Whirrrrrrr
Click-click-click
Whirrrrrrr
Click-click-click
"You've got to be finching kidding me." I had barely gotten any sleep, and all I wanted right now was a nap. I didn't have time to deal with a Griever.
I weighed my options, and getting taken by the thing wasn't the worst one out of all of them. I was definitely not going to fight it with the limited number of arrows in my quiver. Or the tiny knife in my pack. I couldn't outrun it; I was too tired for that. And no one had outrun a Griever and lived to tell the tale.
My heart ached at the memory of my lost comrade Juliet.
I snuck a quick look at the Griever. Right in the middle of my path, of course, in all of its disgusting, pulsating gloriousness. I groaned as loud as I dared. Why today? Why me? I knew that I had to make it back because I was sure as finch wasn't going to hang out with the thing. But I wasn't going to confront it.
It wasn't moving, almost like it was waiting for me. Did it have a rose hidden like it was going to ask me out? I gave a small smile and wondered if this really was the time for jokes. But if I was going to die, at least I'd still have my sense of humor.
I hadn't been this close to a Griever, and I didn't want to come any closer. I'd be stung or worse.
Kicking a rock, I looked down at my watch. I was losing time quickly. I grabbed my water bottle out and kicked another rock, making it echo in the long halls of the Maze. This situation really sucked. Even being Keeper of the Runners didn't boost my confidence. I knew the girls looked up to me, but I was terrified of the creatures living within these stone walls. I was just a little better at masking it.
I thought of Terra and the last conversation we had. She had figured out this new planting thing called Three Sisters Farming, was so proud of herself. The corners of my mouth pulled up. Drawing strength from her and her confidence in me, I got an idea.
I gave a small prayer to whoever was listening. Shifting my pack, I took a deep breath to steel my nerves. I would either make it through alive and be heroic or die and be remembered as an idiot. Gee, what a choice.
Realizing that standing here thinking of the past was unhelpful, I started to scale the thick ivy growing along the walls. I had to hide in them once before, and just barely made it home in time. Harriet chewed me out for not being more careful, but what broke me was when I went to talk to Terra. She was a mess, to put it lightly. I hadn't realized how close I was to her. After that, I swore I wouldn't put her in such a position again. But here I was, having to outwit another Griever.
Was this the universe being funny?
My limbs were shaking like a leaf. I was tired from the entire day of running, and my remaining strength was waning too quickly. You'd think after two years of running I'd be lasting longer. Perhaps the only thing keeping me going was my fear of the monster that seemed to be tailing me. And the fact that I couldn't let Terra down. Climbing quick, I tried not to make a sound. I wasn't sure if the Griever saw me, but I knew practically nothing about them, so my plan wasn't very thought out. Mediocre, at best.
"Just a little more, come on, Lauren." I started whispering words of encouragement. I was so close. Once I turned around the corner, I would drop and start running as fast as I could.
Thud. So much for a quiet drop. I didn't even turn around to look if it had heard me.
Whirrrrrrr
Click-click-click
Whirrrrrrr
Click-click-click
It did.
Running even faster than what I thought was possible, I felt the familiar rush of adrenaline flowing through my veins. No wonder people got high off this. I stopped thinking so much and let muscle memory guide me out of the Maze. I was close enough to the Doors that this part of it didn't move. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized only a couple more turns to go.
But, as one does, I got cocky and tumbled down on the unforgiving ground. I couldn't even manage a simple ow. The whirr, click emitting from the monster trailing my footsteps informed me that it did not tumble as well. I pushed myself up with everything in me screaming to stay down and picked up the pace.
I was not having a sleepover with this thing. Sorry, I think my invite got lost in the mail.
I could finally see the Doors in the distance, and I was on what the other Runners called "The Hallway to Heaven." It was a long hallway that seemed to stretch on forever, until you made it home, or Heaven as they called it. I never really called it that but running down the thing, I couldn't help but think that the name was fitting.
The Doors had never seemed so close. I heard yells, but I assumed that the girls were pointing out the giant monster following me. I breathed out a huge sigh. The Griever wouldn't follow me out into the Glen while it was still daylight outside.
I couldn't have told you what happened next. That's when I passed out.
|~^_^~|
Lights. Bright lights.
"Don't lose-"
"Patch her up."
"What happened?"
"Griever-"
"Get Thomas and Teresa-"
"-Swipe?"
"-wasted potential."
Voices. Swirling.
I'm trying to gather my bearings, but all I can see is black. What happened?
My eyes are closed, and it's taking everything in me to open them. When I finally succeed, one thing becomes apparent.
This place isn't the Glen.
"She's awake."
"More anesthesia!"
More air flows through the mask, and I'm blacking out again.
|~^_^~|
"Lauren!"
The voice jerks me awake. As I look around, I realize that I'm still not in the Glen.
Where am I?
Everywhere I look, I see white. My brain is working overtime, attempting to make sense of all this. That's when I remembered the Griever. I patted myself down, trying to see if I'm hurt. But it seems like this place took care of me. I'm not sure to be happy or scared.
I pinch my arm, trying to wake up from this obvious nightmare. But this seems to be my new reality. I'm not fond of it.
A door on my right opens and a woman walks in with a smile on her face. It looks out of place. Doesn't she know that this is a nightmare? How long have I been out? A headache starts forming from all of my unanswered questions.
"Ah, you're up." She pushes in a cart, food on top of it.
I'm immediately sitting up, the tantalizing smell of food putting me on high alert. She hands me the food, and I dig in, regardless of all my questions. I'm not one to turn down food.
"I'm glad to see your appetite didn't change in the Maze." The woman remarks.
I swallow. "Excuse me, ma'am. Who are you exactly?"
Her smile grows wider. "I'm Doctor Ava Paige. I work at WICKED. Where you're at right now."
The name triggers some memories. They're right at the base of my brain, and it's bugging me to no end that I can't reach them. It's like an itch on my brain, uncomfortable and annoying.
"Nice to meet you, Ava."
Ava smiles. "Do you remember anything from before waking up?"
I take another bite out of my food. It's not completely bad. Just bland. "I remember the Griever, being almost about to escape, then it's just black."
"Nothing else?" She prods.
It's odd that she's pressed for questions, can't they pull up the footage from the beetle blades? I file the information away for a different time.
"No. I have a question. Why didn't the Griever kill me in the Maze? Why bring me back here?" I gesture to the whiteness all around me, adding to the growing headache. The only color in this room is Ava's too red lips and my blonde hair.
Ava's smile falters. "The Griever was supposed to kill you, you guessed that right, but then one of our Psyches realized that your brain was much too valuable. So we brought you back here and you've healed for the past four days. We have very big plans for you."
I ignored the "very big plans" they have for me. It's nothing I'm not used to. I have to figure out why Ava's pressing me for information.
"Did my friends," I start. "Did the rest of them try to fight and get me back? Away from the Griever?" My mind remembers Terra, and I want to curl into a ball of shame for not keeping my promise. I have to go back.
Ava smiles sadly. "I'm very sorry, but no one seemed to have noticed your disappearance."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
oh, snap.
Well, this book has been seeing a lot of change. First the cover, then the entirety of the inside, but I highly doubt that it's going to see any more of it. I'm finally writing something I'm very happy with, and I am going to resist the urge to change it any more.
Edit: 8/3/21-okay, *puts up hands* but this is for the wattys
I hope you enjoy it!!