Lost & Found (TMR)

3

It seemed impossible to get out of the Griever's grip. I struggled with all of my strength against it. And then it came to me: The dagger. Of course, I was holding a dagger in the hand. I tried gathering as much strength as possible into my arms and rammed the shiny silver blade into its slimy skin.

I stabbed it several times and it groaned like mad, but it didn't bother becoming weaker.

Sweat dripped down my forehead. There seemed to be a storm in my brain, looking for an idea how to save myself in every functioning cell. Again, I slammed the dagger into the flesh.

But the creature didn't just let that happen. At first, it hit my leg with one of its arms. Pain spread through my body, but that was just the beginning.

One of its weapons came towards me. I spotted a huge knife in the corner of my eye as panic made its way into my system and my pupils dilated in horror. I couldn't even think that fast as soaring pain spread in my stomach. It stabbed me. I felt warm blood flowing out of the wound.

All I could feel was agony. It felt like my eyesight started to get foggy, my brain only able to make out silhouettes of my surroundings.

No, I thought. You did not go through everything just to be killed by a freaking ball of slime.

Suddenly adrenaline made its way through my body. I don't want to die tonight. I grew aware of all my senses again, however before I could act, I got cut again. This time, over my whole cheek. It didn't seem to be too deep of a cut though, considering I only felt a very sarp sting.

Then I started fighting. I kicked with my feet, if I hit something or not didn't matter.

This time, I wouldn't stab it, I would destroy it. So I put my hands, the dagger tightly gripped, up as far as the situation allowed it and slammed it into the gulp of slime.

As I did, I let out all aggressions I had bottled up from the last years. I screamed and yelled until all the air was drenched out of my lungs. I thought about everybody pretending to have a good life. It made me so angry that I felt so much stronger.

It seemed like the Griever didn't expect that at all, it let go of me and if I wouldn't have been holding on the dagger, I would have dropped to the floor. But I didn't hang on there for long, the blade rushed through the flesh and eventually, I fell to the ground. Once again, pain shot through my whole body.

The Griever lay there, giving off weird noises, which sounded like some mechanical crying. 

Everything was covered in grey slime, even me. It didn't look like the creature before anymore, more like a huge clump of mucus and liquid. I looked at the mess. It tried to get up, but didn't manage it. 

I spotted a small bulb hidden in the slimy tissue. Slowly, I crawled towards it, fearing that it might attack me again. I slammed my knife into it, and with one last mechanical sound everything was quiet.

I did it. I killed it.

Scared of whatever might happen next and spotting the mocking clock hands on my watch, I just ran. I didn't look back. I never ran that fast in my life. 

Well, that was probably not true, but in my condition it felt like I did. 

I forgot all pain in that moment and pushed my hand into my stomach, applying pressure and hoping to stop the bleeding at least a bit.

A distant noise of metal crackling after a few minutes made me look back. There was nothing behind me.

I made it. I fought a Griever.

After that I looked at my damaged body. My arms, legs and torso were covered in slime, bruises and scratches, but the wound on my abdomen still dripped with blood.

My look fell on my watch. Five minutes left. I had a chance, so I ran. I pulled myself together, although my whole body hurt like hell. My lungs were on fire and my body felt like it was going to shut down any moment. At that point I wasn't even running anymore, more sort of a jogging or walking because that was the only pace I was physically capable of. I turned right twice and saw something.

The Glade. Through the door I could see it. I made it.

I was expecting that everybody gathered around the entry of the maze since I had like one minute left to return. But no one was there. I wasn't disappointed, it didn't matter at that moment. I didn't have time to think anyways, I was trying to push myself even harder to make it in time.

The second I entered the Glade I knew something was different. It was strange, the woods seemed to have gained on size and a strange shaggy building was visible. While staring at the Glade, I almost collapsed.

„Harriet! Sonya! "I screamed. Somebody had to come, I could not go a single step further. „Anyone! "

My hand was pressed against my stomach and I sat in the grass in front of the entry to the maze, as I saw a few people coming towards my direction.

„Help me!", I yelled with my last strength.

„Who are you?", I heard a boy say.

Hang on. Boy? We don't have boys here.

I looked up, trying to see through the fog that formed over my mind. Although my vision was blurry, I realized I stared into the faces of a bunch of boys, all about sixteen or seventeen.

„Who are you?", a blonde boy with British accent repeated.

My voice was raspy. „I should be asking you the same thing. What are you doing in..."

I couldn't finish my sentence because I felt my torso clench as I coughed up blood.

„She doesn't look good. Get the Med-Jacks!", he yelled.

Med-jacks? What language is that? Am I already dead?

"Ouch, it hurts." I said, pointing at my abdomen.

British guy kneeled next to me and asked me for my name and what had happened, but I couldn't respond. Another boy fell into my sight, Asian-looking and black hair. His mouth moved, he was obviously trying to say something to me, but I couldn't hear him.

And that was the last thing I remembered before I closed my eyes and a comfortable darkness pulled me out of consciousness.