"What?" Minho asked, he looked confused. 

I slapped my hand over his mouth. "Zip it Sparky." I hissed, "There's a Griever near by." 

His eyes went huge. I could see the fear and panic bubble to the surface in his eyes. I was angry and frustrated. I felt nothing for these guys, I had met them yesterday. But I also had this weird protectiveness all of a sudden. I growled slightly. I pressed my finger to my lips, my eyes flashed in a warning. 

"You listen to what I say." I hissed.

"But-"

"No." I cut him off. "I've done this, you haven't. You will shut up and follow my instructions and you'll live. Do you understand." 

Ben nodded, I could see the pride in Minho, his stubbornness trying to take over. 

"Look, Listen to me and you live, be a stubborn ass you die. After this you can go back to being an arrogant puffed up peacock." 

"Are you always like this?" He snapped. 

"Yes. Now, you said they never pass the walls?" 

They both nodded.

"Good, this will be a piece of cake, unless he's brought friends." 

Their faces paled. 

"Oh lighten up. I hope your ready to run." I grabbed my bag, and took off down the hall, throwing it over my shoulders. The guys on my heels. I slowed down and stopped listening. Then took off down the opposite hall. 

"Where are you going? The Glade is that way!"  Minho whisper yelled. 

"Yeah straight into the Griever. You guys have halls that connect to other sections?"

I saw the understanding in his eyes. I nodded. We just need to get back through one of the other other doors. I heard the Griever's high pitched whirring and the slamming of its blade legs into the stone. 

"What the shuck is that?" Ben asked. 

"It's legs stabbing into the stone. Now less talking. More running. It's gaining." 

I put my head down and ran, my hair flying behind me. My lungs burnt, my legs were filling with the lactic acid and the sweat dripped down my neck and back. 

I hated that those stupid machines could gain on us. No matter how fast I ran they always gained. We took another turn when I heard the animal mechanical scream. We we half way down the corner when I glanced over my shoulder.

"Dammit." 

 The stupid thing rounded the corner. Both boys looked over their shoulders and they just about tripped. This was obviously their first time fully seeing the monsters. I had to grab Ben and shove him forwards. Minho's face was white as a ghost. We ran, well, I shoved the guys forwards, towards the next intersection. These guys were never going to make it, their fear was slowing them down. I knew I had to lead it away. The Griever was hot on our heels. 

"Go. Back to the glade. See ya later." I screamed at Minho, I pulled my long knife free and another smaller one.

"What are you-"

"Giving you time. Now GO!" I screamed, I leapt for the wall in front of me. I pushed off the wall and twisted in the air. The Griever tried snapping at me. I slashed down, it screamed at me. I had to tuck my body and roll. I came up running back down the hall. The giant monster slammed into the wall. 

"Come on, come get you stupid hunk of junk!" I screamed. 

I saw Minho had stopped and turn towards me and the Griever. I took my smaller knife, bringing my arm back I sent it flying end over end and it slammed into the Grievers eye. It reared back and screamed in anger. It slammed down onto all its long sharp legs and gave chase. I spun around and ran. The Griever now had trouble seeing. It whipped it's head back and forth trying to shack my knife loose. But I had buried the knife up to the hilt. No way it was coming out. I skidded around another corner, I had to make it back to section 4. It was going to be a long run. 

I pulled another of my knives out. If I could blind it totally then I could loose it, if those damn beetle blades didn't help it out. But I had a feeling that the Designers didn't want me here. Why else would a Griever just randomly show up when they have never come out during the day for the guys? 

Aww I must be special. 

I had to duck when the claw came shooting over my head. It retracted and I had to use my long knife to deflect the claw. There was a big intersection coming up, I twisted around and pushed off sprinting towards the thing, I dropped to my knees and stabbed my knife up into the big blubbery body as I slid underneath. I had to roll the last little bit to get out from underneath. I pushed off the ground and flipped my self up onto my feet, ducking again as the tail came for my head. The Monster was slower now, I could see motor oil seeping onto the stone floor. I ran close to the wall. It lashed out with a leg and I had to dive over it, rolling and kept running. 

