teenage wasteland ;; the maze runner

1.17

florence was surrounded by stalks of corn. the sky above her was dark, triumphant over their situation as she hid, crouched low to the ground. she could smell the dirt, feel it squelch beneath her finger tips.

the whole world felt silent, consumed by pure terror and fear as each glader found their own spot to hide. only in the distance could flo catch the groans of the grievers, often followed by a chorus of screams.

she flinched every single time.

her breath was slow and steady after having made a conscious effort to calm her heart rate before she either attracted attention through her hasty breaths or found herself growing faint. even so, florence knew she couldn't slow her breath all the way, not while the adrenaline coursed through her veins.

as far as florence knew, she was the only glader in her area of the cornfield, not having heard or seen anybody else within at least the nearest fifteen or so feet. part of her felt relief in that, knowing nobody else would ruin her chances of survival, but also knowing she wouldn't have to brutally watch a fellow brother lose his life to a griever.

somewhere in the back of her mind, however, she couldn't push away the thought that there would also be nobody left to save her.

florence risked a moment to look up, watching just over a few yards away as a griever slowed itself to a halt. she held her breath, heart rate immediately picking back up the initial speed she'd been fearing, and she watched as the griever extended an arm, reaching, reaching, and...

she clasped her hands directly over her mouth, clamping down a cry as the arm withdrew with a new body in its grasp. screams flew through the air, carried by the downstream effect of the wind.

florence felt nauseous.

but, she also knew she couldn't waste any more time. if a griever knew there were people there, she was sure it had an idea that she was around the same spot. she needed to run, and she needed to run fast.

florence's fingers turned solid against the ground, rigid in their efforts to push her body weight upwards. her core tightened, as did her legs, preparing to take off in hopefully the direction of the village.

in the back of her mind, florence could hear them, she could hear the grievers and the terror they wrecked in the hearts of each and every glader, but florence also knew she couldn't let such fear overtake her. instead, she allowed perseverance, motivation, and a whole lot of adrenaline to pick up her slack.

her feet moved quickly across the ground, strides long and stronger than any other time she'd ever run before. maybe fearing for your life changes things, she thought, a grunt escaping her throat as she pushed away a cornstalk from snapping up and hitting her in the face.

florence's steps left heavy marks behind her, the ground damp from the nighttime dew. with each new distance she covered, she felt her foot sink just a bit into the ground below, cushioning her heel, although it did make it a tad bit harder to find more speed.

even so, it only made a small difference as far as florence was concerned. she had no time to focus on the what-ifs and buts, and she instead tried to focus on making it out of this cornfield alive.

"fuck," she grunted, swerving as her eyes caught sight of torches in the distance. her feet slid, and florence felt as her hand met mud. a cry ripped from her throat, quickly stifled when she remembered her situation, as her elbow contorted to make up from the lack of give in the ground. sure, it was mud, but it could only forgive her clumsiness so far.

at the shock in her elbow, she gave way immediately and soon had mud plastered in every nook and cranny. she rolled to her back, using her uninjured arm to push herself up and into a sitting position.