Injured Feet & Rickety Hearts {Book 1 Completed}

//Chapter 3//

My legs throbbed and my brain hazed with the need to stop, but my will was stronger.

"We've got a runner!"

I heard a cry ring through the air and when I looked over my shoulder there was a handful of boys dashing after me, they were built strong, one I recognised to be Gally the Squealer. Others I didn't recognise. Newt was out front watching, a strange running technique which seemed to make him stop. Huh?

I shook my head, it didn't matter, I was getting out of here anyway. I was out in front by a fair distance, now the laughter from the group of boys was no longer there, realising that I was going to out run them and get away. They clearly didn't want me out those gates.

It was hard not to trip, I could feel myself buckling as my exhaustion started getting worse, don't fall over, don't fall over. That's all I was telling myself. Who knew what these guys would do to me? they seemed just as confused as I was but people do bad things when confused.

As I got closer to the walls their details became more apparent to me, it's like we were in the courtyard of a castle, these barriers the walls to the kingdom. Or maybe the Glade was the kingdom. My breath rushed through my throat and dried my lips, but I didn't stop, no matter how tired I was becoming.

I was nearing the gates, the cries behind me begging me to come back and not go in there, warning me to stay away, that it wasn't a good idea. It was almost enough to make me stop, but they could be lying to me.

But as I came in to close radius a loud boom sounded in the Glade, the sound of cement grinding against cement and the sound of rusty metal moving hurt my ears. But it didn't stop me, nothing did. Not even when the walls began to move, the right side moving without a hitch, slowly shutting my escape.

I was astonished, how on earth can that thing move? it's so old and big. Oh, who bloody cares? I've got more to worry about then how a door functions.

I kept running at breakneck speed, the boys behind me already flustered. I could feel a cold sweat dripping down my neck, but I was almost there. I raced to the door, with plenty of time to spare before it would close completely. But I was stopped.

I barely saw the figure for long, a flashing image as I was struck to the ground, someone had run straight out of the gate and knocked me to the ground. We landed in a flurry of legs and groans, stars filling the colour of my closed eyes.

Whoever I collided with was greatly startled, he untangled himself from me and I just laid limp to the ground. Everything I had done taking my energy away, I could barely feel my limbs let alone move.

I groaned as my head rolled around on the ground, the sound of pounding footsteps filled my ears as the other boys caught up. oh great, now I have to deal with this. I felt my heart cave as the sound of the grinding cement ended with a boom, a rush of air flooding over my hot skin. The gates had closed. I was trapped.

"it's a Shucking girl!? Why did I run into a shucking girl?!"

The guy I had run into snarled, but not like he was angry, he just sounded overly shocked. I groaned again as my mind swirled with dizziness, my stomach churning and my mind going hazy as my body forced me to try and sleep, no matter how hard I tried to get rid of it.

"New Greenie, quick little bugger"

"what did you do to her, Minho?"

I heard a familiar accent say out of breath as someone arrived, Newt was here. Seemed to be the only Nice one around here. I just stayed down, fighting sleep with all my might as my form quivered with fatigue. God what have I bloody done to myself, now I'm defenceless.