Injured Feet & Rickety Hearts {Book 1 Completed}

//Chapter 27//

Malaya POV

We had run for a while and now it was break time, we stopped at the intersection we usually stopped at and were happily eating lunch. The run wasn't any different than the others, long, tiring and boring. Like every day. But I guess I had gotten used to that.

I patted Bark's ear as I gave him a piece of my sandwich and something to drink, he was happy to be out here at least, I suppose he gets a good run.

I was aimlessly looking around as Minho ate his food next to me, he really was starting to feel like my brother, just the way we work together, get along, I don't remember what a brother is like, but if I had to assume, I would assume them to be like Minho.

As I was looking around my eyes caught something glimmering on the wall, at first, I thought it was a Beetle blade, but I couldn't see the red flashing light I had only now become familiar with. It wasn't moving, it was just a slab of metal on the wall.

It was strange seeing something in a place I come every day, I hadn't noticed it before? It looked like some kind of plague. The sight of it pulled a nerve in my mind, a memory, the sight of something fleeting before my eyes as I remembered something. But as quick as It came it was gone, what was this plague?

My curiosity got the better of me and I stood up, slowly walking over towards the wall that was thickly covered in ivy. I stood before it, slowly reaching out to brush away the ivy. The ivy seemed almost sharp along my hands, I always wondered if you could climb out, but I'm sure the gladers are not dumb enough to overlook something so obvious. Slowly and carefully I pushed the thick ivy aside. The words on the silver plaque seemed to jump out at me.

'W.I.C.K.E.D – World in catastrophe killzone experiment department'

The lettering was a deep red and my breath caught in my throat as the corner of my eyes went blurry, I was shocked as the lettering popped out and floated through the air, my vision pulsing as I rocked on my heels.

'Keep up with the needles, her cells need to evolve'

The sounds of the doctors filled my ears and I trembled, I was in the doctor's surgery, standing blindly in the room. Sweat started to coat my skin like a plastic sheet and my breathing sped up. Had I really imagined everything? I imagined being in the maze, I was in the surgery all along? The sound of a Doctor's voice behind me made me gasp.

"Laya, why do you look like you've seen a ghost, why don't you sit down?"

The voice was blurred out as I looked at the plague on the wall, 'W.I.C.K.E.D – world in catastrophe killzone experiment department. I couldn't think straight, I took one look at the man in white clothing before I shook my head, tears spilling from my eyes before I screamed.

The scream seemed to shake the room, it sounded blood curdling, like someone had driven a knife through my brain. I didn't think, I just knew I didn't want the needles to hurt me anymore, I spun on my heels and ran as fast as I could.

I thought I escaped them, they put me in the maze, I remember them doing it, why was I here?! Had I really imagined being in the maze. Slowly the memory of being in the maze slipped away, I did everything I could to tell myself that Minho and Newt were real. But it was no use, the doctors were real, they weren't. The memory slipped away until I couldn't even recall their names or faces.

I sprinted out into a hallway before I ran, the hallway didn't seem too end, sharp turns left, right, right, left, left, straight, right, straight. It was a maze. It never seemed to end. I was going to die.

Minho's POV

I didn't know what was wrong with her, she turned around and jumped at me, like I was holding a gun up at her. Her face was pure white, she quivered, it didn't take a genius to realise something on that plaque has triggered something.