Saiki K x Maze Runner AU

Chapter Twenty-Three: From Within These Walls and Out

The three drove until morning, completely exhausted, yet not willing to stop moving. Saiki noticed Toritsuka begin to slow down as he drove up between a hill and an old chain-link fence. They stopped completely in front of a tunnel. "What's the matter?" Saiki asked the headband-wearing boy.

His grip tightened on the steering wheel. "This place... feels weird..." He said, trying to take some deep breaths as he continued to stare forward.

"It looks dark in there..." Kaidou said, swallowing nervously. "But... the car should protect us if anything tries to attack us, right?"

Saiki didn't answer. He took in their surroundings. Old, abandoned cars littered the area– all of them rusted, missing wheels, and surrounded by various other junk. The chain-link fence had metal signs hanging every few feet of each other.

MANDATORY INFECTION CHECK

NON-COMPLIANCE WILL RESORT IN LETHAL ACTION

"This place was a checkpoint for people on the road..." Saiki concluded from the very obvious signs. There was even a sign with symptoms of infection for the flare virus. 'Vomiting, fever, erratic behavior, blackened veins...' He remembered the symptoms Takahashi had before he met his untimely demise...

"Well, is there anybody to even check in with?" Kaidou asked, looking around for signs of any human beings.

"There's definitely no one here. Must be abandoned." The pink haired boy huffed before taking out a map given to him by Matsuzaki from a while ago. "It looks like it'd be easier to just go right through it. We wouldn't be able to take this car around, unless we want to just walk."

"What?! There's no way we can walk all the way to the city. Toritsuka, can you just take us through as quickly as possible?" Kaidou's lip quivered in nervousness when he got no answer. "Toritsuka?"

Even Saiki felt a bit spooked from the boy's unusual silence. "Toritsuka."

His stern voice snapped him out of whatever daze he was in. "S-sorry... I don't think it's a good idea to go through this tunnel."

"Why not?" Kaidou asked, nervously playing with his hands. "D-do you see something there?"

"Um... not really... it's just–" He paused. "I can't explain it. I just don't like it here. We should just try to find a way around this place. We can figure out a way to take the car with us."

"But this is our quickest route..." Kaidou said. "Toritsuka, if you think there's creatures in there, then just tell us. Besides, even if there is, we're in a car. A few of them aren't going to catch us if we drive fast enough." He then took a shotgun out of one of the duffle bags they packed. "Plus, we have weapons!" He clutched the shotgun like it was going to be his only hope. Saiki couldn't tell if the boy's eyes reflected confidence or false security.

"..." Saiki pursed his lips. He didn't know what decision to make and it was taking too long. "We're losing daylight here. Toritsuka..." It was a quick decision, one he wished he had more time to make and options to choose from, "drive us through the tunnel."

He trusted Saiki, so he took his advice. "Ok..." He put the clutch back into drive and pressed lightly on the gas. As they drove into the tunnel, darkness enveloped them as the light from the outside now shone behind them. It was damp inside the tunnel, so damp that when they hit potholes, their tires splashed the water that sat in them. Toritsuka flicked on the headlights and sucked in his breath. Saiki and Kaidou turned on their flashlights and opened their windows to look around, thankfully there were also some small holes of light that reached the outside, filtering light into the tunnel as well. They were glad it wasn't completely dark. There were random cars and random junk as there were at the beginning of the checkpoint, but no signs of any creatures.