[ two ].
CHAPTER TWO

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HER DRENCHED SWEATER clanged to her body as sweat kept running down her back. Dark curls glued uncomfortably to her unusual heated skin making the feeling that her body hadn't been washed in days to intensify.

The girl could feel the rays of sun against her grimy skin as the light tried to pass through her closed eyelids.

A wave of pain rushed through her head as she slowly moved it to the side, her cheek coming in contact with a rough surface.

Thoughts keep invading her mind but none of them seem to be clear. Her mind was scrambled. It was like her brain had been tortured for hours, becoming impossible to function in a proper way.

Trying to ignore the throb on her head, her eyelids separated from each other for only a second before meeting again as a reflection of the dazzling light.

    With a grunt, the girl pushed herself to a sitting position. Her hands started to burn from the scorching floor beneath them.

    By now her eyes had started to adjust to the blinding sunlight as she took in her surroundings through a blurred vision.
It took her a couple of seconds to realize that something was wrong. Her hands shouldn't be burning from the scalding floor, nor should she be a sweating mess. It should have been the complete opposite.

    Why weren't her hands burning from the low temperature that accompanied the frosty floor? Why weren't her teeth shattering against each other in result of the cold weather? Why wasn't she feeling like she normally would?

    The world seemed to be spinning around her as her mind tried to find answers to this question. Her wide raven eyes frantically went from spot to spot, from the ivy not covered in frost - like she had drawn so many times - to the sun not covered in clouds that used to block its warm rays from reaching the earth.

    What the hell happened?

    With wobbly legs she stood up, her limbs move without her consent as she took unsteady steps, managing to reach the wall to her left just before she lost balance and collapsed on the floor.

    Drops of sweat continued to drip down her forehead as her shaky hands hastily removed the jacket that brought more warm than it seemed, which was quickly followed by the drench blue sweater, leaving her in just a black worn-out tank top.

    Regaining what was left of her strength, she stood up slowly, swallowing the huge lump that had formed in her throat. She needed to keep calm in order to think probably if she wanted to figure out what the hell was happening.

    Taking a deep shaky breath, she wandered along the corridor as her trembling hand kept running through the covered ivy. She needed to feel something, anything, otherwise this could all be a dream, well more like a nightmare.

    The girl keep walking through along the not so familiar corridors, trying to make sense of what was happening. The more she adventure into the maze the more confused and disoriented she became.

    By now her breaths were coming out in an irregular pattern, her heart pounding wildly against her chest. Nothing made sense. Why was she in the maze? How did she got there? Hadn't she retuned to the Spring?

   Why can't I remember?

    Once that question passed through her mind the girl skidded to a halt. No, it couldn't have happened again, she thought. The fear that she felt three years ago was once again consuming her body from head to toe. Just thinking that there was a possibility that she had been once again in the hands of the monsters who put her here made her feel nauseated.

    Needing desperately to understand all this the girl started  jogging and before she knew it her legs were moving as fast as they could.

    Not long after she was able to identify her position as she kept following the mapped maze that was well known by her brain.

    The only place that she allowed herself to go was the Spring.

    Did this happen there also? Were the icers okay? Perhaps they were just as terrified as she was.

For once in her life, she wished that she wasn't alone. The serenity that usually accompanied her through the day was no longer appreciated.

It would be selfish really, to want someone to be in this situation with her but the fear that engulfed her body made the selflessness part of her disappear. And she didn't understand why, nor did she like it.

It wasn't the first time that she was scared, that's for sure, but for some reason, the changes that her surroundings suffer was something that terrified her to the core. The fear of the unknown was much stronger than any other that she had felt.

As her legs brought her closer and closer to the Spring entrance, her worries started to lessen. She knew that a few more turns and she would be reunited with her friends. And that thought alone brought a new sense of peace to the girl.

    A few more minutes passed and she could see it.

    The last turn. Just one more turn and the heavenly view of the snow-covered Spring would fill her vision.

