You and Me (BOOK ONE)

23. This isn't our Home

Fully dressed, Chuck, Newt, Minho, Frypan and I sat at the slammer, waiting for Thomas to awake. Teresa, who Gally also locked into the slammer held him in her lap.

Soon enough, he opened his eyes, taking in the surroundings. "Hey," Teresa warmed, "you OK?" She asked. Thomas looked up at her, not realizing we were there.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Me and Chuck both said aloud. Thomas sat up and looked around. "What happened he asked, eyes forwarding to everyone that surrounded him.

"Gally's taken control. Said we had a choice, to join him or get banished at sundown with you," Newt explained. Thomas soonly tried standing up, but due to being passed to for a night and being stung, was sore, causing him to let out a groan. "None of us agreed to that."

"Gally has everyone convinced you are the reason all this has happened," Teresa said. "Well, he's been right about that so far," Thomas agreed. "Huh," I asked.

"This place,it's not what we thought it was. Not a prison, it's a test. It all started when we were kids. They'd give us these.. Challenges. They were experimenting on us. Then first, a group of boys disappeared. Then more, one by one. One after the other, like clockwork."

"To send them up into the maze," I examined, undertstanding the meaning. "...Not all of us."

"What do you mean, shank?" I asked.

"Guys, I'm one of them. The people who put you here, I worked with them. I watched you guys for years and the entire time you've been here, I was on the other side of it," Thomas explained to us. I didn't realize my jaw hanging wide open, so wide it could catch a fly.

"So were you," he said, looking at Teresa.  "What?" Teresa asked, fear in her voice. "Teresa, we did this to them."

"No," Teresa denied. "It can't be true."

"It is. I saw it," Thomas said.

"Then why did they send us up here," Teresa forcefully said, anger and fear rising in her body.

"He's right. It doesn't matter, any of it," Newt began. "The people we were before the maze, they don't even exist anymore. These creators took care of that. But what does matter is who we are now and what we do right now. You went into the maze and found the way out!"

"Well, if I hadn't, Alby would still be alive," Thomas pouted.

"Maybe," Newt said.

I began to speak. "But I know that if he was here he'd be telling you the exact same thing I am; pick your shuck-sorry ass up and finish what you started. Cause if we do nothing, Alby and everyone else would've died for nothing and I can't have that, and none of us will too," I said.

"Okay," Thomas said. "But we gotta get through Gally first," he said.

"I have a plan," I said.

I watched as two men dragged an acting-unconscious Thomas while someone had Teresa, hands tied behind her back.

They dropped Thomas at the West door, with two wooden poles strung up. I stood beside Newt, bookbag on my back with everything I needed. A notepad, some food, pens and cause why not, our Glade camera, a camera that came up in the supplies to label our food but we ditched that idea and chose to keep it for memories and videos. And of course, my bow and arrows.

Gally soon walked towards Thomas's body and said, "this is such a waste." I rolled my eyes. Gally looked into the maze then at 'his people.' Swiftly, Winston spoke up. "Gally, this doesn't feel right, man."

Soon, Fry spoke up. "Yeah, what if Thomas's right? What if we can lead us home," he said. "We are home," Gally said, and I scrunched my brow. "I don't wanna have to cross off any more names on that wall," he said, pointing to the wall that had every single ever-Glader's name planted on it. I could see mine from where I was standing.

Y/ᑎ

[ᒍᑌ𝘚T Iᑎ ᑕᗩ𝘚ᗴ 𝘠ᗩᒪᒪ ᗯᗩᑎᑎᗩ ᑭIᑕTᑌᖇᗴ YOᑌᖇ ᑎᗩᗰᗴ ᗯITᕼ TᕼI𝘚 ᖴOᑎT ᕼᗴᖇᗴ'𝘚 Tᕼᗴ ᖴOᑎT(ᗩᗷᑕᗴᗪᘜᕼIᒍKᒪᗰᑎOᑭᑫᖇ𝘚Tᑌᐯᗯ᙭Yᘔ)]

"Do you really think banishing us is going to solve anything?" Teresa asked. Gally looked at her straight in the eye. "No."

I was surprised but also, not surprised at the same time. "This isn't a banishing... It's an offering," he said.

"What? Wait! Gally, what're doing!?" Teresa said, getting tied to a pole. "Do you really think I'm going to let Thomas back into the maze after what he's done?!!? Look around you!" Gally yelled.

"Look at our glade!"

I looked around. Smoke still stenched. Sometimes a flicker of fire would appear.

"This is the only way! And after the Griever's get what they came here for, everything can go back to normal," Gally said.

"Is everyone hearing this? He's crazy!!"

"Will you shut up?!"

"If you stay here, the Griever's are going to come back and they will keep coming back till you're all dead!"

"Shut up! Tie him up! I said... Tie him up!" He yelled.

Two boys began picking up Thomas, but Thomas showed his appearance, stabbing a boy with his elbow, then grabbing a pole. Everyone who had talked to Thomas that morning began fighting their way towards Thomas, except Chuck, who stood about 10 meters away.

Newt slammed his fist into Phillip's, a builders, shoulder.

Minho kept a few boys back and I aimed my bow at Gally walking up to him. "Don't... Even... Think about it," I warned. Once Chuck was with the group, I back up with my bow still pointed at Gally. Frypan passed Teresa a small knife, a weapon to defend herself.

"You're full of surprises aren't ya?" Gally asked. "You don't have to come with us but we are leaving," I said. "Anyone who wants to come with us, now's your last chance!" I announced.

"Don't listen to her, she's just trying ro scare you," Gally told everyone. "No, Gally. You're scared. Alright? I'm scared. We're scared, everyone's scared. I just know that this place, this beautiful Glade with a hellish outside, isn't out home. Never was," I said, waiting for Thomas to speak.

"I just know that I'd rather risk my life out there then spending the rest of it in here," Thomas began. "We don't belong here. Y/N said it. Couldn't say it better myself. This place isn't our home. We were put here. We were trapped here! At least out there we have a choice. We can make it out of here.. We can," Thomas said.

Slowly, Winston and Clint walked over to our posse. Others soon joined, making it slightly bigger. "Gally, it's over," I said. "You can still come with us," I said.

I looked at him with my eyes and I knew he knew I knew (tongue twister) I was telling the truth.

"..."

"Good luck against the Drivers," was all he said.

I turned around and placed my once cocked arrow into it's quiver. "Okay, everyone, follow me. Let's go!" I yelled, and everyone began following me and Thomas.