Next time I had enough distance I would have to try blind it, throw my next knife at it's other eye. I couldn't waste my knives, I had to be sure I would hit it. I ran. I didn't have to run as fast, the motor oil was leaking, making a trail through the maze halls. I had gained a turn on the Griever. I saw a half wall. I took a running leap and grabbed onto the ivy as high as I could, I climbed up the ivy, hulling my exhausted body up on top of the wall. I lay panting for a second, trying to catch my breath. I heard the Griever come crashing around the corner. 

"Shuck this thing is relentless." I muttered. I rolled over and onto my feet and ran. The Griever clawed its way up onto the wall. It was on my heels again. I saw the end of the wall. Before I made it to the end of the wall, I spun around and threw my knife. As expected it hit its other eye. It was now completely blind. I smirked, turning around just in time, I leapt off the half wall. Arms and legs flailing. I slammed into the full wall I tried to get a hand hold on the ivy. The griever leapt off the wall. Or it was more like it's momentum carried it over the edge. It slammed into the wall above me. I slid down the ivy. The Grievers sharp legs flailed, getting tangled in the ivy. As it flailed and lashed out, I felt my arm slice open. 

I growled and hissed in pain. It made me loose my grip on the ivy and I fell. I landed with a thud on the ground. I groaned. Something grabbed my backpack and lifted me to my feet. I caught a glimpse of huge arm muscles and black swooped hair. Minho dragged my away from the screaming Griever still tangled in the ivy, the motor oil was leaking all over the place. 

"Shuck your crazy!" 

"I told you to go back!" I yelled. 

"Yeah well I don't like to do what I'm told." 

"Clearly." I rolled my eyes.

"Run, shuckface. We have one hour to get back." He gave my back a shove. 

We ran. Side by side we ran as fast as we could. We didn't say anything, I focused on my breathing, ignoring the burning in my arm. We took corners and turns together in sync and  without having to be told where to go. It took us exactly an hour to get back to the main stretch of Maze hall. There was a huge crowd of guys. I felt the ground vibrating. And a gust of wind that tunneled down the stretch, whipping my sweaty hair everywhere. 

"GO!" He screamed. 

The door started to rumble. We were 15 feet away. The guys were all yelling at us to run, like we we were taking a lazy stroll.

10 feet away. They slowly backed up, giving us room. 

5 feet away. The doors were half way closed. 

Minho and I shoved our way through the door. With how fast I was running I had to slow down, so I kept running, but slowed to a stop. The guys all crowded. And the big doors slammed shut. 

I was still trying to catch my breath when Minho came storming up to me. 

"What the shuck is your problem?"

"Excuse me? try that again." 

"You and I were just about trapped out there for the night." He yelled.

"I didn't ask you to come back. I clearly told you to go back!" I hissed. 

"And that's the other thing! Rule one as a Runner we don't leave people behind." He yelled, stepping into my personal space.

"Good thing I'm not a runner! I'm a fucking Mapper from the Meadow! When was the last time you were chased by a Griever, Minho? When was the last time you fought one? Huh? I know what I'm doing, you just about had a heart attack when you saw it. A thank you is welcome or back the shuck off!" 

I spun around and stormed away. The crowd of guys all parted, their eyes wide and mouths dropped open.

"Dude...she knew what she was doing...did you see her push off the wall and chuck her knife?" I heard Ben mutter. 

I stormed to the kitchen area and over to the kitchen. 

"Hey, Fry? Can I have a bowl of warm water and two clean cloths?" 

"Uh...yeah sure...Jessie, you okay? Your bleeding pretty bad."

"Yes I know."

"Are you okay? Ben came screaming into the Glade about you making a Griever chase you, and Minho turned around and went back to look for you." 

"I'm alive." 

