Author's Note:
Wow already 3 reviews? You guys are awesome, thank you for the encouraging words! Oh and Guest, the maze part of the story is a little inspired from The Maze Runner but the whole story itself is not, I haven't seen the movie or read the book (is there a book?) so I apologize if the plot is familiar, if it is will someone let me know? I'd hate to copy it!
Thanks again for reviewing everyone! Here's chapter 2!
She's not much of a fighter, she barely even knows how to wield the army knife given to her, she simply holds it firmly in her palm like she would a regular old kitchen knife.
Brittany didn't know how that man got into their house…..why he chose her, she just knew that she wasn't going to die, not here. She has sisters to look after and if she died…shaking the thought from her head she walks through the sunlit forest carefully, her round ears twitching at every little sound.
There are others here who would probably cut her down before she gets the chance to learn how to survive….after all if there's less people in here the better chance you have at surviving.
Releasing a light sigh she clutches the knife tighter, feeling the hard rubber of it's handle digging into her palm she wasn't watching where she was stepping.
She didn't even know the teens trapped here knew how to set hunter's traps, but now she knows they do.
The rope closes around her ankle swiftly, the harsh fibers cutting into her skin as she's suddenly yanked clean off her feet, the knife tumbles from her hold as she cries out in fear, the rope pulls taunt and she's left dangling upside down seven feet off the ground.
"S-shit…..shit…." Her pulse beats rapidly in her chest and she fumbles to get a baring on her current situation, she can already feel all the blood rushing to her head.
Brittany struggles to pull herself somewhat upright, grabbing hold of her leg she tugs at the rope wrapped snuggly around her ankle, she can barely get her fingers under the edge, it's so tight.
Fear rumbles around in her stomach making her light head even more so and she tries to the fight the urge to just close her eyes and give up, but she has no idea how to get free….and even if she she'd wind up hitting the ground which could result in broken bones and bruises, which isn't want she wants.
Swaying slowly so looks around at the world that's been tipped upside down, her eyes sweep over a figure crouched in the shadows of some bushes, her gaze snaps back to the dark clothed figure and her heart leaps into her throat.
She swallows thickly, hoping and praying it isn't the person who set the trap….then again maybe they'd feel some pity for her and release her then set their trap again…..or they could be pissed that she ruined it and kill her.
She hopes it's the first, "H-help me, please…..I don't want to die, I didn't mean to step in your trap. I didn't even see it," She pleads, she really doesn't like acting so spineless but this is her best option for survival right now….so she has to.
"It's not mine," The figure had disappeared and her feels panic sweep through her when she realizes the voice is directly below her, she looks down quickly and feels her blood grow cold.
It's the boy she saw from that episode she watched…..except she can see all of him now, he looks up at her with a quirked eyebrow, an amused smile on his dirty face he looks like he's struggling to hold back a laugh.
She feels her cheeks warm with embarrassment, "You must be the newbie," Her heated face only grows hotter and she keeps her mouth shut with annoyance.
"Hey don't take it the wrong way, we were all newbies at one point….though I've never been caught in a tree snare before," His voice is light with laughter and she watches as he walks over to the bushes around the tree's trunk.
She studies him silently, refusing to give him the satisfaction of picking on her…he straightens up with a frown and looks around with pinched eyebrows.
"What is it?" She asks worried, her leg is starting to cramp and she no longer has any feeling in her foot…..great.
"They've rigged it, I can't disable the trap without losing a finger," He waves a gloved paw at her and suddenly begins to climb the tree.
She watches in alarm and fidgets as he gets the branch the rope is tied around, "So…..what are you going to do?"
"Cut your foot off,"
"WHAT?!"
"H-hey I'm joking! Geez," He laughs holding up her knife, he smirks at her as she huffs and crosses her arms, "I-I knew that,"
"Sure," He scoots along the branch carefully, legs wrapped firmly around it as he suddenly twists, dangling upside down like her he begins sawing away at the rope near her foot.
