Her || The Maze Runner

Fifty One

Days, that's how long Mara stayed in the room. At three separate times each day someone would bring her food and water, but Andy hadn't been back since he left those few days before. They had changed her meal to a plate of mashed potatoes, raw carrots, slices of bread and a slab of ham, and that meal stayed consistent alongside a cup of water.

Once a day another worker would come in to inject her with some serum, which Mara guessed was the stuff that kept her in control of the virus inside her head. It was always the same woman, dressed in the same uniform as everyone else with her hair tightly tied back into a long ponytail.

Other than that, one came in to talk to her, she was just left to herself in complete isolation. Every day she spent in that room grew more and more repetitive. She ate, slept, exercised, and most of all, thought about everyone and everything she had left behind. She had nothing else to do, no entertainment or communication, she wasn't even allowed to know how her friends were doing in the Glade.

They would have noticed she was missing by now, they would be looking for her. The Grievers would have been back at the night, taking Gladers one by one and Mara could only hope they hadn't taken her friends. 

Mara spent most of her time staring at the wall, thinking. She tried to keep track of time, but everything was disoriented. The men that first put her in the room had taken her watch, so she had no way to keep track of time, except by guessing. Her only guide to time was when her food was brought, and then she knew if it was morning or night by the lighting in the hall beyond her room. For some reason, it was always brighter in the mornings.

One thing Mara kept wondering when she would be allowed to leave and see her friends again. That's all she really wanted. That, and to get her revenge.

WICKED had ruined their lives, and she wanted to return the favour, but that would be a lot easier if she had her friends with her and was out of the damn room. Mara knew that Newt and the rest of the Gladers would have helped her, they all felt the same way about WICKED. Her step-mum and the rest of WICKED were lucky Mara was locked away, and not out roaming. If she was, they wouldn't have a chance at getting her to join their cause. Sure, they were trying to save the world, but they were injuring, and worst of all, killing, innocent kids.

Newt was on her mind the most, sometimes she swore she could see him, but it was probably just another one of her hallucinations. Mara still couldn't figure out whether or not her hallucinations were a side effect of The Flare or a part of WICKED's twisted plan, but she couldn't exactly ask anyone- all she would be greeted with was silence. Sometimes, his appearance would seem real and Mara was always almost convinced that he was really there, but he wasn't. He was just a figment of her imagination.

"I'm sorry, M," He was back, talking to her again. Whenever he spoke, he always started by telling her he was sorry. "I'm sorry you went through this. Maybe you're still out there, but why would you even come back to this bloody place if you had the choice? Shanks are dying every day, and these buggin' Grievers are winning. Hate to be pessimistic, but it ain't looking good. Sure, we're closer than before, but who knows what the bloody Creators have in store for us?"

The boy was watching the floor and stood in the centre of the room, in front of Mara. His hair danced about and his clothes jumped around in the wind- Mara assumed that was what it was, anyway. Everything he said made Mara's heart sink and tears trickled down her cheeks; she wanted to be there with him, or for him to be with her. Either way, she just wanted to see him, the real him.

He paused and sighed, then spoke up once more. "Everyone reckons you're dead by now, but I... I can't believe it. You can't be dead. Where did you go? Why did you just run away? I bet it was those bloody Creators and your mum. Nothing was your fault, you know, none of it. They did every buggin' thing they could to you, and now you're gone. Please, if you can hear me, don't come back. Stay out of this damned place and never come back."

But that was the thing- she longed to be back. Not because she wanted to be in the Maze or the Glade, she wanted to be with him and her other friends again. 

Mara sat against the wall, watching as her best friend disappeared again before her eyes. Maybe he really was talking to her and WICKED had allowed her one person to see while she was trapped in their control, or maybe he was just in her head. Whichever it was, Mara didn't care. She was just glad she could still see Newt, even if he wasn't really there.

A familiar click echoed through the room, breaking Mara from her thoughts. Her head shot towards the door to see who was entering her room. It was too early for dinner, and she'd already had her daily injection. A rush of excitement ran through her, but was soon extinguished when she saw the face of the woman she hated. She carried clothes in her hands, but Mara had been refusing to change. All they would give her to change into was their own uniform, and there was no chance in hell she was going to put it on.

"What do you want?" Mara rolled her eyes, turning away from the door. 

"You have to come with me, Marie." Paige told her, not leaving her any options. But Mara didn't want to go with her; she would rather stay in that room and die of boredom. "Please, put these on. The cameras in the room will be turned off when this door closes."" She held out the uniform in her hands.

"And if I don't want to?"

"Then we'll kill Newt." She drily replied. Mara sprang to her feet, running at the woman. She would have attacked her, but a man with a gun similar to the other man's gun came into vision slightly behind the woman, and Mara certainly didn't fancy being shot with raging electricity again. "Do as we say, and no harm will come to your best friend."

"You bitch." Mara barked, ripping the black uniform from Paige's hands and pushing her backwards, and then she slammed the door in her mother's face. She stormed over to the corner of the room and threw the clothes on the floor as she began to slowly remove her own.

How could someone with children threaten other kids' lives? She didn't understand how a mother could watch children die and go through hell, especially her own child. While Mara was in the Maze, she got hassle for being in the Maze from her own mother, but if it ruined WICKED's plans why did they keep her there? They wanted their bloody antidote so much they were willing to do anything, literally anything. 

Honestly, Mara didn't feel hate towards anyone as much as she did towards her own mum, not even Gally came close. Everything that had happened was her fault, and the rest of WICKED, but she was Chancellor. What she thought and said, was what they chose.

She wasn't good enough to be called Mara's mother.

Mara pulled the WICKED top over her head, and finished dressing the rest of her body in a rush. Whatever she was going to do, she wanted it to be over as soon as possible, and she definitely didn't want to stay in that uniform for long. How could they make her put that on after everything she had been through? WICKED knew how much she hated them, and they knew she wouldn't help them unless they threatened her with loved ones' lives. That was her weakness, and they were using it to their advantage.

Mara approached the door and banged her fists on the cool metal. "I'm done, shanks. Come and get me, with your fancy electric guns and stupid complexions." 

Immediately, the door swung open, almost knocking Mara off her feet as it pushed past her. Paige stood in front of her, still baring that friendly smile Mara hated. She rolled her eyes at the woman and sighed, why did she have to stay with her?

"You will follow me, and do exactly as I say. If anything we ask of you is not accomplished, Newt, then the rest of your friends, will be shot. First, with our Launchers, then shot dead. Understand?"

"I understand." Mara reluctantly agreed through gritted teeth, then followed the woman down the hallway. 

It's random double update night! But sadly, I have to tell you guys something...

The next chapter (fifty two), will officially be the very last chapter of this book! Well, minus the epilogue, that is. This book should be finished by the new year, so...

tomorrow :'(

But don't worry, the next book (which I shall sneek peek at the end of this) shall be out very soon! So there won't be much waiting time!