(our queen Beth Crowley did a Maze Runner song, so you'd better listen to one of the only upbeat songs I have here! ^^)
The Maze is entirely different in daylight. The paths are still the same narrow stone aisles, and the vine-covered walls are seemingly endless, but it feels... survivable.
Even though I just went through the Changing, I love the feel of running beside Minho and Thomas. They teach me how to use short pieces of vines to mark our paths, although I have a perfect mental map of the Maze.
"Okay, Thomas, Ash is definitely better than you," Minho says when we pause and he has me mark down some notes of our route.
"Shut up, Minho," Thomas responds, not seeming bothered despite his words. He's not really a jealous type, I don't think.
"What's that plaque on the wall?" I ask, something catching my eye. It's a metal plate bolted into the stone. It reads World In Catastrophe, Killzone Experiment Department.
"Don't know. They've always been there," Minho says with a shrug. "There's probably five of them in each section.
"It's weird that they spell WICKED," I mumble, trying to figure out if the acronym is intentional.
"Wait, what?" Thomas says, jolting a bit and looking at me.
"Yeah, with the first letter of each-"
"But that's what's written on the beetle blades!" He seems excited, like he's just put something together.
"Really?" I say. I vaguely remember the small metal spies that look a bit like lizards and a bit like rats, but I hadn't cared enough to notice anything written on them.
"Yeah! Haven't you seen them?"
"Kinda, but I haven't paid much attention. Wait, didn't Zart say you chased a beetle blade into the Deadheads the day Ben died? Because that's definitely hilarious." I smirk at him.
"No it's not!"
"Uh, yeah it is. Thomas, chasing after a little metallic mouse like the fearsome Runner he is."
"You two are a riot, but come on," Minho says. "We've still got a long way to go."
"Alright. The Cliff is over there, by the way," I mention, offhand.
Minho gives me a stunned look. "Are you kidding me, Ash?!"
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Good Grief (TMR fic)
FanfictionThey had never had someone like Ash. They had never had a pyromaniac. They had never had someone with a mind that understood the Maze. They had never had someone who could get them out. As We Watch the World Burn book one, The Maze Runner [book]...
