Redamancy (Minho | The Maze Runner)

十六: His Debut

AN: Things are getting a bit busier for me so next week I might not be able to update right on schedule, I'm really so sorry about that! OTL I usually write my chapters in advance to update according to schedule, but this is actually the last chapter I have that was written in advance so... Basically I'll have to try to find time throughout the week to complete the next one and if I can't I'm really sorry OTL I'll do my best to complete it though!

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They ran through the East Door into Section Four, jogging down several corridors. Qiufeng ran right beside Lester while Stan and Tim followed right behind, turning left and right aimlessly as the more experienced runner led the way. Sunlight spilled over the walls unto the ivy and some stone blocks on the ground, giving everything a sharp clarity that could only happen in the mornings. She saw Lester's gaze shift towards her every now and then out of the corner of her eye, and could feel his curiosity but she chose to ignore it, running silently.

The small group kept at it for a few minutes, and she was a little surprised at how well her stamina was holding up. Although she had implemented exercise into her daily regimen, she wasn't quite sure how well she would've fared while actually running the real deal. It was a relief to see that she wasn't lagging behind the group, and far from getting tired.

"This leads from Section Four to Section Three," Lester's voice suddenly broke her out of the running trance she was in, and she glanced up to take note of what seemed to look like a large doorway, without a door. "Like Minho said, these passages are always in the same spot, but the route here might be a bit different because of the walls rearranging themselves."

They continued down a long corridor, passing several turns. When they finally reached the end of the passage, Lester slowed down to a light jog and reached behind him to pull out a notepad and pencil from a pocket in his backpack. He scribbled something quickly, where Qiufeng tried to catch a glimpse but his handwriting was to terrible to read, before shoving it back into the pocket hastily.

"After running for a few months... You'll start to rely mostly on memory," the blond explained breathily as they continued running, and through that she realized her own breathing was also starting to become heavier. "Usually we'll just note down what's different from yesterday, so we can use that map to make the current day's map, but because we haven't mapped anything from a week ago..." He trailed off as he reached for his notebook again.

They ran for a short while before they reached an intersection. They had three paths to choose from, left, right or straight ahead, however Lester turned left without needing to think. He pulled out a knife as he did so, and cut a large piece of ivy from the wall. The blond threw it unto the pathway behind him, directly in the centre and then kept on running.

"Markings for later." Qiufeng guessed, glancing towards him.

"Markings for later." Lester repeated in confirmation, nodding his head as they headed down towards another intersection. "Your turn Feng, next intersection Stan will cut and after that Tim."

"Right." She turned back to face front as one of her hands reached for the nearest knife in her holster. As they neared the intersection, Feng grabbed at the loose ends of the ivy and made a quick slice through. Her mood perked when she realized she was successful in getting a clean cut, working in the kitchen really had its benefits, so much so that she almost forgot to throw it behind her until Lester reminded her hastily.

"Oops!" She offered a sheepish grin after she frantically tossed the ivy unto the ground and she turned back.

Stan was almost as good as she was, getting it on his first try as well. It wasn't very surprising since he was in the Track-Hoes before this. Tim however, wasn't as great. He had to sprint forward several times to catch up with the group after throwing the ivy on the ground. Even so he learnt quickly, and stopped having to sprint after a few turns.