Chapter 8 - In the Maze
AN: Hello, readers and Gladers! Guess who finally had time to dedicate herself to this story once again? Meee! Now that I have my last translation behind me, I can finally focus on this one. It's one of my favourites in the Maze Runner fandom for a reason, so obviously I would continue it.
We remember: Minho came up with the plan to explore the Maze and Alby decided to send Minho and Newt in. What's going to happen next?
The story is not mine, I'm still just a translator.
Enjoy this well-deserved chapter, loves!
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Three weeks later:
"For God's sake, Newt, stop for a moment. You'll run us a furrow into the grass!"
Sighing, I stopped and looked at Alby, who watched me annoyedly. For a good 10 minutes we had been standing, or rather I had been running, in front of the entrance to the labyrinth. Today was the day. Today, Minho and I would go into the Maze for the first time.
A week ago, the Box had come up again, with two new greenies. Their names were Gally and Frypan. Gally was a stocky boy with blond, raspy-short hair and somewhat oddly shaped eyebrows that always made him look slightly grim. Frypan, like Alby, had very dark skin, black short curls, and a friendly grin that made him seem very sympathetic. He was also built a little more sturdily.
Alby had agreed with Minho and me that we should wait another week. I had sneezed repeatedly in the meantime, so I had to recover from my "heavy flu" before I got permission to go inside the walls. Besides, the two newcomers should first settle in. We wondered if two greenies would come up each time now. We would not get an answer until the next time the familiar ringing of the bell, which always shrilled deafeningly loudly when the Box came up, sounded in three weeks' time. Until then, we had better things to do, like exploring the Maze.
"It's about to start, then you can better get rid of your energy in the Maze," Alby grumbled.
I shook my head, grinning. I couldn't understand how someone could be so stingy in such great weather. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. But Alby had other concerns. Two of his people were going into the maze to face the dangers and would take the first step towards freedom. Without him. And that went quite against his grain. But it had been his idea to stay in the Glade with the others.
Finally, Minho joined us as well. The black-haired Asian carried two water bottles with him, one of which he pressed into my hand. Amazed, I looked at the plastic.
"Where did you get them?" I asked, confused.
I had never seen plastic bottles since I was here. Alby grinned.
"Those were among the supplies yesterday. Seem to be quite practical."
With raised eyebrows, I attached the bottle to my belt. Then both Minho and I turned to Alby.
"Okay, pay attention. You know what's inside the Maze. I've told you everything I know. It's very dangerous in there. If anything seems strange to you, turn around and come back. I'd rather stay here than lose either or both of you to the Maze. I don't want to have to bury more friends. Newt, please watch out for Minho. He is sometimes a bit hasty. Minho, you are only to explore the entrance and the path to the first junction. Nothing more. That's enough for today. You'll be back in two hours, understand?"
Minho and I nodded. My knees trembled with excitement and curiosity. I really wanted to get started. The fire that had taken hold of Minho had also spread to me.
"Then go."
With a nod, Alby stepped aside and cleared the way for us.
I took another deep breath, then slowly stepped over the threshold that marked the boundary between the Maze and the Glade. Immediately it became noticeably cooler, which was probably also due to the fact that the high walls shielded the sun and only a few rays hit the ground.
"Wow!" I heard Minho whisper behind me.
I could only agree with him. Even if you could already guess from the outside what it looked like on the inside, it was something completely different when you stood in the middle of the Maze and became aware of the enormous size of the construct.
"This is how an ant must feel in our Glade!" it flashed through my mind.
In awe, I put my head back and stared up at the other ends of the walls that surrounded us. Without exception, all walls were covered with long ivy vines that stretched over the entire stone. Some reached to the floor.
We continued cautiously. It got a little darker, but it remained bright enough to see everything. Here and there some loose stones lay around and a few tufts of grass peeked out from between the stones.
Involuntarily, I put a hand on my stomach. The fire and the drive were at a minimum. Instead, a strangely unpleasant feeling spread through me and took away my breath a little. This feeling of being at the mercy of the Maze caused me nausea.
Gradually, I wondered if it was really such a good idea to go inside this stone prison. None of us really knew what was in here. What if the gates decided to close early?
I quickly turned around and looked at the gates. With a relieved sigh, I realized they were still wide open. Alby was gone. But I trusted him and also my instincts. The last few months, every time before the gates had closed, a strong wind had blown through the Maze, always announcing that the time had come. I just hoped it would be like that again.
I hurried to follow Minho. The shank was already much further into the labyrinth than I was and didn't seem to have any concerns at all. Just now, he rapped his knuckles against a stone wall and listened with one ear in the same place. Then he jumped up and down several times to test whether the ground was really as unshakable and stable as it looked. And a moment later he was standing at the junction, from where it went deeper into the labyrinth.
Now I was curious as well. What would it look like there? Where did it go to after the junction? Maybe that was it? After three junctions, we'd be out of here?
