Into the Maze (English Version)

22

"Hey! Do you smell that too?", Teresa finally stood up first. J turned her gaze to her a little delayed. It wasn't so easy for her to look away from Minho. For a moment she had really thought that he might have been dead. Only for a moment. But it had been enough for her heart to take an unpleasant downward turn, so that she herself had thought that she had to die right here next to him.

But now that the shock was slowly receding, she noticed it too. That smell. It smelled rotten, like death and decay. Not like the burned Minho. Almost like... Just as the boys pulled out their flashlights and pointed it into the darkness. Like in that building the first night, the department store, the room around them smelled like Cranks.

"Careful!", J wanted to jump up and pull Thomas back, he had leaned particularly far forward with his light. But before she could move an inch, a grimace from the darkness snapped at Thomas' hand. Teresa screamed and J immediately threw her arms over her head to protect herself. But no sharp nails grabbed her, no rotten teeth ripped apart her skin. So J looked up again. They shone their flashlights through the hall. The sight that greeted them was extremely disturbing. At least a hundred Cranks were standing around, hitting at them and hissing in their direction. But they didn't come closer. Only when she saw the shine of metal flashing, she understood. The things were chained.

"So you've already met my guardian dogs," a female voice cut through the darkness. It took a while for their flashlights to catch the short-haired girl, who walked towards them without fear of the Cranks.

"Wow, you really look like shit," the stranger stated when she arrived at the gladers. They just stared at her. "What is it? Do you want to stay here? Come on now!"

And so she immediately turned around and went back the same way she had come. The gladers followed her hesitantly. They had no idea who the girl was, but they really didn't want to stay with the Cranks.

"My name is Brenda," the girl explained as she led the newcomers up some metal stairs. "And my friend Jorge will be very happy to meet you."

The gladers accepted that without objections. When they wanted to go up the stairs, however, a large bald man appeared in front of them. They looked at him with wide eyes, he definitely looked intimidating. Everyone except Minho, who faced the man with his chest raised. "What are you staring at baldie?"

Alarmed, J grabbed Minho's jacket and dragged him back. "Tell me, has your brain been fried when you were hit by the lightning?"

What was Minho thinking, provoking these strangers? They had no idea who they were dealing with. And the man didn't seem particularly amused by Minho's rude mouth. Stomping angrily, he took a step towards him.

Brenda, on the other hand, was in a more peaceful mood towards the gladers because she stopped the bald man with a stern look. "Leave it Barkley."

So Brenda led them on, undisturbed. Newt approached Minho as they followed her. "What was that? Get it together, idiotic Shank!"

Minho glared at Newt, then at his sister, but didn't answer.

Brenda eventually led them through a door into a room that resembled an office. However, very run down. Just like the dark-skinned man who stood behind the desk in front of the large window.

"Jorge," Brenda pointed at the man with her hand outstretched after closing the door behind them. The gladers greeted him with a silent nod.

"You're probably the ones who caused a ruckus down there," the man sounded rather unimpressed by their appearance.

"So let's keep it short, I just have three questions for you," the man now came towards them. On this way he stopped briefly at the side of his desk, where there was a carafe of water. He poured himself a glass before continuing. "Who are you? What do you want here? And what's in it for me?"