𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 - 𝘔𝘈𝘡𝘌 𝘙𝘜𝘕𝘕𝘌𝘙

13 ~ 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠

Lottie

To my surprise (and somewhat fear), Gally seemed back to normal by the next morning. The Med-jacks let him out of the Slammer during breakfast. I stiffened when I saw him marching towards the kitchen, a hard look on his face.

He got his food, and came up to the table I was sitting at. I shrank in my seat, trying to hide myself in between Newt and Julian's shoulders.

"It's all right," Newt assured me. "He won't hurt you."

Gally set down his plate across from me and sat down. He stared straight into my eyes. I fidgeted uncomfortably as he clutched his utensils ferociously, knuckles turning white.

"I'm sorry I attacked you." He finally spoke gruffly.

"It's alright," I said immediately, relieved. "I'm just glad you're okay."

A flicker of surprise flickers across his face, but then it melted into the same hard glare faster than it had come. "I saw you," he said.

"In the Changing? You saw Lottie?" Newt asked. Gally nodded.

"You were with them," Gally shuddered.

"Them? Who's them?" Julian asked. Gally didn't even look at him.

"Them. It's your fault... All your fault..." He muttered, his jaw clenched.

I stood and backed away, suddenly fearful. Gally had been saying those exact words when he had attacked me before. What if he did it again?

"What is her fault?" Newt asked urgently. His whole body was tensed as if he was ready to leap up at any sign of trouble.

"The... the..." Gally screwed his face up, trying to get out the words. He looked like he was in pain. "The..."

"Gally?" I wasn't afraid anymore. Somehow, I knew that he was not going to attack me. But then, what was happening to him?

"Something's forcing him to keep his mouth shut," Julian realized.

"The Maze..." Gally finally got a second word out, but he cried out in pain, and brought his hands up to clutch his head.

"The Maze? The Maze is my fault?" I breathed. It was just as I had feared. "Gally? Are you okay?"

"He doesn't mean it, he's half out of his mind." Newt sounded like he was trying to convince himself as well as me. He reached towards Gally, but before he could touch him, Gally jerked away, falling to the ground. He rocked back and forth, still holding his head.

At this point, other Gladers were crowding around us, trying to see what was happening. Gally had his face pressed against the ground, muttering to himself.

"Gally? What's happening to him? What is he saying? Is he going to attack again?" Mitch asked, question after question rolling off his tongue.

"Gally." Alby knelt next to the boy and forced him into a sitting position. He gave him a shake. "Gally, tell us what's wrong."

Gally took his hands away from his head shakily, and opened his eyes. He looked past Alby, straight at me. "You... were with them," He winced. "You... and them... the Maze..." He let out another cry. I could tell that telling us the information was painful for him. He brought his hands back up to his head. "Your fault... all your fault... but it's not... you didn't..."

Gally wasn't making any sense now, just muttering fragments of sentences. Alby let go of him and scoffed in annoyance.

"Med-jacks!" He called. "Take Gally back to the Slammer!"