The Girl

Chapter Twenty Six

  "How tall do you think it is?" I ask, kicking the bottom of the wall with my foot.

"I'm not sure, maybe five hundred meters?" Minho squints up at it. We were just about to go back to running after lunch.

"How long do you think it'd take to climb all the way to the top?" I question. He shrugs.

"Never really thought about it, no one's ever reached the top. We're not even sure there is a top," He confesses.

"Hm, I guess that's a discussion for another day. Let's get going," I gesture for him to follow me and we run off deeper into the maze together.

"Sometimes, I really think we should make you a full time runner. Could you stop being so good at so many things?" Minho laughs.

"Sorry? Even if you did want to make me a runner, I'm not sure I'd accept. And I'd have to accept secretly. Newt would never be okay with that," I bring up.

"I doubt I'd be able to talk him into it-" Minho is interrupted by a rustling of leaves behind us. We both stop abruptly and turn around. The rustling comes again and I pull an arrow out of my quiver and draw my bow. Minho pulls his knife out.

"What's out there?" He asks loudly. The world stays silent. He clears his throat nervously. "Hey!"

"Back up..." I whisper breathily as I hear the rustling again. Then, out of nowhere, it comes.

A griever clammers towards us. My eyes widen in fear.

"Beth! Beth come on we have to run!" Minho shouts at me in a panic. I'm paralyzed. I work up all my courage and strength until I'm able to release the arrow and send it into the grievers chest. It screeches in pain and its pace decreases but it still follows us. Minho grabs my arm and we run as fast as we can.

"I thought they only come out at night!" I shout over the whirring of the griever behind us.

"They're supposed to! Why do you think I called out? I wasn't expecting to have a conversation with a shucking griever!" He shouts back to me. We dart all over the maze, trying to get the griever lost. But it remains on our tail. We skid around a corner and before the griever comes up behind us, Minho pulls my arm sharply into an alcove in the wall. As I attempt to catch my breath, an idea pops into my head. I hastily pull some of the ivy off the wall and use it to cover the two of us.

"Brilliant..." Minho mutters under his breath and helps me complete the task. We lace the ivy between the two walls to form a makeshift curtain, covering our appearances and disguising the alcove as a wall. Once the ivy is densely packed between each wall, we hear a griever turn the corner and clatter towards us. We both stiffen and stand as still as possible, our backs against the opposite sides of the alcove. I hear the griever creep up, and I hold my breath. Here we go...

The griever clamors down the corridor, it's metal legs making a dreadful scraping noise against the concrete floor of the maze. It slows as it comes to the alcove where we're hiding. I close my eyes as my body tenses. As the noises draw closer, I bite my lip and prepare for the worst. But then...

The world falls silent. There are no auditory signs of life. No griever noises, no breaths, no movements. I open my eyes and glance at Minho. A look of defiance captivates his face, his sword clutched to his chest. But behind his tough exterior, I see the terror in his eyes. We're cornered. If the griever discovers us, we're done. The silence slowly begins to drive me out of my mind. And then the ivy is cut down the center. The griever lurches forward.