OSCAR WAS LAYING ON HIS HAMMOCK, hand resting on his forehead, the pain killers he was given did their work, he couldn't bring himself to finish up his trial in Track-hoes and he spent the rest of the day in Med-jacks. The headaches were gone before the doors closed and then supper was announced. He asked Jeff to take a look at the back of his head, that thin, bumpy line he felt earlier, and asked what it is. Jeff said it was a scar, barely an inch long, didn't look recent, but the bald spot looked like it was clean shaven.

Oscar thought about it, the scar, wondering if that's the source of his memory loss, but if it was, wouldn't every Glader have the same scar? He did asked Jeff if he had a scar on the back of his head like Oscar's but Jeff said no and even had to check by running his fingers on his head.

With that, he doubt it was a source, just a scar that he always had long before he was brought out here.

Exhausted, achy and hungry. Oscar didn't have the energy to go to the kitchens, being hungry wasn't enough to get up and get supper. Besides, food around here weren't so appetizing and rather look nauseating.

He didn't hear Teddy, along with Clint coming. Teddy brought a plate for him after noticing he wasn't at the picnic area or with Newt at all during supper. "Had a shuck day, I bet?" the dirty blonde boy said and handed Oscar the plate.

Oscar slowly sat up, feeling a bit lightheaded as he grabbed the plate. "My head made it worse"

"Jeff and Newt said you were being weird today" Clint sat down on one of the empty hammocks. "Newt said you seemed to be hearing stuff and Jeff said you asked an odd question"

"Yeah, well, I'm fine now" Oscar was half lying.

"Are you really okay?" Teddy questioned as if Oscar wasn't honest.

"Yes and you really don't have to pretend to care" slightly annoyed.

"I kinda have to because you're my patient and I care for your well-being"

Oscar said nothing else, he just went on to eat supper despite the beef stew looked quite nauseating. But he got to admit, he couldn't help to feel lit up a bit when Teddy said he cared for his well-being. Coming from someone who he only a couple of days ago when he woke up from a coma. However, he felt some sort of a familiarity towards Teddy, not just Teddy, but also towards Newt, to everyone else, and to this place. He also felt he cared about every Glader.

"Heard from Nick about my next Trial?" Oscar questioned, he felt a gag coming up in throat after taking in a spoonful of cold stew, he had his hand on his lips as he swallowed it back down.

"Haven't got a chance to see him today, he'll likely let you know soon or in the morning"

Clint snorted, "Just say you're too scared to talk to him"

"He's never in a mood to talk to anyone for no reason," Teddy fended, "I mean, most of us are scared of him"

Oscar didn't find Nick that intimidating, he's may be tall and slightly built like Alby but Nick was taller than Alby, if Oscar was scared of anyone, it was Alby. Nick hasn't done anything, he has only been kind towards him, he had only seen him being annoyed and that's it.

"And a lot of us think he's a dick" Teddy said in a low voice then looked around to see if anyone was near to hear but there was none, most of the Gladers were at the dining area. Oscar was a bit surprised to hear that. "When the rules first established and they began anointing leaders and all, Nick anointed himself as the leader and persuaded everyone to agree like some arrogant prat"

"Yeah, Jeff mentioned that once" Clint confirmed.

Oscar laughed lightly, "That's . . . absurd?" it surprised him more, "He doesn't seem coming off as some . . . arrogant type"

Teddy chuckled, "Wait and see, mate. Why do you think Newt didn't want to talk to him as well?"

Oscar spent the rest of the evening talking to Teddy and Clint until it got darker, night was complete, torches were lit up all over the Glade; mostly in the camping area, by the huts and near the walls. There was a mini bonfire in the middle of the camp that would eventually die out in the middle of the night while everyone is asleep.

Oscar stared up at the starry night sky while listening to the sounds of faint rumbling noises behind the walls, it was like massive stone buildings being toppled down or to one another. He imagined the maze shifting, imagined long that he forgot he was looking up at the sky and he was tired enough that his eyes were heavy to fall asleep quickly than he had the last few days.

His dream began with a ghostly voice that belonged to a girl, "Oscar", his surroundings was strange, yet he felt he should be familiar where he was. Everything was a blur, there was a bright light above him, light was too bright for him that it stabbed his eyes, it took a while to register where he was, glass cupboards, cabinets, a white curtain by his side— and someone was holding his right hand.

He was laying on a bed, the place looked like some sort of a hospital room— more of an operation room. There was blurry figure standing over him, this blurry figure was holding his hand, he was too weak to speak— perhaps he was paralyzed, he couldn't even move, not even an inch.

