ONE WAY RIDE | Maze Runner

➭ Chapter 2: Silhoutte

"It's only been a moment
It's only been a lifetime
But tonight you're a stranger
Some silhouette"

Silhouette – Aquilo

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The road to what is left of the last city lasts another good two hours. Their backs is aching from the car seat and legs falling asleep for the lack of walking, but that is going to change once they reach to their destiny. Brenda traces the map with the marker, brows furrowing with concentration, Minho's snores echoes in the abandoned roads along with the sound of the old engine of the car. Thomas takes a look at his surroundings, the huge mountains around them, roads plagues of grass, nature making its way through the pavement as if it is taking back what was stolen from it.

The last city doesn't last long before it makes its appearance into his sight. Ashes decorating the old burned buildings and the outside walls falling apart. Thomas can see a couple of cranks just wandering around the rubble, knowing they would have to put them down. No matter how much infected people they killed, they always appear again.

Jorge drives slowly and carefully trough what used to be the main doors, what Lawrence blew down with his own life. The first time they came back here was the most difficult. People that hadn't even reached the past gone yet were still coexisting in this misery, so they had to go unseen. There were people Gally knew, so it was hard for him to watch all of it. They had made it inside the walls but, for what? Thomas feels a pang of guilt every time he remembers that, knowing he can help them, or could have helped them.

Suddenly a crank hits Fry's window, making all of them jump at the noise, letting out a sigh of relief when they realize it is only outside. The crank just looks at them, lost eyes, bloodshot eyes, black veins, sweaty skin. It remembers him of Newt, of his expression changing from scared to angry and to scare in just seconds. He doesn't want his mind to reach dark places again so he shakes the thought away and focus on the front.

The car reaches inside the city, doing a clingy noise while passing the uneven ground, and parking at the beginning of a tunnel. The buildings without any light ray since that day. It all looks so sad, depressing. Knowing WICKED worked to keep people safe in here for years. Maybe they weren't the good ones, but a lot of innocent people lost their lives.

Jorge exhales deeply turning off the engine and jumping out of the car with his backpack and gun, the rest copying his actions. Thomas holds a hard expression, he does that every time they come here, just to build his walls again without letting anyone see what is really going on inside his head. His thoughts arguing for which one will torment him today. He wonders if they do that on porpoise, if his mind plays tricks on him as a punishment, for every mistake he's ever made in his life.

The group begins to walk around the torned streets, paying attention at every small crank movements near them. The creatures doesn't seem very interesting in attacking them, they are just fighting for the very little amount of garbage that is left, trying to find something to fill their stomachs. Suddenly Brenda and Jorge stops in front of an empty building, and the rest stops with them.

"We can start with this one. We haven't explore it yet" Brenda states while her eyes are focusing on the map in her hands.

"Alright, let's go in duos. I'm with Brenda, Fry with Gally, Minho and Thomas go together. We meet here in half an hour" Jorge orders fast and all of them nods.

Thomas follows Minho inside the building, it brings him memories when the two of them explored the maze together. Their flashlights are the only light in there and the voices from the other groups are long gone while they are walking up the stairs. Minho leads the way towards the first floor. The building seemed to support apartments in another life, but now what is left is old and dusty home appliances and broken beds.