He handed me the bowl and a stack of clothes. I nodded in thanks. I sat down at a picnic table and shrugged my back pack off. I pressed a cloth to my arm, trying to make the bleeding stop. I took a few deep breaths, trying to slow my heart rate. The slower my heart rate the slower the blood flow. I pulled the cloth away from the cut. It was deep, but not too long. 

"Shuck." I muttered. I'd need stitches. I took the cloth and got it wet, and cleaned up the blood from my arm and pulled the first aid kit out of my bag. I put a knife in between my teeth and bit down, and took the disinfectant and poured some on the open wound. I hissed and growled. tears sprung to my eyes. I bit hard on the knife blade. I rummaged around the first aid kit and pulled out the sterilized needle and thread. With a deep breath I started to stitch my arm. 

"Ya know we have buggen' Medjacks for that."

I took my knife out of my mouth, "I don't trust them."  

Newt sat down on the bench beside me. "Jeeze woman you are one tough bloody cookie." 

"I do what I have to." 

"Can I help you, Love?" 

I looked at him suspiciously, His big brown eyes and redish blond hair, his accent and the way he called me Love...

"You remind me of someone." I muttered, and looked away, He took the needle from my hands and started to stitch my arm. 

"So...who do I remind ya of? Someone from your maze?" He asked.

"Yeah. She was..." I trailed off, my throat feeling tight. 

"She was important to ya." 

I nodded. "The one I trusted, she saw passed the dark black standoffish attitude. She was relentless, she became closer than a sister." 

"Lover?" Newt asked quietly.

"No. But closer than a friend... sister doesn't even come close either." 

"Hmm." He nodded, his eyes down on his work, "Believe it or not, I understand." 

I was quiet. Waiting for him to continue. 

"In the Maze, in the Glade or your Meadow... you go through some pretty jacked up stuff. You learn to rely on the people around you, they understand. You would die for them, absolutely lay your life down for them." 

"Not sure if I would, I hardly know you guys." 

"I doubt that Jessie. You sent Minho and Ben back to the safety of the Glade, and took the Griever on on your own. You risked your life for two boys you didn't know...and one boy who I know pissed you off." 

I sat opening and closing my mouth. I had nothing...I had no comeback for that. I guess it was true... But there was no way they would have made it back without me. But there wouldn't have been a Griever if it wasn't for me. 

"I didn't ask for him to come after me. I told him to go back!" 

"One thing, Love you need to know about Minho; he wont ever buggen' leave someone behind. Ever. He's stubborn, cocky, mouthy, a bloody sarcastic shuckface, but he's loyal. He cares under his hair gel and sarcastic comments. He wont let someone do the dangerous klunk alone. No matter how scared or jacked, he'll be there for you. Always."

I nodded. 

"Then why was he so pissed? Not like I skipped away to purposefully do it." 

"You almost didn't make it back. No one survives a night in the maze."

"I have. A few times." 

Newt's face morphed into shock. I shrugged, Newt had finished and tied off the stitches. I thanked Newt for his help. He insisted he stand outside the door when I showered, he also found some clothes that would be functional for now. I rolled my eyes, but deep down I was thankful, Newt reminded me of Sonya, and maybe that's why I trusted him more that anyone else so far in this messed up parallel universe.  I showered quick, wrapped my arm with gauze grabbed some supper ate quickly in the corner. I grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the supply closet and retreated to my tree fort. 

•×•

This was my routine. For the next four weeks. Wake up leave with the runners, try find my way home. No more Grievers came around. But it had been a month, and no way presented itself. I would come back into the Glade just as the doors were closing. Minho would yell at me for being reckless, I would flip him off as I walked away. I would eat by myself in the shadowy corner of the picnic area and then retreat to my tree fort.

Over the weeks, I had made it a bit more sturdy, I kept the rope ladder, I had added to the railing, but no one ever used the tree fort, so I claimed it as mine.

But it had been a month since I stumbled into their maze.