Chapter 3

32 5 0
                                    

Newt walked ahead of Luise, glancing every now and then, only to stop in front of a wooden shack.

"And here is what we call the slaughter house." He pointed at the enclosed shack. A small window was open revealing a young teen who had black curled hair, and a ton of acne.

"Who's that?" Luise asked, staring at the guy who was now staring back at her.

Newt looked at what Luise was looking at. "That's Winston, Keeper of the Slicers," he paused. "He's the one in charge of cuttin' livestock. Not the best job, but it's better than being a slopper."

Slopper? Luise seemed amused by their so called 'glader slang', something she's supposed to get the hang of in the future.

Near the slaughter house was a little farm, fresh greens sprouted everywhere. There were tons of vegetables, tomatoes in a basket and more. Three meters from the farm was the open kitchen, as explained by Newt, ran by Frypan, a really huge guy who had dark skin and curly dark hair. He wore this white apron which had some splotches of red, yellow, and green.

Luise couldn't keep her eyes off the colossal walls as Newt continued with his 'tour'. Luise observed the walls, wondering why it gives her an unpleasant feeling.

"Luise."

Luise looked at her caller, Newt.

They were already in front of this shack, a few open windows to its right revealed a few medicine cabinets with varying medical equipments.

"This place is kind of our infirmary, kept by Clint, Keeper of the Med-jacks," Newt taught, hoping that Luise would remember everything.

Once they were far from the infirmary, the sun was already setting down.

Luise stared at the gaps between the walls, seeing two men emerge from the outside. Shocked, Luise nudged Newt on the elbow, earning a low groan from him.

"Why did someone come out of those walls?" Luise glanced at Newt, hoping that this time he'd answer.

"Well, those are the Runners."

"The Runners? What do they do?" she asked, curious.

"They run the maze everyday to search for a way out. It's a very difficult task especially with your life on the line," Newt explained, crossing his arms.

"Maze? Is that what's outside those walls? And what's with their lives on the line? I don't understand." Luise looked at the wall, then back to Newt.

Newt sighed, "Follow me. It's about time." The two walked towards the huge door, a few meters away from it. Even from their distance, you could clearly see the thick ivy growing from the walls.

"So I can't go in there?" Luise asked, still gazing at the gap.

Newt chuckled, sarcastically. "Not if you want to commit suicide."

Suddenly a strong gust of wind from the inside almost knocked Luise over, barely keeping her ground. In that instant, a loud click was heard. And the walls had started to close, frightening Luise.

"Ho-How could that happen?!" Luise took a few steps backward, still looking intently at the now closing door.

And a few seconds passed, the door closed shut.

"What the heck just happened." Luise looked at Newt.

"Does that answer your questions?" Newt glanced at Luise. "Those bloody doors close every evening. If you don't make it out before that door closes, you're as good as dead." With that Newt had walked ahead of her just like before, obliging her to follow him.

Noticing that Luise wasn't following him, he looked back and hoped that all the questions Luise had in her mind was already answered. Looking at her, he saw her looking at the ground.

"Is the bloody gr-"

"Do you want to be stuck here forever?" Luise questioned, her point being logical. She grabbed Newt's wrist which caught Newt by surprise. "If entering 'that' maze is our only way out, then I'd gladly sign up for the job." Luise let go, eying Newts reaction.

He looked back. "You can't," he quickly spoke. "Why are you so intent on going out there, wanting to risk your life for people you hardly even know?" Newt stared at Luise's eyes, seeing if she'll tell the truth.

"Because it's the only right thing that I believe."

Newt was dumbstruck and at loss of words at what the the girl had said. He looked up at the night sky. A sense of hope lit inside him. All because of her.

Hope wasn't a thing to be taken seriously in their current situation. But thinking about what Luise had said, maybe it really is the only way to make it out of the maze.

"Maybe being different is the only thing that would save them all."

Luise, just who are you? Newt thought, Looking at the blonde girl.

To Be Continued...

Different (UNDER MAJOR EDITING)Where stories live. Discover now