Nepenthe (TMR FF) UNDER EDITING

Chapter 3

Edited: 20/08/2018

My breathing came in and out in short gasps as tears streamed down my face, clouding my vision. Not that it mattered, since it was so dark that I could barely see what was in front of me either way. The doors to the maze shut hours ago, and despite searching everywhere, I still hadn't found Newt or Minho. Something, however, did manage to find me.

At first, I didn't notice it. With the darkness surrounding me, I was merely just stumbling blindly around the maze, no clue where I was going, or what I was doing. It must have followed me for hours before it made itself known. If it hadn't made a noise, then I'd probably still be clueless as to what creatures live in the maze. Some part of me wishes I still was, because from that moment, I knew I would never be the same again.
It was like a mechanical screech, something that would come from a mix between a vicious animal and broken robot. I should've just kept running. I wanted to run. But instead, I turned around, staring the creature right in the face. Within seconds my breath halted in my throat, and I was frozen in absolute fear as I watched metal spikes come in and out of its body. It was waiting for me to make a move, and with its loud inhuman shriek, I finally managed to run in the opposite direction.

I climbed up the walls of the maze, clinging to the vines in a desperate attempt to escape the mechanical creature. At the time, I had no idea that it could climb, but within seconds, I eventually found out. It was fast, but never fast enough to catch me. It was as if it was taunting me; waiting for me to give up and just stop running. Despite everything, however, I felt like giving up wasn't an option. Newt could still be in the maze, and even though it had only been two days since I had met the boy, I knew that he would never give up, no matter what happened.

At one point, I thought the creature may have lost track of me. I breathed a sigh of relief, noticing that it was nowhere in sight. I kept a firm grip on the vines as I slowly climbed higher, careful to be as silent as possible.

You're fine, Emma. You'll find Newt, and you'll get out of he-

My inner reasoning was cut off by another sharp growl, before a large metal rod stabbed into my shoulder, pinning me to the wall. I let out a piercing scream, a burning sensation running through my entire body. Before I knew it, the rod was pulled from my skin, and I was roughly thrown to the ground. The sound of my body impacting the cement beneath me echoed around the maze, as I gasped for air. My vision became blurred, something I could only assume was from the back of my head being harshly slammed into the ground. I blinked repeatedly and pushed myself up, stumbling to the nearest wall.

The back of my head felt wet. I wasn't sure if it was from sweat, or blood, and I was too terrified to check. I let out a groan, leaning up against the wall, completely ignoring the creature that lurked above me. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. The scratches and wounds all over my body were hurting like hell, and I was starting to get too dizzy to even walk straight, let alone climb anymore walls to escape my own death. I accepted my fate. Then and there, I knew I was going to die.

I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for another impact of a metal limb to come, but instead, my horrifying thoughts were replaced with the all familiar mechanic shrieking. I opened my eyes in time to see one of the maze walls shifting, and the metal creature falling to the other side. Despite everything, a weak smile graced my features.

"Serves it right. You shouldn't be rude to girls."

And that leaves me here; hiding under a ledge in one of the walls. I ached all over, and despite myself trying to stay strong, I couldn't help the sobs that escaped my mouth. The sounds of the creatures stopped at least an hour ago. The sun had started to rise a couple of minutes ago. I bit my lip in order to stop my cry of pain, as I shifted my body in order to crawl out of my hiding place. It took me at least ten minutes to find the strength to stand, and even then, I had to use the walls for support. Thankfully, I didn't have to walk that far until I found one of the entrances to the Glade. It still wasn't open. I collapsed for about the billionth time, curling myself into a tight ball. The tears still hadn't stopped, and I still didn't know if it was because of my physical injuries, or my emotional pain.