12-Into the Maze

                                    

                                          
Harriet's POV
                          
@JaydenBF here, Prefacing this chapter again because I know there might be some confusion why Aris did not fall into a coma like Teresa had. In order to make Group B's escape happen earlier, we decided it would be more pratical (and dramatic) if Aris had not gone into the coma and that him mentioning that he was in one in The Scorch Trials was just another lie told by Wicked to make Teresa's charade more convincing for Thomas. Well, now that I have cleared that up, here's another chapter in the view of Harriet. Enjoy;
                          
I looked at Sonya with a face that said, "Yeah, I just solved all of our problems. Your welcome!" now I know why Aris was so skipping cocky. This feels great being savior of the Glade, watching as people's face go from 'Yeah right' to 'Holy goop! You actually do have the answer's to our problems!' This was fantastic! Years of trying to get out and we finally actual have a way out. Cassie would be proud to see that we finally have a way out.
                          
"This could actually work... no more running in the maze! We have to tell Izzy and the other Runner's! Heck, we need to tell everyone who resides in the Glade!" She said, her voice steadily rising from the excitement.
                          
"Calm down Sonya, this isn't for sure. He could have made this all up!" I tried to reason with the gossipy side of Sonya, who always wanted to share any new's she could get her hands on. The only time she hadn't said anything was with Cassie, whom Sonya was just as fond of.
                          
"But seriously Harriet, who just come's up with jumping in the griever hole, when He doesn't even know it exist yet! This Chirp actually retained some of his memory!" She said, and I couldnt help but let some of my excitement leak out to.
                          
"I agree, its probably true." I said through my grin, And she squealed and jumped up and down. There is no way this stick isn't telling everyone in the Glade. I can see it now, her calling a meeting and shouting, "We're leaving! It's over!"
                          
"You promise you won't tell anyone," I said, suddenly changing my excitement to sterness. she gave a low moan. "Please!" I plead.
                          
"On one condition, you hurry and get back as fast as you can." She said.
                          
"I promise." I said. at that moment, Marley peeked her head in and said, "He's ready."
                          
"Thanks Marley, I'll be there in a second." I said. I turned to walk out the door, I felt Sonya's arm grab my back.
                          
"Be safe out there, Harriet. I dont want you to end up like Cassie." She said grimly, her expression changing from her excitement
                          
"Come on, Sonya, it's me!" I said jokingly, but her face showed that the joke wasn't enough. "I will be fine." I said with a smile.
                          
* * *
                          
We had ran for nearly two hours at a steady pace before finally sitting down to eat lunch, and I was impressed with Aris. Aris sat with his black runner suit on and his back-pack packed with water, food and the paper's that he had written down, eating his lunch I had one of Izzy's Runner's make me and him for the run. He seemed liked his memory was fading faster by the second, but stayed confident in what he had written in the papers.
                          
"You ready, newbie?" I asked Aris, and he nodded. "Why so shy, Chirp? Did your memory leave ya?" I asked him. He nodded.
                          
"It's definietly fading faster than I'd like it to, but I still remember some of it." He said.
                          
"Like what?" I aksed him. He began to fold up his sleve, revealing three words: Wicked is Good. 
                          
"What does that mean? Like the words on the beetle blades?" I asked and he nodded. I took a bite of my sandwich.
                          
He swallowed from one of his bites, and began to explain, "I think so. That's all that could make sense, and I also think that's who put us in this place. Wicked, I mean, it all has a purpose. I don't know, it's so clouded up here. It's good you had me write that stuff down when you did, because I have forgotten nearly all of it." He said, then taking another bite.
                          
"You know, you're the first Chirp to have remembered anything from before. What's so special about you? Well, besides the fact that you're a boy." I asked him.
                          
"Well, I am the last person to enter this maze. Wicked decided it was time," He said. I frowned at him.
                          
"So it's really almost over? They want it over?" I asked and he nodded. I took a moment to digest that fact, and by that time, lunch was already over. We packed up our stuff and started running in the maze again. Then I heard the clacking of a Griever, and held out my arm to stop Aris from going any further.
                          
"What is it?" He whispered. I put my finger over my lips to indecate, "Shut up, stupid!" and he did just that. As we edged closer to the side of the maze where the creature had stopped, we didn't here the clacking again.
                          
"What is that?" He asked, pointing at a lifeless figure that laid on the floor. "Is it... dead?" He asked.
                          
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question, memory boy?" I asked, walking closer to the greiver that laid on the floor, presumabley dead. The creepy cow-slug-metal-demon sat there as I grew closer, twitching madly, then stopping abruptly.
                          
"I think it's dead!" Aris shouted, getting closer to the creature.
                          
"Aris! Get way from it!" I shouted, as he walked closer to it.
                          
"What! it's not even moving!" He shouted and then I saw it twitch back to life.
                          
"Aris! Move!" I shouted, but it was too late. As it jumped at the stupid boy, I hopped infront of Aris, blocking the stinger from going into him. I took out a dagger that I always kept for safety against the grievers, and swung at the beast. The griever instantly jumped out of the way, and scuttled off to the other end of the maze.
                          
"Don't you ever disobey me! You're lucky none of us got hurt!" I said, and then I registered the look of terror on his face. "What? What are you staring at me for?!" I said, my adrenaline slowly draining out of me but my fear slowly rising.
                          
"Harriet... look at your stomach..." He said, terrified of what would happen next to me. My eye's fell to my stomache, and the pain finally registered.
                          
"Oh... that..." I said slowly, as I began to lose conscience. Right in the middle of my black running suit, was a large tear which revealed a welt that could only be inflicted by a griever. Then I started seeing flashes of people I didn't recognize, and people like Aris and Rachel who had recently taken residence in the Glade. My changing had begun quciker than I thought, but it was just as painful as I would have imagined.