teenage wasteland ;; the maze runner

2.25

    reaching the city didn't take as long as florence had anticipated, thankfully, and it wasn't too long after their conversation that they'd reached the first signs of civilization. of course, civilization was a generous term for such a hellscape.

    as they walked through the dirty streets, hiding their faces as best they could beneath hoods and ducked heads in the shadows, florence still felt her stomach squirm at the sights that surrounded them. her heart panged in empathy for every person they passed who sheltered themselves in tents and blankets.

    there were plenty of people, don't get me wrong, but they were all just... surviving at bare minimum. nobody was really living, not anymore, not like they used to.

    it was crazy to consider the idea that, to these people, a place like the glade would be heaven. consistent food, shelter, friends and family, no need for income.

    florence shook her head and looked back down at the ground.

    antony walked ahead of her, and it was clear he felt a similar squeamish feeling, but he also kept his head straight on his shoulders. in one sense, florence knew this empathy was something she'd inherited from her father, but in another sense, she also knew that empathy killed him in the end.

    she pushed the thought away almost immediately.

    "we just gotta get to marcus," antony sighed, recalling something jorge had told him before he went down the zipline. "that's where they should hopefully meet us, assuming they're smart enough."

    florence shrugged. "if the rest of them aren't, i'm sure sammy is."

    antony snorted before nodding in agreement. "you got me there."

    but, as they walked in search for this marcus guy, florence's eyes wandered. she took in the sight of every young child who walked with their mother, every old person who had somehow survived this long, every person that slept alone, and her throat tightened.

    luckily, after a rough walk of about ten or so minutes through the streets, marcus' place was pretty obvious. considering the hoards of people that surrounded it, string lights hung across the paths, and the music that you could hear even from outside, florence clocked it almost instantly.

    "everything going on, and you waste your materials on a club?" she murmured, pulling herself close to antony as she eyed the interesting people that passed by. they were decked out in brightly colored clothes, with brightly colored hair, and large shoes. they looked like cartoon characters.

    antony shook his head, and he wrapped a careful arm around her. he watched some random dude pass by, and florence knew the man was watching her, but as soon as antony gave him a look, his eyes moved elsewhere. "i dunno," he sighed, finally looking back in front of them. "but i do know this is the place. jorge said something about a waste of money."

    she shrugged. "then, yeah, that would make sense."

    a new voice drew the two of them to a stop, however, when a woman came from behind them and slung her arms over both of their shoulders. "you here for the party?"

    florence whipped to look at her, body immediately growing rigid, and she took in the woman's features. she was platinum blonde with intense eye makeup. her breath smelled like a mixture of gally's drink from back in the glade mixed with something almost herbal.

    antony was the first to move, backing away and removing the woman's arm from his shoulders. quickly, he did the same for florence and grabbed her hand, pulling her to his side. "we're here to see marcus. the owner?"