𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐀 - TMR, Gally ¹

𝟢𝟦𝟩，𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡...?

CH. FORTY - SEVEN
┗━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━┛

In silence, she sits around a little fire with a few other Gladers. Chuck is the most hopeful one, maybe the only one, asides from Joan, who has high beliefs in the three boys surviving.

Don't hurt them, don't hurt them, don't hurt them, don't hurt them- she's repeating the words in her head like a prayer. Sending it to the Grievers.

It's been about three hours since the Doors closed, and it's dark outside by now. Her shaky hands put the mug down on the ground, and she continues staring at the fire.

"I'm going to bed," Newt decides, blinking another ten times like he has been doing the whole night. To hold back tears.

"Me too," Zart decides. "Good night, y'all. Try to catch some sleep. We'll see what happens tomorrow morning."

She takes a sharp breath, but it gets stuck in her throat. Her eyebrows scrunch as she tries to continue breathing, but it doesn't work. It's like something sharp is blocking her throat.

"Joan?" Camil straightens his back. "Are you alright?"

She nods, but a second later, she's shaking her head. "My- I can't breathe." The girl sits straighter up, attempting again, but it doesn't work.

"Maybe try to-"

Before Jeff can even finish his sentence, she has fallen off her seat, and is choking on something. On... on blood. It's spatting out of her mouth as a sharp pain goes through her side. She winces, confused, and tries to inhale again.

Before she even gets to, a scream rips from her throat. Unwanted tears start spilling at the sudden pain she feels. Not just a simple pain. It's stabbing. Stabbing like a thousand needles, burning like torches against her skin, ripping like bites are being taken out of her, aching like a hangover, and heavy like bricks.

She tries to calm herself down. To scream into her sleeve, or bite down on something to keep them from coming, but it's too much. Makes her want to faint- but she can't. This pain... it's keeping her awake.

Like a part is being ripped away from her.

Voices echo in her ears. Hands touch her, and wave across her blurry vision. She gasps, back arching in an attempt to get this awful feeling off. It doesn't work. It only makes her twist and squirm more.

Then finally, she ebbs away.

❀

Later on, she wakes up by a few faint voices in the distance. A groan escapes from her lips as she sits up, a tad panicked on what exactly happened and how long she has been out for.

After a while, she realizes she's in the Med Hut, and twilight has fallen outside. At first, she thinks she alone. Then she enters the main room of the Med Hut, and is suddenly face to face with many people.

Minho, Thomas, Newt, Alby, Camil, a girl, Jeff, Clint, and- wait, a girl?

With a wide open mouth, she stares. And continues staring for what feels like a million years.

Why is Alby shirtless? Well, at least he survived the Maze. How come Thomas is wearing a run vest? Why does Newt look that pale? Who the hell is that girl?

Her hair's raven dark. She wears a blue button-up, which matches with her eyes. Tall. Taller than her, at least.

"What the absolute fuck," she manages, "is going on?"

They all share a glance.

"Well, alright. Quick summary." Camil takes a deep breath. "They survived, Thomas killed a Griever, your boyfriend went mad, mostly because you weren't there. Teresa came up the Box with syringes and saved a stung Alby, Thomas turned into a Runner, Alby says he remembers Thomas, and-"

"Let's quit there," Newt says, holding up his hand. "She looks like she's about to bloody faint."

"I- what?" She stammers. "What do you mean Gally went mad? How long was I even out for?"

And why, after all the things she tried to do, does this girl come up and get the things for free?

But then she shakes that thought off. She's not supposed to be jealous or assume the worst of this girl. She'll try to be friends- which is what she always has wanted. A female friend.

"Oh, also-" Thomas starts, but Newt shushes him.

"What?" She looks around. "Also what?"

"They think they found a way out of the Maze," Chuck blurts out, then slams a hand to his mouth.

Oh.

The color drains away from her face. She takes a step back. "Where? How? How do you know it's a way out?"

"This key came out of the Griever's dead body," Minho explains. "We think we figured it out. But there's not much time to-"

"How long was I out for?"

"A few days. Like two."

"But then how did you even reach section seven? It wasn't supposed to open for another week."

"Well, we-" Thomas suddenly stops. His eyes narrow, and eyebrows furrow. "We never mentioned section seven."

Minho's head snaps up. Mouth opens a bit, but no sound comes out.

"How do you know the way out is in section seven?" The suspicion is dripping off not just Thomas's voice, but also his face.

Her heart sinks.

"You knew about the bloody exit?!"

"How?"

Alby speaks up, "Remember our Gathering a while ago? About the spying Grievers who didn't harm?"

Minho looks like he saw a ghost. "When Thomas killed one..."

"-you somewhat started dying," Chuck gasps.

Alby nods.

Of course. The Changing made him remember.

"She can control them," he whispers, not much emotion in his voice.

She wants to defend herself. Yell it was for their own safety. That she thought she was doing the right thing. Thinks. That the outside world is destroyed.

"You kept us away from the exit," Minho realizes, eyes wide.

And instead of defending herself, an involuntary laughs comes out of her mouth. "Y'all gave up like pussies anyways. I wouldn't call it a big deal. Now, where's Gally?"

"He's-"

Before Chuck can finish his sentence, Winston storms into the Med Hut. "The Doors," he says between pants. "They're not closing."