the maze runner
chapter thirteen

❛❛ hey! we got a runner! ❜❜

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Another month gone. It's been a month since Nick was gone. The Glade managed to adjust the life without the former leader, it may have change a little but it didn't lead the Gladers to go astray. With Alby being the new leader, he can be harsh sometimes, he can be soft in the heart, perhaps since Nick died, Alby wanted to be a little more like Nick.

As for Poe, with another month passed, it marks exactly three months since he arrived from the Box. Only three months and yet, feels a lot longer than that. Poe had accepted that he has no purpose of here out here, merely just another Glader who was sent up as the rest, for whatever they're being used for or why they're out here. He must have a same reason as the Gladers, he's just here to help out, live out here, adjust his life and solve the Maze maybe.

Everyday has been the same for Poe, he had his daily routines, like he was reviving the same day over and over, he felt like he was being in a loop. Wake up in the earliest morning, have breakfast, go to work, have lunch, go back to work, finish work, closing time, supper then do whatever he likes for the rest of the evening before bed time.

Today is another month, that means another Greenie. It was still morning and the Greenie alarm doesn't ring until around lunch time. Everyone were working, Poe was doing the usual morning routine in the Blood house, get the cows outside of the barn to let them wander around within the fence, feed them, milk them, pick up the eggs from the chickens and feed the rest of the animals.

"Hey, you, Slopper!" Poe called out a Slopper that was outside of the barn and standing by the entrance. This Slopper was actually the current Greenie name Chuck. This Greenie was younger than Anton, the kid had more curls in his hair, and was a chubby kid. Poor kid is picked on almost by everyone in the Glade. Poe is one of the couple who is kind and doesn't picks on him. He tried not to be harsh on him as well. "Pick these crap up, will you?" He pointed at the cow fece.

Chuck groaned, "Do I have to?" His nose scrunched in disgust.

"You can't just stand around all day which all you've been doing all morning" Poe told him, "when you're done, feed my dog, Winston needs me to haul water"

"Fine" The Greenie groaned again. Poe left the barn to help Teo and Phil with the water hauling.

Poe and the Slicers spent the rest of the hour hauling water. His hands blistered when they were finished, and shortly afterwards, Winston announced it was lunch time and the Slicers left to go to lunch.

During lunch break, Poe had to sit behind the trees again within the shaded area where Frypan won't see him, the Cook still hates that Poe feeds Bark with his own food. He was alone for a while until someone came to join home and it was Newt.

"Sittin' here alone again" Newt sat down on the ground.

"Not really alone" Poe pat Bark's head.

"It's weird to see you without Teo and others joining you" Newt took a bite of his sandwich. "You smell like klunk again, guess that's how it is to work as a Slicer"

"Thanks for telling me, my nose has been blind" Poe muttered, he looked at his palms, sees a bit of white and bump spots and little of his skin peeling off themselves. They began to sting.

"You need some antibiotic cream for that" Newt implied.

"Nah—" Poe shook his head, put his hands down, "they should go away themselves"

Poe never expected that he and Newt would grow close as friends since a month ago. They'd be in the tower together where Nick once stood, only sometimes, they'd talk about random stuff and tell jokes to each other. He never took Newt as a funny guy. Sometimes Newt reminded Poe of Nick, how he would check on him, asks how he's doing.

He is the Second in Command who has various jobs and Zart took the place as Keeper of Track-hoes.

Sometimes when Poe has nightmares, Newt wakes him up and Poe would stay up for a little while before falling back asleep. Whenever Bark is needed to be washed, sometimes Newt helps him and mostly it's Anton who helps.

When Poe tried asking Newt about why he didn't like him and why despised him from the beginning, Newt's answer is always the same; "I'll tell you someday. Not now" and the last Poe asked him, Newt's answer was different; "You know what, I will tell you. If we ever get out of this place, then I'll tell you". That's the last time Poe asked him.

"Frypan's gonna kill you" Newt half laughed as he watched Poe feeding his food to Bark.

"He ain't seeing me now so" Poe flashed a smug at Newt then turned his glance back at Bark. "I don't get why Siggy's like that, guy's all religious over food"

"Maybe it's because we have a lot of dog food in the storage?" Newt guessed but there was sarcasm in his tone. He then laid down on his back on the ground to relax.

"I assume your morning went well" Poe shifted his head over his shoulder and looked at Newt.

The guy groaned peevishly, "Fantastic. Really fantastic"

Poe can tell that Newt misses being the Keeper of Track-hoes, he said he never really asked to be the Second in Command, Alby and Nick already discussed about the next Second in Command long ago and Newt was their first choice and of course there was Minho but he's a Runner. There was also Gally but according to Newt, Alby said Gally isn't fit to be the Second in Command.

"So being the Second in Command kind of forced you to decide to be kind towards me?" Poe said to Newt, it was evening, the same day when they decided to start over.

Newt chuckled in response, "No, you shuck face".

The Greenie alarm finally rang, the alarm was always loud, it was like a rumbling sound as well, a deep and muffled loud alarm as if the alarm is under the steel doors.

"About damn time" Poe got up, the Box is arriving with a new boy in it. Just like everyone else, Poe is always curious to see the new kid, who he is, what he'll be like, will Poe like the kid? Chuck, the not-Greenie-anymore-now will be the one taking care of the new Greenie like the usual. Poe remembered taking care of a Greenie after him, some kid few years younger than him name Alex. Poe never got along with Alex, he ended up working as a Bagger and drove the two apart since then.