"Can you hear me?" she said, there was a hint of desperation in her voice.

He could only move his eyes and lids, blinked twice, attempted to response to her question. He tried to look at the person, he knew it was a girl.

"Do you hear me?" there was like a realization in her tone, she hovered over him where he can see her, the lights behind her made it hard for him to see her face, the motion blur from the lights behind her took over her face. But he can see her mouth. "Oh my god, you can hear me, can you?" her mouth wasn't moving at all when she spoke to him. It was as if he was hearing her thoughts.

Then everything shifted away.

He found himself running, running in the hallways as waves red lights were passing him, alarm was blaring. He was his hand holding waist, bleeding through his shirt, the sharp pain made it hard to run faster and he was stumbling on the wall. The walls caught him every time he was stumbling, when he reached the intersection, before he could decide where to go, an unexpected voice echoed in his head, "To your right, Oscar. Go!" The voice belonged to a boy this time. And he listened to him and took the right hall and kept on running.

Everything shifted again.

It all became even more incoherent, it was mostly all in blur and clear for a quick moment, voices speaking to him almost all at once, "I think it's time we do something"

"It's near the end"

"Wicked is not good"

"Can you hear me?"

"Wicked is good"

"Wicked is good"

"Wicked is good"

"Can you hear me?"

"Wicked is not good" that last one was his own, his own voice saying it, he knew he was telling himself, there was a quick glimpse of his arm and a black marker in his own hand. He had just finished writing on his arm; DON'T TRUST WICKED.

Then he woke up.

He wasn't sure if it was the dream finishing that woke him up, or it was the doors opening, trembling the entire grounds of the Glade, or it was the somewhat loudest whisper that was so clear saying "Can you hear me?" in his head— echoing. He convinced himself the voice was in his dream and that he was not going crazy.

He looked up at the early morning sky for a moment while laying on his hammock before shift his gaze to the side and spotted the Runners making their way to the doors. He recalled their names being Minho and Ben, and Minho was the Keeper of Runners. He sat up and watched the Runners, they stopped for a moment by the doors where they met with Nick, seemingly talking before the Runners started jogging out of the Glade.

He imagined them jogging all day in the maze, he thought that was impossible, they have to take a lot of breaks to hydrate and eat.

Teddy groaned as he woke up, yawning when he sat up then stretched. "I see you're curious about the Runners" he said tiredly.

"Not really" Oscar rubbed his tired eyes. Though he was a little curious and wondered, "Do I get to try Runners?"

Teddy snorted, smiling, shaking his head, "No . . . Runners are limited, very few of them. The less we have, the better we lose less Gladers. Besides, you don't look like you're in a good shape, especially for Builders. No offence" the Med-jack got up and grabbed his satchel that was hanging on his tree, taking a toothbrush and a toothpaste.

"Well, I'm offended" Oscar responded sardonically. He noticed a bad taste in his mouth so he asked, "You don't have an extra of those, do you?" He was looking at the boy's toothbrush.

"Ah, no . . . I ain't sharing it, besides Box is coming up today for weekly supplies, I'm sure they'll bring up extra. And I think Nick requested a few things for you a week ago while you were in a coma" Teddy was rinsing his toothbrush with water from his canteen, squeezed out the paste onto the brush then brushed his teeth.

The Box is coming up today, and for the first time, he was actually looking forward for the day. He does hope that someone did requests for him, he only needed extra clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste.

After spitting out the foam from brushing, Teddy continued, "If he didn't, you can always request stuff yourself, leave a note on the Box before they bring it back down then wait for another week" he got up then tossed the toothpaste at Oscar, "You can have some of that, just rub some paste on your teeth or something"

"Oh thanks" Oscar nodded, he squeezed out some paste on his finger, gave the tube back to Teddy before he left for breakfast. He rinsed his mouth with water then went to join breakfast.

Before he joined the lineup, he was stopped by Newt who had an extra plate, "Good rest?"

Oscar shrugged, "The hammock is still horrible" he arched his back, as if that could make the backache go away, only felt the skin being stretched on his wound that made him winced.

Newt softly chuckled, "Here," he handed him the extra plate, breakfast today was pork sausages and boiled eggs with two toasts. "Come on, Nick wants to talk to you about your Trials"

Oscar followed him to the dining area where he found Nick in one of the tables with Alby and Jeff. The leader gestured the new kid to sit on an empty seat in the opposite side. He didn't know what to expect from Nick, maybe inform him what job he'll be trying out next for today.

