Only Herself to Blame...

Chapter 12 - The Maze

"Up. Get up." I heard Minho say.

I groaned and turned over, still not fully awake yet.

"Well, be that way then." Minho walked towards me and tipped my out of my hammock.

I landed on the floor, on my hip.

"Minho!" I gasped. "My hip! I think I'm bleeding again!!"

"Oh, shuck! Sorry, I forgot. Lay still. Here." He took off his shirt and balled it up. "Press that on. One minute, I'll go get Clint and Jeff."

I laughed. I threw his shirt back at at him and set off running towards the kitchen. "Just kidding!" I shouted over my shoulder.

"I'm gonna kill you, you little Shank!!" He shouted and chased after me.

By the time he got to the kitchens, I had already sat on the counter top.

He burst through the door and saw me sitting there, swinging my legs and laughing.

"Right." He still had his shirt off, and dropped it on the floor. He ran to a cupboard and grabbed a knife. It was only a small one that Frypan used to chop vegetables, but it could still do some serious damage.

"I said I was gonna kill you." He said in a deep growling voice, but he couldn't keep the smile from his lips, or the sparkle from his eyes.

"Put down the knife Minho. You could hurt someone." I tried to put as much emotion in my voice as I could, as though a mum was talking to her child.

"That's what I'm tryna do, Slinthead!" He said and he pretended to lunge, only to be thrown to the floor by Newt.

"What the bloody hell are you doing!?" He shouted at Minho, who now had a large gash on his forearm from where the knife had cut him.

"NEWT!" I yelled.

I jumped down off the counter and slapped Newt across the face. Hard.

"Are you stupid?" He shouted. "He almost killed you!!"

I shook my head and pushed past Newt to get Minho's T-shirt from the floor.

I knelt down beside him and pressed the material to his arm. He winced but didn't say anything.

I looked at Newt. "Clear off."

"No chance! He should be banished after that! Minho, what were you thinking! Why were you trying to kill her!?" He yelled.

"I wasn't. We were messing around Newt. Calm down, you bloody Shank."

I nodded in agreement and examined Minho's arm. It didn't seem to be deep, so it probably wouldn't need stitches. But Newt would if he didn't bugger off within the next five seconds.

"It looks fine." I said. "You keep that pressed on it and I'll make us some dinner."

"Thanks." Minho muttered,  a look of gratitude flashing in his eyes.

I stood up and looked at Newt. "Go away."

"Sorry, man. I thought you were tryna kill her." He muttered akwardly to Minho, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No probs." Minho said, trying to tie the shirt sleeves around his arm.

I sighed and tied it for him. "Grab the cheese, please, Minho."

Newt leapt towards the fridge and brought out cheese and butter.

I looked at his skeptically. "Thanks, but last time I checked, your name wasn't Minho." I took them from his hands and yeah, and started making the sandwiches.

"Sorry." He said again and he walked back out of the door, a look of pure quilt on his face. 

"Slinthead!" I called after him, just before the door slammed shut.

Minho just laughed and picked the knife up off the floor, now covered in his blood.

***

Finally, the doors started to rumble open. Unfortunately, Newt was also a runner and he came to stand by Minho and I.

"How's your arm?" He asked.

"Fine." Minho replied and showed him the long line, which had stopped bleeding now.

I just sighed and walked around the edge of the other runners.

"Hi!" Somone called.

I turned around and saw Ben. "Oh! Hi Ben!!" I smiled and went to stand next to him, thankful of someone to talk too.

We didn't have any time to talk, anyway, as the doors were then fully opened, and everyone turned and ran into their sectors.

Minho had explained to me that the runners each had a section the ran in, each day. They ran their sector, ate dinner at noon, and made their way back to the Glade before the doors shut. They then went to the map room to record their findings. I hadn't been in the map room yet, but I would later on today, after I had run with Minho.

I turned to find him grinning at me. "Ready?" He asked, and without waiting for an answer, he ran into the maze.

I ran after him and was fascinated. "This is a-MAZE-ing." I said to Minho.

"Nice one, Shuck." He laughed.

○○○

We ran at a steady pace all the way until noon, when we sat with our backs against the wall, eating our sandwiches.

"So, how dya-"

I gasped. I layed on my back and couldn't breathe. It felt like somone was hammering nails into the side of my skull.

I couldn't help it. I screamed. "MINHO!! HELP ME!! GET THEM OUT!! GET THEM OFF!! I CAN'T BREATHE!!"

I managed to find Minho's hand and squeze it, before I blacked out.