Maze girl

✧༺ 14. Rune ༻∞

Trigger warning: sad.
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The late afternoon sun was sinking behind the towering stone walls, casting long shadows over the Glade. I sat cross-legged in the grass with Alina, the only other girl here, and my best friend in this godforsaken place. We were in our usual spot by the small garden near the Deadheads, a quiet little corner where we could pretend, just for a while, that things were normal.

Alina was pulling apart a blade of grass, her fingers moving absentmindedly as she grinned up at me. "You think if we weren't stuck here, you'd still be so broody?" she teased, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. "You're starting to look like Newt, you know? Always worrying about something."

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't help but smile. "Someone has to worry. It's not like anyone else will."

Alina laughed softly, the sound bright and light, cutting through the gloom that always seemed to hang over the Glade. She had this way of making things feel less heavy, of reminding me that not everything had to be about survival. She was the brightness in this place, my anchor when things got too dark.

"Maybe, but you need to lighten up," she said, nudging me with her shoulder. "We've got this moment, Rune. No Grievers, no runners out there, no alarms. We're safe right now. Let's enjoy it."

I was about to respond, about to make some sarcastic comment in return, but then it happened. A deafening crack-loud and sharp-ripped through the air.

A gunshot.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat as the sound echoed around the Glade. My heart immediately leapt into my throat, pounding hard and fast. I instinctively turned toward the noise, eyes wide and searching for danger, but I didn't see anything.

Then I heard it.

A soft gasp beside me.

I turned back to Alina, my stomach dropping. She wasn't moving. Her hand was pressed against her chest, her eyes wide and filled with shock. Blood. So much blood. It spread across her shirt, a dark, growing stain, and for a second, I couldn't breathe.

"Alina?" My voice barely came out, more of a choked whisper. I couldn't move. I couldn't make sense of it. We were just sitting here. We were just talking.

Alina looked up at me, her eyes filled with confusion, her lips parting as if she was trying to say something. But then she swayed, her body collapsing forward. My instincts kicked in just in time, and I caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her into my arms.

"Alina-no, no, no!" Panic surged through me, my hands shaking as I pressed them against her wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. "You're going to be okay. I'm here. Just hold on."

She was gasping, her breath coming in short, ragged bursts as her body trembled against mine. Her eyes, wide with fear, met mine, and in them, I saw everything I didn't want to believe. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.

"I... I don't-" She tried to speak, her voice weak and strained.

"Don't talk, okay?" I pleaded, my voice breaking as I pressed harder, feeling the warm, sticky blood slipping through my fingers. I needed to stop it. I needed to keep her here. "You're going to be fine. I'll get help. We'll fix this."

But I could feel her slipping away. Her breaths were growing more shallow, her skin colder. Her eyes started to flutter, losing focus as she looked up at me.

I couldn't stop the tears anymore. "Alina, please. Stay with me."

She managed a small, pained smile. It broke my heart to see it, the way she was still trying to reassure me, even now. "Rune..." she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "It's... it's okay."