Runners' Romance (A SkyBop Maze Runner fanfic)

Chapter 11: It's a Trap!

(Jan. 12 2016)

This is about 930 words and took about 3 hours. Sorry for the wait and length, but I've been really busy and I kind of had to make this short, because other wise I would've had to have done a POV switch which wouldn't have flowed well in the story.

Also I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer.

Anyway, hope you enjoy! Don't forget to leave a vote, comment, and follow!

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Chapter 11: It's a Trap!

Jin's POV:

"Jin--"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Jin, wait up!"

"Keep up."

"My Notch, Jin, I've never seen you lose your temper like that!"

"I'm about to lose it again if you two don't shut up!" I growl, pausing in my tracks and whirling around to glare at Mark and Lucas. Lucas hurriedly skids to a halt in front of me, but Mark doesn't react as quickly and instead runs into Lucas' back, nearly knocking him into me. Both boys shrink away from my angry gaze, muttering hasty apologies.

I sigh guiltily. I'm lashing out at people way too much; they didn't do anything to deserve it. "I'm sorry..." I force myself to keep the ire out of my voice, "I just need to calm down, and I can't with you two talking to me."

They quickly nod in unison, and under different circumstances I would be laughing at the looks on their faces. Instead, I just turn and start running again without a word, the other two following hesitantly behind. To be honest, right now I can't imagine myself ever laughing again.

The morning passes in silence as we run the Maze, lost in our own thoughts. It isn't until noon when we're taking a break from running when conversation tentatively picks up again.

"I still can't believe Sky said that to Jin..." Lucas mutters to Mark, sitting against the Maze wall and sending sympathetic looks my way while I drink from my water canteen and pretend I can't hear them. "He seemed like a nice guy..."

"Yeah, but..." Mark hesitates, glancing this way to see if I'm listening. He decides that I'm not. "What if Sky's right? I mean, I'm not saying what happened was Terrance's fault, not at all! But a griever attacking during the day is something that's never happened before, and I don't think all the experience in the world could have prepared us for it. I just-" he pulls nervously at his short black hair as his voice starts to shake a bit, "How do we know we won't end up just like Terrance? Experience certainly didn't help us then, so why should it now? Everything we've come to know about the Maze could mean nothing!"

Neither of us answer, the same question running through all our minds as we sit in tense, stifling silence. Lucas discreetly reaches over and clutches Mark's hand, no doubt to reassure himself just as much as Mark, while I pretend not to notice*.

I stand up, brushing the dust off my clothes as I walk over to them, "Come on, guys. Let's get moving," I say, and the two immediately stand, eager to abandon their depressing conversation. The silence follows us as we run, and Mark's words are still ringing through our heads even when we're on our way back.

Which is probably why none of us saw the trap.

We're at a crossroads in the Maze when there's a rough click and the scraping of stones as someone's foot lands on a hidden pressure plate in the Maze floor. We're scrambling away the second we hear the trap get set off. A low rumbling starts beneath our feet, rapidly growing in volume as the bricks crumble down to reveal a ten foot pit carpeted with metal spikes.

And we're all on different sides of it, separated.

"Perfect..." I growl, face palming, "That's just perfect!" I kick the wall in frustration. For the love of Notch, will nothing go right?!

"H-hey, you guys alright?" Mark calls out shakily. We just nod, trying to figure out the best way back from here.

It's not uncommon for us to encounter traps in the Maze, or to be occasionally caught by surprise by one. The problem is that we can pass a trap for months or even years without knowing, because most traps, like this one, won't be activated until some random moment. It's just another way whoever put us here likes to mess with us.

What I'm most worried about is the fact that we're all separated. The most dangerous thing you can do in the Maze is run around on your own.

Lucas seems to share my worries, and is inching towards the edge, eying the gap like he's trying to measure the distance. "Maybe I can-"

"No, don't you dare," I interject, "We all know how that is going to end, Lucas."

He shrinks away from the edge, sighing in resignation, "You're right..."

"Look, we all know the way back from where we are. Just run back to the Glade as quickly as you can; don't bother waiting for anyone else. You two are fairly close to the Glade anyway; you'll be fine."

"But Jin-"

"And, when you reach the Glade, I want you to stay there. If one of us isn't back, you will not go back out looking for them." I don't need to mention that that someone will most likely be me, since I have the longest way to go. Protests quickly erupt from Mark and Lucas, but I hold up a hand, silencing them, "That's an order. I'm not going to risk losing anyone else. Understood?"

"..........Yeah."

"Good, I'll see you two back in the Glade," I wave goodbye to them and try not to think about whether or not this is the last time I ever see one of them. "Stay safe, you guys." And with that I'm running through the cold stone corridors, feeling incredibly tiny.

Alone.

Vulnerable.

*Yes, I started shipping Mark and Lucas together! #Lark. Deal with it! :3