I was already standing next to Minho and looking around the corner. Immediately, my euphoria evaporated and gave way to another bad feeling. I could see at least seven more passages, all running in different directions. And those too... and those after that...
Suddenly a thought occurred to me. I didn't know if Alby knew. But what if the Glade was not at, but inside the Maze? I had never thought of the possibility. It had always been clear to me that there was only one entrance to the Maze. And that the Glade was outside. If I was correct in my assumption, the Maze would be much larger than we had previously assumed.
I felt bile coming up. With all my might, I managed not to throw up. And yet I had the feeling that I had been robbed of my strength. Completely exhausted, I propped myself up against a wall and rested my hot forehead against the cool stone. For a brief moment, I closed my eyes and surrendered to the darkness in front of my lids.
"Come on, Newt. Don't be a coward. That is a challenge. And you're a fighter. So pull yourself together and try to find a way out of this Maze."
I shook my head reluctantly. The voice in my head, which called itself conscience, spoke up and annoyed me. But she was right on one point. I was a fighter. How I knew that, I couldn't say. But I found new courage. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut one last time. Then I opened them again, straightened up and scanned the passage for Minho. He was gone.
I was about to have a screaming fit. Hadn't we made ourselves clear? He was not to go into the Maze alone! And without even telling me. Yes, okay, I had been briefly distracted, but that was no reason to simply commit a stupidity on your own. So I marched off. When I arrived at the junction, I had to choose between left or right. Since fewer corridors branched off to my right, I placed my hopes on that side.
However, I had not yet gone two steps when I heard shouting behind me.
"Newt! What are you doing there?"
Startled, I whirled around. Less than three meters behind me stood Minho and Alby. They both looked at me as if a ghost had appeared to them.
"Were you just planning to go into the Maze?" Alby wanted to know with raised eyebrows.
"Yes," I growled.
Both flinched back. They didn't know me as being that biting.
"Why?" Minho wanted to know.
A mirthless laugh escaped me. That was the last straw!
"Why do you think? Three guesses. I was distracted for a minute and when I look around again, you're gone. And what were the chances that you went back to the Glade? You're so keen to explore the Maze, the obvious thing was that you were already two junctions ahead. You could have just said you were going back to the Glade for a moment."
Minho fell silent.
"Is that true, Minho?" Alby wanted to know.
The Asian nodded.
"I quickly wanted to get a piece of paper and a pen so that we could record what we saw here. Sorry, Newt. I didn't mean to scare you. In the heat of the moment, I forgot to tell you. I am sorry."
I couldn't help but smile.
"Apology accepted. I'm sorry that I immediately assumed the worst. The note thing is a good idea. Because I believe that the Maze is much larger than we have previously assumed. If I'm right, the Glade is in the Maze and everything around us is a labyrinth. And that's why I have an idea. We both go into the Maze every morning from now on. We try to remember all this and find a way out. The gates are always open for about eight hours. We use the entire time to explore the Maze. Somehow we have to get out of here."
Only now did I think of Alby. He'd been watching us the whole time. Surprised, I realized he was nodding.
"I've been thinking about it for a while. Because I see it just like you do. The Maze is huge. And until we find a way out, it will take a while. What do you think about some kind of job? Everyone here gets their task, which they pursue during the day. We need people who know about animals and plants, who can cook and who can care for the sick. A real society. You and Minho would be our…. Racers. No, that sounds stupid. Sprinters. Nope, no better either. Our Runners. Yeah, that sounds right. You are the Maze Runners. What do you think?"
I nodded. So did Minho.
"I think that's a great idea. And you are our leader. You've been here the longest. You know the Glade and the guys here better than anyone. You could make sure that everything is correct, that arguments are avoided, that everyone does their job and manage everything here," I continued.
"I like that," Alby nodded.
"But I need a substitute. In case something happens. That there is always a second-in-command."
I nodded again, that was well thought out. I just didn't understand why Alby was looking at me so lopsidedly. So I also tilted my head and looked back.
"What?" I wanted to know.
Minho snorted. He laughed so much that tears ran down his cheeks. I was confused. Was there something I hadn't noticed?
"He means you..." Minho blurted out between two laughs.
My jaw dropped. Me? Why me?
"Yes, Newt. I would like you. I've known you the longest. You have become a very good friend to me, without whom I would not be here today. I have faith in you. Remember how well you helped Minho back then and also helped Gally last week. You are kind, smart, empathetic and popular. Please Newt…" Alby explained his idea.
Minho slapped me on the shoulder.
"Come on, you shank. Say yes already."
Still completely surprised, I nodded with my mouth open.
"Um... so... yes... okay, I'll do it," I agreed.
"Very nice, man," Minho rejoiced.
"Newt, our second-in-command and Runner!"
END OF CHAPTER 8
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EN: That concludes again our chapter for today. I'll honestly try being faster with the next chapter. Life is just stressful when you have to juggle three translations at the same time. But thank you for your patience and the nice comments I received.
Kisses and cake,
Yuna McHill