Dawn painted the Glade in hues of pale gold, soft light spilling over the dewy grass like nature's apology for yesterday's chaos. I stretched out in my hammock and cracked one eye open, my muscles already humming with anticipation. Today was the day—my first real run in the Maze.
"Morning, sunshine," came a dry, raspy voice from somewhere above me.
I flinched hard enough to almost fall out of the hammock. I tilted my head, and sure enough, there was Kiryu, perched on a wooden post like a particularly judgmental gargoyle. His wings were folded neatly behind him, and that eternal grin of his stretched even wider.
"Do you have to do that?" I groaned, scrubbing my face with both hands.
"Do what?"
"Lurk. Sneak. Hover. Be... you. It's creepy."
Kiryu shrugged, unoffended. "I'm a Reaper. Lurking is literally on page one of the manual. Right after 'Eat Apples' and 'Grin Menacingly.'"
I swung out of the hammock and grabbed the gear Minho had tossed me last night—lightweight pants, a breathable fitted shirt, and a pair of boots that looked like they'd survived three apocalypses. They probably had. I strapped on my knife and checked its edge. Still sharp enough to shave with.
"Hey, question," I said as I buckled my belt. "Can you see my real name? Or my lifespan?"
Kiryu narrowed his glowing eyes at me, his grin faltering for the first time. "Hmm."
"What?"
He frowned. Actually frowned. "That's… odd. It says 'unknown.' Both fields. That's not supposed to happen."
"Unknown?"
"Yeah. You sure you're human?"
I barked a short laugh. "Physically? Yeah. Spiritually? Emotionally? Existentially? Jury's still out."
Kiryu scratched at his chin with one bony claw. "You're full of weird, you know that?"
"I consider it my most charming trait," I muttered as I headed toward the Maze entrance.
Minho and the rest of the Runner crew were already stretching in front of the looming stone doors. They looked like a pack of jungle cats, lean and coiled, ready to spring into motion. I tried to copy their movements but probably looked more like a confused flamingo.
"Took you long enough, Greenie," Minho called out with a smirk.
"Had to look pretty for my first date with death," I said, flashing a grin as I joined them.
"Charming," muttered Jeff, a scowling Runner with the temperament of a kicked hornet. He tossed me a canteen. "Don't die. Breaking in newbies is annoying."
"Got it. I'll schedule my demise for after training."
A few of the other Runners chuckled. I was definitely winning points.
Minho clapped his hands, immediately shifting into commander mode. "Alright, listen up. Today's route is Sector 7. We've got three hours before the walls shift. Eyes open, feet fast, and for the love of all that's holy, don't touch anything shiny."
"Shiny?" I raised an eyebrow.
"You'll know it when you see it," muttered Nara, one of the quieter Runners. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week.
I glanced at Kiryu, who was now floating above the group, invisible to everyone else. He made a jazz-hands gesture. "So mysterious," he whispered theatrically.
The Maze doors groaned open, stone grinding against stone. A gust of cold, musty air blew out like the Maze itself was sighing.
My heart kicked up its pace.
Here we go.
The Maze was… different from the movies.
That's the only way I could describe it. The walls soared upward like cliffs, vines curling over every inch. Cracks ran along the ground like veins, and soft moss muffled our footsteps. But the silence? That was the worst part. It wasn't peaceful—it was watching.
Minho led us forward with practiced ease. His every step was confident, precise, almost dance-like. The others fanned out behind him in a staggered formation. I stuck to the middle, memorizing every landmark—twists, intersections, odd patterns on the stone. It was like playing the world's deadliest game of Simon Says.
"Not bad for a Greenie," Minho said after we cleared a mile. "You're keeping up."
"Told you I'm fast," I replied, flashing him a grin.
Kiryu snorted overhead. "Fast, yes. Graceful? You run like a caffeinated ostrich."
"Appreciate the support," I muttered.
We were about halfway through our route when Kiryu's wings stiffened mid-glide.
"Samuel," he hissed. "Something's coming."
My spine snapped straight. "What?"
"Behind you. Move. Now."
No hesitation.
"Minho! We've got incoming!" I yelled.
Minho spun around. "What?!"
Then we all felt it.
The ground trembled.
Something massive was charging us.
A shadow loomed from the far corridor—sleek, predatory, and wrong. It was a Griever, but not like any I'd seen in the movies. This one was faster, leaner. Its limbs gleamed with serrated edges, its body built for speed and murder.
"RUN!" Minho shouted.
We bolted as the Griever shrieked, its spider-like legs clacking furiously against stone.
"Why does it look like a Blade Runner nightmare?!" I yelled.
"I DON"T KNOW!'" Minho snapped back.
Kiryu swooped alongside me, wings like shadows. "Left. Now!"
I yanked Minho to the left just as the Griever's tail smashed the wall behind us as my enhanced reflex kicked in.
Minho's eyes went wide. "How the hell did you—?"
"Lucky guess!" I shouted, already scanning for a way out.
The Griever was closing in fast. Too fast.
Think, Samuel. You can't outfight it—not with that armor. But maybe…
Then I saw it. A tight crevice in the Maze wall. Just wide enough for a human, but too narrow for a Griever that size.
"There!" I pointed. "We bottleneck it!"
Minho's eyes lit up. "Do it!"
We dove into the narrow space. The Griever tried to follow but got wedged in, its shrieks echoing as it thrashed.
The other Runners regrouped around us, panting.
Jeff pointed at the trapped Griever. "What now?!"
I stepped forward, knife in hand, and grinned.
"Now? Now we teach it why tight spaces suck."
I activated Cell Activation, muscles surging with borrowed strength. My skin buzzed, energy flooding every limb.
With the Griever pinned, its weak spots were exposed. The underbelly—thin armor, small seams, blinking lights.
Kiryu hovered behind me like a macabre cheerleader. "Aim for the joint at the second leg! And try not to get gored."
I charged.
Slashed.
Dodged a flailing claw and buried my blade into the blinking panel on its side. Sparks flew. The Griever screamed.
The others joined in. Jeff hurled a broken pipe at the exposed wiring. Minho jabbed at the joints with his spear.
Within seconds, the Griever gave one final lurch, then collapsed with a grinding whine.
Silence fell over the Maze.
We were panting, bruised, and coated in grease and ichor—but alive.
Jeff dropped to sit against a wall. "You know, Greenie… you're not entirely useless."
"Aw, thanks. That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me since I got here."
Minho gave me a thumbs up. "You've earned dinner and dessert."
Kiryu patted my head from behind. "Proud of you. You didn't even scream."
"I was close," I muttered.
As we made our way back toward the Glade, I couldn't help but glance at the others, laughing and trading jabs while running despite the adrenaline still surging in their veins.
This place was brutal. The Maze was worse. But out here, with these lunatics, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time.
Purpose.
Kiryu hovered beside me, his grin softer now.
"You're strange, Samuel," he murmured. "But maybe that's what makes you interesting."
I smirked. "Stick around. I've got plenty more weird where that came from."
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