One Of Us - A Gally, Maze Runner Fan Fiction

Chapter 6 - Attack

Song - All The Things She Said (t.A.T.u.)

God, I'm so stupid.  Why did I do that?

I wanted to stay. I did. Truly. But something inside me just forced me out that door. Like a voice inside my head telling me to quit while I'm ahead. Telling me that no way this was real. And that this wasn't the time and place.

I tramped through the forest floor with no destination in mind. I swung my foot at a rock along the floor in frustration. It was heavier than I expected, so my toe erupted with pain.

"Shit!" I yelled while hobbling through the tree roots. I found a nice tree with a large trunk, and I sat up against it. I held my head in my hands for comfort.

I liked Gally. I liked how his eyebrows furrowed when he was thinking. And his rare smile that was filled with cheekiness and yet so much warmth. And the way he knows that he could take down any of the other boys in this glade. The curve of his strong jawline and the way his shirt was just tight enough to see the prominence of his arm muscles. And his hands. My cheeks warmed just thinking about them.

But I guess this isn't just the time and place to be caught up with a silly little crush. Even if I could cut the tension between us with a knife...

My thoughts were interrupted by a snap of a twig. I rapidly found my feet and spun to see Ben standing behind the tree. I sighed with relief.

"Ben, isn't it? I'm Eleanor..." I said, moving a step closer.

He didn't respond. Just stared at me. It was then that I noticed how quickly his chest was rising and falling. How hoarse his breath was. The way he was bent over slightly and his fingers twitching at his sides. And his face. So hollow and cold. His arms were covered by a purply black color. Almost like bruises.

"Are you okay?" I asked him while automatically taking a step back-

He lunged for me, snarling like an animal. Reflexes took over so I jumped to the left to avoid his attack. Didn't help. He grabbed me by my waist and flung me to the ground, my head hitting the ground hard. Thankfully adrenaline kept me conscious. He growled and snarled as I tried to get away. He dug his fingernails into my wrists making me scream in agony. He was behaving like an animal. Clawing at my neck while trying to keep me down.

"Get off of me!" I demanded trying to squirm away from his grasp.

"It's your fault, I saw you!" he spat in my face. "You did this, I saw you!" he screeched while putting a hand around my neck.

I can't explain what happened next. It could have been survival instincts or muscle memory. Or maybe just reflexes.

I saw the opportunity and I took it by bringing my knee up and shoving it into Ben's stomach. As he faltered, I shoved him off and made a break for it. As I ran through the forest I screeched at the top of my lungs

"Help me! Somebody!"

No reply. All I could hear was Ben's thunderous footsteps hot on my tail and his violent breathing and snarling. I sprinted through the trees, trying to avoid the roots that were major trip hazards. Ben was so close I could feel the wind from his clawing hands trying to grab me by the shoulder.

Unfortunately, Ben was a runner for a reason. He caught up to me just as we got to a slope in the forest floor. He grabbed my arm and pulled us both to the ground, making us tumble and flip down the hill. With him now also disarmed, I found my feet once more and continued to the end of the forest.

"HEY! HELP!" I cried, finally seeing the Glade's center. I kept screaming as I broke through the tree line, Ben still right behind me. The boys all started to bolt towards me like a swarm of bees, screaming my name, and I made it only 5 meters towards them before Ben dragged me down onto my back. I tried to crawl away, but he grabbed my neck and arms, starting to choke me. I heard shouts from boys nearby, but I wasn't going to risk waiting. Using my legs, I flipped him over so now I was on top of him. I laid several heavy punches to his face which made his nose bleed, but I wasn't finished. Something took over my body. I couldn't stop. I just kept punching and punching, anger rippling through my body in waves. I thought it was over when Ben's head slightly sagged but he didn't stop. He head-butted me in the nose making me scream in agony and flipped me to my back.

"Eleanor!" Someone in the distance yelled adding to the cacophony of shouts and yells. 

This time I didn't have the power to fight as he grasped my neck, pushing with all his force as he snarled and growled. I gasped for air, clawing at his hands for some sort of relief. I couldn't, Ben was too strong.

"Hey!" Newt yelled while whacking Ben in the head with a shovel. Ben fell to his side, and I scrambled away from him. Into the arms of Gally.

Frypan, Newt, and a few others jumped on Ben, holding him down. All the boys were shouting and trying to tell him to calm down.

"What the hell happened?" Frypan shouted while turning to look at me. Gally held me in his arms, but I didn't tear my eyes away from Ben as he still squirmed in my direction.

"He just... attacked me! Out of nowhere." I put my hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the tears that started to well in my eyes.

"It's okay. You're safe now, he can't hurt you." Gally whispered into my ear before I finally turned and wept into his shoulder. He held me tight, stroking my hair while shushing me. I didn't care anymore what the boys thought. I didn't care if they thought I was a wuss. All I cared about was Gally's strong builder arms around my body and his massive hands cradling my head against his shoulder.

"Gally! A little help." Frypan asked, struggling to keep Ben down. Gally softly peeled himself off me before heading to Newt's side. Thomas immediately enveloped me in a hug. Which I gladly took as I leaned my head on his shoulder.

Alby appeared through the crowd of boys sizing up the whole situation.

Once Ben saw him, he quietened to a whimper.

"No. No. No." he gasped.

"Lift his shirt" Alby ordered.

"I didn't mean it!" Ben screeched in reply.

"Lift his shirt." He repeated just before Newt did so.

Underneath lay a puncture wound and around it... black and purple veins creeping out like ivy.

"No. No. Please. Please." Ben begged.

"He's been stung. In the middle of the day?" Gally questioned looking at Alby as our leader knelt beside him.

"Just help me. Please. Please, just help." He whimpered as Alby looked at Gally and Newt before standing up.

"Put him in the pit." He instructed.

"Come on, everybody help!" Gally yelled out.

More boys scrambled to help.

"Med Jack!" Newt yelled so Clint came to his side.

"Please! Please don't do it!" Ben screamed.

"Calm down Ben," Gally said, trying to grab his arm.

"Get off me! Get off me! She did this! It's her fault!" he screeched.

Together they lifted him, his squirms less intense now. I remained in Thomas's arms as we watched him be carried away. His yells echoed around the glade.

Alby took one last look at me before stalking away from the crowd. Everyone else followed suit.

Thomas removed himself from the hug,

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." He suggested while putting his arm around my shoulders and steering me towards the med hut.