Why Can't I Hate You?

~8~

The maze was pitch black, cold and eerie. This was the first time I'd ever set foot inside it, and it was nothing like I had imagined. I tried to keep a mental image of everything so I could sketch it later. If we made it out.

We searched for what felt like hours, checking around every corner for grievers. Cold sweat collected on my skin, making my clothes stick to me uncomfortably. "We should take a break."

Newt stopped and sighed. "If we stop moving, it just makes it easier for a griever to find us."

"We're not all runners, Newt."

He faltered for a second. Although it was dark, I could feel his gaze on me. "How do you know that?"

"Know what?"

"That I was a..." He hesitated "runner."

"Minho may have hinted at it, and I put the peices together." I sat on the ground, propping myself up on a wall."Even with your limp, you're pretty fast, making sense they would make you a runner. Why did you stop?"

The air went dead. Clearly, I had hit a senstive subject, so I quickly changed it, getting up again. "I'll never acknowledge You're right, but we should keep moving."

We carried on, without a word to each other. Somehow, I felt slightly guilty for bringing up Newt's past. All we do is insult each other, but I got the feeling that was too far.

"It's kinda amusing seeing you so shaken up." I laughed to myself."I didn't think you were afraid of anything."

"I'm not."

"Yeah, right -" my feet froze in place. There was a figure on the floor. Hunched over, breathing heavily. It wasn't a griever. "Minho!"

"Well, if it isn't my favourite girl."

I crouched down next to him, checking for injuries. "Are you hurt?"

"Only my ego." He heaved himself up, I grabbed his arm to support him."I feel like a coward for running off like that. I'm sorry, I don't know what happened."

"It's ok, Min. Your flight kicked in, and we're fine anyway."

"Yeah, well, we best move before -" Newt was interrupted by an inhuman shriek.

A griever was right at the end of the corridor from us. This was the first time I got a good look at one. It was big. Half animal, half machine, with a slug like body and metal spider legs. A long metal scorpion tail with a stinger on the end. It roared again.

"GO! NOW!" Minho yelled.

He didn't have to speak twice. We bolted as fast as we could, the griever tailing us. Not only was it terrifying, but it was fast.

"There's no way we can outrun it!" I shouted.

My body was already getting tired. I wouldn't describe myself as a slow runner, but my endurance definitely wouldn't last a chase with a griever. My chest was burning with pain. The only thing keeping me going this long was the adrenaline to stay alive.

"I have an idea this way!" Minho guided us towards a section of the maze that was starting to close.

"Are you sure this will work?" Newt didn't seem too convinced.

"No, not really."

"Then why the hell are we doing it!" I shouted.

"It sounded fun."Minho shrugged.

"We're all gonna die."

The griever was charging towards us at an unimaginable speed. I could have sworn I felt the ground shaking, or maybe it was because of the maze changing.

"NOW!" Minho ran through the closing walls, and we followed. Squeezing through the gap. Surely enough, the griever followed but got stuck between the concrete. It shrieked as the two walls crushed it, leaving it motionless. Dead.

We all collapsed to the ground, getting our breath back. I felt grateful to see daylight arriving. It was all over.