➊ 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 - 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐨, ᵗᵐʳ

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔: 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥

It had officially been a week since I arrived in the Glade. It didn't seem that long, but it was all I'd ever known, besides the memories from the bracelet.

There were so many mysteries, I felt like a missing piece of a puzzle. When I woke up, it was still dark outside, the sun barely starting to rise. Not that I'd slept much anyway.

I couldn't get my legs to move from my bed. All I wanted was to disappear in my hut and vanish, but I couldn't. I still had to run all day with Hawk.

My desire to see him was about as high as his broken nose. I wanted answers. Why would he think that stunt was a good idea? And to drag Chuck into it?

Pulled by the need to know more, I got up, changed clothes, and made my way to the Med-Hut. Nobody seemed awake, perfect time to corner Hawk. Or so I thought.

The grass crunched under my shoes as I passed the hammocks near my cabin. All the gladers were out, some even drooling.

I pushed the Med-Hut door open in one quick motion. A shiver ran down my spine as a sharp pain shot through my wrist. I knew what was coming. In seconds, I wouldn't be in control anymore. But it was too late to back out. Doing anything else would probably just make the voice in my head scream again.

On one of the medical mattresses lay an ugly-looking Hawk. His nose was swaddled in a white bandage, the skin around it a deep purple. It had almost doubled in size, looking like Gally's nose on a bad day.

Ben once told me that Minho broke Gally's nose. Guess Minho liked breaking noses and I... well, I liked kicking crotches. Wait. That sounded wrong.

I stood there staring at him for a while, not moving, almost like I was waiting for something.

His eyes flicked open, landing on me. His lips parted, but whatever he was going to say never left his throat.

"Hawk," I said flatly, arms crossed.

A sly smirk crawled onto his face, the kind that made me want to punch him again. "Greenie," he replied. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Just checking if your face still looks as stupid as I remember."

I didn't hesitate. My fist clenched, the bracelet tightening around my wrist like it was begging me to act. My knuckles went white as they slammed into his nose. Quick and effective because he yelled in surprise.

Blood started flowing again, and Hawk let out a loud growl of pain. The noises didn't stop.

"You stupid piece of klunk," I muttered under my breath before turning and walking out. Pain from the bracelet? Sure. But satisfaction? Oh, absolutely.

Most Gladers would be heading to breakfast by that time, but I wasn't hungry. My stomach felt twisted. Instead, I wandered through the Glade until I reached the tower in the center. One week since my life had started again.

I sat on the edge of the platform, leaning against the rough wooden barrier. Shadows moved below in the grass, like a swarm of ants in a colony. That's all we were.

Footsteps approached, but I didn't bother looking until a boy sat beside me. My brother, Ben.

"You remember when I first brought you here?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, with a sound that wasn't really a laugh. "Hard to forget."

"It's always relaxing to come here before a run. Did you know I used to be a builder?"

That got my attention. I turned, raising a brow. "You? A builder? That's... tragic." A real laugh escaped, and he smiled.

"Yeah. Minho was a pain when I started. Blamed every mistake I made on my old job. Judged everything I did. If you're here because he said something, don't take it personally."

"Please," I scoffed, brushing my hair back. "Minho's at the bottom of my problem list right now."

Ben shrugged, not convinced. "Well, he went to the Slammer for the first time in two years because of you."

"What happened the first time? Gally?" I grinned.

He nodded, laughing. "He's definitely in love with you."

I choked on nothing, coughing hard. "Wow. You're delusional."

"And you're in denial."

We laughed together—more of an awkward chuckle, before he added, "Be ready. We run together today."

༄༄༄

Running with Ben was a thousand times better than running with Hawk. He kept pace with me, pointed out dangerous spots, and didn't act like a total shank about it.

Section 3 was covered top-to-bottom in thick ivy, the walls towering above us. We talked here and there between memories, stupid jokes, nothing important.

I hesitated on telling him about the dreams I had, about the one where we were kids. The names Leo and Thomas. My Immunity... Before I could let it slip, he cut my thoughts.

"So... you like it here?" he asked.

"What, the Glade? I mean... It's all I've ever known."

"I don't think we're gonna know anything else anytime soon."

"They can't keep us here forever. Right?"

"They've done it for three years," he said. "What's one more?"

That's when I decided to tell him. Not everything— but enough. I stopped dead in my tracks, making him turn back.

"Ben... I need to tell you something."

"Sure. What's wrong?"

"I don't want you to think I'm insane or anything, but I hear voices in my head. They... make me do things. Stop me from thinking."

He stepped closer, eyes scanning my face. I was sure he thought I was crazy. My voice started shaking.

"It keeps saying the same things. Over and over. I... I don't know what's happening. Am I losing it?"

His brows drew together. He closed the distance and placed his hand on my shoulder to make me look at him. "No. You're not."

I held onto his touch. I missed being held like this— feeling like I mattered to someone, that I wasn't just hopeless.

"You could never be crazy, Ly," he said.

That's when I noticed the small metal sign at the base of the wall. I'd seen it before in the Maze: W.I.C.K.E.D. The same thing printed on supplies from the Box.

"World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department," I read aloud, remembering. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Ben crouched to look at it. "They're all over the walls. One in each section. We figured it was the creators."

"Yeah, but why call it Wicked? 'World in Catastrophe'? What's out there that's so bad?"

"Something we don't want to see," he said, standing and offering me a hand. "Ever think maybe we're better off in the Glade than outside?"

"At this point? I'll believe anything."

Our eyes met for a moment, saying more than words could. Then we were running again, Ben leading the way back.

༄༄༄