"What about Roger?" Ralph asks as he wraps one of the vines around his hand for support.
"We will come back for him in the morning," Maurice says, still out of breath.
The two get to the ground of the courtyard, looking at the lit windows of the Homestead. Ralph starts jogging towards the house as fast as his tired legs will let him. Maurice follows.
"I never want to run again," Ralph exhales. When Ralph gets inside, he sees everyone looking at him with dissapointed expressions, or dull ones.
"Where's Roger?" Jack asks with pointed eyebrows.
"We, uh. Had to leave him out there," Maurice replies to this question, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his pants.
"Do you know where?" Piggy inquires, walking down from upstairs.
"I hid him in the vines. I put my button down over him so we will know where he is," Ralph says, feeling his palms dripping in sweat.
"You better know where he is," Jack says as he stands up forcefully. "Because you are going out there first thing in the morning to get him."
Ralph turns in for the night, trembling still from the terrible cramps in his legs. His eyes are heavy and he is about to fall to sleep. When he hears a scream from the maze. A stomach turning scream.
After breakfast, Maurice leads Ralph to a bookshelf in the house. Stuffed with copies of Moby Dick, Don Quixote and Dracula. Maurice pulls down on one of the hardcover copies of Peter Pan, and it opens up like a door. Revealing a large walk-in closet full of boxes. Maurice pulls out a pair of silver running shoes like his from one of the boxes. Newer obviously.
"What size trainer do you wear?" He inquires, checking the tag on the shoe.
"Uh, 10," Ralph replies. Maurice also gets out a wristwatch, a backpack, and lastly:
"Silver plated Y fronts!" Maurice says, holding up a pair of silver color briefs, smiling and nodding.
"What do I need a watch for?" Ralph asks, changing the subject, lacing up his new shoes.
"Why do you even ask?" Maurice says, closing the closet door. "You know what happens when you are out there at night." He hands Ralph the backpack.
"So, we just run out there, grab Roger, and come back?" Ralph asks looking at his new watch.
"Yeah, maybe if you're lucky, when Roger wakes he will let you be a Runner permanently," Maurice says.
"What does a runner look for out there? How do you know what the exit will look like?" Ralph continues lacing his other shoe.
"No one knows. Not even Roger or Jack," Maurice says looking at his watch. "We oughta get going," he adds putting a plastic ziplock baggie full of sandwich and carrots, and a bottle of water in Ralph's backpack.
The two run towards the east door where they went through last night. Jogging at first. Ralph is getting a feel for his new, shiny, kicks.
"I think Roger woke up last night," Ralph informs, wiping sweat off his brow.
"I heard it too. I hope he's okay," Maurice replies, wiping sweat also.
"Has anyone tried to go down the box?"
Maurice looks at him. "No, I don't think so."
Ralph stops when he sees his button up laying on the ground, not even close to where he left it. He takes off forward and sees someone standing there.
"Roger! Over here!" Ralph shouts. The person turns around, it's not Roger. It's a man with terrible teeth and crazed eyes. "Maurice! Get over here!".
Maurice runs over and stops when he sees the man.
"What is that thing?" He asks. But the terrible man starts chasing the two down the corridors.
"We gotta stop him! Ralph shouts. The two run back to the glade's courtyard.
"Help someone!" Maurice shouts. Bill comes running from the Homestead with a spear.
"Stop right there!" He shouts, but the crazed man does nothing but chase Ralph and Maurice. "I said stop!" Bill shouts. Maurice runs next to the hole the box comes from and jumps over the opening, and the sick man falls in the hole.
"What was that thing?" Ralph asks feeling his voice crack in the shout, wiping his forehead on his sleeve.
"I have no idea," Maurice replies, as he walks over to the hole. He nearly jumps out of his skin when an alarm starts going off. Ralph slaps his hands to his ears, trying to drown the noise.
The box emerges in a few minutes, and inside is the crazed man. But he is all contorted in a weird angle with broken arms and legs. But something is next to him, something light pink in color. Ralph walks over and sees something that gives him a cold feeling in his stomach. But he is not sure why. It's a pink shell, like a conch.
"Does this look familiar to you?" Ralph asks Jack as he, Piggy, and several other younger ones walk up.
"Yeah, a little," Jack replies, with a strange look in his eye. "Who is that?" He adds pointing at the dead, crazed man.
"No idea. He was in the Maze walking around," Maurice informs.
"We'll have the Baggers take him to the graveyards," Jack decides. "Tonight after dinner, we are having a meeting."
"We will go back to looking for Roger," Maurice says, walking back towards the maze.
Ralph and Maurice never found Roger. Only a drop of blood here, or a clump of hair there. 6 o'clock rolled around before they knew it and they headed back for the glade to attend Jack's meeting.
Jack gathers everyone together using the conch shell as a horn, it is surprisingly, really loud.
"I gathered you all here to talk about the fate of our friend Percival. He, as you may know is no longer functioning as a normal person, being extremely violent towards everyone. And also to talk about the loss of our good friend Roger," He walks back and forth on the front porch of the house. "I vote that we banish Percival to the outside. And we are to have anyone capable to be runners, in the maze. We have to find the door out of this place and find the answer. Who is with me?"
Everyone cheers, except you can hear Percival screaming his yells of disagreement in the slammer. "Why are you not helping me! I'll be good!"
"Tomorrow morning, we will make a memorial to our Keeper of the Runners: Roger and banish Percival to the outside," Jack says. Unknown to him, that that wouldn't happen.