Kapitel 11: Chapter 11: A World Beyond
The sun beat down on Kade's face as he lay on the cool grass, his breath finally slowing after their frantic escape. The others were sprawled out around him, equally exhausted. For the first time since waking up in the Glade, they were outside the Maze—outside its suffocating walls, its constant threats. The realization washed over Kade like a wave, but with it came the sharp sting of uncertainty.
They had escaped, but where were they now?
Slowly, Kade sat up, his muscles aching from the battle with the Grievers and the chaotic rush through the collapsing Maze. He looked at the wide, open landscape before them. It was nothing like the sterile, enclosed world of the Glade. Instead, it was barren, desolate. The sun was bright, but the sky was a sickly shade of Gray, and the ground stretched out in a cracked, dry wasteland.
"This… this can't be it," Newt muttered, sitting up beside him and wiping the sweat from his brow. "We were supposed to find freedom out here."
"Looks like the world's gone to hell," Minho said grimly, his eyes scanning the horizon. "All that running, and for what? A wasteland."
Alby stood, his gaze hard and unyielding. "We need to move. There's got to be something out there. A shelter, food, anything."
Kade glanced at the others—Teresa, Newt, Minho, and Alby—his companions in survival. They had all fought so hard to make it this far. The system buzzed faintly in the back of his mind, quiet now but still there, reminding him that his journey was far from over.
"We can't stay here," Teresa said, standing up and brushing the dirt from her pants. "The Maze might be gone, but we're not safe yet. Whoever put us in there is still out here."
Kade nodded, pulling himself to his feet. "She's right. We need to keep moving, find shelter before nightfall."
The group gathered their strength, though exhaustion clung to them like a shadow. They had spent so long surviving day to day in the Maze, but out here in the open, everything felt even more uncertain. Kade's system had given him abilities inside the Maze—strength, speed, energy manipulation—but out here, in this broken world, he wasn't sure if it would be enough.
They started walking, heading toward the distant horizon. The ground beneath their feet was cracked and brittle, and the air felt heavy with dust. Every now and then, Kade's eyes flickered to the sky, where dark clouds seemed to swirl, blocking out most of the sun's light. It gave the world a cold, lifeless feeling.
"What happened to this place?" Minho asked after a long silence, his voice quiet and subdued.
Teresa shook her head, her expression troubled. "I don't know, but it must have been something terrible. Whatever they were testing us for in the Maze, it has to do with this."
Kade's mind raced. The voice from the Maze had mentioned a cure, had talked about them as "subjects." He didn't know exactly what it all meant, but he had a sinking feeling that they were only part of a much bigger plan.
After a few hours of walking, they reached the top of a small rise. Kade's heart sank as he looked down into the valley below. It was a city—at least, it had once been. Now, it was little more than a graveyard of twisted metal and crumbling buildings. Skyscrapers leaned at impossible angles, their windows shattered and dark. Cars were scattered like toys, some half-buried in the cracked earth.
"Looks like the end of the world," Newt whispered, his voice tinged with awe and fear.
Alby stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the city below. "We'll head there. It might be dangerous, but we need supplies. If there's anything left."
Kade agreed. The city looked like it had been abandoned for years, maybe longer, but if there was even a chance of finding food, water, or a place to rest, they had to take it. Together, they began the descent into the ruins.
The closer they got, the more eerie the city became. Buildings loomed over them like skeletal remains of a forgotten age, their metal frames rusted and bent. The wind whistled through the empty streets, carrying with it the sound of something distant and unnatural—like faint whispers.
"We should be careful," Minho said quietly, gripping a long piece of rebar he'd picked up along the way. "There could be anything hiding in these ruins."
They moved cautiously through the wreckage, sticking close together. Kade's senses were on high alert, his system feeding him a low hum of awareness. He could feel it—the sense that they were being watched. But by what?
As they walked deeper into the city, they came across an old grocery store, its windows shattered and its shelves mostly bare. Still, they decided to search it for anything useful. Kade, Minho, and Teresa took the lead, entering the dimly lit building while Alby and Newt kept watch outside.
Inside, the air was thick with dust, and the shelves were almost completely empty. Still, they managed to find a few cans of food that had been left untouched, though they were long past their expiration date.
"This'll have to do for now," Teresa said, tossing a can into her pack. "It's not much, but it's better than nothing."
Kade was about to reply when his system suddenly flared to life, alerting him to something nearby.
[System Alert: Unknown life forms detected nearby. Danger level: Moderate.]
Kade froze, his eyes scanning the room. "Something's coming."
The others tensed, gripping their makeshift weapons. Moments later, they heard it—a soft shuffling noise, like feet dragging across the ground. The sound was growing louder, closer.
Minho motioned for them to stay low as they peered through the broken windows. At first, they saw nothing, but then Kade caught sight of movement—a group of figures, moving slowly through the street outside.
"Cranks," Teresa whispered, her voice barely audible.
Kade had heard the term once before in the Maze, but he hadn't fully understood it. Now, as he looked closer, he saw what they were up against. The figures were human—or at least, they had been. Their skin was pale and sickly, their eyes sunken and wild. They moved with a strange, jerky gait, as if they were only half-conscious of their actions.
"Shit," Minho muttered under his breath. "We need to get out of here."
They moved quickly, staying low as they slipped through the back of the store. Outside, the street was eerily silent, the Cranks unaware of their presence for now. But Kade knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.
As they regrouped with Alby and Newt, Kade explained what they had seen. Alby's expression darkened. "We need to keep moving. If there are more of those things out here, we don't want to stick around long enough for them to find us."
They continued deeper into the city, always keeping an eye out for the Cranks. The ruins seemed endless, a labyrinth of destruction and decay. Every sound, every shadow made Kade's heart race, his senses heightened by the constant danger.
Hours passed, and the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long, eerie shadows over the broken buildings. They found temporary shelter in an old parking garage, its concrete walls still sturdy enough to provide some protection for the night.
As they settled in, Kade's mind couldn't stop racing. The system was quiet now, but he knew it was still there, waiting. He had been reincarnated into this world for a reason, given the power of the system to survive the Maze—but now that they were outside, what came next?
"Do you think they're still watching us?" Teresa asked softly as they sat around a small fire Minho had managed to start.
Kade thought about the voice in the Maze, the one that had called them subjects. "Maybe. But if they are, we need to stay one step ahead."
"We survived the Maze," Newt said, his voice full of weary determination. "We can survive this too."
Kade nodded, though doubt gnawed at him. The Maze had been terrifying, but at least they had known their enemy. Out here, the dangers were even greater, and the world was in ruins. And somewhere, whoever had put them in the Maze was still out there, pulling the strings.
As the fire crackled and the stars began to appear in the dark sky above, Kade made a silent vow. He didn't know what the future held, but he wasn't going to let the Maze—nor whoever controlled it—define him. He would find the truth, and he would fight for the others, no matter what.
The system buzzed faintly in his mind, and Kade steeled himself for whatever came next.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein