The First Glader | The Maze Runner || Newt x OC

Chapter 5: Teen Farm

Sniff hadn't taken long to adjust to life in the Glade. Though the boy carried a gloomy air about him, Rowan did her best to keep his spirits up. Finding out about the Maze- and the monsters inside it- only made things worse for him. Still, it didn't stop Alby and Rowan from pushing forward. Every time they explored a little deeper into the twisting stone corridors, a fragile hope stirred that maybe, just maybe, they'd find a way out.

During his first week, Alby and Rowan taught Sniff the basics, how to work the tools, how to keep busy, how not to panic. Unfortunately, the kid wasn't exactly gifted in... well, much. After only twenty minutes of running the Maze, he'd given up completely. Instead, they kept him in the Glade to tend the vegetable garden and feed the few animals they had. Heavy tools were a disaster waiting to happen.

Later, they discovered he had a knack for drawing. Alby had the idea to put him to work sketching plans; bigger shelters, sturdier buildings, anything that might help if they were stuck here for good. Rowan teased him for it, but deep down, Alby's anxiety about how long they'd be trapped lingered. Together, they decided to focus on the basics: a homestead, a map room, and a few picnic tables to eat on.

Now, Rowan and Alby hacked away at the forest edge, cutting down trees while gossiping about Sniff, who stood a safe distance away harvesting carrots.

"Well, not everyone's good at everything from the get-go-"

"Row, he tripped on air. With an axe in his hands." Alby scoffed.

"..." Rowan stabbed her axe into a log before leaning against another tree. Both of them had the toned, wiry strength that came from endless days of chopping and dragging logs, not to mention their intense cardio workout around the maze for at least 3 hours a day. She wiped sweat from her forehead. "You scare him shitless."

"Language."

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "You're such a snake, bruh."

"Snake?" Alby turned to her, crossing his arms.

"You're supposed to be on my sideeee"

"I am on your side," he said, half amused. "I'm just telling you to mind your language around the greenie."

Alby had gotten a knack for using their new-made-up words, like when they'd named the monsters Grievers after a terrible joke Rowan made.

"He doesn't even seem that much younger than us," she said. "I'm just teaching him about the real world."

Alby shook his head, trying to hide a grin. "Just use other words."

"Likeeee?"

He shrugged. "Beats me."

He immediately winced- realizing he'd just said it exactly like her. Rowan froze for a second before bursting into laughter. Alby just walked off, speechless.

✦ ✦ ✦

As Sniff's first month came to a close, both Alby and Rowan started to feel uncertain. Like the patterns on the maze, it had been exactly a month from her first arrival to Alby and then Sniff. Sooner or later, they felt, the Box would come back again with another surprise.

And just as predicted, that day the three of them waited patiently around the Glade, keeping busy with small tasks while half-expecting the ear-throbbing alarm to shatter the calm. When the sun was still shining bright at its peak, the blaring siren finally did.