Hunt Me Down

The Greenie

The sound of the Box Alarm rang through the Glade right on schedule, but I made no move to go investigate. I was helping out the Med-Jacks again, though I was a Track-Hoe, I did find ease in patching up smaller wounds if I was needed. That day, there was a bit of an accident involving a rather angry pig, falling wood planks, and a few injured Slicers before the animal was finally apprehended and slaughtered. When the alarm went off, Winston tried to stand up and leave, but I quickly yanked him back down.

"Hunter, come on! It's a new Greenie!" My friend complained.

"Infection kills, Winnie," I retorted, "You're almost done, no need to get your undies in a twist, you won't miss much. It's the same every month."

"I don't know, maybe I just want to see if we got someone useful this time, a potential candidate for my crew."

I pat his wrapped hand to signal I was finished, "Okay, Knife-Boy, you go on."

"Thanks, Hunter!" He called as he raced out of the Med-Shack to catch up with his friends.

I shook my head and began putting the supplies away, taking my time. I looked through the window as calls and shouts went through the air. The Greenie was pretty average, brunette and lanky. He was running, full of adrenaline and fear. I watched him run a little fascinated, the kid was fast, he could have made a decent Runner. The thought flew out the window as he tripped and was flung face first onto the ground. I shook my head and looked away with a chuckle, putting the unused bandages in their proper places.

I made my way outside the hut, walking to the outside where we had buckets of water. I poured some into a wooden cup and then poured that on my hands to wash off the excess blood. When my hands were void of any red or pink stain I wiped them on my pants as I stood up. I rounded the corner to the front, running directly into Newt.

"Hello, Love," He said, giving me a quick kiss, "You didn't come over to see the Greenie."

"I was patching up Winston then putting everything away, saw him make a break for it though. Where'd he even end up?" Newt leaned against the side of the building, arms crossed.

"Stuck him in the Slammer, for now, Alby's gone off to get him, give him the talk."

"You gonna go say hi?"

He sighed, "I suppose so, it's my job as Alby's second. I'd rather be here with you though, spend time with my lovely girlfriend. Watch her work."

I pushed him back playfully, "You'll just be distracting and never get any work done. Besides," I tapped his nose, "You have a Greenie to tend to and I have a Gally to subdue."

"I'll see you later then?"

"Later." I pat his chest and we smiled at each other sweetly before moving our own separate ways.

I made my way over to the gardens, the Gladers milling around as usual. The sun beating down, laughter and peace filling the area. As much as we wanted to leave, to solve the Maze, I couldn't help but love the Glade and what we had built together. It was home, and it was beautiful beyond compare.

I made it to the gardens and bumped Zart lightly on the shoulder. He was my job's Keeper, a large boy with a gentle nature. I picked up a machete and joined Jackson and Wyck to cut down some more stumps to pass on to the builders. It made more space for our garden, we had plans to plant some strawberries in the newly cleared area and the Builders were going to use the trunks to make some more stands for the plants. It also gave me an excuse to annoy Gally.

As much as he was a bit crass and intimidating, he was soft for his baby sister. I knew I wasn't the strongest Glader, but the noodle arms I had come in with two years ago had toned along with the rest of me. I thought that I could be a bit of help for the Builders, they were strong boys, but they needed a bit of a woman's touch. A smidge of a woman's intelligence to help them out, alas, Gally was a bit protective. I doubt he'd let me anywhere near a construction site if he had any say in it. He almost had a heart attack when he found me using a machete the first time, I thought it was hilarious but Nick didn't let him ban me from working with sharp weapons.

Nick.

I paused my swings a moment, before hacking away with fervor. Nick had died not too long ago, our faithful leader and former Keeper of the Runners. He was a powerful presence in the Glade, and though Alby did his best to keep everything going, sometimes it just wasn't the same. Alby had the makings of a good leader, better than myself at least, but I missed Nick, I missed him every day.

It hadn't been anyone's fault, not really. Accidents happened every so often on the Glade, reminding us that no one here was really qualified in their craft. A storm had blown through and he, Gally, Alby, Newt and the other builders were checking the buildings for any damages so they could be replaced quickly and prevent accidents. One of the walls came down for the Slicer's slaughterhouse. Nick's legs had been crushed and his spine damaged, he couldn't feel the lower half of his body. No one knew there was internal bleeding before it was too late. It wasn't anyone's fault, but everyone felt somewhat guilty.

Finally, the trunk was leveled, hitting the grass with a dull thunk. Wyck wiped the sweat from his brow, blue eyes tired and heat strung. I always volunteered to take the wood to the builders, so I pulled out ropes from the bag on my back so I could drag the large appendage as none of us were able to carry it without help. Jackson and Wyck made themselves comfortable on the ground, preparing to start the long task of digging up the roots so we could use the space for soil and fertilizer. I had just finished tying the ropes around the trunk and was getting ready to sling the ropes over my shoulder when a loud commotion caught my ears.

"Calm, calm, calm," Gally was saying, his palms up as the Greenie was freaking out. I dropped the ropes and ran over to help.

"Don't touch me!" The Greenie yelled desperately, eyes panicked.

"Whoa, take it easy!"

"Hey, hey," I said, trying to calm him down, "Relax, okay?

"What the Hell is wrong with you guys?" We obviously weren't helping to calm him, if anything he was becoming more agitated as time passed and the crowd grew.

"Just calm down, all right?" Gally tried again.

"No, okay?" The Greenie was on the verge of a panic attack, "Why won't you

tell me what's out there?"

"We're just trying to protect you," I tried to reason with him, reaching out slowly only for him to lash out and I threw my hands back in surrender.

"Don't you touch her!" I put my hands on Gally's chest, pushing him back.

"You guys can't just keep me here!"

"Yeah? Well, we can't let you leave." I retorted, well past annoyed.

"Why not?"

Just as the words left his mouth, the air within the maze whistled. We covered our eyes as it sent dust and leaves hurtling through the air directly in our eyes. I could see the Greenie looking up in fear, flinching back as the massive doors groaned. Slowly they began to close, cranked shut by our captors, sealing the Maze shut for the night. The Greenie kept staring as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Next time," Gally seethed, "I'm gonna let you leave."