I slowly peel my eyes open, despite them feeling as if they're glued together. Immediate regret hits me as I process my surroundings. The lights are too bright, the sounds too loud, and to top it off, my head is pounding. I groan as I sit up, which too more effort than I care to admit. A chuckle sounds from the hammock next to mine.
"You had quite the night, Charlie. Have you made the decision to never do it again yet?" Newt asks.
"Yeah, I regret everything about last night. Please remind me to never drink that again."
Newt chuckles quietly as he reaches a calloused hand down to help me off of my hammock.
"Alright, today ya start working. Your first trial is with the slicers. Sorry, but bein' a girl doesn't give you a pass on trying the gross jobs."
I grimace as I think about today's job-"slicer"- nothing about that sounds even remotely appealing. The two of us walk away from my beloved hammock to a shed, where squeals can be heard through the old wood walls. Before l even hear the noises, though, the metallic smell of blood and death hits my nostrils head on.
"God, what is that? It smells like absolute klunk!"
"That, would be your lunch. And he would be the keeper of the slicers" Newt said, pointing at a boy who was making his way toward us from the shed.
The boy gave me a sympathetic smile, knowing full well that this was going to be very, very bad.
"Hey, I'm Winston. This is where we raise the animals, then make them into our meals."
"Well as fun as that sounds, let's get this over with." l say, dreading what'll come next.
Winston leads me over to the pins of animals. l unintentionally wince, they're all so cute. Yeah, l don't think l can cut these guys up.
"We'll start you out with taking care of the animals, then later we'll take ya to the slicing area. Sorry, but l have to show ya every part of the job, Alby's orders."
So, for the next few hours l stay there, feeding the animals and cleaning their klunk. When Winston walks up, l know exactly what's about to happen.
"As good as ya are at cleaning klunk, it's time for you to have a go at the bad part."
We walk into the slicing area, but as soon as Winston makes the first cuts l turn and empty the contents of my stomach onto the ground. He turns around and gives me a knowing look.
"It's okay, it happens just about as much as you'd expect. How about ya take the rest of the day off."
I walk out, thanking him quietly. Then l make my way though the Glade, finding Newt in the gardens pretty quickly.
"Hey you're out pretty early. Don't feel bad, ya lasted longer than most. The smell usually gets 'em." I give the ginger boy a small grin.
"Yeah, l think l should probably have a less... smelly job" Newt lets out a laugh.
"Well, that leaves out the cooks and the slicers. Maybe the builders'll take ya"
l think for a minute before nodding. Something about being with the builders feels... right, like I'm meant to be with them.
"Yeah, l want to try that tomorrow"
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Sister of the Glade {The Maze Runner}
FanfictionCharlie arrived at the maze like the rest of the Gladers: in a metal crate with no memories. The other Gladers quickly accept her as they realize she's tougher than she seems. She's earned her place among some of the Keepers, and she quickly becomes...