Escaping the Maze

Chapter 10

Sonya. Our leader. She's been stung. At first, I can't believe it, but I have to. The evidence is right in front of me. I hear Harriet gasp beside me, and run to her side. Rachel looks up, sees me, and runs to me, locking me in a hug. I guess it wouldn't be the best first day as a runner.
"Sonya came into the maze to see a dead griever, but it wasn't dead, and got up and stung her and s-" Rachel starts rambling on.
"Rach, stop. I know nothing is okay, but you have to calm down. We'll get Sonya the serum and get her better. Just calm down." I say, rubbing her back.
"Okay. Okay." She says, squeezing her eyes shut.
I block out the loud grinding of the doors closing, and calm Rachel down.
"That was the worst first day of runner ever." She says, pulling away.
"Yeah, but that's because of what happened. Tomorrow nothing like this will happen again. Don't worry." I say, holding her hand.
"Okay. I'll keep trying." She takes a deep breath and follows the medjacks to the homestead, me being one of them.
"Put her in room 7B." Baylor instructs me, while her and Melanie grab a plunger filled with serum, and some rope to tie Sonya to the bed.
I tell Rachel to go back downstairs, she can't be up here. She fights with me about it, but eventually follows my instruction.
"Inject this into the vein on her neck. You know which?" Melanie asks me, placing the needle in my hand. I nod.
With shaky hands, I fin the vein, and press the needle in, pushing down on the plunger.
As soon as I remove the needle, Melanie ties Sonya to the bed, her hands and feet.
Sonya thrashes, kicking out and swiping as far as she can get. Which isn't very far.
"Put ice on her head!" Baylor tells me, shoving a cool cloth full of ice in one of my hands. I sit in the chair at the bedside, and press the ice into Sonya's forehead. She relaxes, not trying to escape anymore, and seems a little peaceful, as a ghost of a smile plays across her lips.
"Aris! Rachel-she's been attacked!" Someone yells, and Melanie rushes in, grabs the ice from me and tells me I'm dismissed from my job for the rest of the day.
I mumble a quick thank you, and sprint out of the homestead, so many thoughts swirling through my head.
I hear the shouting immediately, and see where the noise is coming from. The deadheads; Rachel and a girl grapple on the ground, the girl whacking Rachel across the face.
I sprint over, and kick the girl in the head, she rolls off, and I remember her name; Kiarra.
"Stop! What are you doing?" I yell at her, pulling Rachel to her feet. She staggers, and I grab her arm to support her.
"I saw you. Both of you. You're one of them. It's all your fault we're here. YOU SENT US HERE YOU SHOULD BLOODY DIE!" The girl says, starting to charge at both of us.
Then, right before she reaches us, a girl whacks a shovel at Kiarra's head. With a sickening crunch, she crumples to the ground, her limbs spreading out around her.
I hear a lot of whispers, and all I can think about is her words. "You're one of them. It's all your fault we're here. YOU SENT US HERE YOU SHOULD BLOODY DIE!"
The words repeat themselves in my head, over and over. I can't get them out. I helped. I put these innocent people in this place. Convincing myself I was forced to didn't help, only made it worse that I catered to them. I couldn't think anymore, I ran off, collapsing against the East wall, crying.
I feel bad about leaving Rachel, but all I can think about is her words. They echo through my head as if on replay. I wish I could hit the stop button, but there isn't one.
I block the world around me out, focusing on nothing at all. Trying to keep my head blank. I barely notice when people like Harriet, Baylor, Rachel, and even Willow come to talk and comfort me, but I don't acknowledge them, I focus on a blank page, wishing I could think about nothing, nothing at all.
I finally snap out of my daze when the sky is pitch black, not a star, moon, anything in sight. It was like that last night too. Swirling black nothingness.
I finally doze off, in an uncomfortably sitting position against the stone wall.
•••
I wake up only to the grinding of the maze doors, it jolts me awake also because I've fallen over. Cause; the moving walls.
I stand up, stretching out my stiff muscles. Walk back into the Glade, and I watch Rachel run off into the maze at Olivia's heels, not sparing but a glance in my direction. Great, Rachel's mad at me, I think. Just what I needed.
I can't help but notice the gash on her right cheek, white healing paste lying overtop. I feel bad I wasn't the one to apply it, I should've been there for her.
I walk to the homestead, about to pretend its a normal day for me. Being a medjack, but as soon as I step in the homestead, I know it's not a normal day.
"We're going to banish her, tonight. When the doors close, Kiarra is gone. She's in the slammer right now. It's sad really, that the changing can do that to someone. We had a meeting on it last night." Harriet explains this all to Baylor, and I stand in the doorway, listening.
"Get out of here, Aris. You're dismissed from your job today, we don't need you." Baylor says, coldly, and I step back, running into the deadheads to be alone.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
A/N
Sorry for the short chapter! But thanks for reading!