pre-the maze runner
chapter three

❛❛ won't hurt to show some, let's everybody in the glade knows you're human ❜❜

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The world howled and boomed when Poe was strolling around the Glade with Anton. His heart jumped as he jerked back by the loud booming sound throughout the Glade. It was followed by that scratching, grinding and crunching sound, it terrified Poe for a moment as his glance turned every direction to find where the sound was coming from.

"Relax, Greenie" Anton laughed, "it's just the door closing"

"Door?" Poe was baffled. "What door?!"

Anton pointed ahead, toward one of the walls that had a gap, the exit, the way into the Maze. The two walls were moving to meet each other. Poe was somehow strangely fascinated by it, he approached forward, jogged to get closer, ignoring Anton's warnings but stopped where the line should be where he shouldn't cross. The wall was more than halfway from closing, Poe gazed up and watched it closing. His mouth gaped as his sharp breath escaped and stared somewhat awed at the door closing. There was thing mechanical metallic large wheels in each sides.

In the last inches of closing, there was a breeze coming into the Glade, blowing on Poe's face before the door was close shut. The last booming sound when it shut and it echoed throughout the Maze then there was silence.

Poe, still awed by it, stood there for a long moment before finally responding, "Terrific"

Anton raised a brow as he looked at him, "You're weird" he complimented, "I klunked in my pants when I saw it happening"

Klunk. Poe was confused why these boys have odd words. "I don't even know what that means" he folded his arms and turned to the kid.

"Another word for crap, like literally crap"

"Say no more" Poe muttered then decided to continue strolling and Anton followed. "Also, what's a shank? Isn't that like when you stab someone in prison with or a leg?"

Anton chuckled, "No. It's how you call someone in somewhat friendly matter, I guess" he shrugged, "You'll get it, and you'll get a hang of the slangs"

Slangs. Why make their own slangs anyway? Poe didn't bother asking the kid. "You guys mentioned a bonfire, what's that for anyway? I doubt you're all roasting hot dogs"

"Roasting hot dogs is one of them, of course, if you want to though" Anton kicked a rock out of his way, "but it's actually a traditional thing, they have it every once a month, it's sort of a special welcoming for a new Greenie. I suppose they could use a bit of loose once in a while, have a little fun instead of constantly worrying and stressing"

"Traditional" Poe murmured. He found that a bit odd, to be trapped in here in the Glade, with whatever lurks behind those giant walls— Maybe that's a good idea after all instead of constantly worrying about whatever is in the Maze and stressing about solving the place. They could all loosen up once in a while. "So, people get trapped in the Maze and never survive, that means Gladers have died here"

"I don't wanna brag about it" Anton shook his head, "but yes, Gladers have died out here, not too many I assume. If you're curious how many, go check out the Deadheads if you like"

Poe wasn't surprised at all when he figured Gladers die out here, as if he knew. "Yeah... I'll pay the dead a visit later, give them my respects or whatever"

"You know—" Anton nudged Poe's arm, they both stopped and looked at each other. Anton had this suspicious look on his face, "you're really weird. I don't know much about Greenies but I'm sure as hell they didn't act like you right now. Show some a little feelings at least, I don't think Alby likes weird people like you. But just show some emotions for a while"

Poe lowered his brows, "Just because I barely show any emotions doesn't mean I'm not scared"

"Won't hurt to show some, lets everybody in the Glade knows you're human"

Poe turned away and kept walking. "Then I guess I should pay the dead a visit to show some humanity in me"

Anton didn't bother following him, as if the boy didn't quite like him at all. Poe did in fact went to the Deadheads, not to pay the dead a visit but to get away from everyone. He wasn't really sure how he was taking this place, when he should be scared like everyone did or is, when he should be crying like Anton did, but Poe wasn't feeling any of those. Like he didn't even have a soul or a heart to feel.

Or maybe he just felt those way before and got used to it somehow? He just can't remember. Perhaps that explains why this place was familiar, that he felt he's been here before and that it didn't scare him at all.

Poe was in the forest of Deadheads, when he was walking around, he couldn't see anyone, nor the walls, it was like he had escaped and that he was in someplace else. He could just forget about the Glade if he lives in this forest, he could work in this forest, he could make himself a home in here.

"What am I doing here?" He muttered, he wasn't asking about the forest but in the Glade. What was his purpose being in this place and why he was sent here?

Further into the forest, he was almost at the end because he can see a giant wall ahead, he even stumbled upon a multiple piles of dirt in various places, with sticks stuck into the dirt and a piece of plywood nailed on those sticks. All of them, about maybe a dozen or more of them. One pile he stepped on, it took a moment for him to realize he had reached a graveyard. He was stepping on someone's grave.

"Shit" he murmured, he stepped back but only to knock off a grave's header with a name on it. He fell back and landed on his butt. A header, some sort of a plywood like the rest of them was under his legs. Now he felt guilty and awful. He sighed and picked up the wood, it was all dirty and old, older than the rest of them. Judging how old this grave was, Poe assumed whoever's grave is this, buried in the ground was the first person who died. He read the wood and it said GEORGE. Poe let out a doleful sigh and then muttered, "Sorry, George"

He attempted to fix it before anyone sees, but to his terrible luck, someone's voice rang behind him, "What the bloody hell you're doing?!"

Poe looked around and see the boy who Anton spoke to while he was preparing Poe's hammock back in the camp. The limping boy name Newt. "I— I was just—" he was trying to put the wood back into it's place.

