Find Me {Newt~Book 1} On Hold

|Grievers~02|

|•••|

"This is the glade, greenie," the boy motioned to the wide field. "Name's Newt. Do you remember your name or anything about yourself?" He asked me. I shook my head. He sighed. "Anyway, there's nine jobs here. There's the med-jacks, they're like the doctors around here. There's the sloppers, they just do whatever job we need done. The builders, obviously they build everything-"

"They're not very good at it," I muttered as I looked at the homestead. Apparently, Newt heard my mutterers and laughed.

"The cooks, they cook. The brick nicks. They're kinda like builders except they repair things. The slicers handle the animals. The baggers burry the dead. And then there's the track-hoes who garden and grow the food. I'm a track-hoe and second in command, behind Alby," Newt explained to me as we walked around the grassy field.

"That was only eight," I questioned Newt. He seemed surprised to hear me truly talk for the first time, (besides a murmur) but brushed it off.

"What?"

"You said there were nine jobs. You only told me about eight of them," I explained to him.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot the runners. I don't really need to explain them, though. It's rare for anyone to ever become a runner," Newt explained as he lead me up some steps up a watch tower building.

"No, tell me about them," I begged him as we made it up to the top of the tower. Newt leaned his elbows on the ledge, folding his hand together.

"Well, the runners run the maze, which is what's beyond those walls. They run it everyday and try to find a way out," Newt told me.

"Wait, so we're trapped here?"

"For now," Newt shrugged. "But we'll find a way out." Newt sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than convince me. "The runners come back around this time...there they are," Newt pointed to a few bodies running out from the large doors I had noticed when I came out of the box.

"Why can't they stay out for the night-" I was cut off by a loud noise echoing through the Glade. The sound was the screeching of metal against metal. I stared at the opening in amazement as doors appeared out of the walls, coming together and closing.

"That's why. Any you don't want to get stuck in the maze overnight," Newt told me, something flashing in his eyes.

"Why?" A loud noise rang through my ears. It sounded like an animal.

"We call 'em Grievers. Nobody has seen one and live to tell about it," Newt explained to me. I felt like I should be scared, but I wasn't. I was more intrigued.

"We have three rules here, Newbie," Newt turned towards me. "One. Do your part. We ain't got time for slackers here. Two. Never hurt another Glader. If we don't have trust, we don't have anything. And three," Newt looked to the maze doors that were now shut. "Never ever go into the maze unless you're a runner."

I nodded, sighing. Why wasn't I scared when I was around Newt? Shouldn't I be? I'm trapped in a maze with hormonal, teenage boys, giant monsters, and I don't even know my own name. Why am I not worried in the least little bit? I don't know why, but whenever I look at Newt, he just looks familiar. He looks like someone I can trust. Someone I have known forever.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Newt broke my train of through.

"What?"

"Earlier. Aaron...when he touched you...I'm even more sorry that he won't be punished for it," Newt felt guilty. Why he was guilty, I had no idea.

"It's not your fault, Newt," I told him.

"Well, I don't think it'll happen again. You did break his nose," Newt let out a laugh. "He's always been a shuck face. I've never liked him." I nodded, turning my head as my eye was caught on a bonfire that had started.

"Newt, why is there a fire?" I asked, looking at him. He had a face of surprise.

"We're having a party tonight!" He grabbed my wrist as he dragged me down the stairs.

"What're we celebrating?" I asked. He looked back at me with a smile.

"You."