Arthur let out a long groan of frustration as Alby left before shifting, his bandages digging into his side. "You gotta be nice Artie, You'll set a bad example." Newt rubbed his thumb over Arthur's knuckles, dusting over each individual creasing.
"I...
Days had passed the exact same as the rest, water the plants, check the building, and run. Run as far and fast as he could handle and map out the Maze to the best of his abilities. He was ashamed. He couldn't do much, each step forward feeling as if he were going backwards two with the changes in the maze every night.
Food was lasting but how long until they inevitably spoiled is a different question. As time passed Arthur grew more worried. His farm was taking too long to form crops, not that he expected anything better with his skills.
Being by himself meant the supplies lasted longer but Arthur wasn't sure whether he preferred that. Being alone ordained him to be consumed by never-ending silence and had to talk to himself to keep himself sane, but even then the boundless silence never did so well for him. It came point where the only noise was the goats, which he had found a few days into his perpetual stay in this new reality.
He had started making a small tally on a rock. They had grown marking every day he was here. There were twenty-nine on the wall with a thirtieth line about to be engraved into it by his hands wielding the knife. It was so important to him. Each line showed each day he had worked, had run. It showed that despite everything he had lived to do this and he had done it all with the knife he had started the maze with.
Arthur had a schedule. He did things the way he had done for thirty days and he was content.
Day thirty. Arthur spent one day a week out of the maze, he spent that one day caring for everything, spending that one day a week making sure everything was stable and worked. Day thirty was the day that marked a month. He had been here for an entire month and had survived.
A peaceful day. A day where the silence didn't eat at him as he chipped away at the wall, carving out the final day of the month when this loud sound of grating metal disrupted the quiet air.
Standing up in shock he looked towards the maze opening. "There is no way." His voice was a small whisper of disbelief but when it didn't move his face scrunched up into a look of pure confusion. "Then what?"
