Warning: Mentions blood and guts; [E/C] stands for "eye color"
Word count: 2043 words
Quick A/N: Hello readers! It's been a very long time and I am truly sorry for that. School has been rough, along with my mental health, but I think I'm finally getting back to somewhat normal. I hope everyone is doing well with COVID-19 being strongly present worldwide. You are all in my heart and I wish that you all are able to stay safe. Love you all and thank you for reading. <3
Minho had been in the Glade for three years. He had run every single corridor he found, every single place in that Maze he had run thrice over. Everything was always the same: mossy stone and occasional vines. He never saw anything out of the ordinary. He never saw anything he thought he had to bring up. He never thought he found an exit.
It wasn't until a few weeks after Chuck showed up when things started to get a little weird. It started out simple with things no one really noticed. For example, the vines seemed to move slowly up the wall and shrink in a way. Minho had noticed this while running one day, and at first he thought nothing of it. The days went by, however, and the vines only seemed to grow shorter.
The next week, it only seemed to get weirder. Not only were the vines nearly impossible to reach from the base of the walls they grew on, but pieces of broken metal were scattered along the ground. These pieces weren't everywhere, but there were enough to draw attention to themselves. This was the event that didn't only catch Minho's eye as it had also caught several other Runners' as well.
It wasn't until six days before Thomas came when things became truly bizarre. It was an event that Minho remembers so clearly, it was almost frightening. As he ran through the Maze memorizing the patterns with ease, he stumbled upon a girl. She had been standing next to one of the walls, knife in hand, taking the vines that she had been cutting. The two didn't interact in any way except for making small bits of eye contact. The moment she realized Minho was real and did see her steal the green leaves, she dashed away. This day was also the day he decided to explain it all to his close friends.
"I have news," He spoke once the three other boys arrived at the Mapping Hut.
"You found a way out?" Newt eagerly asked with small hint of excitement. Minho shook his head which caused the sudden happiness in the Second in Command's eyes to disappear.
"I saw a girl today," Minho spoke. The boys' eyes widened.
"A girl? You're shucking kidding," Gally laughed. "There are no girls here, and I know that for a fact."
"Not here in the Glade, Shank. She was in the Maze," Minho reached into his bag and pulled out the scrap paper he had written on. The rough sketch showed a small part in Section 7 where he had spotted her. He pointed, "I saw her here and found her cutting the vines from the walls."
Alby folded his arms in thought, keeping an eye on the map where Minho had pointed. He stayed silent, allowing his mind to try to logically explain what a girl was doing out there.
Gally, on the less serious hand, continued with his fit of laughter. He placed a hand on the table and in between giggles he spoke. "So...so you're telling me that there is a girl roaming around Section 7 maintaining the vines. Minho, that's the best joke you've told yet."
"Hey, quiet, Gally. Minho actually seems serious about this," Newt rubbed his forehead, brushing his blonde locks back. He sighed, turning to Minho. "Anything else about her?"
Minho shook his head. "She stared at me for a few good seconds and then dashed off. Pretty quickly, might I add."
Alby nodded slowly. "When you go into the Maze tomorrow, look around for her. No one's survived a night in there, so I'm interested in what she has to say."
The next day Minho did as he was instructed by the Leader. He went to the next open Section and began looking for this mysterious girl. He had almost given up hope on finding any trace of her until he had spotted some pieces of vine laying on the ground. Curious, he followed them until they stopped at a four-way intersection of corridors. He swore under his breath, seeing there was no possible way he would find the girl.
He went to head back, but when he turned around there was a Griever standing in his path. Fear rose through his body and he couldn't move. The Griever didn't move either. It simply sat there and stared at the Keeper, adjusting one of its robotic limbs every once in a while. Minho looked around, trying to figure out where he could go. He moved slightly, alerting the Griever that came charging towards him.
Minho sprinted as fast as he could down a corridor, the robotic monster chasing after him. He turned corner after corner trying to escape the grasp of the creature, but the Griever had issues losing sight of Minho. Minho refused to look back at the monster, running as fast as he could. He came to a dead end, and panicked he frantically looked around for any way of an escape.
But the Griever didn't charge after him as it did before. Instead, the creature had been speared to the ground. A long wooden pole had struck through the creatures body, leaving it motionless. It was bleeding and oozing a separate liquid different than anything he's ever seen. It was a clear sort of goo that was now dripping onto the floor.
The Keeper, breathing heavily, couldn't take his eyes off of the newly killed beast. When he was able to get himself out of shock, he noticed the girl. She stood, second spear in hand, staring at the boy. She didn't say anything, just simply maintained eye contact with him. Minho couldn't tell what she was doing; he didn't know if she was making sure he was ok in her own unique way, or if she debated about walking to him and speaking.
