to stay there overnight. I thanked him it was probably better there not needing to deal with anyone other than my friends. Chuck had brought me something to eat and remained there with me asking question after question about the maze. That is until Jeff pushed him out saying he need to be gone. I was so tried I thanked Jeff allowed myself to settle down in the small cot, it didn't take very long before I feel asleep. My dreams hallow and black, except for the words that slowly faded in.

You know how to get out.

Do it before it's too late.