"You're so excited" Newt sat up as he reached a hand towards Poe, he grabbed his hand and helped him stand up.

He and Poe began walking to the Box, Bark attempted to follow but Poe stopped him to get him finish the food, "Bark, stay" Bark obeyed as he sat back down, let out a whimper then a groan as if he was disappointed.

"Hey guys!" Anton came between Poe and Newt, the kid had a smile on his face. "had a good morning?"

"Peachy" Poe said. He hated his morning, the hauling water was always the worst part of his job that takes almost an hour, giving his palms blisters, to carry two full pails back to the barn was where he hated it, especially under a hot sun.

"Another month, another Greenie— least this day won't be another boring day" Anton smacked his hands on Poe's and Newt's shoulder.

The Gladers already gathered around the steel doors on the ground, they were already opening when Newt, Poe and Anton arrived and they managed to squeeze through the crowd to get to the front. Poe and Anton squatted down by the edge of the Box.

Alby and Nico opened the Box. There were cargos in the Box, the usual supplies and there was a person moving there. Hiding his face from the sun, the Gladers surrounding the Box began to chuckle as they saw the Greenie. The new boy had black hair, his skin looked almost pale, also looked tall, he looked near Poe's age.

Gally jumped into the Box to get the new kid, he leaned down at the new Greenie, "Day one, Greenie. Rise and shine" Gally picked up the Greenie and forced him out of the Box before Nico and the other Builder grabbed him and pulled him out.

Meanwhile Poe fell in stun when he should be laughing with the Gladers, he couldn't, he stared at the new kid, he wasn't sure if he was seeing right or he's seeing what he's seeing.

Poe's brows remained furrowed as he got up, he wanted to get close, get a close look at the Greenie to make sure. Before he could get a look at him, the Greenie was already sprinting away in fright.

"Hey! We got a Runner!" One of the boys shouted as everyone watched him running.

The kid ran fast, he was fast than anyone Poe has ever seen. Then the new kid tripped, fell forward and rolled once. Everyone except Poe burst out laughing.

They all continued to watch him, began to cheer for him, the new Greenie was getting up, realization was hitting him as he checked his surrounding, stared in stun at the giant walls around him. It's the same look that every Greenie gets when they first saw the walls.

Poe still couldn't get a chance to see the new kid because the Bagger caught him after still trying to run away and they had to throw him into the Slammer for a while until he calms down. Immediately afterwards, Alby ordered everyone to get back to work.

Unable to work, Poe stood around all afternoon outside of the barn and looking ahead where the Slammer is. He had an urge of walking towards it just to take a close look at the Greenie.

It's him. It has to be him. Poe needed to know, he needed to see him.

Poe found himself walking ahead, but only took ten steps forward before there was a voice near him, "Hey!" the voice made him snap out and looked around to see. It was Newt, "here—" he tossed something at Poe.

He thought quickly and caught the small object into his hands. It was almost cylindrical, like a small tube, it was an antibiotic cream. "Dude, you didn't—"

"You're welcome" he cut him off, "managed to snag it from a medical box before Jeff even saw it"

"Newt, you did not—"

"I said you're welcome" Newt smirked as he approached Poe. "You sleeping already? You looked dead for a moment there" he place his hands on his hips.

"Oh yeah, just... daydreaming" Poe shrugged. He didn't want to tell him about the new Greenie, "you've met the Greenie yet?" Even though he knows that Newt hasn't because Poe hasn't kept his eyes off the Slammer. When he gazed toward the Slammer and Alby was there, assuming to take the Greenie out.

"Nah, not yet" Newt shook his head. "He's just another same Greenie as the rest anyways"

"Yeah—" Poe weakly nodded, "I guess so" perhaps the new Greenie is just another same Greenie.

"Anyway, I gotta head back to work" said Newt. He was walking back across the Glade.

"Thanks for the—" Poe quickly said as he gestured the cream and flashed a smile.

Newt waved in response while smiling. Poe used the cream and rubbed his hands together all over his palms. He's gonna have to keep it and not let Jeff see it. The Keeper doesn't usually like his medical stuff taken without asking.

"Goddamit!" Winston yelled from inside the barn. Poe went inside to see, Winston was going through the cabinet before slamming it shut, "Shucking Builders took the damn hammers again!"

Every Keeper in the Glade hates getting their stuff taken without knowing. "It's not like we need it, mate" Teo told him.

"Some boards on the fences are about to be knocked down, Teo"

"So we'll get Bricknicks fix it" Poe implied.

Winston pulled a cloth off his shoulder, waved it "Oh what the hell, go get the shucking Bricknicks and tell them to come here then"

Poe nodded and obeyed the Keeper. He left the barn and made his way to the Homestead where Bricknicks could be. On his way, he spotted Alby with the Greenie, walking and they and Poe are about to cross paths. He'll finally able to see the Greenie.

He kept his eyes on the Greenie as he and Alby draw closer and closer towards Poe.

Then finally, he saw the new Greenie. That familiar face Poe has been seeing multiple times in his dreams, this boy who Poe was arguing with something about a trial, this boy who punch him, this boy who told Poe to go to hell. He still doesn't know his name. He still kept his eyes on the Greenie as they both walked by each other. The boy did met Poe's glance, the boy showed no surprise or confusion when he saw looked at Poe like the boy has never even seen him before. They are complete strangers after all with their memories taken.

It is you... but who are you?

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