They Don't Own Me

Chapter 12

The boys nodded. Alby looked back at Ivy, giving her a small smile. She smiled back at him and stood up, letting Alby take her seat as she stood before the Gladers.

"Yesterday during my run, I had run deep into the Maze and lost track of time. That's why I was late. Then, on my way back, I ran into a Griever, the same creature that stung Justin last month. They apparently come out earlier deeper in the Maze.

"Anyway, when I got back here and the doors were closing, I knew there wasn't going to be enough room or time for me to get through the doors. So, I decided to turn back around and test my luck."

~flashback~

The sound of the doors sealing shut echoed in Ivy's ears as she ran toward the Griever that had been pursuing her. She pulled out her machete as she slid under the Griever, slicing at its legs. The creature shrieked and reared up. Ivy got back to her feet and sprinted away, not daring to look back.

The girl ran down a corridor that she had memorized like the back of her hand, hoping she might lose the Griever. But she knew that the Griever was smarter than that. Ivy turned a corner and came to a sliding stop, her eyes wide.

Shuck!

In front of her was another Griever. Ivy ran down another hall, hearing the two Griever now following her. The first had basically led her into a trap. Ivy quickly thought of which route she wanted to take so she could try and lose the Grievers before any others found her.

A thought came to her mind, causing her to make a sudden right. Ivy pushed herself away from the wall that she almost ran into and ran faster. After taking a series of turns, Ivy spotted her goal. She glanced over her shoulders, relieved that she couldn't see the Grievers. Ivy dove into the small cubby, quickly positioning the vines over it to keep her hidden.

She watched through the ivy as the Grievers paused close to where she was. Ivy held her breath, staring at their hideous legs. After several long moments, the creatures shrieked to one another and took off, disappearing from view. Ivy sighed in relief but dared not to move. She knew the Grievers could still be around. She glanced at her watch, noticing that it was only eight.

Ivy huffed and laid down on the ground. Finally, after hours of nonstop sprinting, her legs got the break that they had been begging for. Now that she wasn't moving, Ivy could barely feel her legs because of how weak they were. Her heart was pounding out of her chest; she almost thought it would give her away to the Grievers with how loud it sounded.

As much as she wanted to pass out and sleep, Ivy knew she couldn't. She would only rest long enough to give her legs and lungs a break. Turns out, that took almost an hour. Once Ivy was feeling rested, she glanced out from her hiding place - the same place that she had hid when she, Alby, and George had first entered the Maze. Not seeing any Grievers, Ivy slipped back into the halls and took off in the direction that she had originally come from, though she ran at a slower pace and took a different route. Ivy checked every corridor she passed, making sure that there were no Grievers in sight.

Ivy took more breaks that she usually did when she ran, but she wanted to be on alert and on the lookout for Grievers. During one of her breaks, Ivy leaned against the Maze wall. She pulled a water bottle out of her pack, finishing off the water that was inside.

Slipping the bottle away, Ivy leaned her head back and looked up at the sky. She wondered what the other Gladers were doing? How were they deal with what happened to her? Did they think she was dead yet? How was Alby taking it? Or Adam, Newt, or even Minho?

No, she thought. I can't think like that. I am going to make it out of this Maze and get back to them. I am not going to die in here with a bunch of shucking Grievers.