monachopsis - maze runner

chapter 5

Chapter 5
Desperate Times

For the second morning in a row, Florence woke at dawn. But this time, she pulled the door open the second Alby's fist tapped the wood. He sighed as he looked her over, seeing her tousled hair and the bags under her eyes.

"Is there any way I could convince you not to go?" she asked weakly, already knowing the answer to her question. Alby shook his head and Florence hung hers, slowly locking her door and trudging after him through the Glade.

At dinner the night before, Alby had pulled Florence away from their normal table to the outskirts of the dining area. There he'd explained, in rushed words and ineffectual calming gestures, his plan for the next day. He'd already spoken with Minho, and they'd decided to enter the Maze in search of the Griever that had stung Ben. No one had ever been stung during the day before, and Alby saw this as a chance to learn something new about their stone prison.

I might as well get the knife ready, Florence had replied, because if you go in there we're gonna have to cross out another name on the wall. She'd stormed off and locked herself in her room after that, feeling childish but knowing she couldn't stay there another minute. Gally and Newt both tried to follow her, nearly disobeying Alby's direct order to leave her alone. Thomas watched Florence's sudden departure, wondering aloud to Chuck about what had set her off; they'd find out soon enough.

Minho and Newt were already waiting at the doors, Minho with an extra machete in hand to lend to Alby. Florence stared at the base of the walls as they groaned and split open, anxiously cracking her knuckles over and over. Alby bounced on his heels as he waited for the gap to widen. This would be the furthest either of them had ever gone into the Maze. They'd both explored the inner corridors during the first few months, but neither of them had ever ventured as far as the Runners.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Florence asked, though she honestly didn't know how she wanted him to answer. She had no desire to enter the stone labyrinth in which they were imprisoned, but at the same time she wasn't sure she could stand being separated from Alby for so long. They'd lived in a four-sided box for the last three years, so they were never more than a few yards away from each other. Florence had grown dependent on Alby's presence, and vice versa. But Minho was already stepping into the corridor, and Alby had made his choice.

"I'm sure," he replied, not sounding sure at all. "One of us should stay here just in case." The implications of 'just in case' made Florence want to punch the walls, but lucky for her hands she resisted the urge. She whispered a hollow 'be careful' and let him go, watching as he and Minho rounded the corner and vanished from sight. Florence stood there, staring at the stone and ivy, for what could have been seconds and could have been minutes.

"Flo." Newt's hand squeezed her shoulder, drawing her eyes away from the empty corridor. She'd almost forgotten he was there. "They're gonna be alright." Florence nodded, cracking her knuckles one more time before following him to the kitchens for breakfast. I hope you're right.

***

Clint and Jeff waited until Florence had coffee in her system to approach her with the idea that she take the day off. She was immediately opposed to it, not because she thought they couldn't handle it but because she needed something else to focus on besides her crippling nerves. It took some gentle coercion from Gally and Newt to get her to listen, but eventually she gave in.

And so there she sat, legs swinging over the trunk of a fallen tree, listening to Thomas bombard Newt with questions yet again. He and Zart were hacking away at the base of the tree's stump, a job Thomas was supposed to be helping with. Chuck leaned quietly against the log by Florence's side, still carving away at that little piece of wood.