Remember Me?

Chapter 4: "What Are You Hiding From Me?"

I ran and ran and ran. I ran into the woods. But no matter how far I ran, the voice would not leave me. I kept running until I reached the river. One of the first things Newt showed me when I arrived. I sat on a log next to the water and held my head in my hands.

"Wicked is good. Wicked is good. Wicked is good!" The voice repeated over and over. Tears fell off my face. This was literally driving me crazy. I didn't know what to do. I stood up and screamed at the top of my lungs. A few birds fled from the trees as I slammed my body back down onto the log. I cried into my hands for ages, but I was finally alone. It took me a while to realise but the voice had stopped. I knelt down in the mud at the very edge of the water. I just stared in it at my reflection, but I didn't see myself. I saw a person who I'd never seen before. A woman. A smirk crept across her face. I screamed and swung my hand through the water, diffusing the reflection. I looked all around, nobody was there. I looked back at the water panting for breath. When I saw myself again, a sigh of relief left my lungs as I fell onto my back in the water. I just floated, looking up at the sky. My eyes closed once more.

"Wicked is good..." I heard the same voice once more. This time it was as a frightening whisper. All of a sudden I was pulled under the water. I struggled with all I could. My oxygen was running out and it wasn't going to be long before I drowned. I kicked like mad under the water and got free from whatever was dragging me down. I crawled onto the land and sputtered for air. I turned my head back to look for what 'tried' to kill me. Nothing there... I looked ahead but only for my eyes to meet with a pair of red bloodshot ones. I fell back into the water in shock. It was Ben.

"Ben?" I remembered Newt showing me these guys. They were called, 'runners'. He didn't tell me what they did, all he said was 'They run.' Ben looked terrible compared to how I saw him the day before. He was dripping wet from the water just then. He jumped at me pushing my face under the water once more. I clawed at his face and he released me from his grip. I had to run again. I ran for my life, literally. I screamed as loud as I possibly could. "HELP! HELP!" My lungs and throat physically hurt but I had no choice. I could tell Ben was close to me. I wasn't looking where I was going and I tripped over a branch on the floor. Ben dived after me but I kicked him past me and he flew over my head. His back smashed into a tree. Now was my chance. I got up and tried to run again but I'd hurt my leg during the chase. I couldn't run. I thought this was it. He was going to kill me. But I pushed myself to more than my limit. I had to get away. As I ran through the forest, I saw a clearing. I was near the lookout and ahed of me was plain, open space. Someone was bound to see me here. I ran and screamed as hard as I could, but I could hear Ben gaining on me once more. I couldn't physically run anymore. My legs were burning from fatigue. I accepted my fate and just fell. I felt the weight of Ben's body on top of my own. I was going to die. He was strangling me and muttering words under his breath.

"You are a wicked human being!" Was the last thing I heard before I blacked out. I felt water being poured onto my face. I opened my sore eyes to see I was back in the medical hut, the first building I was in when I arrived. Gally was tipping a jar of water over my face to cool me down. I felt like every bone in my body had been broken. Alby sat on the bed next to me.

"Hannah, how are you doing now?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Wait, you know my name?" I tried to sit up but Jeff pushed me back down.

"Don't." He said. "You'll make it worse."

Alby looked at Gally, then back at me. "Newt told us what happened. About your dream. I want you to describe what happened." I told Alby every detail from my dream I'd had the night before and what happened in the canteen and creek.

"What happened to Ben?" I asked, once I had finished my story.

"He's been stung." A boy called Winston, who was standing at the back of the room, mentioned. Gally swung his eyes round to him and shook his head vigorously.

"What?" I questioned. The room was silent. "Gally." He didn't make eye contact with me. Thomas walked in from the room next to mine. He pulled Alby out to speak to him. I could faintly make out what they were saying.

"She can't find out!" Alby shouted while whispering.

"Yeah well she's going to find out sooner or later! We can't keep this from her forever Alby." He came back into the room but it seemed that Thomas had left.

"Alby, what happened to Ben?" I said firmly.

"He's been stung." He answered.

"By what?"

"A greiver." Gally answered, as he stood up to leave the room. He looked me straight in the eyes. "You. Stay away from the Maze." And with that, he left.

"Maze?.."

"Did Newt not tell you?" I shook my head. "Good. It's best for you not to know." He went to stand up but I grabbed his arm in a tight grip.

"Alby, what are you hiding from me?" Just then, Minho, the keeper of the runners, walked in. He pulled Alby outside. I stood up from my bed and stood by the door. My fists clenched as I tried to drain out the pain through them. I listened closely to what they were saying.

"What's going to happen to Ben? The doors will be shut soon."

"Give him a bit of time, see if you can get anything out of him."

"But he's dying..."

"Minho, I know he is. And there is no way to help him. You know as well as I do. But the best thing we can do is see if he calms down enough to speak." I heard footsteps getting fainter and I knew one of them had left. Minho walked into my room and saw me standing by the door.

He sighed. "It's best I tell you what's happening then."

My head was baffled. Why was Ben dying? What did they want to get out of him? What were greivers? Also, what was so secret about this Maze and why didn't Newt tell me? I had too many questions, but I had the feeling that all of them were about to be answered.