Rogue | Group B → The Maze Runner¹

i.five

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● [ v . the fourth month ]

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XIMENA AND ROGUE had fought. A month ago, on the night Rogue and Beth had seen a Crawler.
'God, you're not still thinking about it, are you?' Hashslinger said, flinging a bag of sandwiches onto the kitchen table. There were only two this time.
'No. I'm not,' she lied. Following their fight, Ximena had decreed that the Carriers must pair off for each run. It was another way of asserting control before she resigned, a silent reminder of their disagreement. That day, it was Rogue and Sara.

Ximena's abdication as Jailer of the Carriers was a thinly veiled admission of defeat. Her excuse to 'establish her authority as first-in-command' was just a concession that their conflict had taken its toll. It had begun with the Crawler sighting: Ximena had insisted on witnessing the creature first-hand before telling the Glen. Rogue wanted an immediate disclosure. Then, the disagreement over Jane's punishment, marked by three weeks of silent animosity. They had barely spoken since.

'Rogue?' She looked towards Ada, who sat opposite her. 'The doors opened ten minutes ago. Sara'll be waiting.' Sara was one of the Blondie's that had come up around a month prior. She was charming, fit, and fast enough to become a Carrier, much to Ximena's disdain.
'Sara the Blondie?' Hashslinger asked. She had a dishtowel thrown over her shoulder, and she lent against a centred beam. 'Good for you, Ro. She's not bad looking.'

Rogue ignored her. 'Yeah, well, she won't be a Blondie for much longer,' she said, standing. 'New batch today, right?' It was the fourth month in the Glen, and they had found nothing. Rogue exhaled, glancing towards Ada briefly. She sat with her chin in her hands, staring at her untouched breakfast. Morale was low.
'Sure,' Hash said. 'Now go, or I'll get an earful from boss because you were late, okay?'
'Yeah, okay.' Rogue swiped the sandwiches from the table and neared the exit, subtly squeezing Ada's shoulder as she walked. Then, she left, her gaze falling upon Sara as she made her way to the maze.

Sara was seated against the wall near the east door, so absorbed in untangling her hair that she was oblivious to Rogue's approach. As Rogue drew near, she tossed the lunch bag toward Sara. It hit her on the shoulder, and she looked up.
'Get a move on, then,' Rogue instructed, her hands resting on her hips. Sara let out a scoff.
'You're the one that's late.' She squinted, the sun permeating her vision. Her eyes were large, almost abnormally so, and her dull blonde hair was cut just below her shoulder line. She was objectively quite beautiful.

'Tough,' Rogue said, flatly. 'Pick that up.' She gestured towards the brown paper bag lying on the grass, prompting Sara to reach for it.
'Christ. All this Jailer stuff is going straight to your head,' Sara said as she stood, stowing the food in her backpack. 'What's with the power trip, psycho?'
'Call it what you want, but we're on our fourth month now,' Rogue replied, starting towards the entrance of the maze. 'We need to start getting serious about this. You don't wanna be in here forever, do you?'