Dance in the Dark

Escaping

It was the day. Gally rounded up the gladers. They were getting ready to banish Thomas and Teresa. I stood off to the side with Minho, Newt, and Chuck.

Two boys started dragging in Thomas. Off to the side, Teresa was tied to a post with her arms above her head.

"Banishing us isn't going to change anything!" The girl cries out, trying to get Gally to stop whatever it is he's trying to do.

"This isn't a banishing," Gally stands front and center. "More like an offering to the grievers. Maybe they'll leave us alone."

"Gally. I don't know about this man," Winston calls, "this doesn't feel right."

"He's right. What if Thomas really can lead us out and back home." Jeff backs Winston up.

"This is our home," Gally argues. "Look I don't want to cross anymore names off that wall."

A few other boys mutter things under their breath.

I watch with my arms crossed as the gladers continue to carry the 'unconscious' Thomas towards the entrance of the maze. You probably wouldn't even have to banish him. Thomas just lives going out in the maze. Considering the fact that he ran out there so many times already, banishing him would much rather be a reward for him instead of a punishment.

Botha boys are about to drop Thomas. But instead, he, suddenly jerks up hitting the two boys and knocking them down. The rest of us who were part of the plan gather our supplies and move forward to stand with Thomas at the maze's doors. Frypan cuts loose Teresa, making her the last one to join us.

"You really are full of surprises greenie," Gally said.

"You know we can't stay here," Thomas holds up a spear. "The grieves will keep coming back until your all gone."

"Don't listen to him he's just trying scare you," Gally looks at back at the rest of the remaining gladers.

"No," Thomas calls, "you're already scared. I'm scared. But I'd rather spend my life fighting out there than in here. We don't belong here. This place isn't our home. We were out here. We were trapped here. At least our there we have a choice. We can make it out of here I know that."

Let me just say, I haven't known Thomas that long, but damn he's brave. Not that the rest of the gladers aren't, but with Thomas it's different. He always puts on a brave face, trying to fight for what's right. I respect that.

"You don't have to come with us but we are leaving." Thomas tells the remaining gladers.

A few boys reluctantly take Thomas up on the offer, joining us, murmuring quiet 'sorry's' to Gally. I get that. They feel as if we were all turning on each other. On our family.

"Good luck against the greivers," was the last thing Gally told us before we ran into the dangers of the maze. I know he's was never trying to be evil. Gally's misunderstood. Deep down he's most likely scared to death like the rest of us. He just doesn't want to show weakness.

"Let's go," Minho says as he leads the group, Thomas by his side. Newt and I taking the back.

"Are you okay?" I ask Newt as we run side by side.

Newt winces slightly every time his bad leg hits the ground, but tries to hide it when I look at him. I told Thomas we'd take the back because I knew all the running could hurt his leg. He never told me about it. I never pushed. He had to want to tell me.

"I'm fine love," he assures me.

"We're almost there," Minho calls from the front.

Our small group follows Minho as he takes twists in turns of the maze he's learned to memorize throughout the years. Eventually we reach the last turn but Minho stops dead in his tracks.