Perilous Love | Maze Runner

Discover

  I wake up with a loud knock at the gate.

  "Wake up shuck face."

  "Good morning to you too, Minho." I say as I sit up and crack my neck.

  "Today's a big day. Sure you don't wanna sit this one out?"

  "Come on, get me outta here man."

  Minho laughs and helps me out of the Slammer. The Glade is barely awake, crickets can still be heard from the trees.

  "So we'll get some breakfast and plan our route before we head off," Minho explains as we walk over to the Kitchen. "Runners get first dibs at breakfast since we need the most energy."

  "Where are the other Runners?" I ask, seeing that there's no one else.

  "They all quit. After Alby got stung, they're not in any hurry to get back out there."

  Frypan serves us a plate of eggs and a biscuit, all freshly cooked.

  "Thanks Fry." I say. He returns with a smile. I wonder if Frypan is his real name.

  We eat our meal lightning fast before Minho leads me to the map room. I open the creaky old door and take in the familiar scent of old copper.

  I follow Minho to the back corner of the room. He opens a door in the floor, one that I had never noticed before. We walk down a short flight of stairs and are greeted by another door. He pulls a key out of his back pocket and unlocks it, revealing a room filled with weapons. Shelves and racks of knives, swords, bows and arrows line the walls, all different from each other.

  "Woah," I say, examining the knives. "Do you guys really need all of this?"

  "Not usually. The people who put us here sent it all."

  "What if someone got down here? Someone crazy, like Ben?" I ask, suddenly worried for the Gladers' safety.

  "Don't worry. Only a few people have a key." Minho says. "Grab some daggers. Only the sharpest ones."

  I pick out a couple. I have no idea how to use knives, so I just choose the scariest looking ones.

  Minho opens a large trunk in the center of the room and tosses me a brown backpack thing.

  "What's this?"

  "Your pack. Here, fill it with this stuff," He tosses me a water bottle and a sandwich he snagged from Frypan, along with a change of clothes and some silver sneakers. "Put those shoes on. Unless you want your feet to feel like Klunk by the end of the day."

  I slip them on and put the rest of the stuff in my bag, including my knives. The pack hangs tightly on my back and buckles in the front, securing it from falling off or getting in the way.

  "Here's the dealio. I say today we explore section 8, which opened up last night. I'll teach you how to find your way around and how to take notes while running, which is essential to this job. Got it?"

  I nod and we head out. We end up by the doors, waiting for them to open. I feel strong arms wrap around my waist, hugging me.

  "Good morning, love." Newt coos into my ear.

  I spin around. "Morning, Second in Command." I say.

  I can hear Minho mumble "whatever" behind us but I ignore him.

  "Be safe, okay?" Newt's expression changes to concern, I can see the worry cross over his eyes.

  "Of course."

  "And if you get tired or scared or wanna come back, or if you see a Griever or if you-" Newt rambles on, but I cut him off by pressing my lips onto his, kissing him softly.

  "I'll be fine." I say after pulling back.

  "Alright love birds break it up before I barf." Minho makes a gagging sound.

  What a drama queen.

  I hear the rumbling of the doors opening and the squeal of the metal gears turning. "Bye." Newt and I say in unison.

  I walk over to where Minho is standing. "You ready Greenie?" He asks, staring into the Maze.

  "Yep."

  We take off. I pace my self, worried if I go too fast then I will get tired quicker. We dart into the hallway that leads into all the sectors. I notice something on the wall. It's a plaque, with seven simple words written across it.

  World in Catastrophe. Killzone Experiment Department.

  "Hey, look at this." I say, stopping. I point at the sign and Minho looks back. He slows down, but never stops.

  "Don't know what it is. They're in every sector. No one knows what they mean," He says. "Alright, Olivia. Up here, we're gonna take a left and head over to sector one. In sector one, there is a door that leads to sectors seven and eight, and eight should be open." Minho explains.

  I run to catch up with him. "Got it." A question crosses my mind. "Hey Minho, can I ask a question?"

  "Sure."

  "I remember when I was little, someone read me a story about a woman who was stuck in a Maze. She ran her right hand along the walls until she found her way out. Do you think that would work?"

  He barks out a laugh that makes me regret saying anything at all. "Tried it. Probably fifty times. The thing is, all passages lead back to the Glade. If there was an exit, we would have found it by now."

  "How is that even possible?"

  "Beats me. Stop talking, you'll make your chest hurt."

  I keep quiet the next couple of minutes. How can it all lead back to the Glade? There has to be something we're missing. Something they didn't notice.

  We keep running, criss crossing here and there, taking lefts and rights. We take a short break to catch our breath and drink some water. As I chug my bottle, I notice a small red light shining at me. I step away, getting a different angle at it. It's coming from a small, robotic looking lizard. The infamous letters WICKED are written across it. I step forward to get a better look, but it quickly scoots away.

  "What was that?" I ask.

  "Call em Beetle Blades. Little buggers are even more annoying than a new Greenie." Minho explains, repacking his bag. We continue to run.

  Minho stops abruptly.

  "What is it?" I ask, bending over and catching my breath.

  "This is weird. Sector eight is open, but so is sector seven."

  "What's weird about that?"

  "Sector seven isn't supposed to be open for another week."

  I look at the right opening, which I figure is the door to both sections. I remember the passage way to Seven all too well. It's where we killed the Griever.

  Wait.

  We have a dead Griever. Something they've never found before. A clue. My mind is juggling thoughts of all kinds.

  "Olivia?" Minho asks. I realize I am walking into sector seven. "What the shuck are you doing?"

  But I keep my footsteps forward.