The Huntress Descent

The Labyrinth: Chapter Ten

I gaped in horror at the monstrous creature that made its way down the corridor of the Maze. There was one thing seeing it for the first time. There was another seeing it again, this time not protected behind the thick glass safely in the Glade.

I shuddered to think what Ben went through.

How long did he last?

The Griever. It was a creature, an experiment, that had gone horribly wrong. Part animal, part machine. The thing clicked and rolled along the stone pathway. Its body resembled something out of a nightmare. Hair glistened underneath the thick layer of slime that oozed out of the pores of its body. More sweeping and dropping to the ground with every breath it took, leaving a disgusting slimy path wherever it went.

The creature was large. The full extent of its body now in full view. Every ten to fifteen seconds, sharp metal spikes popped through the flesh and the creature curled into a ball and spun forward. Then it would settle, seeming to gather its bearings, the spikes receding back through the moist skin with a sick sucking sound. It did this over and over, traveling just a few feet at a time.

It was a monster straight from hell, created in the pits of fire and thrown up to terrorise the world with its random mechanical arms that stuck out in places, readied for each purpose that it had. Bright lights were attached to some of its arms, creating an eerie light show on the walls. The shadows of the ivy dancing around whenever it flickered past. Others had long needles that looked sharper than they actually were. One arm had a menacing three-fingered claw attached to it, where it clasped and unclasped at the air. It didn't seem to have a function, like the others, but I was sure that I was soon to find out. When the Griever did roll, all the arms folded in on themselves and they allowed for it to manoeuvre without being crushed in the process under all the weight. Delicate, but deadly.

The sounds that echoed throughout the Maze made a lot more sense. It made a metallic, whirring sort of noise which in turn sounded just like when a blade of a saw spins. The creepy clicking sounds that came from the spikes and arms when metal grounded with stone. But, worse of all, the sound of the creature's haunted, deathly moans – that escaped from its body when it sat still – sent chills up and down my spine.

Seeing this – the Griever and what I was up against – made surviving all to near impossible to complete. Ben had never returned. How was I supposed too?

The nightmare that was crawling along the floor, way down below me, was sure going to do something that I would not like. I fought against everything in my body to stay perfectly still in my vine trap, wishing that it was as dumb as a goldfish and leave just as soon as it arrived.

Things stay to check new territory. It'll go away.

Eventually.

Deep down, I knew I was screwed. These creatures plagued the Gladers nightmares. Newt was even too scared to come into the Maze. And here. In front of me was the reason.

Keep calm. This will be easy. Like before.

I was unnaturally calm in its presence. The idea of fear itself had become a myth in my own body. I waited. Unnerved wouldn't have been the right word, but ready for whatever came.

I knew there was no escape from this creature that roamed the floor below me. It blocked the only escape from the dead end I was stuck in. Unless a wall decided to magically move, I needed the Griever to finish what it was doing and turn around. It rolled and clicked its way closer, moving back and forth, moaning and whirring each time.

Whenever it stopped, the delicate arms retracted from the body and twisted in various ways as if to sense something that was out there. A bit like what a flower does when it searches for a source of light. Ghostly shadows danced across the wall of the Maze, creating odd shapes each time the light moved.

A strong whiff of something burnt stung my nostrils. A sick mixture of overheated engines and charred flesh. I resisted the urge not to choke on the fumes that whiffed my way. One mistake and that Griever would pounce. Silence was my friend for the moment, no matter what.

I shut my eyes, focusing all my energy in keeping as still as possible. It required more effort in acting aimlessly then it did running around everywhere.

The creature did not stop.

whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

click-click-click

whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

click-click-click

I stole a glance from below, doing my best to not move any part of my body. The Griever had reached the section of the wall from where I hung. The metal leg almost cut a layer of skin from my palms the tighter I squeezed. It paused, as if it was thinking. The creature let out a hideous moan and carried onto the end of the corridor. It paused by the wall that led to nowhere. It then turned around and slowly made its way back again in the painfully slow motion that probably was programmed into its mind. After a few breathless moments, it stopped again. A few yards from where I was.

Do you think it can smell you?

As gently as I dared, I sucked in as much air as I my lungs allowed and held it.

Go away, I mentally shouted at the creature. Keep going. Don't stop. Go find some friends to play with. Please!

The menacing spikes burst out of the Griever's back as its body rolled toward me.

whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

click-click-click

Painfully, swinging metres above it, I watched as the creature rolled right beneath and stopped. It paused again. I wished that it was unsure and may just turn around. Then it rolled once again, up the side of the wall. My lungs burned for air, just a whisper of it to keep me going, to stop the blackness.

Don't do it.

The dreaded thing sat below me. A spider waiting to pounce on its prey.

I resisted the urge to look, even a peak. One little movement and I was a goner. Any sense screamed at me to stay perfectly still.

Beams of the light shone across the corridor, bouncing of the walls, completely random, never setting on one thing at a time.

Then, without warning, the lights snapped out.

The world plunged into darkness. The air stilling with the change of atmosphere. Silence followed after.

Nothing moved.

No sound.

Everything had stopped.

That's when the panic settled in.

Just wait. Bide your time.

Until now I hadn't realised how dark everything became. Air slowly realised itself from my nose. I couldn't stand the burning sensation anymore. Sweat drenched my hair, droplets trickling down the edges onto my clothes. My palms clammed, making the vines harder to hold onto. I waited anxiously for the next move.

This was torture.

The unknowing.

Still, nothing. No movement, no light, no sound. The anticipation killed me.

Seconds passed. Minutes. The ropy plant dug into my flesh—my chest numbed. I wanted to scream at the monster below: Kill me or go back to your hiding hole!

Suddenly, in a sudden burst of light and sound, the Griever came back to life, whirring and clicking.

And then it started to climb the wall.

Its spikes tore through into the stone, throwing shredded ivy and rock chips in every direction. The Griever shifted around on the wall like the legs of a Beetle Blade, some sharp pricks that drove into the stone for support. A bright light at the end of one of its arms pointed directly at me, not randomly, because the beam didn't move away.

I felt the last drop of hope flood out from my body.

The only option left was to run. I unravelled the thick vine from my chest and used my left hand to hold tight to the shrubbery above me. I finished unwrapping myself and prepared.