Dance in the Dark

Please let me live

"No."

We turn around and find Gally standing by the door we entered. Black veins on his arms. A gun in one hand. I can feel my heartbeat accelerate at the sight in front of me. Newt shields me, by standing in front of me, holding out his arms to protect me from possible danger. I hold onto his shoulders from behind to watch what's about to go down.

"We can't leave," Gally sobs. I can't tell if it's tears that cover his face, or sweat.  The boy looks broken.

"He's been stung!" I state the obvious. "He's not thinking straight."

"We're free Gally," Thomas puts his hands up in surrender.

"You think we're free out there?" Gally motions to the doors that lead to the outside world.

Gally's not wrong. The outside world looks terrible. The land is scorched and a virus is killing the human population. Is this really so much better than the maze?

I never really knew Gally that well, but I knew he wasn't evil. He's just scared of leaving the only place he remembers, and I can't blame him for that. I'm scared too. Hell I'm terrified. But I know that Gally would never kill anyone for the hell of it. The changing was making him do this.

"I belong to the maze," Gally continues, "we all do." He raises the gun, pointing it at Thomas, his hand trembling.

What happens next is a blur. I see Gally pull the trigger and the echo of a bullet sound goes off. Then, right in front of me see Gally collapse to the ground, a spear through his heart. He gasps for air, falling to his knees. I quickly peer at the boy Gally was aiming for. Thomas looks alright from beside me. No bullet holes or blood that wasn't already there before Gally pulled the trigger. That's until I realize it wasn't Thomas who was shot.

"Thomas," chucks voice comes out as more of a whisper, and then I see it. The blood oozing out of his chest. Chuck had sacrificed himself for Thomas. Chuck starts to fall, and Thomas catches him and carefully lowers him onto the ground.

"Chuck," Thomas calls.

Chuck pulls out a tiny wooden figure and tries to hand it to Thomas. "Thank you."

"No Chuck you're gonna give it to them yourself!" Thomas cries.

Everyone around me start to cry too. Tears flood out of my eyes. Not him. Please don't take him too. We already lost too many of our fellow gladers. Chuck was too young. Too innocent. I hold on to Newt as if he's the only thing I have left and I sob. Chuck was my friend. We weren't best friends, but he still meant a lot to me. He deserved just as much as everyone to be free. Now he was gone. In a matter of seconds, the brave, young boy, was killed.

Thomas shakes him, "no come on Chuck stay with me. Chuck!" He shouts as he watches the light go out of his young friend's eyes. "CHUCK!"

Then, out of nowhere a group of soldiers walk in, telling us to follow them. We have no where to go, so we obey. Newt pulls me by my hand. I look back one last time to see that Thomas is being dragged away from Chucks dead corpse. "NOO!" He screams, releasing himself from the guards who are trying to pull him away.

Sadness. Guilt. Anger. Fear.

All that I feel.

We're outside now. Running through a sort of desert. A helicopter is awaiting us. The men who helped us demand us to go in. We listen. I sit beside Newt, hugging his torso. I don't know what I'd do if it were him who got shot. A single tear escapes my eyes.

"We escaped. It's gonna be okay." Newt coos into my ear, trying his best to comfort me. I nod into his chest, wanting so bad to believe his words.

"You kids alright?" One of The guards asks. No one bothers answers. All of us still in echo I from all the events from the past few hours. "You're safe now."

The chopper rises into the air and from below I can see the maze. The only home I'd ever known. The only place I remembered. The horrid prison that stole those I loved from me.

Who knew what the future had for us. I just hoped it was somewhere I knew we'd be safe.

I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I think to myself. It's meant for all my friends who should've been with us safe and sound. All those innocent kids who were forced into a death trap. All who deserved to see what lies outside the maze's walls.

Let's see what the future holds for us.

*****