Injured Feet & Rickety Hearts {Book 1 Completed}

//Chapter 8//

I felt the roaring rumble vibrate in the sun warmed ground, my vision was blurry, like I was looking through a sheet of crushed plastic. I could make out the sky above me, the blaring sun, but that was it.

I could feel the concrete on my back as my hearing faded in and out, it was the sound of an old motorbike on its side. Crashed but still running with a spluttering sound. I could feel the sun starting to burn my skin, but I couldn't move, I was frozen.

My hearing faded in an out again like I was on the edge of sleep, or someone was holding their hands over my ears then pulling away and returning repeatedly. I heard the faint sound of yelling, women crying out for me, telling me to fight back. fight back against what?

My wheezy breathing was the most dominate sound in my ears, everything else sounded far away, or under water. I found myself concentrating on the rumbling of the motorbike no more than a few feet from me, gently turning my head towards the sound.

It was as I expected, a motor cycle on its side, the back wheel still turning slowly from the force it had taken from its fall. The figure of one person trying to run to me, but another was behind them, holding them back. I watched in blank fear as two soldier like people chased after them, forcing them to flee to the remaining bikes. They left in a hurry and as I weakly looked around, I noticed I wasn't the only one on the floor, I counted 8, 8 other people laying limp on the floor. There was one, lying next to me, my vision focusing for a split second to see the girls deep blue eyes before everything fell black.

'wicked is bad'

--*--

My eyes darted open with a slight flinch as I looked around, I was in the Glade, hmmm, what an unusual dream. It seemed a bit blocked out in my mind, I had forgotten some of the dream, just the memory of having it still there in my head.

I sighed before turning over in my sleeping bag, looking up at the sky that was just starting to blue as the oranges and pinks fleeted away as dawn receded. Day two greenie, I could almost hear the other Gladers sneering at me. but in reality, they weren't, they were still sleeping, the haze of snoring hanging over the field.

I had chosen to sleep by myself in the front of the deadheads closest to the gardens, Newt had offered me a bed in the homestead but I declined, after declining several persistent offers from Newt I ended up outside, the last thing I need is the others thinking I'm getting better treatment. Besides, sleeping outside is less stressful, gives me space to think.

I never seemed to get overly cold around here, I was yet to feel a chill, it was either comfortable warmth at night or steamy in the morning, even Minho said that it only ever gets hotter here.

I let my eyes fall away from the sky as they drifted around the glade again, it was peaceful seeing the place empty, lonely almost. Everything was run perfectly, I remember the words clearly. 'you don't work, you get lazy, you get lazy, you get sad'. Simple yet so true.

I stared at the glade and the sky until the sky was completely blue. The whole place was quiet. Until the gates moved. The rumbling was all too familiar and it made the hair on my neck stand up, it shook the ground, the growling and scraping so loud it hurt my morning fresh ears. That will wake everyone up.

I turned my head to look at the doors, the concrete sliding against the concrete floor, it still shocked me that that was even possible. I didn't know anything about the maze, just that only the runners can go out there and their task is to find a way out. That's it.

The runners appeared from the Map room all ready to go, there packs strapped to their backs and their keeper, Minho, out front leading them to the centre of the Glade. I watched them curiously as I rolled over to my side.