Marooned | Maze Runner | Minho

58.𝒟𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃𝑔𝑒.

Every member of the base was gathered in the common room—an old furniture store that had been converted into a meeting hall. They sat on crates and the cold tile floor, each person equally shell shocked as the next.

Viya had been lucky enough to escape with no major injuries, the most she had was a concussion that would take a week to heal, but she was the least of the nurse's priorities. There were at least a dozen people bedridden in the hospital and even more were severely injured, but without the proper resources, most were left to fight for themselves. Rhea was one of these people. She held a cloth to her arm—or what was left of it. The blast had taken most of her arm, the rest had to be amputated at the shoulder. Piper hadn't left her side since, somehow the blonde had escaped unharmed.

Viya's heart ached for Rhea—a feeling she had thought she lost long ago.

Lawrence walked into the room, his head bent in sorrow. He stopped at the front of the room, slowly straightening his posture as he cleared his throat.

"WCKD has tried to eliminate us again." Lawrence began, "It's no doubt that they planned the attack with the intent to kill. Glass shards were placed in some bombs and they deliberately targeted residential areas." Lawrence began to pace back and forth. "They are threatened by our numbers and our drive, and they think they have stopped us. They think they have diminished our hope and stopped our mission. But they have only made it stronger." His words were the only thing that could be heard, not even the breathing of the crowd was present, "We cannot back down. Not after they have taken everything from us. We must take them down, show them that the scum they curse have the power to destroy them. It's only a matter of time before those walls come tumbling down. We must not rest until they feel the pain they have caused us!" Lawrence announced. "They have killed out people, executed our young, made orphans out of children and widows out of wives."
Lawrence took a long pause before he began to speak again, "Our streets are destroyed, Cranks are running rampant, survivors are living in fear and WCKD is laughing from behind their walls. Our community is gone, our goals are gone, but our hope is not. We will change our objective! Our only goal will be taking down WCKD, and we will stop at nothing!" Cheers erupted from the crowd, cheers of vengeance and hatred.

"We will focus on gathering weapons and information only. A new set of rules will be established. There will be no more Crank sweeps, we cannot waste ammo on false enemies. WCKD will feel our wrath and they will come to fear us!"
Lawrence went on to explain the new rules of the base, rules that changed everything drastically. No one would go out in groups less than three. Gas masks were mandatory for anyone going outside—immune or not.

Viya wanted to feel fearful of these rules, but if anything, a tank of gas had been poured on her already burning flame. Something had ignited in her, something cruel and vengeful, a feeling she hadn't experienced since the maze. She was ready.

Revenge was a lovely feeling.

—--------

The forgotten storage room was a sanctuary for the WCKD kids. Most of them could barely remember what 'fun' was, and the room provided some much needed freedom. It had started last year, Minho and Newt had been trying to sneak away, desperately trying to find some much needed alone time. When they discovered the vents, they thought it would be the perfect place. They spent a few months hiding in the metal maze, talking in whispers and exploring everywhere they could.

Until they discovered the storage room. They had been weary to go inside it at first, but when they noticed the dust and spider webs, it was clear that nobody ever ventured into the room.

They started to clean, wiping away years worth of dust, moving a heavy shelf in front of the door—just in case. Then they began to invite more of their friends, until they had made the perfect secret society.

They would only meet two times a week, believe it or not Minho would get cranky if he stayed up too late too many times in a row.

Viya still felt a little out of place, yet she enjoyed her time at the hideout. Sometimes she would simply sit in the corner and watch the others play their games or bicker. Other times she would join their games and find herself laughing uncontrollably.

Tonight was one of the nights she sat alone, she had explained to Minho many times that she didn't mind being alone, if anything she liked it. Minho still didn't understand, Viya always made an effort to reassure him. She liked Minho. He was nice and caring, yet he wasn't afraid to bicker or tease either.

Viya colored in her sketchbook as she listened to Teresa and Alby argue over who won the last round of cards.

"What are you drawing?" A brunette boy asked from beside her.

Viya turned the book around to show him.

"That's really good." the younger boy complimented. Nash was the second youngest one in the group, but he didn't seem to notice or care.

"Thanks," Viya said, "Do you draw?"
Nash nodded, "All the time, I like to draw plants," He lowered his voice into a whisper, "Sometimes I steal magazines from the library for inspiration, but don't tell anyone."

Viya smiled, "Your secret's safe with me." She promised.

"Is it true you grew up in a forest?"

Viya nodded, "I wish you could've seen it. It was beautiful, in the evenings the sun would shine through the trees and reflect off of the creek's water. You could see the sparkling stones underneath with the minnows rushing by."
Nash looked up at the girl in awe, "Will you take me someday?" He asked.

"I promise." She said, ignoring the doubt that was knotted in her stomach.