vi. hunted.

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It had been a year since I'd climbed out of the Box and ran into the Maze. I still hadn't been found by the Gladers and I was fine with that. I'd been able to map various parts of the Maze, but it didn't help much. The one thing I was sure of, was that the walls changed every night.
And once every month, a siren would shrill in the Glade, alerting everyone that the Box was bringing new supplies and a new victim that had no memories. The Gladers has established a pretty good community. They had rules, and everyone followed them, except me. None of them know I exist. This made it easier to sneak into the Glade every month and steal supplies while they had their 'welcome' bonfire for the newbie.
Today was different. I had been running on my usual route, trying my best to avoid the Runners when I heard a scream. It was loud and filled with pain.
Without thinking, I ran in the direction of the scream to see a boy on the ground, his face screwed up in pain. I ran to him and knelt beside him.
"Who are you?" He said quietly and I shushed him, looking at his leg, which was completely shattered. I had to get him back to the Glade.
"Okay. Come on," I pulled his arm over my shoulder and dragged him down the long corridor of the Maze.
"Wait. What's your name?" I asked, curiosity winning me over. He winced as I pulled him with me closer to the door. We were almost there now. "Newt, what's yours?" The boy replied.
"None of your business," I replied. We reached the doors and they began closing as I leaned the boy against the wall of the Glade. He smiled awkwardly at me, obviously still in pain.
"Thank you," he said, his British accent strong in the words. His blonde hair hung in front of his face and his brown eyes bore into mine. I turned and saw that the doors were already closed. I cursed under my breath and began climbing the ivy in the walls. "Where are you going?" The boy asked and I continued climbing.
"Home," I muttered and pulled myself up. I disappeared over the wall just as some boys came running over to Newt. I smiled to myself and climbed down the wall, running to my hideout. It was just a small hole in the wall that the ivy covered, but it was big enough for me to hide in and eat and all that. I had almost made it when the familiar sound of a Griever filled the long corridor. I picked up my pace as the huge creature began chasing me down the stone passage.
I ducked behind a wall and climbed up, reaching the hideout. It was only a few feet off the ground, far enough up that someone would have to stand to see it. I leaned against the wall as the shadow of the Griever moved past me and disappeared down the Maze path.

One year had passed since I'd saved that boy and brought him back to the Glade. I wonder sometimes if I should have stayed, if life could've been different. But then I remember that I'd probably be an outcast, as I'd be the only girl there.
The rumble of the maze walls opening woke me up that morning. I did my usual routine, packing my bag with stuff for the day such as lunch, water, medical supplies, and my knives. I stretched to get ready for all the running and pulled my bag over my shoulder as I jumped down from my hideout. I was careful not to make any noise, as the Runners were probably close.
I ran along my usual route, mapping and marking the walls as I passed. I am running pretty low on supplies, as it has become harder to obtain supplies as there are more Gladers nowadays. But I still manage to sneak in every month and take only what I need, as to not alert them that their stuff is missing. Sometimes, when I can't get supplies, I eat the ivy off the walls. It's edible if you cook it right. I often find myself thinking about how different everything could be if I'd shown myself years ago. Would everyone except it? Would they think I was the enemy? Would the boy recognize me? I'd never seen him in the Maze after his accident and I wouldn't expect to, he'd hurt his leg pretty badly.
I turned left, then right, then I went straight, repeating the pattern each time. I allowed myself to sprint down the Maze corridor, the wind blowing in my face as the sun shone on the stone around me. The braid my hair was in fell apart and I laughed as I thought about how bad I am at doing my hair.
I climbed one of the walls a few hours later, ready to eat some lunch. I couldn't stay on the ground for fear of being seen, so I just sat up here, eating away. I thought about the families the Gladers must have left behind when they were sent here. We all deserved more than this. A better life, but here we were. And here I was, two and a half years in this stupid maze, living in fear as I ran around aimlessly looking for a way out. But everyday, more hope was lost, as I returned home empty handed and very disappointed in myself. But I knew it wasn't my fault, I always tried my best to find a way out of this hellhole. It just wasn't good enough.
I pushed the thoughts aside and pulled off my backpack, almost falling backwards but catching myself at the last second. I opened a pack of nuts and dried fruit. Then I ate the meat that I had been careful to ration these past few days. It was the best part of the meal, making my tastebuds want more. But I had to stop myself, I needed to savor it. My heels tapped on the wall of the Maze as I ate and soothes my hunger and fatigue. I drank some water and was about to set out again when someone caught my attention.
"Hey!" I looked down, seeing two boys staring up at me, their composure was frightening. I put my stuff in my bag and swung it over my shoulder, getting in a crouch position. I stared at them with wide eyes and one of them was whispering to the one beside him.
I didn't know what to do, so I did what I always do when I'm unsure. I ran. I picked myself up and ran across the top of the Maze wall. I went slow at first, trying maintain my balance until the walls become wider, and when they did, I ran like hell. The shouts of the Runners grew louder as the chased after me from the ground.
"HEY!" One of them shouted again. They were right below me and I turned to see that I had nowhere to go that they couldn't follow. I had to go down. I turned to my left and climbed down that side of the wall, I could still hear the boys running to round the corner and catch me. I slid down the wall and at the last second, I stabbed my knife into the wall to slow myself down enough so that I could reach the ground gently. My feet met the ground and I turned to see the two Runners had just turned the corner. I sprinted away from them and in the direction of my hideout. I turned left, then right, then went straight and then repeated twice before rounding the last corner. The boys were still a good distance away so I had time to climb up and get in the hideout before they saw me. The vines covered the hole in the wall and I steadied my breathing as the sound of footsteps became louder.
I watched intently as the two Gladers stopped right outside the hole in the wall and I stopped breathing, trying not to draw attention to myself. "I swear we were right behind her." One of them said, confused. I smirked at his idiocy.
"Then tell me Ben. Where is she?" The other said, obviously frustrated. The boys were facing each other and there was so much tension that I honestly wanted to laugh or crack a joke. But then I'd lose the game, wouldn't I?
"This isn't a joke shank, we gotta find her." One said. I watched them both walk away and made sure I couldn't hear their steps anymore before letting out a laugh and a huge breath I'd been holding. I kept laughing and literally almost had a heart attack when one of the boys stood in front of me. I gasped loudly and scooted farther back in the hole in the wall. But he grabbed my leg, pulling me out. I slid off my backpack and grabbed the knife I had, sliding it into the small holster I had on my leather vest I wore.
I kicked my free leg wildly, connecting a few times. But another hand grabbed my other foot and I was dragged out of the hideout. I groaned in frustration. I lost the game. Dammit. I fell to the ground with a thud and propped myself up on my elbows.
The two boys stared down at me, smirks plastered on their faces. "Shit," I mumbled, hitting the ground with my fist.
"Well if it isn't Little Miss Lightspeed." One of the boys smirked.

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