Silence

Chapter 5

Minho tossed me an apple to put in my backpack. "Ready for another adventure?" He asked as he adjusted the straps of his bag. I nodded my head at him as I placed the apple in my bag before closing it.

Minho and I had been going beyond the walls for a week now, trying to map it out and to find out what it was. We left every morning exactly 2 minutes after the doors opened fully, mainly because of Newt and Gally trying to persuade us to stay in the Glade.

So far, we haven't been lucky. Every day when we return, the guys look so hopeful. And every day when Minho and I walk back into the Glade, we just shake our heads. No exit today.

We headed over to the doors and waited for them to open. Minho glanced at his watch. "The doors should open any minute now" he said. As if the walls had heard him, the familiar rumble started and the doors parted. "Let's hurry before Newt or Gallt comes" Minho said, preparing to run into the maze.

"Minho! Em!" A voice called from behind us. I turned around to see both Gally and Newt coming towards us. "You can go outside the Glade another time!". Minho looked at me. "Before they get here?". I nodded and we started to run into the maze before the boys could get to us.

Soon we reached the crossroad where we would usually turn left. This time I stopped and gestured with my hands towards the right hallway. "You think so?" Minho said, turning towards the right. I stopped him and nudged him towards the left. Minho looked at me confused before it hit him. "Split up to cover more ground?" He asked and I nodded.

Minho sighed. "Fine" He said, "but put your alarm a little earlier than usual. That way we can be more sure that we'll make it back in time". My hand went to my watch as I changed the alarm. Minho and I looked at each other before turning to face our separate hallways. "See you tonight" He said hesitantly before running down the familiar hall, leaving me behind.

I looked after him before turning my attention towards the unknown part of the maze. I still felt a bit uneasy about this place, mainly because of the creatures we had seen before. However, they didn't seem to be out during the day and that was lucky for us. I looked behind me again before adjusting the paper in my hand. Time to find a way out.

*******

Hours had come and gone, and it all looked the same. This way didn't seem much different from the way we usually took, except for a few small turns. As I stopped by a crack in the wall, I looked down at my watch, might be time for lunch. I removed the backpack from my back and took out the apple Minho had given me. Minho, I hope he is alright on his own. I could feel my mind wander off. Alby, Gally, Newt. I wonder what they do when Minho and I run. Gally is building, I know that. But not all the time, he has to do something else. And the others, what do they do?

A cold breeze made me snap out of my thoughts and look at the clock. It felt as though my heart stopped. The alarm for when Minho and I would run together should have sounded almost an hour ago. I quickly stood up and hung the backpack over one of my shoulders. What way did I come from? I spotted the crack again and ran.

Since I didn't normally go this way, I didn't really know if I ran right or not. I didn't look that closely at the map, I only cared about getting back to the Glade alive. How did I let this happen? I hit myself on my forehead with my hand and continued. Another strong breeze came my way, this one taking my map. I stopped dead in my tracks, how would I make it out of here? As I continued what I thought was the right way, I could feel tears burn in my eyes. I wiped my face, I would not cry. The only thing I could do was run, run until my feet felt the Glade's grass or until the creatures got to me.

After what felt like an eternity of running, I saw the hallway Minho and I would run through. I rounded the corner and saw the Glade. I saw the guys standing by the doors looking for me. Then I could feel the rumble and the doors started to close. "Em, run!" Minho shouted at me, waving for me to hurry. I could see the panic in his eyes, in Alby's and Gally's eyes and in Newt's face. Newt. He looked devastated. I tried to push myself further and found myself moving a little faster than before.

I reached the doors, the Glade was so close. As I was halfway through, I had to turn on my side. It was really narrow, but I had to keep going. I could feel myself getting stuck and with panic in my eyes I looked for them. I found Newt's gaze and tried to reach out with my hands. Then I found myself being pulled forward, the tight space almost gone. I finally got out and as the doors closed I heard a snap. I waited for a scream of pain, but it was quiet.

"What snapped?" Newt asked, his eyes frantically searching me. I then realised that Newt's hands lay on my shoulders, making us really close. My cheeks got warmer and I moved away from him. Except nothing happened. My brows furrowed as I tried to move again. Nothing. What was going on?

The others had also come over to me and Newt. I looked Alby in the eyes. "I can't move" I mouthed at him, my eyes pleading. "Guys, I think Em is stuck. We need to get her out" Alby said. Minho and Gally stood on either side of me, trying to find the source of the problem. "Got it" Gally said, making me turn my head towards him. "Try to turn your arm" He said. With help from Gally and Newt, my arm turned around a bit and I could move away from the doors.

"See?" Gally said, pointing at the squashed bag in the wall. "I bet it was the water bottle that snapped before". Alby just looked at me. "Had you been a second later, that would have been you" He said. Alby moved closer to me standing only a few feet away. "That could have been you" He said again, his voice loud and sharp. "Understand?" He shouted, his eyes piercing mine. I looked down at my feet, not daring to look Alby in the eyes another moment.

Alby's voice echoed throughout the Glade, leaving a piercing silence behind. "You don't go back there, you hear me?" Alby shouted. "Never again" Alby turned and walked towards the hammocks. Gally and Minho looked at me before walking after Alby. "Em" Newt said but I rose my hands to silence him. I looked him in the eyes and shook my head. My eyes went back to the ground and towards the forest. I needed to be alone.