monachopsis - maze runner

chapter 35

Chapter 35
Last Stand

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“You need shoes, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to knock him out.”

“I didn’t want him to complain.” Minho rolled his eyes and took the boots Florence had stolen from a - now unconscious - guard. Once he was ready, they began working their way through the plaza with Gally and Florence in the lead. Gally still had a tight grip on his taser gun, but Florence had exchanged hers for a more permanent solution. The rifle bounced against her back as she walked with her handgun at the ready.

She knew she should be at the back of the group keeping watch, but that would mean being behind Newt. She couldn’t stand to look at him. He could hardly walk without Thomas and Minho’s aid, and she could hear his wheezy breathing behind her. Her muscles seemed to tense more every time Gally looked down to check on her. If she clenched her jaw any harder, she would break a tooth.

“Thomas, are you there?” Their procession stopped at Brenda’s voice, crackling through the radio attached to Thomas’ hip. “Florence? Can you hear me? It’s Brenda.” The boys set Newt on the steps down from the plaza’s platform, taking care not to put weight on his bad leg. Minho stayed at his side while Thomas moved to Florence and Gally. They were back-to-back and on high alert. Gally took the position facing Newt.

“Brenda, we’re here,” Thomas replied.

“Fry and I got the kids out, you’ll have to get out another way. Where the hell were you guys?”

“We ran into a problem getting Minho.”

“What do you-”

“They jumped out a window, Bren,” Florence called. Thomas glared at her; he hadn’t planned on mentioning that.

“Excuse m-”

“We’re fine. We’re on our way to the tunnels now, but…” He looked back at Newt, who was hunched over with his head in his hands. His good leg bounced rapidly against the stairs and his breathing had quickened even more. Florence made the mistake of looking over her shoulder at him. Gally gently turned her away. “Newt’s not doing so good.”

“Don’t worry about that, the serum is safe. But something’s up.” The three around the radio stared at each other, already coming up with a dozen worst-case scenarios. “Lawrence is gone.” 

“What…” Gally started, then cleared his throat. “What are you talking about, he’s gone?”

“Him, his crew, everything. It’s all cleared out.” Gally’s shoulders sagged like the weight of the news was dragging his entire body to the ground. Florence held a hand out to her side, offering support if he needed it. His eyes had slipped out of focus and he didn’t even seem to notice her. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I think you need to get out of there. Now.”

“We’re on our way,” Thomas assured her. “Just have the serum ready.” 

“Over.” Brenda’s voice crackled out and Thomas returned to the stairs. Florence turned Gally to face her. She watched his face crumble and set a hand on his arm. He looked lost, abandoned. This was the second time he’d suffered in this way. His hand slid on top of hers, holding her there. She nodded. He would not lose her this time, too.

***

“How long has he been like this?” Minho’s question pulled Florence’s eyes from the road. They were sitting behind a cement half-wall with their knees to their chests. WCKD patrols had begun crawling through the streets with guns raised; Florence knew they’d become fugitives. They had to move quickly, but Newt’s condition was slowing them down. He was slouched against a bench, his head sagging and his legs splayed out in front of him like a rag doll.