"So . . . Jeff, Alby and I have been discussing about your trials" Nick rested his arms on the table as he was facing him, "Jeff has been pointing out his concerns, regarding the wound, believing that it ain't going to heal sooner and we usually have Greenies to try out every job everyday until the Gathering and we also just wanted to settle you in sooner"

Did Teddy and Jeff managed to get Nick to consider having Oscar to skip trials? Specifically the physical and difficult jobs that involves heavy-lifting and moving a lot. "Okay?" He glanced at Jeff who was half smiling while Alby wasn't looking, just eating breakfast, as did Newt who was sitting beside Oscar.

"We decided to have you skip Builders, Slicers, Baggers and Map-makers . . . most likely Sloppers too since that's mostly unnecessary, Sloppers is only for those who are bad at every job here. So that leaves . . . Cooks and Bricknicks. In three days, we'll hold a Gathering to decide where we're going to put you. But of course, we will hear your preferences and it'll depend how well you did"

Oscar nodded, he kept his glance on Nick as he was continue eating his breakfast, waiting for the Leader to speak again.

But when Nick looked up at Oscar, he gave a 'what?' gesture then said, "That's all for now, shank. Eat up then make your way to the kitchens and Frypan will take it from there"

Kitchens, he wanted to groan out. Only two jobs left then he can finally be settled into a permanent job where he will remain for the rest of their days in the Glade. Jobs like Builders and Slicers were the ones he was dreading for, he certainly wasn't built for Builders at all, seeing how most of them were bigger and taller like Alby and Nick. He hated the idea of butchering some animals in Slicers, that's what he imagined what Slicers do every once in a while, he wondered how a kid like Art does it, seeing that he's the youngest in the Glade, how he can stomach as a Slicer. He wondered what Map-makers do, he recalled Newt mentioning they create maps of the maze and sometimes go out to analyze, he also assumed that Map-makers have some sort of photographic memory. He definitely wasn't fit for Bagger, as they act like they're some sort of securities.

Once he finished up his breakfast, Nick announced everyone it was time for work, Newt wished Oscar luck when he goes to the kitchens and then he was left alone in the table for a moment until he made his way to the kitchens.

Frypan was sitting on the table, waiting for the Greenie to arrive, once he saw Oscar approaching, the Cook hopped off the table, "Just the guy I'm waiting for," Frypan smiled. Oscar attempted to return a smile but dreadfulness was too great to avoid it.

Throughout the morning, Frypan had Oscar to make at least fifty or so sandwiches and wrapped them in clear plastic while the Keeper was making some kind of soup. The sandwich had bologna, a slice of cheese and some salad. He did manage to struck a conversation with the Keeper, "Were you one of the firsts that was here from the start?"

"Hm-hmm" Frypan hummed, confirming.

"What made you to become a cook?"

"On our first days here, I sort of placed myself to be in charge of food, rationed them in case, didn't take us long to remain worry over food shortage because the Box came up with more supplies after a week" Frypan hopped onto the table, sitting as he went on, "I just grabbed all the food, kept in charge. After we began creating rules and jobs, I just took the role as the cook, even though I ain't the best cook in the world but I sure am one in the Glade" he snickered at the end.

It made Oscar to laugh lightly. "Is it really just you? Working by yourself as the cook?"

"I have help when I need one, I just ask one of the Sloppers to help if it gets too overwhelming"

Oscar had to admit that he felt bad for the guy working all by himself, to feed a few dozen people while working under a boiling hut most of the day. Seemed the day was slightly too warm for soup, which he found odd. "Isn't it too hot for soup today?"

Frypan shrugged, "It's soup day"

Oscar grabbed another bag of fresh bread from one of the crates, he was surprised to see how much food supplies that have here, a big crate of various canned food, crates of veggies and fruits all organized and nicely stacked. He turned to the cook, thinking of the guy's name; Frypan. "So, Frypan . . . that's the name the— Creators left you with?"

Frypan barked a laughter as he hopped off the table and went over the large pot that was boiling. "No . . . Lord help me, no" he grabbed a large utensil and stirred the pot. "It's a nickname that a late friend gave me. I don't know why the name . . . Siggy is my name that I was left to remember"

Siggy. Oscar wasn't sure if it was any better. "Siggy . . ." it sounded somewhat strange. "Yeah, I think I like Frypan better"

The cook snorted.

Once lunch break was announced, the Gladers started lining up, grabbing their bowls one by one as Frypan put a large spoonful of soul in each bowl that a Glader brought while Oscar handed them one sandwich per person. When Teddy got to the front, getting his bowl of soup and handed out a sandwich, the Med-jack said, "Looking good in there, mate" teasing Oscar.

He shook his head in response while rolling his eyes and scoffed.

