NIGHT BEDS ━︎━︎ THE MAZE RUNNER

iv. THE G WORD.

paramore // monster.

THOMAS SLAMS THE MAP ONTO the table and points to a circular shape that was partly ripped. "There," he says. "That's it, just a few hundred miles. Based on the railways, everything Aris told us, that's gotta be where they're headed. That's where they're taking Minho. We can take anyone we can find, follow the roads when we can, we can make it back within a week."

Only about three working lamps were on inside the small room, MK tilts her head to study the map. It was confusing to read, and by processing what Thomas has planned, she thinks a week is not accurate, and she would know how many cranks they would have to deal with along the way.

"A week?" Vince says. "It took us six months to get here. We got over a hundred kids here now. We can't just hang out here forever after what we just pulled- you wanna wander off to some random point of the map? You don't even know what's there!"

"I do." Jorge appears from the darkness of the entrance and approaches the table. "It's been a few years but I've been there. The last city, that's what WICKED called it. It's their whole base of operations. If that city is still standing then that's the last place you would want to go, hermano. That's the lion's den."

"It's not like we've not done that before."

"Yeah with months of planning, reliable information, the element of surprise- none of which we have now?"

"Vince I've thought this through-"

"Hey, the last time we went off half caught I lost everything! Remember that?" Thomas looks down, clearly remembering what had happened, what everyone had been through.

"Look I know it's Minho all right? But you can't ask me to put these kids on the line for one man. I won't do it."

Suddenly, everyone begins hearing static voices on an intercom coming from outside. They all turn around.

It was the radio.

"Shit!" Thomas says. "Hit the lights!"

Everyone began moving. People outside took notice as well, running into a hiding spot. MK shuts down the lamps, while Jorge shuts down all the power from the boat and the lights from the houses where people were. MK peeks outside the window to see two search lights in the air coming from WICKED.

"What are they doing?" MK asks Jorge.

"Searching," he replies.

THAT NIGHT, MK DREAMT ABOUT THE CITY. She had a whole handful of treats for her parents as she knew how much they admired candy that gave them comfort, nostalgia from when they were younger. She entered the house that was presumably her home if she remembered correctly. She looks to her left and smiled widely.

"Hello MaryKate," she hears a voice out of nowhere. As she paces around the living room, looking for her parents that disappeared just after standing in front of her a second, she couldn't find the source of where the voice came from.

"MaryKate," the voice called out. "They are gone because of the Flare. Instead of a cure you give them candy and donuts after leaving them for hours?"

"Leave me alone! Piss off!" She screamed, her echoes then ringing her ears.

She runs down a void, an endless void that then turned into the basement. Her parents came back, her entire family reappeared, but they were lying facedown, vomit and blood staining the carpet floor.