Rogue | Group B → The Maze Runner¹

ii.five

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● [ v . the next day ]

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FLORENCE, Ada, Wally, and Rogue sat toe-to-toe in the hallway on the top floor of the Lodge, their backs against the cool wooden walls. The early morning light filtered through the small window at the end of the corridor, casting a soft glow over their weary faces. The muffled sounds of Sonya banging around inside her room provided an amusing backdrop to their hushed conversation.

Ada sat with her legs drawn up to her chest, her curly dark hair falling into her eyes as she rested her chin on her knees. She absently twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger as she whispered, 'Is she okay in there?' 

Rogue glanced at the closed door, knocking once with her knuckle. 'You good, Son?'
'Yeah!' came Sonya's softened reply from the other side of the wall. 

They had gathered outside Sonya's bedroom to send the Carriers off into the Maze before their confrontation with the dead Crawler, not anticipating how long Sonya would take to prepare herself. It was Sonya's hiatus from the Maze, Rogue presumed, that heightened her anxiety.

Wally leaned against the wall. 'So, what're you gonna do with it when you get there?' she asked, lightly tapping Rogue's leg with her foot.
'We want to dissect it,' Rogue replied. 'Bit by bit. We might not get it all done today, but I think there's some good in knowing how they're wired.'

Florence pulled a face, her nose wrinkling. 'Ew, yucky. I'm really not good with that stuff.'
Ada turned her head, her doe-like eyes blinking slowly. 'Flory, honey, you're an Intern. You have to be good with that stuff.'
'Oh, people are fine, but huge ugly spider things?' Florence shook her head, sticking out her tongue. 'Not for me.'

Rogue gave a chuckle. Florence was funny when she wasn't performing emergency amputations and impromptu stitches. 'I'm not sure they're for anyone. You'd have to be a klank-basket freak to like those nasty things.' Ada covered her mouth with her palm and snorted as she laughed.

'Hey,' Wally said, 'I've got a question about that.'
'Yeah, Wallykins?' Rogue asked, somewhat sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. 'What's that?'
'Well, the Crawler was dead, right?' she asked, tilting her head slightly.
'Yeah,' Rogue replied. 'Thanks for that nugget of wisdom.'
'Stuff it!' she said. 'I'm just saying... what killed the finching thing?'

It was a good question. Rogue opened her mouth to respond but found no words. That was when Sonya emerged from her room, her blonde hair tousled and eyes wide. 'Ready,' she said, brushing strands from her face.

Rogue pushed herself from the floor, patting down her pants. 'Finally,' she muttered.
Sonya huffed. 'Not my fault you creep-o's decided to camp outside my room,' she replied, approaching the stairs.
'Good luck, you guys,' Florence said, giving them a half-wave.
'And be safe!' Ada called after them as they descended, her voice echoing down the hallway.