The Hawk / Maze Runner/ Harriet

𝐻𝓊𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇

I shuffle out from underneath the small shelter I've made. It's not much of a shelter really, it's just a couple of sticks propped up against the wall that I've covered with ivy. It's not the most hidden, but I hope that if someone were to come close, they wouldn't really notice it.

Night is upon the forest, darkness consumes the greenery, making it seem more scary.

My stomach growls as I get up, a harsh reminder of my main obstacle. I take out my water bottle, taking a few sips as a last attempt to mask the hunger that gnaws away at me. As I put the water back, I take out the zip-up sweater and put it on, the night isn't cold, but it isn't warm either.

I swing my satchel over my shoulder, letting it sit cross body.

I step off into the forest, hoping to find something edible.

I do my best to search every bush, looking for some berries or something. But to my dismay, I reached the edge of the forest without finding anything. I squint my eyes at what seems to be the faint coals of a fire in the distance, and my mind flicks back to the boys I saw earlier. If they're also here, then they must have food.

...and they must have to keep it somewhere.

...and it's night...they sleep at night.

...I could sneak into their pantry like a rat and swipe some food.

My mind goes back and forth between getting food or possibly starving.

I chose food...

I take a deep breath before I step out of the trees, I bring my hood up over my head.

I approach the camp cautiously, looking out for any people. My eyes fall on a shack close to me, and I enter it carefully. Inside there are two beds and supplies stacked onto shelves. I exit soon after that, not wanting to take any extra time in here.

There are only more huts as I continue on, most have either been empty or seemed to be storage rooms.

I enter another hut, I cringe as the door creaks open. My eyes dart around the room, the shadows are pooled in the corner. My eyes stop when I see a glorious basket of apples. I creep towards it picking one up. I examine it for a second before stuffing it into my satchel. I grab one more, stuffing this one into my pocket. I reach for one more when I hear the snap of a twig from outside.

I freeze up.

I carefully reach for the knife in my pocket, flicking it open as I step towards the door. I peak my head out, looking around and luckily, there's nothing there. I let out a breath of relief as I started walking backwards. I bump into a small table behind me, causing a stack of pants to tumble to the floor. I whip around in shock and watch as they clatter to the ground. As I spun around, my satchel flared out, hitting a pot behind me. I turned back around and desperately tried to catch the pot, but I instead tripped and fell.

I hear noises outside. Voices to be exact.

"Shit shit shit..." I mutter as I look around, desperately trying to figure out what to do next.

I grip my knife tightly as I blindly run out of the shack. My feet hit the ground aggressively and I hear footsteps behind me. If I can just make it back to the corner.

I run in one direction, praying that it'll lead me somewhere where I can either hide, or recognize how to get back. I see the big clearing in front of me, and despite my lungs burning I keep running, terrified of what will happen if I'm caught.

I run out of the trees, my hood flying off of my head. I hear shouts behind me and I look around for a brief moment, seeing a group of boys chasing me.

As I look back, I feel my knees give out and I go tumbling onto the ground.