Marooned | Maze Runner | Minho

49. 𝐿𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝐹𝑜𝓇𝑔𝑜𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓃 𝐹𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓅𝓈.

The days passed quickly as Viya maintained her dazed life. She'd be taken to the lab everyday, she'd suffer more fabricated hallucinations at the hands of her doctors. She'd get returned to her room with more memories intact. She'd spiral and pass out, then wake up the next day and do it all over again.

She'd like to say she was suffering, but it didn't feel like she was. If anything, the world just didn't feel real. Time passed by quicker than Viya could process, she seemed to be trapped in her own head.

She hadn't talked in days, not even to Watcher. Heavy dark circles found themselves under her eyes, dark pits that no sunlight could ever fix. Sleep was only attainable after the simulator, once the memories came back she'd be lucky if she could blink.

Everytime she thought there couldn't possibly be another thing to remember, something new would show up that was always worse than the last.

She remembered a time when she was eight, her, Minho, and Gally had decided to escape. She remembers getting dragged back into the facility and strapped down to a chair as a griever was released onto her. She could hear Minho's screams from the other room, she could almost feel his vocal chords tearing.

She remembered her father coming home drunk one night, her mom was working late and wouldn't be back for another hour. She could still feel Martin's hand colliding with her cheek, she couldn't even recall what she had asked for, she only remembered his rage.

His rage that she carried with her at all times. The fury that never left no matter how calm the storm. The unmatched anger she had inherited from her father, the anger she projected onto everyone around her.

If only she had any rage left, then maybe she'd be able to fight her way out. Get back to the scorch, set up a lone camp and live out her days in isolation.

Too bad WCKD had stolen any fight she had left.

WCKD had a habit of stealing things.

A habit that they'd never break.

—-------

A soft breeze flowed through the open windows of the shack. The blue plaid curtains wave up and down as Anvi calmly washed her dishes in the sink. Viya sat peacefully at the table, red crayon in hand.

The warm mid-afternoon sun heated the house to the perfect temperature. Viya wore a light-blue cardigan with an embroidered heart on it. Anvi had crafted it the previous winter, but the yarn had started to stretch.

A boy suddenly came running into the house, his brown boots skidded around the corner as his hand held the door frame for support.

"Viya!" He said excitedly, "Guess what? My dad said we can go play in the old fort if we're careful!"
"Really?!?" Viya jumped up from her chair excitedly.

"Yeah!" The boy said, "C'mon!"
Viya headed towards the door excitedly, abandoning her drawing on the kitchen table.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Anvi asked.

Viya came to a sudden halt, she turned around slowly, "Can I please go play with Kade" She begged.

"I don't know...Dinner should be ready soon."
"Cmon!" Viya wined, "I'm six I can go by myself!"

"My dad is working by the creek so he'll be able to watch us!" The boy pleaded

Anvi tilted her head to the side, "I suppose you can go,"

"Yes!"
"But be careful!"

"Yes yes!" Viya said as she rushed out of the blue house.

Viya followed Kade up the mossy hill and into the forest. The dark evergreens shielded the majority of the sun's rays, Viya's short shadow warped onto the forest floor.

"Wait for me!" Viya yelled.

Kade was ahead of her by a few meters, despite her confidence, Viya was not able to keep up with him.

"Why don't you hurry up!" Kade argued back.

Viya rolled her eyes and she ran behind Kade.

Eventually the pair made it to the old fort, a rickety old building that somehow had survived the sun flares. Most of its walls–if you could call them walls–were a deep brown with white paint chips scattered around. The pair had only ever been able to play in the fort a handful of times, their parents didn't like the old building, loose nails were known to be scattered on the floor and that place was crawling with rats. But the children didn't care, to them it was an oasis of fun, a place for their imaginations to run free.

"What are we going to play?" Viya asked.

Kade paused, "I don't know," He admitted.

"You brought me here without a game in mind?"

"I was just excited that we were allowed to play here at all!"
Viya rolled her eyes, "You know your eyes will get stuck if you keep doing that!" Kade protested.

Viya rolled her eyes again just to spite him.

"How about we play warriors?" Viya asked.
"How do you play that?"
"We have to make weapons to fight the monsters with and...and if we don't the monsters eat us!"
"That sounds fun! But I want to have the most powerful sword ever to exist!"
"That's not fair!" Viya argued, "Then...I want the most powerful bow and arrow to ever exist!"
"Copy cat!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Yuh uh!"

"You kids stop fighting or you're both going back home!" Kade's dad yelled from the creek.

Viya crossed her arms in frustration.

"Fine," Kade caved, "You can have your powerful bow and I'll have my powerful sword."
"Yes!"

"Can the fort be the safe zone?" Kade asked.

"Yeah! If any of the monsters enter they get blown up!"

Despite Kade being a year older than Viya, the pair still got along. There weren't too many kids at the camp, there was baby Nelly, but she was well, a baby. There were also some older boy's but they found Kade and Viya's games childish. So the pair stuck together, spending their afternoons together in the forest or the creek.

Their families had even been close, and Viya had known Kade since she was a baby. They were best friends in every way possible.

A few hours later, Anvi yelled up the hillside for Viya to come for Dinner.

"It's okay," Kade comforted, "We can play more tomorrow."
"Fine." Viya said with an eye roll.

"Meet you here tomorrow?"

"Of course!" Viya agreed.

"Viya!" Anvi yelled again.

"Coming!" Viya yelled as she started to sprint down the hill, waving to Kade as she left.