Newt stomped forward, irritated, he snatched the wood from Poe's hands. Newt looked at it, his irritation look turned to a hint of sullen look for a second before looking down at Poe again. "Get your stupid shuck-face out of here" he almost yelled and he looked very angry.

Poe immediately assumed that this George was Newt's friend, and he hated Poe for knocking over his friend's grave. Poe reluctantly climbed on his feet, he walked backwards slowly and before leaving, he said "I'm sorry"

Then he left.

Poe was somehow embarrassed about earlier, he tried to forget it and just move on. Hoping Newt also forgets about it. Poe wasn't planning on ever talking to that boy again.

Night fell and the bonfire had started. There was a bit of music, not music but rather a drumming, using buckets and sticks, boys wrestling over the circle, eating supper and drinking. Poe wasn't feeling over interacting with the Gladers. He was sitting on the ground away from the bonfire, eating his supper which was some roasted meat and a corn.

He was alone about half hour after the bonfire started until Teo came to join him and he too had a plate of the same supper Poe was having. "You can't sit the rest of the night, you know?" Teo sat down next to him, "I get it, today sucks. Your life taken away, your memories of your mama and pop-pop gone and you're stuck in this new crappy life. You got no choice but to live on with it"

Poe wasn't thinking about all of that until Teo had mentioned it. It really does suck. It's strange to be in this new life and it's horrible at the same time. "You said you've been here for like, eight months, was it?"

"Six months" Teo corrected. He chewed on the meat before biting a piece off.

"Ever tried or want to be a Runner?" Poe asked. He put his plate down.

Teo huffed and had a weird look as he looked at Poe while he was chewing in his mouth. "Oh, no" his mouth sounded full, continued to chew, "To constantly run in the Maze? No, I'm not into that, I can't even run in a mile and to always worry about the door closing, that seems stressful. And to have everyone rely on me, no, too much weight on my shoulders"

"You'd want to find the way out, right? Try and solve the Maze"

"If Minho had been a Runner since the beginning, and he hasn't find the way out, then I doubt I would" Teo swallowed his food. "Besides, I prefer where I am right now, my job is okay"

"Slaughtering chickens?"

"Aye" the boy nodded, "Not the best job in the world"

"Can't be that bad" Poe commented.

"Yeah—" Teo snickered, "killing chickens for meat and pigs for bacon is not that bad... I mean it's a good thing we still have bacon in the Glade, otherwise we wouldn't survive this long without bacon"

Poe gave him a strange look, then he laughed softly.

"Anyway, how you liking this place?" Teo questioned.

Poe merely shrugged, "Odd. I think someone already hates me" He was thinking about Newt and what happened earlier in the Deadheads.

"No one likes a Greenbean, shank" Teo told him, "Give it another day, a week or a month, they'll love you. But not everybody around here gets along with each other"

Poe was wondering how long they'll be out here, maybe another two years or longer, he'll be adult by then maybe. Speaking of, how old is he? They even took away a memory of how old he is, that's stupid. "How old do you think I look?"

"You seemed to one of the oldests in the Glade" Teo assumed. "Like Alby and Nick. I say around eighteen? Nineteen? Most likely eighteen"

Teo himself looked to be around sixteen, perhaps seventeen. Most of the Gladers looked to be around sixteens, the youngest he has seen is Anton who looked to be thirteen or fourteen.

"Come on—" Teo stood up, "you should meet some peeps"

Poe was hesitant, he knew he can't sit here all night and someone will eventually come to him. Poe kind of liked Teo, he seemed funny and even he found Anton likeable who seemed always cheerful.

The blond boy got up and walked with Teo to the bonfire. He gestured at the two boys who both looked to be fifteen, one had a dark skin like Alby and the other was Caucasian with thick brunette hair. "That's Jeff and Clint, Med-jacks, meaning like nurses. They usually tend the Builders and me, Slicers"

There was Nick wrestling against another boy who Poe had never met or seen. Dozen Gladers around the circle cheering for them both.

"The guy, Nick is fighting against— that's Nico. Guy's a bit of a bigger dick than Gally is" Teo's voice was low that no one around them heard him. "He and Gally are Builders— Gally's the Keeper of Builders. Most of these shanks—" he gestured at the Gladers around the circle, "—are Builders"

Poe gave a nod. He and Teo moved along and proceeded around the Bonfire.

"This is Frypan—" Teo gestured at the boy under the tent, the boy was almost big, had dark skin and he was sitting with Anton. "And of course, I've seen you've met little Frypan, Anton"

"Hey, Poe" Anton smiled and the boy Frypan also gave a smile and included a nod.

Poe and Teo moved along. "Here are the Runners—" he motioned at the two guys, the Asian boy sitting on a log, with a plate in his hand and the other boy, standing and leaning sideways on a pole. "Minho and Ben. Say hi to the Greenie, guys"

The Asian paid no attention to Poe at all but Ben reached a hand out, "You must be Poe"

Poe reluctantly took his hand and shook in greet. "Ben, I guess?"

Ben nodded, "Yeah. Minho here, of course" he nodded at the Asian boy.

Poe would like to talk to these two soon, he wanted to know about being a Runner and question about the Maze. "Good to meet you both" Poe said before he and Teo walked away.

The bonfire went on until bedtime. Poe spent the rest with Teo mostly and sometimes with Anton and Nick. Nick told Poe that he has a big day in the morning and told him to expect an early start.

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Poe and Newt don't seem to have a good start at all :/
I did a slight update on "Part I: The Maze" chapter to add a little info.