    One more turn and she would be home.

    Sprinting through the long corridor, her heartbeat echoing in her ears as her worn-out boots pounded hard against the stone floor. Reaching the final corner, she almost tripped upon the sight before her eyes.

    She came to a complete stop, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

    No...this can't be, what's happening?

    The girl stood there for minutes not understanding what she had done wrong.

In front of her was a dead end. Another stone wall with cracks and ivies just like any other.

    How could this be?

    She was absolutely sure that she had taken the right path. Perhaps her state of mind hadn't been the most appropriate but so was not running from those disgusting creatures that roamed the maze and every damn time she was capable of returning back safe and sound to the Spring.

   So why not now? What was wrong with her?

An agonizing scream echoed through the maze corridors, so much agony and despair that would frighten anything in ear-range distance. A sound that could only come from a shattered soul with nothing more to grab on to.

A soul filled with pain that would never be what it once was.

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Dark black eyes roam the stone walls that stood by each side of the corridors, towering over him. Exhaustion started to consume his body as result of all the hours spent running through the maze.

The boy was making his way through the hallways, following the path that led back to the Glade. Another day that passed and no progress on finding the way out.

    As he rounded another intersection, something caught his attention. Slowing down to a jog, he took hesitant steps towards the unknown thing. The shadow of the wall made it hard to identify what it was.

    With each step, he became more confused. He stopped right next to it. Brows furrowed, he crouched down, picking what appeared to be clothes.

    It intrigued him what were they doing here in the middle of the maze, but what confused him the most was the type of clothing. A brown short coat with fur covering the inside and a blue sweater, much like the one he was wearing, perhaps a bit thicker and warmer.

    No one in their right mind would wear such attire in the glade. The weather never changes through the year, at least not to the point were wearing these clothes wouldn't make anyone pass out due to overheating. And their look rather small to fit any of the gladers, even Chuck.

    So where did this came from?

    Like someone had been listening to his thoughts, a scream that made his blood run cold echoed through the maze. The sound made him immediately drop the clothes as he stood up in alert.

    What the shuck was that?

    That thing wasn't a Griever, that much he knew. The boy didn't have his memories but still, he could recognize a girl scream, but that was just impossible. He would remember if a girl ever arrived in the Glade.

Whatever made that sound seemed to be suffering, it was like a call for help, a call for him.

    Curiosity got the best of him and soon he was running through the corridors trying to identify where the sound came from. A feeling of excitement filled his entire body as finally something seemed to change. His legs moved in a rhythmic pattern, bringing him closer and closer to the source of the scream.

    Half an hour passed and still not a single clue of any presence of a girl.

    It had been quiet since the scream reached his ears and he wished to hear it one more time just to be sure of the direction to run.

    At any other day, he would already be halfway through the path that leads to the Glade, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. This had been the first abnormality to happen in years and it could lead them to the way out.

    However, when the sun started to set, the fear of being trapped in the maze at night consumed him. After searching for almost an hour it was time to go back.

    What use would he have dead? Even if he did found the girl, he wouldn't live to tell the others if he didn't start heading back. He regretted leaving the clothes on the maze floor. They were the only evidence that something new was roaming the maze.

    The sound of stone against stone filled the air. It was his cue to start heading back.

    At the speed he was running, he wouldn't have to worry about being trapped in the maze for the night. There were still a few minutes left before the doors closed. A few more turns and he would be safe within the surroundings of the Glade.

    His plans were quickly ruined as his eyes landed on her. Yes, it was indeed a girl, at least it had the obvious attributes that a female would normally possess.

A part of him wanted to turn around and run. Be a coward by staying away from the unknown in fear that would lead to his death. He had witnessed beforehand how much curiosity of the unknown could cause death, destruction, but it could also open your eyes, take the blindness away, seeing the world in another perspective - or at least a small part of it.

Would this girl cause destruction or lead them away from the depths of the unknown?