Runners' Romance (A SkyBop Maze Runner fanfic)

Chapter 5: Stung

(Dec. 9 2015)

Gonna start dating my chapters from now on. This one took longer than the others-- about 5 hours. But hey, 1600 words! :D

I think it's ironic that the action scene is the one that was the slowest for me to write.

~~~

Chapter 5: Stung

Jin's POV:

    "That's... a Griever," Mark whispers shakily. "It's the middle of the day, what's it doing out already?!"

    "Does it matter?" I desperately try to suppress my panic as the clanking gets closer, "Just run!" I shout, snapping everyone out of their trance and with that we're sprinting back to the Glade and I'm running faster than I've ever run before. The wind whistles past my ears and my feet barely seem to touch the ground as we fly back through the Maze, not having time to look behind us at the creature we know too well is  catching up to us. Then I trip.

    I shout in surprise as my foot catches on a loose brick in the Maze floor and I'm sent sprawling to the ground, scraping my wrist when I try to catch myself. The other runners spin around at the sound of my voice, and Terrance quickly runs to help me up.

    "Jin! Come on-!" He starts shouting, but abruptly cuts off as he stares behind me, gaping with wide eyes. I turn around to see something that will haunt my nightmares for years to come: the griever.

    The... thing... is a horrible combination of creature and machine, with six mechanical, spider-like legs and two robotic, claw-like arms. Its misshapen, bulbous body is a hideous shade of snot green with spikes and other weapon-like appendages protruding from its back and sides. It has no eyes or face, just a gaping mouth filled with row after row of teeth that are the same color as its body. The griever rights itself after nearly sliding into the wall (note to self: they're bad at turning corners), turning to face us and unleashing a screech that leaves my ears ringing.

    I only have time to look at it for one second before we're running for our lives again, but this time it's catching up to us, and fast.

    "Quick, split up!" I command, "Mark, Lucas, you go one way, Terrance and I will go the other. We might confuse it long enough to get away!"

    Mark and Lucas don't waste breath on a response, and instead turn right at the fork without a word. Terrance and I veer to the left, darting around the corner right as I hear the griever slam into the wall with a screech. We can't keep running from this griever, or we'll get so lost in the Maze we won't be able to make it back before the Door shuts, in which case running will only postpone the inevitable. The best we can do is hide and hope the griever goes away. Oh, and it looks like I found another reason we can't keep running: we've hit a dead end. That's just perfect.

    Terrance curses loudly, and I hurriedly slap my hand over his mouth, shushing him. "Shut up," I hiss, "or it's going to hear us!" Terrance nods and I lower my hand, sighing in relief. "I don't think it followed us."

    Clank.

    Oh.

    Clank.

    Never mind.

    Clank.

    Crap.

    We both press our backs against the wall, and I slowly creep down the wall away from Terrance. If the griever figures out that we're here, we might have a better chance of surviving if we split up and distract it. We both crouch in opposite corners of the dead end, trying to be as small as possible as the griever clanks around the corner.