𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦, minho (tmr)

Chapter Thirteen

She replied jokingly, and she could hear his laughter behind her as she turned to the left into the section she would be mapping. Glancing back, she saw his figure disappear around a corner, and exhaled lightly.

Like always, there was nothing different to this day. She hummed a familiar tune under her breath, and felt grateful for the time she had alone to think to herself. 

Slashing ivy from the walls and jotting down notes to remember had become second nature to her; like a reflex. She mapped her section quickly, like always, to give herself the maximum amount of time possible for her break.

During her break, she sat on the edge of the corridor that opened up as a taller section of the Maze, letting her legs dangle down, sending jolts of adrenaline through her body at the thought of slipping. She ate her food silently, peering out at the Maze and wondering where each of the other Runners were in that moment.

And then it was time to turn back. She always felt kind of sad at this point. It was nice to run the Maze alone during the day. It was freeing. She was lucky when she ran, she had never had the moment of running into a Griever, and so this made her naïve to that possibility.

But then there was something different.

Florence heard an eye splitting shriek. Freezing in her tracks, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the realisation it was a boy and not a Griever making the noise. The sound had come from the corridor behind the wall to her right.

Ben's section.

Glancing to her watch, she saw that the walls would be closing in an hour. She had time to make sure he was okay.

Instantly, she turned on her heel and back into the depths of the Maze, straining to remember the source of the scream so she knew which direction to head in. She turned corners at the speed of light, taking the option to turn right as much as possible as she knew that was where Ben would be.

And then she saw him.

He was only just conscious and attempting to drag himself across the floor. Florence could see where he had been stung. The Griever was nowhere to be seen. His eyes found her and his lips turned up in a relieved smile as he let out raspy breaths.

"Flo..."

She raced to his side, remembering how Alby grabbed Gally when they found him in practically an identical predicament. Leaning down, she slung his arm around her shoulder and hauled him up from the floor. 

She staggered under his weight as he began to slip unconscious, but managed to stay standing. She wouldn't let herself fall over. She had to get them both out of there.

"Hang on Ben, I've got you." 

She muttered, beginning to take steady steps in the direction of the Glade. She didn't know Ben's section as well as she knew her own, and it didn't help that the boy was out cold.

But she managed to guide her way back to the Glade, realising how tiring it really was to carry the boy as her legs began to buckle. She refused to fall. Once over the threshold, she let her legs give way to the floor and turned to using her voice in order to catch anyone's attention.

"Hey! Someone help!"

Surprisingly, Gally was the first to notice her. He jogged over, and as soon as he caught sight of Ben, his eyes grew large in fear. He opened his mouth to speak but she interrupted.

"Get Clint and Jeff." She told him urgently and he nodded, closing his mouth and immediately leaving to do as she told him.

She drew her hand across Ben's cheek, in attempts to sooth him, and also herself, but nerves caused her chest to tighten intensely. She knew they had the serum to help him, but she was still scared.

"You're going to be okay." She muttered, but she didn't know if she was telling him with certainty, or if she was trying to convince herself of the fact.

Gally returned with the two Med-jacks, who had a stretcher to carry the boy to the Med hut specific for Griever stings. She faltered, letting herself stop to watch as they took him away. 

Gally watched her nervously, as if he wanted to reassure her but didn't know how. It was a switch from when she was unsure on how to comfort him after the Changing.

"This is the second time a Griever's been out and stung someone during the day. First you, and now Ben."

She finally spoke, unaware of the way Gally winced at the reminder of his own experience with a Griever. He cleared his throat, taking a step closer to her and patting her shoulder.

"Hey, don't stress. He's going to be okay."

She glanced to him, not letting on how confused she was about the way he was acting. He was trying his best to be comforting, but he's Gally, it's obviously not going to go well.

Suddenly Minho jogged up to them both, straight from the Maze and blissfully oblivious to what had happened, a smirk present on his face. 

"Hey princess. Gally." The other boy nodded to him acknowledgingly, but the girl didn't reply. Minho's smirk was wiped from his face at her troubled expression.

"What's up? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's- it's Ben." She felt her throat tightening and the tears that threatened to prick at the back of her eyes. Worry flashed over Minho's face and he looked to Gally, whose expression also looked sombre.

"What's wrong with Ben?" Minho's voice wobbled in fear, barely noticeable but still present. She couldn't find it in herself to look at him when telling him what was wrong, not wanting to see his heartbroken expression when he found out. Instead, she focused her attention on her shoes.

"Minho, he's been stung."