monachopsis - maze runner

chapter 18

Chapter 18
What Remains

The soldier in the helicopter refused to tell them where they were headed. He simply said they should get some sleep and slumped against the wall with his mask over his face. So the kids slouched against each other, legs flopping into a pile at the center of the box, and tried to get some decent rest; none of them did.

When the helicopter thumped down on the sand and jolted them awake, Florence felt even worse than she had when the journey started. She'd spent the ride curled in her corner with her head lolling awkwardly on Minho's shoulder, and her neck cracked painfully when she lifted it. She pried her eyes open and winced as light flooded in; they'd landed in front of some kind of fortress, but the beams were so obnoxious that she couldn't really see it.

Over a dozen more soldiers surrounded the helicopter, each wielding a massive gun as they hurried the kids out of the chopper. Disoriented and fatigued, Florence relied on Minho to pull her to her feet. She stumbled on the sand, clutching his arm to steady herself; her free hand still held tight to Gally's cuff.

She had no idea how long their trip had been, but the desert sky beyond the industrial lights was pitch black. Florence and the others sprinted across the uneven ground, half asleep and in varying levels of pain, towards the towering doors ahead. Had she been awake enough to make the connection, Florence would have noticed their striking resemblance to the Maze walls.

The black-suited men were shouting at them over the whirring of the chopper, ordering them to run faster. Their weapons were fixed on something in the distance; Florence allowed herself a brief glance over her shoulder and instantly regretted it. A swarm of nasty-looking creatures was breaching the sand dunes, dragging rotting limbs and releasing horrific groans that pierced the night. She nearly tripped over her own feet in her attempts to gain speed, barreling into the fortress with the rest of her group. Thomas stumbled through the doors last and they clanked shut behind him, locking in place.

The ceilings rose almost as high as the Maze. Everything was made of cement and metal, shining in the fluorescent light. Not a single person there wasn't moving, their voices carrying and bouncing across the cavernous room.

It took three soldiers and their guns to coerce the kids away from the main area and through a labyrinth of hallways to a small storage room. Soldiers dashed past them in the opposite direction, shouting over the alarms that streaked the walls in yellow light. The kids pounded on the door as it was slammed and locked, desperate for information about where they were. And then they saw the contents of the room, and getting out didn't matter as much anymore.

Like a mirage in a desert, a huge spread of food sat in sparkling silver trays at the center of the room. There were piles of meat, trays of sweets, bowls of fruits and vegetables, and platters of breads. Any concerns regarding their situation vanished, and the kids swarmed the feast like they hadn't eaten in decades.

They leaned over the table, not even bothering to sit down because they'd have to reach too far for their next mouthful. Chicken bones were licked clean. Rolls were ripped in half and slathered in butter. Cherry juice stained Florence's hands instead of blood. The kids laughed as they ate, downing second and third helpings because for once they didn't have to ration their meals.

"I don't know who these guys are," Frypan said as he shoveled down rice with his hand, "but they can cook." The kids had found some old blankets and pillows tucked in the shelves of the storage room, and were strewn across the benches and floor. The allure of the meal had worn off, replaced by the knowledge that they were once again trapped.

"That's pretty much the only thing we know about them," Florence mused as she flipped Gally's cuff over in her hands. She sat criss-cross on a bench with her back against Minho's legs; he'd shoved a few empty food trays out of the way and was laying flat on the table.