The Maze Girl

What Now...

Not like I could sleep that night. That morning, I'd seen a monster slug, then I had to deal with people figuring out that I'm a girl. Oh yeah, nothing on my mind. Not to mention trying to remember...

Just one more thing, I thought. If I could remember one more thing, I'd be fine. I laid there in my sleeping bag, staring at Gally's back. I knew he wasn't asleep because of his breathing patterns. But I figured it wouldn't be right to wake him after he left his room to try and protect me. I sighed.

The walls moving in the maze seemed to create a sort of rhythm. A familiar rhythm... I began to hum with the walls, trying to place it. Whatever moved the walls seemed to be moving them specifically to a tune. I rolled to watch the sky. Perhaps, I thought, it's just my imagination. Imagination or not, it was a pleasant trigger.

"There was a boy," I sang softly, not knowing where the lyrics came from. "A very strange, enchanting boy." I noticed Gally's shoulders relax as I sang. "They say he wandered very far, very far. Over land and sea." Gally rolled over and looked at me. "A little shy, and sad of eye. But very wise was he." I sat up and so did Gally.

"And then one day, one magic day. He passed my way, and while we spoke, of many things, fools and kings, this he said to me..." Gally reached out and covered my mouth.

"You realize we're supposed to be sleeping?" he said.

"Good that," I said behind his hand and lay back again.

"Where'd that come from anyway?" he said, laying down as well.

I shrugged. "Same place as my weapon ability, I guess."

He muttered something about girls being weird.

With that, I finally managed to sleep.

The next morning, we went out to see if I was any good at gardening. For a while, it was Gally watching me. Then we were alone for a minute.

"Look, Eliot," Gally said. "I'm sorry if I come off rude from now on, but there's going to have to be some sort of change thanks to all this." He gestured at my chest. I nodded. "Just know that I'm just wanting to protect you." I nodded again. Then people returned. The conversation died.

The rest of the day, shuck, the rest of the week passed the same. Every day I was tested in one of the jobs. Every day Gally got a little meaner. It was maybe eight days later, I was finally assigned to the slicers, or butchers. That also happened to be the day something went wrong.

It was nearly dinner time and I was feeding the cows. Suddenly, there was a call that a swine had gotten loose. I looked and I could see some people chasing it. I ran too. I was easily faster than the others. The pig ran all the way across the Glade, with people diving after it as it passed, but none catching it.

Finally, I caught up and tackled it, not noticing exactly where I had chased it to until I got up, holding the pig between my legs as I tied a rope(all slicers have extra rope) around its neck. Then I looked up at the ivy covered walls surrounding me. I was in the maze.

That may have been the least of my worries. There was a clicking sound coming from ahead. The same sound I had heard from a Griever. My heart skipped a beat. I started running, dragging the swine with me and trying to remember all the turns I had taken. The clicking got louder, but I didn't dare look back.

Then I could see the Glade. The doors. The runners leaving the maze ahead of me. And of course, I tripped. The swine ran itself back into the Glade. I got up in time to see the terrifying slug thing practically on top of me. It quickly drove an appendage right down at me.

"Eliot!" I heard a yell as I was pushed away. Only too late did I realize that Gally was taking the hit for me.

Enraged, I drew one of my blades and slashed at the Griever, forcing it back away. I quickly picked up Gally and ran as the doors started to close. We barely got through in time and I collapsed as med-jacks swarmed to us, mostly focussing on Gally. I crashed from the adrenaline and it all went dark.

I woke up, probably an hour later, locked in the slammer. It was dark out, but a small hold still allowed some light in. I rubbed my head. What the shuck just happened? I thought back and suddenly thought of Gally. I sat up straight. He can't be dead. No. He was breathing still. He must have been.

"Good morning," came Newts voice from the only source of light. "Sleep well?"

"Where's Gally?" I asked. "Is he alright?"

"Don't panic. This has happened before. That shank'll be fine." I sighed in relief. Then thought. Then realized.

"'This has happened before'?" I said. "Why do I get the feeling it was more than just the creature stabbing him?"

A scream echoed from the homestead, making me jump.

"It's called getting stung," Newt said. "Grievers don't really do much more than that unless they can catch you off guard."

"Stung?" I asked.

He nodded. "Causes death if ya don't get the serum on time. If you do, you go through the Changing. Trust me, you don't want to see that."

I was doubtful. I wanted to see him. So badly. I suppose I couldn't though. At least not tonight.

"You just had to follow the shucking pig into that bloody maze, didn't you?" Newt remarked as he left. I was left to think on the day. All night. In this cold place. With Gally's screams in my ears. It was my own fault...