After everyone was served lunch, Frypan saved two bigger bowls and four sandwiches for the both of them. Two sandwiches for them each both. Oscar didn't realized how hungry he was, "Only best part of this job is treating myself more" Frypan smirked.

He and Frypan stayed by the hut having their lunch, and before they could finish, Oscar noticed a flashing red light in the corner of his eye, it was a red siren lighting up but with no sound. "What is that?"

"It's the Box. It's coming up"

He almost forgot about the Box coming up today with weekly supplies. He patiently stayed where he sat until everyone started slowly making their way to the Box once the light stopped flickering or turning. The Box was already a bit crowed and surrounding the Box when he got there.

He stood and waited behind a crowd of boys until he heard a muffled groaning sound. He decided to push himself through the crowd, it was a good thing he wasn't big and towering them and neither minded him. He got himself in the front and watched the two metal doors opening up to the sides. Revealing a big cage, in the opposite side stood the Builders; Gally and Julien opening the cage, similar as the metal doors, the cage's doors opened on the sides. Inside were mostly crates and boxes, a pile and stacked of lumber. The Builders jumped in, the crowd made way for them to begin to empty the Box.

Oscar kept staring over the Box, attempting to look through, all he could see was darkness, daylight couldn't even bring the light further down, it was like a long dark tunnel of nothingness and most Gladers come up through this long abyss. He can't imagine what it's like waking in this Box, he felt a rain of claustrophobia pouring on him just by thinking about it.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind, he glanced around and found Nick. He handed him a notepad and a pencil. "Here, in case you need something else if they didn't bring up anything for you. Just write down what you need and throw the notepad in there"

He wasn't sure what he needed, he hasn't even got through the stuff yet or if there's anything for him at all. He waited first before he could write something down. He was sitting by the Box, his legs dangling down, waiting. He thought of jumping down into the Box and stay in there until they bring it back down. Of course, it was mentioned the boys already tried it, they tried for days while taking turns until they gave up, once the Box was empty, it was brought down.

"You seriously not thinking about jumping in there and stay in there, are you?" Newt joined him and sat beside him. "We already tried that . . . "

Oscar scoffed "I'm not stupid"

"Well, you got a box . . . actually it's Nick's but it's yours. He requested some extra clothes and a pair of shoes" Newt pulled a box over his lap from behind then hand it to Oscar.

He opened it, a pair of brown boots on top of the folded clothes, a toothpaste and a toothbrush inside the boots. "Just what I need" he muttered. He couldn't think of anything else he needed and what to request.

The Box was almost empty when Gally climbed out of it and informed everyone if they needed something before they empty it out. Because once its empty, to going to go back down. And Oscar still couldn't think of something. "There's always next week" Newt reminded him.

"Then I would have to wait for two weeks for it if I can't think of something right now"

"Hey," Oscar felt a nudge on his back, he shifted his glance back, there was Alby standing over him, "Come with me"

The boy was confused, he set his box down on the ground, got onto his feet, left his box behind and followed the Second-in-Command away from the crowd. He was guiding the boy to where Nick was standing and waiting. Further from the crowd. Oscar wasn't sure why he thought he was in trouble, or maybe to just discuss the trials further.

Nick was looking down at a paper, he folded it, he then gazed up at the boy once he was close. The boy expressed a questioning look. "This was in Alby's stuff" Nick reached out a folded paper. The silence from the leaders felt serious and important, it almost scared the boy.

Oscar hesitantly grabbed the folded paper, he looked at it before seeing his name on it; OSCAR, in a black marker. It was in Alby's stuff apparently and someone left it in there for him to see. When he unfolded it, he felt a wave of coldness that rushed through him when he read it, he took in a sharp breath and held it in momentarily. It was as if a nightmare came true, that whisper he heard in his dream haunting him, a girl he can't recall, one he saw in his dream, it's haunting him.

He looked as though he was seeing a ghost from Nick and Alby's perspectives as they were asking him what it was.

He could not answer at all. The paper confirmed he wasn't crazy after all. The words may seem simple but for Oscar, he wasn't sure the words meant, just that he wasn't crazy.

On the paper was written; CAN YOU HEAR ME?

Instead of answering, he walked away. Walked away like he was scared, he was scared, shocked and numb. He walked and walked, ignored the leaders calling his name, ignored Newt calling his name, asking him what was wrong, he didn't answer. He kept on walking, away from everyone he didn't stop and eventually, he disappeared into the forest of Deadheads.

AUTHORS NOTE
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me? updating this story twice within a month?? i'm proud of myself :)
maybe it's the pride month giving me motivation :)
anyway, minor changes, only i changed the chapter gifs

until next time and hopefully soon :)