𝐂𝐎𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐍𝐓 ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ 𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐮

⇛ 𝐂𝐇. 𝟐𝟔

things had still not calmed down. wicked was out of sight but several people were injured and others were frantic after their friends were taken.

"you okay now?" sumin asked jeno. he nodded his head and placed it on jaemin's shoulder, shutting his eyes. the gladers were sat around together, too exhausted to even speak or do anything. mark held them together and now he wasn't there.

"i can't believe they took him." jisung mumbled, kicking a broken piece of wood.

"that bitch..." haechan scowled. "i keep seeing her face when i close my eyes and it's pissing me off."

"sumin?" chenle shook his hand in front of her as she seemed to be in a daze.

"i'll be right back."

she had noticed the girls from the other maze standing closeby but runa was missing and the others were comforting nari. sumin wanted to see how nari was but there was an unwelcoming feeling as she approached them.

"nari, i—"

she was cut off as a hand came in contact with her face, the blow making her head snap to the side and the sound echoing around them. time seemed to freeze for an instant as pain radiated through her face. her friends stood up, concerned a fight was about to break out but sumin stood in place, her head lowered.

"runa was taken! she was taken and it's all your fault!" nari screamed at her as wonhee and mei held her back from doing anything else.

"i'm really sorry." sumin said, her voice quiet as she turned to leave.

"the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. it won't be long before you betray us all for your mother because at least you still have one, right? some of us have no family at all!"

"stop it." boram cut in, stepping between the two girls. "it's not fair to blame sumin for who her mother is. imagine how she feels when she just found out. she didn't ask for this! her friend was taken as well. so lay off, okay?"

it went quiet as wonhee and mei managed to pull the fuming girl away and sumin left, hurrying past her friends to get to the cliffs.

"sumin." haechan reached out to her but she dodged him.

"just give her time." boram told him.

"she was crying..."

sumin climbed to the top of the cliffs and sank to her knees, wiping at her eyes and sniffling. she could see the camp below, it was a complete contrast to when she first arrived. at the time it felt welcoming and there was a sense of security knowing that everyone at the camp would be going to the safe haven together. now it was cold and dispiriting. everyone had lost friends that had been promised they would make it to safety together.

she couldn't help but feel it was all her fault. sumin was the one with the tracker chip that led wicked straight to the camp, she was the one with the mother who was the highest ranking official of wicked, she was the one who worked for wicked and was partly responsible for the suffering of so many others.

hours had passed as sumin stayed on top of the cliffs and away from everyone else, watching them as they tried to clean up the camp and find a way to continue their original plans. there were soft footsteps from behind the brunette as someone ascended the rocky path.

"you're not going to stay up here forever, are you?" renjun asked and she stood up, facing him.

"what are you doing here?" her eyes narrowed at him and he sighed. after the shock of everything, anger overtook her at the fact that renjun knew dahee was her mother but he hadn't told her.