Without a word, she turned and dashed into the Maze.
• • • • •
"She did what?" Newt asked, his eyes wide in shock. "How the bloody hell did she kill a Griever?"
"Let alone, where did she get the spear? You said it was made of wood, right? I may not be a Runner, but I sure as hell know there isn't a forest in the Maze," Gally spoke, folding his arms.
"I don't know!" Minho slightly yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "And she just...looked at me. She didn't say anything afterwards."
"What I find strange," Alby spoke. "Is that there was a Griever awake during the day. Had she not killed it, we would've lost a Keeper today," The boys exchanged glances with each other. "Minho, as great of a Runner you are, you would've been killed. Whoever this girl is, she knows what she's doing. She's smart. If you can find her, bring her back to the Glade. I'd like to hear what else she knows."
Minho nodded. "I don't know if I'll be able to find her, but I know she'll easily be able to find me."
• • • • •
He ran further into the Maze again, looking for any trace of the girl. He had been running for hours, not even bothering to memorize where he was nor how he knew could get back. He didn't find a single vine, a single spear, a single object that would help him locate the mysterious girl. He stopped running and pulled out his water from his Runners Pack.
"I'm surprised you came back out here," A voice caught him by surprise. He turned around and there the girl stood. Her hair was up in a bun and her [E/C] eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Minho couldn't figure out what to say. "You're welcome, by the way."
Minho fumbled for words. The girl simply turned around and started walking away from him. "Wait," He ran towards her. "Wait!" Yet she continued walking away.
"How...how do you live out here?" He asked, now walking next to her. She smiled, but didn't speak. "And how did you kill the Griever?"
"Grievers? That's what you call them?" She laughed.
"Do you call them something different?" He questioned.
She shook her head. "I didn't even think about calling them anything. I didn't have to because I don't have to talk to anyone. And killing one isn't difficult: you just have to pierce the right part in the right way."
Minho nodded. The two continued to walk in silence until they came to a wall completely covered in vines. Minho stopped, but the girl simply kept walking. She began to climb the vines, but stopped once she had hoisted herself nearly a foot above the ground. "Are you coming?"
"Huh?" Minho questioned, looking at the girl.
"You asked how I lived here. I thought you might want to see," She smiled when the boy began to nod. She continued climbing once Minho walked to the base of the wall.
It took the two ten minutes to get to the top of the wall safely. Once they were there, Minho couldn't help but stare at the horizon line. The sun, low but not low enough for the Doors to have been closed, and the eeriness of the walls in the Maze came together in harmony. "As someone who is here every day, you seem to be fascinated by a common thing."
"I've been running the Maze for three years and I've never seen anything like this," He turned to the girl who game him a slight smile. Behind her was a small hut covered in vines. "How long..."
"I've lost count. I tried to maintain it, but after so many days and not enough room to mark it, it's easy to lose count. If I were to guess," She thought for a moment. "Probably the same as you. Three years."
"Three years? Where did you get all the material from? And how could you possibly survive on your own without—" The Keeper came up with so many questions so quickly.
"You have so many questions," The girl rolled her eyes.
"You don't have to answer them all," Minho turned back towards the horizon. "You at least have to tell me your name."
She looked at the horizon as well, a small smile on toying with her lips. "[Y/N]. My name is [Y/N]."
"I know you seem comfortable here, and the last thing you probably want is to be surrounded by a bunch of Shanks," Minho spoke. She laughed. "But how would you feel about coming back to the Glade with me."
She nodded. "It would take some time to get used to, but sure. Why not."
• • • • •
"So you're her?" Newt smiled to [Y/N], who graciously smiled in return. "The girl that lives on the other side of the Walls. I'm Newt, nice to meet you."
"And you were the one to kill a Griever?" Gally spoke. "Impressive."
"It's really not that difficult," She turned to Minho. "Do you guys seriously have that big of an issue with them?"
"We haven't lived in the Maze for three years—" Minho started with a sarcastic comment.
"You have lived in there for three years?" Newt shouted. [Y/N] laughed.
"We need to know everything you know about that place. Anything about the Grievers, the Maze itself, an exit, every single thing," Alby spoke. "We've been stuck here for—"
"Three years," The girl nodded. "I know. I have wanted to leave that place so badly too, and I think I might know how." The boys nodded. Newt grew a smile, Gally nodded, Alby crossed his arms, and Minho gestured for her to continue. "It might take a few days, but I think we can all escape this place."