Short Story

A/N: SOME QUICK MATHS

Writing competition at school + having nothing to publish = This deformed lil thing

This was based on The Maze Runner by James Dashner, so all rights go to him. Anyways, here it is:

Fear and panic overcome me as I jerk forwards. I scan the room, which was moving unwaveringly up, and stumble to my feet. I search my thoughts on something that I can remember. But nothing. Except for my name. Bianca. It doesn't feel right. It feels quite the opposite, wrong. Like someone had broken into my mind and engraved it there.

I scream as loud as I can, for help. "Someone, please, help me!"

I realise it's no use as I hear my helpless pleads vanish into obscurity.

*****

An earsplitting crash is heard above me along with a cacophony of voices, after what seemed like hours in this cage.

"What shuck face has made it up this time?"

"Gross, it smells like klunk down there."

Light beams from above me, and I squint, distinguishing around 40 boys leaning over the edge of my box. One of them jumps down, a rope following close by. It walks towards me, and I shuffle back into the corner, my back aching already from leaning on the metal wall. As the stranger approaches me, my eyes widen.

"Hey, Greenie. Welcome to the Glade." He grabs my arm and hoists me up. My eyes widen as I ascend up into brightness, attempting to adjust. My feet hit the ground, and the feeling of agitation washes over me again. I turn around and hear murmuring around me.

"It's a girl!"

"No way."

"Move slinthead, I need to see."

"What's going on? Where am I?" I say, my voice scratchy from the yelling earlier.

A tall boy with dark curly hair answers my questions "You've just come up through the box. As John here-" He pats someone that I assume is John "Told you, this is the Glade."

I glance at John. I recognise him as the person that pulled me out of the 'box'. He has golden hair, that shines in the sunlight. Stunning ocean blue eyes accompany his fluffy locks.

"I'm Laf. And what's your name sweetheart?" The dark-haired boy winks at me.

I scrunch my nose but reply "Bianca.". By now more than half of the group earlier have left, going back to do their normal things, I guess.

John smiles "Okay Greenie. Before you ask any more questions, here at the Glade we have only three rules. Number one" He held out a finger. "Never harm another Glader. That's what we call ourselves. After your first meeting, you'll be one too. Number two. Do your part. There are multiple jobs that you can choose from, and you get to try out for them tomorrow. And the last one, but most importantly, never go outside those walls. Unless you're a runner."

John's words take a minute to register but when they finally do I ask him a question "Walls?"

He shakes his head but appears to be amused "See those huge stones?" Sure enough, I looked in the direction he was gesturing towards, and there were about 90 meters high walls that seemed to enclose the Glade with an opening in the centre.

"Oh." Is all I can manage. I was shocked at how I haven't realised them before.

"So what's your job then?" I ask, turning around to face the both of them.

Before they could answer, a shriek comes from a building.

"AGH HELP ME!"

We all ran to the direction it came from, the biggest building out of the few that were in sight. I gave Laf a nervous look. He shrugged in return.

As we approach, I spot a boy crouching down, leaning against a tree behind the building, who I'm guessing was the person who released the dreadful noise. His face is pale but twisted in agony. His eyes are bloodshot and body is a sickly green. Cuts and bruises scattered up his scrawny limbs as if he handled wild animals regularly.

I squat down next to him "Hey, are you alright?"

For a few moments, he shudders and stares off into the distance. Abruptly, he faces me.

"The zombies, what do you call them... Oh, I don't know. I don't know. But, they're coming. The ones with half noses, infectious skin and bulging veins." He whimpers.

John furrows his eyebrows "Aaron, what do you mean?"

'Aaron', now shifts his stare to John and speaks so softly I strain to hear his words.

"The Cranks." He points to the gap in between the walls.

My head snapped to the direction he was indicating to, but thankfully nothing was there. I was about to comfort him, saying there were no zombies or cranks. But a loud groan interrupts my unspoken words.

Before anyone could do anything, footsteps, along with more groans that could be heard from all over the Glade. A group of 'Cranks', who looked exactly as Aaron described them, were gradually entering the Glade. They were the last sight I see before darkness once again consumes me.

Please don't kill me for using characters from other fandoms *shrinks back into hole*