NIGHT BEDS ━︎━︎ THE MAZE RUNNER

xxvii. TORE MY SHIRT TO STOP YOU BLEEDING.

billie eilish // when the party's over.

WHEN MK'S HEART STARTED UP AGAIN, she felt like it was going to beat so fast it would explode. She ran so fast she could get the sense of her feet practically burning from the flats she wore. Running down a hill was much worse, she either galloped like a horse or took small running steps so she wouldn't trip over.

Another unfamiliar street came into view, and MK's hand reached out to grasp onto the wall for support. For some reason waves of relief washed over her. The more people fighting on the streets, the more time bought for her to escape while R.A's henchman is distracted by rebel versus WCKD with flames everywhere.

MK had to let everything sink in: she was far from where anyone she knew could be, Dereka's friends died in front of her and now a man who works for R.A is chasing after her street after street. He's not giving up, that's for sure.

Then she grew tired. She couldn't run anymore. Thomas motivated her to never stop running while they were running in the Maze, the scorch, the guns shooting at them from the city barriers. No one was there to tell her that. She was so worn out she could throw up.

A gunshot goes off in her direction. The same man was still going at it, like his gun had an infinite round of ammunition cycling over and over again. If he wanted to take her to R.A why bother shooting at her?

That was what MK was wondering, and she stopped in the middle of the street to catch her breath. An explosion bursts making a cafe front break off their lights, reminding her of Frypan. She turned to face the man who was standing on the other side of the street, gun still pointed.

He stopped too.

"Whatever R.A wants from me, she can't have it!" MK shouted. "I don't have money, I don't have the cure!"

"You're immune," he shouts back, waving his gun in front of her still.

"So? WCKD's going down, they can't use me for experiments."

"We're not talking about WCKD here."

MK looked at him, confused. Then what does R.A want from her? She's a stranger, someone for some reason knows bits and pieces about her before the Maze, yet to this moment she still doesn't know her. Who was this woman?

"I'm immune and she wants me dead?" she guessed. "She sent you to kill me?"

"No she wants you alive, but you just won't stop running. What else do I have to do?" the man walked forward, swerving away from fighting rebels. That made her walk backwards, nearly tripping over damaged parts and bodies lying, stumbling back against a car and looking behind her.

Another alley, deeper and deeper no matter where, she's just far.

Screw it, MK won't stop running until he loses her or he ends up getting killed. She wants nothing to do with whatever she wants. Whatever it is, it isn't something good. She trusted her gut feeling that this lady was just crazy as hell and she wasn't going to help her in any way.

She trips over a tire and rolls over, her left flat that was stained from dirt ripped from the front, exposing some of her toes, one layer was already torn. She crawls backwards watching the man charge across the street, then stumbles forward, clutching his gunshot wound on his arm. He screams profanities, and he pulls the trigger.

MK cried.

Someone jumped. She jumped in front of her and fell to her side with a loud thud to the ground. The man was then blocked by the rebels. MK didn't see who it was because the person's back was facing her. But what caught her eye was the recognizable blonde hair that she shared similarities with, something she first noticed the moment she saw her back at the mall. She was such a stubborn, ice-cold snarky girl because she was insecure- but to MK's eyes she was just a kid who got a mix of good and bad luck. She shared the bag of purple Doritos with her, and she threatened to have her killed if she didn't cooperate with her friends. 

The girl turned around to look at her, face all swollen and dark veined, her eyes were as dark as the night sky. Whenever she looked at her she felt like she was looking at Chuck.

With her heart falling into a dark hole, MK drags Dereka to an alley to hide.

Realizing she got shot in the chest area, MK tries to stop the bleeding but Dereka doesnt let her. Her arms were already pushing her away, and MK couldn't understand why. 

"No! NO!" She breathes heavily. "I was supposed to be gone long time ago."

"Stop! Don't say that!" MK cried.

"I deserve this, okay? My . . . my family . . ."

"Dereka— stop! I'm gonna get help!" She lifts her leg to hold up the bottom of her dirty dress and tugs the fine thin layers that picked up the silky aesthetic until it ripped entirely away from her. It was long enough for it to be pressed and wrapped around at least halfway around Dereka's wound.

"No. . ." she heard Dereka say quietly.

"C'mon, please. I'm gonna . . ."

"It's okay."

"What? No— I'm gonna get you outta here okay?" she looked down and saw that the silk used as a bandage was just as thin as ice as it already soaked of blood. "Shit!" she swore. "I need more!" MK goes to grip her dress again.

"Go check out there," Dereka said softly, choking. "See if there's a path." Without even questioning MK got up, charging to the outside of the alley to look both ways. Her back was facing the dark and all she could see was just a war and another empty road ways down.

She runs back. "I'll help you, okay? My friends can help you—"

She was too late. Darkness swirled around her. Her stomach was in flips, seeing what she was seeing was worse than the burns on her skin. She wanted her to look away and not watch her die, and she fell for it. MK noticed how calm her body was as it just laid there, yet inside the flare was either dying down or staining in her system. 

Dereka took her last breath without her looking, moments after saving her even though MK couldn't do the same in return.

She falls on her knees and buries her head on her neck.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

MK moves her face closer and kisses her forehead goodbye. The guns go off again and she runs off to wherever she was going, not having time to take the body. It laid there, lifeless, but free.

+ Dearest Dereka, this chapter made me fucking cry. The reason why I haven't published this chapter sooner because I wanted it to be perfect. If it weren't for your character in this story and even you being one of the closest friends I've known on Instagram, this story would have remained a one shot wth just 700 words instead of an entire fanfiction with more than 20 chapters. Dereka's storyline is connected to this story in so many ways and it has affected MK's time in the city. Thank you for inspiring me and making me laugh. You inspired your very own OC... that's fucking dope. And I bet Night Beds!MK would agree. Thank you for saving MK even though she couldn't save you. You're free from the flare now. Bliss who?? 

Yeehaw.

#DEREKATE

You can follow Dereka on Instagram (gally_deathcure) *inactive*

- MK