monachopsis - maze runner

chapter 13

Chapter 13
So Eden Sank to Grief

She should've started running in the other direction. Towards the forest, into the cover of the trees, away from the open walls and the horrors they held. But the second Gally's hands released her arms, her boots hit the dirt in a full sprint towards the Maze.

The light from the torches danced on the walls, painting the black shadows of the Gladers across the stone. Florence couldn't hear anything beyond the scattered screams of terror, but if they'd ceased even for a second, she would've realized that the Maze was completely silent. No cracks, no thunderous booms, nothing to indicate the usual shifts in pattern.

"Florence what do we do?"

"Captain!"

"What are we supposed to do?"

Florence could feel her heart racing, smashing against her ribs. She could hardly breathe, let alone talk long enough to come up with a plan.

"Flo?" This was softer, coming from Newt, whose hand gently cupped her shoulder. "Try to focus on breathing."

"I- I can't..." she whispered shakily. "Someone else say something, please, I..." Florence dug deep into the recesses of her mind, searching for her mask, pushing through the flames of panic, but all that remained of the mask was ashes.

Then Thomas started shouting orders. And people listened. "Chuck, go to the Council Hall, start barricading the doors."

"Winston, you go with him," Newt directed. Before he left Florence's side, he dragged Gally into the vacated space by the arm. The Builder hovered protectively at Florence's shoulder, shielding her from the crowd until her breathing had steadied. Florence then glued together the incinerated scraps of her mask, because as strong as the urge to run and hide may be, she still had to lead.

"Minho and Fry, grab the weapons in the Map Room and head to the Council Hall. Thomas and Teresa, go get Alby and hide with everyone else."

"Go get the others, tell them to go to the forest and hide. Now!" Gally shouted to one of his Builders over Florence's shoulder. They now had a messy list of orders that almost resembled a plan, and hopefully that would be enough.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Three huge rumbles in rapid succession shook the Glade, sending the kids stumbling into each other.

"Oh shit." The Maze's three other doors were sliding open - only one of them had ever opened before. The thinned group fell silent, and they could hear the echoes of snarling and clicking within the labyrinth. Grievers.

"Alright, everybody hide!"

Florence didn't even know who'd yelled the order, but she slipped away from Gally and ran blindly in the direction of the Med Hut. Thomas and Teresa were running somewhere else entirely, towards the cornfields, and she wasn't about to leave Alby and the Med-Jacks alone.

A few yards out, a hand wrapped around her arm and started tugging her away from the Med Hut. "Gally, what the hell are you doing?!" He didn't respond; his jaw was set, his eyes fixed on the open Box in the center of the Glade. A handful of Builders were already there, jumping inside and holding the wire doors open for them. "I need to get to Alby, let me go!" Still clutching her arm, Gally made it down the first two steps and tried to pull her in after him. "Gally-"

"I'm trying to save you!" He'd never raised his voice at her before. One of the Builders inside the Box had a torch with him, and with the fire's flickering light Florence could see a clear sheen over Gally's eyes. "Please."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, then wrenched her arm away.

"No!" Gally lurched forward. His fingertips brushed her ankle, and then she was gone. The other Builders hauled him into the Box and the doors slammed shut.