Survive

Terrifying

Lights flickered above his head. The stars dancing in the distance hesitantly extinguished as his concussion faded slightly.

Cody's head was throbbing, he could feel his heart beating in his chest, the sound echoed by the beep of the monitor resting on a metal table beside him.

His blue eyes cast over the room, taking in the blinding white lights placed against the ceiling and reflecting off the tiled white walls, no window in sight.

He turned his head weakly to the side, fear spiking through him as he saw the metal slabs covering both sides of the room. His heart sank as he clocked the truth of what had actually happened.

He hadn't been the only one taken.

mazerunnermazerunnermazerunner

Minho was sat on top of a half built bed in the temporary med shack as the immunes were still in the process of attempting to rebuild their sanctuary.

His left arm hung limp, in a sling, while his right fiddled with the dressings and bandages wrapping around his chest and ribs, covering the cuts and bruises snaking over his skin. He shuffled slightly, attempting to gain enough leverage to stand, before yelping as pain coursed through his broken bones.

"Woah Minho"

He looked up to see Frypan running over, worry flashing across his face as he noticed the pain criss-crossing his friends eyes.

"Don't push yourself Min"

Minho sighed, letting Frypan support him back to the bed from where his legs had previously buckled, sending him cascading to the floor.

Frypan looked at him questioningly, "Minho?-"

"I know- I know what happened"

"Minho"

"No Fry. I just-"

His breath escaped his lips before he could utter the words.

"I just- I should have been there, I should have stopped them, and now. Now he's gone, and it's all- It's all my fault."

Frypan shook his head rapidly, horrified as his best friend blamed himself.

"I'm sorry for what I did Fry- I- I couldn't let myself lose you, I wasn't strong enough to face that. And I guess I thought that- I thought- I don't know, but I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I never wanted to hurt. And now I have and I've hurt Cody too. I couldn't save any of them, I couldn't save Cody, I can barely save you and me and...-"

"No Minho. Never"

He sat down next to the teary teenager.

"I know you. And I know I let the fear of losing you fuel my anger but you couldn't have stopped their deaths. And you couldn't have stopped them. Hell none of us could have stopped them, no one would have gotten passed the soldiers. You saw yourself how much power they posses. If we had retaliated we would have lost so many more."

"I know- I know", Frypan reassured upon seeing horror cross Minho's face. "It isn't fair that we lost anyone. But we will get them back. I promise."

Minho shook his head, dull brown eyes hitting the floor as he turned away.

"Don't make promises you can't keep"

mazerunnermazerunnermazerunner

Cody struggled to control his breathing as he felt the metal slab beneath him crawl across the floor, guided by figures in pristine white. Yet horror dripped from their every move as the pitch black masks symbolised just how little they had managed to escape from WCKD.

His eyes twitched behind the cloth covering them as shadows flickered past the lights that sped above his head.

And then, everything was still.

Yet it lasted mere seconds.

Hands grabbed him, their iron grips lifting his bruised body from the table and throwing him head first into an empty room with such a force that sent him rolling across the floor.

It only took a few seconds for Cody to scramble to his feet, ripping of the blindfold. But it was a few seconds too long. Seeing the solid metal door slam shut in front of eyes, a mask hovering beside the grate before slipping away as that too was slammed shut. Leaving the shaken boy in darkness.

mazerunnermazerunnermazerunner

His eyes flickered open. He felt the cold floor beneath his chest. As he stood, he felt pins and needles slither up his arm from where it had previously been numb as he had lain on it. The result of his attempt at fitful sleep, his only escape from reality. Of course though, unsuccessful.

His heart thudded in his chest as he saw shadows cover the light seeping through the cracks in the door.

The door clicked.

Prepare yourself.
They will kill you.
Resisting will make it worse.
But you've been planning this.
Don't go down without a fight.

Thoughts raced through his mind, only a few sticking solid as his decision was made.

The door clicked again.

And then light. Blinding white light that shattered the darkness his eyes had become accustomed to. Footsteps broke the glaze over his face and he lunged forward.

He tackled the first guard to the floor, fists hammering the solider into unconsciousness, each punch radiating anger, fear and desperation. He heard growls from the other figures yet letting it slip his mind as he dodged the grappling arms.

But he should have known. Should have known that every slither of hope is corrupted and cruel, that in this world no relief could be achieved. Both equally shattered by shards of darkness that come raining down as soon as either one comes in reach.

He didn't know something had hit him until he was face first on the floor, shocks cascading across his body, pain ricocheting through him. The frozen metal of the launcher was pressed against his neck as hands grabbed him, shoving his arms behind his back and slipping cool metallic binders onto his flailing wrists.

Fear cast over his eyes,

"Bring the boy to TC-16-"

"My name is Cody", he spat, hiding his fear with a snarl, before the pain sneaked its way into his mind and black cast over his vision.

mazerunnermazerunnermazerunner

Chains hung from the ceiling, clasping his hands above his head, immobilising him. The shocks faded as the effect of the launcher drew to a close.

Cody had little time to prepare himself as the solider watching him raised his head, noticing Cody was awake and stepped forward.

He spoke quietly into his comm, a laugh echoing around the room that harrowed Cody's insides and twisted a sickening feeling inside his stomach. The solider walked to the table just outside of the boy's vision.

Cody took a deep breath, unable to prepare himself.

And then only one thing became real for him.

Pain.