Complicated

Chapter 33: Run Faster

Fred and I were running our regular route. It had been five and a half months of running the maze. We had pushed deeper, having to also pick up our paces, running faster so we had time to make it back before the doors closed. Having watches has helped a lot. Each runner had one and then with the extras we passed them out to each Keeper.

Fred and I had pushed a little deeper into section seven. We found a new hall, and we had slowed down just enough so I could draw the hall quickly while we kept moving. The hall was wide and open. It was weird. There were these long skinny metal things stretching as tall as the stone walls.

"Well this is new!" Fred huffed.

"Wow. Way to state the obvious Freddy." I rolled my eyes.

I had a pencil and notebook in my hands, jogging and drawing at the same time.

"We won't be able to stay too long. But if we know how to get back, we can bring Min and Ben!" I huffed making a few more notes and shoved it back into my backpack.

"I need some water. Can we stop?"

We came to a stop and Fred grabbed his water. We took a two minute break. I glanced at my watch. We still had time to get back, but we needed to move.

"Okay my little man we gotta hustle!"

"Okay, that name sucked!" He rolled his eyes, "and I'm pretty sure I'm not taller than you, Snips!"

"Ya, but you're still my itty bitty little Freddy man! You'll always be younger than me!" I teased, poking him.

He rolled his eyes, smacking my hands. But he had a grin on his freaked face.

"Come on ya goof. Time to go." I threw my water back into my backpack.

"Alright! Alright!" Fred groaned as he stood up.

He had just thrown his backpack onto his back when there was a loud screeching mechanical animal-like noise. Both of us froze. I felt my stomach drop and my blood ran cold. Fred opened his mouth to scream, but I lunged at him and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shhh!" I hissed.

His eyes were wide in fear. We stood in the middle of the maze hall listening again for the noise.

The screech didn't come but a slow steady wheering noise, like a machine. And then the clicking and slamming of metal scrapping into stone. Each time the metal slammed into the stone it shot fear into me.

I was the veteran of the two of us, I was also the oldest... I needed to get Fred home. I took a deep breath, shoving all my fear and panic down. I slowly peeled my hand off Fred's mouth, holding my other finger to my lips, indicating he needed to be quiet. I grabbed his hand and pulled him back down the hall.

We made it to the end when another loud screech made my blood run cold. Fred stumbled with a whimper. The most horrifying thing I'd had ever seen came around the corner. Fred and I had stopped completely, too frozen in terror to do anything more then drop our mouths open. It had a blubbery grey green body, the head of some kind of mechanical monster, tiny beady black eyes that looked lifeless and dead. When it opened its mouth I saw rows of huge razor sharp teeth. Easy enough to rip a human in half with one bite.

It screamed at us. Fred screamed and grabbed onto me. He held my arm tight. His knees buckled and he slid to the maze floor, pulling me down with him. The Griever stood at the end of the hall, staring at us. No one moved. I didn't know what to do. Fred had puddled into the floor. And my mind went blank.

RUN!

My head was instantly buzzing. I felt the presence of the voice, but it wasn't calm and reassuring, like it normally was. The voice was wild and panicked.