"I-I'm going to fall," She gasps feeling the rope strain slightly, her heart hammers wildly in her ears as she looks down to the ground, it'll hurt like hell….she might land on her head…..honestly she wished he'd just risk losing the finger.
He doesn't respond and she looks up in time to see the rope snap clean and she feels her stomach drop as she falls, closing her eyes quickly to avoid seeing the ground closing in on her she realizes that she only fell for a second….
Opening her eyes she looks up to see his hand wrapped around her foot, he's still hanging upside down and he has her knife clamped in his teeth, he wiggles his eyebrows and reaches up with his other hand, grabbing hold of the branch he slips his legs off and she makes a choked sound in her throat when the action causes her body to jerk slightly in his hold.
He begins to pull himself up with his arm, wrapping his forearm around the bark he begins pulling her up slowly, she holds completely still until she feels her stomach brush against the branch.
Wrapping her arms around it quickly she watches as he pulls himself up onto the branch next her, "There, you can climb down now can't you?" he asks meeting her gaze.
She stares into his golden irises and nods slowly, "I can climb just fine," She says sharply, sitting up she waits for him to move.
"I'm Alvin," He holds out his gloved hand, ears perked forward as he waits for her.
"I'm Brittany," She shakes his hand frowning a little, "Why did you help me?"
"It's easier to make friends than enemies, trust me," He begins to descend the tree quickly and she follows after him, a bit slower, it's been awhile since she actually climbed a tree but she's thankful for her naturally sharp claws.
Once her feet are back on the ground she wobbles as she puts pressure on her left foot, the one that had the rope around it…..it aches dully and she leans against the trunk as she tries to shake some feeling back into it.
Testing it she presses her foot against the ground and ignores the sharp tingling needles as she gets some feeling back, looking up she finds that Alvin is watching her, her knife tucked into his belt.
"Hey that's mine," She frowns and steps forward, reaching for it she misses as he dances out of her way with ease.
"I know, but you don't even know how to use it, might as well let someone who does have it right?" He asks, a smug smile playing on his lips.
"I know how to use it! You just…..stab," she says crossing her arms over her chest as she glares darkly at the munk.
"There's more to a knife then stabbing Britt, I'll let you have a weapon once you get used to this place," He says gesturing for her to follow, he pauses and waits, watching her.
"Seriously why help me? I'll hold you back….haven't you been here for awhile? What if I get you killed?" she says hesitating, she wanted his help….and protection no matter how much she didn't want to admit it.
But she didn't want to get him killed either.
Alvin rubs at the back of his neck, ears flicking as he thinks, "I know how to protect myself, and it'll be easy protecting you too. Sure we'll have to find twice as much food and water now but it's a lot easier to have someone with you when you're in a place like this, others will hesitate longer to attack if there's two enemies. Now…..are you going to follow me or what?" he asks dropping his hand to his side.
"Fine, but only if you teach me everything you know, I won't be helpless forever," She says sharply earning a smirk from him.
"Of course princess, whatever you say,"
Somewhere above the maze….
He drums his fingers against the top of his desk, his cheek propped up in his other hand as he stares at the colored monitor, watching the two teens move through the forest carefully.
He hadn't really planned for them to team up….but it'll be an interesting outcome and he's sure his audience will love the idea of a budding romance.
Though Alvin is proving to be more of a slight menace than a toy now…..he's too good at surviving….at avoiding the other ones and it's not the way this whole game goes….
He'll have to fix that.
But for now he'll let all his little toys go about without much interference , eventually he'll grow bored of their roaming and add in some fun.
He's already started on his next plan and he hopes that his audience is ready, because he is.
Still not a long chapter, but I'd like to see what you guys want, longer or a tad short? :)
Let me know what you guys think so far…..and what do you think our mystery man has in store for everyone? Will Alvin and Brittany come across other teens soon?