Solo //The Maze Runner Series//

Chapter 4

     He stepped closer as he did I scooted back, but was met with a wall. Gulping hard I let my hand tighted around the handle of my knife. He swiftly grabbed my wrists, causing me to let go of my knife. My eyes widened and my heart pounded so hard in my chest it hurt. This boy frighted me way more then anything that I've known.

"Minho?" A strong British accent asked. He stepped into my view and his eyes widened.

"Who is this?" He asked. He has sandy blonde hair, was quite muscular and tall.

"I don't know." Minho said through gritted teeth, "But he was holding a knife." He cocked his head towards my knife on the ground. The blonde boy knelt down and picked it up, looking at it.

"Please let me go." I whimpered. The boy immediately let go of my arms, causing me to loose balance and fall on my butt. The clothing that was wrapped around my face and head fell off and revealed my long black hair. I looked up at them and scooted away. Why were they so frightening to me?

"It's a girl?" The blonde boy exclaimed. Now the whole group was around us.

"She kind of looks like Teresa!" Someone said. Jorge made his way to the front of the group. He looked at me.

"Who are you?" He asked, sounding like a crank. That actually calmed me a bit but there were way too many munies around me.

"I think she's a crank." Brenda says.

"Were you following us?" Minho asks.

I look down at the ground and nod my head.

"Who are you?" Jorge asks me again.

"My name is Echo." I said, still looking down at the ground. I needed to tell them that Jorge and Brenda work for WICKED but I don't know if I could.

"Newt tie her up, she's coming with us." Someone said. Suddenly someone grabed my arms and used rope as makeshift handcuffs. I looked up at my captor and saw the blonde guy from earlier.

"Let's get going before more cranks find us." Jorge said, "We're lucky she isn't past the gone yet." They started walking, Newt I'm assuming, dragging me behind.

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I was stumbling more than I was walking. How could I walk when so many munies are around me. They litterally frighted me. The blonde boy and I were the last ones so fortunetly no one is behind me. But I did keep hearing something behind me. We were a bit further from the group because the blonde boy had a slight limp to his walk. I decided to take this chance and tell him about Brenda and Jorge, if I could even form a correct sentence.

"Y-y-y-you do k-know t-that Jorge a-a-and Br-Brenda wo-work fo-"

He cut me off. "I can't hear a bloody thing you're sayin'. You're stutterin' too much."

"Sorry I'm just..." I started. "Scared." I ended in a whisper.

"Why are you scared?" He asked.

"Because-"

A large bang caused me to stop. In front of us the ceiling crashed down as another explosion sounded in front of us. We flew backwards as more debris flew every where else.

Once the debris and smoke cleared up a bit we stood up. Rocks and parts of the ceiling was piled into a giant wall in front of us, seperating us from the rest of the group.

"What the?" The blonde boy said to no one particular.

My eyes widened but I had to smile a bit.

"If you want to live I would run." I said calmly.

"Why do you say that?" He asks.

"Cranks, and yes the bad ones that will eat your face." I said rolling my eyes.

"Why should I believe a crank like yourself?" He asks.

"Fine, don't believe but can you at least let me go?" I ask. I don't know how I'm even talking to this person right now.

He looks back at the rock wall then looks behind me. His eyes get wide.

"Ok let's run." He says then turns around and starts to run towards the slightly inclined wall of rocks, up to the streets of the ruined city, dragging me along with.

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"Do you even know where you're going?" I ask as we roam the streets of the city.

"Yes now slim it." He says.

"What's slim it?" I ask. I found it was a lot easier to form a sentence and actually have a conversation when he's the only one around, and I know my surroundings more.

"It means like shut up." He says.

"Well if you want to get back to your friends you're headed the wrong way." I say. He looked around then started walking the other directions, mumbling under his breath.

We walked in silence for a while until I remembered Jorge and Brenda.

"You trust Jorge and Brenda don't you?" I ask.

"I wouldn't exactly say that." He says, "But I don't exactly have any other choice because my friends are with them."

"Well I'll tell you this, they're not cranks." I say. He stopped and turned to me.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"They work for WICKED. The Cranks have known you guys would be coming for a long time. The other group went around the city like smart people." I say.

"Other group?" He asks.

I shrugged. "Yeah that's what someone told me. I never saw them, I was knocked out for a few days I think."

He stayed quiet, looking at the ground. Suddenly the silence was cut with a loud rumbling noise. He looked up, his face the tinest shade of red.

"Sorry I'm bloody hungry." He mumbles.

I gave a small laugh. "I know where we can get some food."

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He had untied me and we had walked to a dumpster in an alleyway. As he watched my back I opened the lid and smiled.

"Here you can pick what you want." I say and turn to him. He nods his head and looks in the dumpster as I watch.

"Thanks um.... What's your name again?" He asks.

"Echo." I say.

"That's a weird name." He says.

"So is Newt or whatever your name is." I say. I hear him snicker behind me then rummage through the supplies.

"What's in these cans anyways?" He asks me. I turn around and see a can.

I shrugged. "I don't know, I eat what I can get." I turn back around and my eyes wide as I see three figures standing in the distance.

"We have to go." I say without moving. "Don't make too much noise or movement."

"Why?" He asks.

"Cranks." I say. Suddenly a loud bang comes from behind me. I turn around and see Newt standing there, the dumpster lid closed.

"You idiot!" I hiss, "let's go." I grab his wrist, quickly letting go and I start to run. I look behind me and see him just standing there looking in front of him with wide eyes. I run back and see the three cranks are right in front of us now.

"Ah little girl we meet again, and you brought us a friend. How delightful." Benny says, licking his crimson red lips.