𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 - 𝘔𝘈𝘡𝘌 𝘙𝘜𝘕𝘕𝘌𝘙

7 ~ 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

Lottie

Surprisingly, a few weeks passed by quickly in the Glade.

Today was just the same as every other day. I woke up early and strode across the Glade to Frypan's kitchen to snag some breakfast before getting to work. He saw me approaching, smiled, and dumped a large pile of scrambled eggs on my plate, like he did every morning.

"You expect me to eat all of this?" I looked at the eggs, eyebrows raised. He chuckled.

"Don't kid yourself, you know you can eat twice that amount." I rolled my eyes, but begin shoveling the food into my mouth. The whole plate was soon empty.

"Told ya." Frypan teased.

"Shut up," I joked back, and left the kitchen to start my day in the Gardens.

Newt and Zart were already there, a tinge of sweat already on their foreheads. I tried to start my work without being noticed, but I failed.

"Lottie, you're late." Newt said, looking up at me. "You know what that means." He smirked. I sighed, and picked up the fertilizer bucket. That was one of the rules for the Track-hoes; if you were the last to arrive, you had to go into the woods and get the fertilizer for the day.

"Fine. Joke's on you guys – Frypan gave me a great breakfast. I'll be full for hours."

Zart sighed. "So that's why you have so much energy. I'll have to ask Frypan to give me more for my breakfasts. Maybe that'll make me less tired."

I waved to the others, and marched into the forest. I jumped over logs and bushes, avoiding slipping on leaves. I breathed in happily. I loved the smell of the forest. Sometimes, if I was feeling upset, I would go into the forest for a little while and come out much happier.

The fertilizer pile was very deep into the forest; nearly as deep in the Deadheads. It got darker and colder as I journeyed deeper. I shivered, wishing in that moment that I had one of the boys' sweaters to keep me warm. That was yet another reason for me to hate the Creators – they simply refused to send me any warm clothes. Even the boys were trying to help me; they'd stick notes into the Box before it was sent back down, asking for sweaters and things, but to no response.

Fuming at the Creators had given me something to do while I walked, so I found that I had arrived quicker than I would have thought. I scooped some fertilizer into the bucket – the only sound in the silence of the forest. Normally, I wouldn't like silence, but this kind, I loved. It wasn't pure, eerie silence. It was the kind that had leaves rustling gently in the treetops above and the soft crunch of earth with every step. I closed my eyes in enjoyment, pausing for just a second to appreciate my surroundings.

A loud sound split the pleasant silence suddenly, making me drop the bucket and shovel in shock. I stood up straight, my head whipping around in search for the source of the sound. There the sound was again; it was a high-pitched, demonic screech. It was coming from the direction I came. The sound continued, and following, were different screams – human ones. The screams of my friends.

In an instant, I was bolting back through the forest, darting through the trees as quickly as I could. I burst through the trees and skidded to a stop, looking around in shock.

The Glade was in ruins. The Gardens were trampled – all of Newt's perfectly pruned cucumbers pressed into the mud. Animals who had escaped from the pens by the Bloodhouse were stampeding in random directions. I saw Bark rocket past, letting out a howl, which I'd never heard before. I smelled smoke, and in an instant I saw why. The Homestead was on fire. As I watched, one of the walls crashed away from the rest of the building and splintered into pieces. Gladers were sprinting everywhere. Some in fear, and some in determination. Some carried sharp weapons, and some held things that were dear to them close to their chest, hurrying to take cover in the forest.