We Didn't Start the Fire - Book 1 (Newt x OC) (Maze Runner)

Chapter 16 - Picking Sides

"Hey," Teresa said as she noticed Thomas' eyes open. "Are you okay?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Chuck demanded, making Thomas sit up and notice that he was in the slammer, Teresa sitting beside him. Thomas looked between them all, noticing Newt, Minho, and Plune with Chuck.

"What happened?"

"Gally got voted in to replace Alby," Newt told him. "Decided to banish you at sundown. He gave everyone the choice. Either follow him and Plune or get banished at sundown with you."

"You let that happen?"

"No," she tried. "He and I couldn't decide, so we took a vote of all the Gladers. Everyone's scared. Gally's option seemed to protect them the most. Teresa fought back which is why she's down there with you."

"Gally also has everyone convinced that you're the reason all this has happened," Teresa added.

"Well, he's been right so far."

"What are you talking about?" Minho asked.

"This place... It's not what we thought it was. It's 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 people started disappearing. Every month, one after the other, like clockwork."

"Sending them up into the maze," Newt started to catch on.

"Yeah, but not all of us."

"What do you mean?"

He looked at Newt, licking his lips. "Guys, I'm one of them. The people who put you here, I worked with them. I- I watched you guys for years. The entire time you've been up here, I was on the other side of it." He turned to Teresa who was still processing. "And so were you."

"What?"

"Teresa, we did this to them."

She shook her head. "No. That can't be true."

"It is. I saw it. Whatever's in the serum they sent you up with brings back some of our memories. That's what Alby was saying."

"After he was stung, Ben said that he saw you," Plune pieced some of it together. "Maybe when a Griever stings you, it brings back your memories, but too much at once which causes you to go crazy. The serum you brought up," she looked at her, "could help create a filter of some sort."
"That makes sense, but why would they send us up if we were with them?" she asked, looking back at Thomas.

"It doesn't matter."

"He's right," Newt told them. "It doesn't matter. Any of it. 'Cause the people we were before the maze, they don't even exist anymore. These Creators took care of that. What does matter is who we are now and what we do right now. You went into the maze and you found a way out."

"Yeah, but if I hadn't, Alby would still be alive." They were all quiet.

"Maybe," Newt admitted, "but I know that if he were here, he would be telling you the exact same thing: pick your ass up and finish what you started. 'Cause if we do nothing, then that means Alby died for nothing and I can't have that."
"It means a lot of boys died for nothing," Plune continued. "The best thing we can do is make sure that it means something."

Thomas sighed before nodding. "Okay. Okay, but we gotta get through Gally first."

"I have a plan fo that," Plune said.

***

The sun started getting lower and Gally sent three boys to get Thomas and Teresa out of the slammer. They dropped Thomas' unconscious body on the ground as one of them tied Teresa's arm to a pole Gally had erected in front of the north maze door.

"This is such a waste," Gally let out as he looked at them.

"We don't have to do this," Plune tried one more time.

"We voted."

"And you one by a few. This isn't right and you know it."

"Gally," Winston spoke up as the Gladers started crowding around the poles, "it doesn't feel right, man."

"Yeah. What if Thomas is right?" Frypan asked. "Maybe he can lead us home."

"We are home, okay? I don't want to have to cross anymore names off that wall."

"You're not the one who does it," Plune told him emotionless.

"But we all have to live with it."

"You really think banishing us is going to solve anything?" Teresa spoke up.

"No," Gally admitted. "But this isn't a banishing. It's an offering. You really think I'm gonna let Thomas back into the maze after what he's done? Look around you! Look at our Glade. This is the only way." Plune looked at Newt, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Newt turned to Minho, scratching under his chin. "And when the Grievers get what they came here for, everything goes back to the way it was."

"Are you listening to this?" Teresa asked the Gladers. "Why are you all just standing there? He's crazy."

"Will you shut up?"

"If you stay here, the Grievers are going to come back. They're gonna come back and they're gonna keep coming back until you're all dead."

"Shut up! Tie him up!" Gally ordered the two boys who had been standing next to Thomas, but they didn't move. "Did you hear me? I said tie him up!" They glanced at each other before picking him up. They were about to tie him to the post before Thomas shot his elbow out, hitting one in the stomach before the other in his face. Newt pulled out his machete and the rest of the ones who Plune had looped in fought against Gally and the ones working with him. Frypan cut Teresa down and Chuck came running over with their supplies as Plune pulled out her dagger and held it in front of Gally, stopping him from coming forwards as they all gathered behind her. Minho handed Thomas a spear, both of them holding theirs up, ready to fight,

He stared at her before looking at Thomas over her shoulder. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

"It wasn't his plan, Gally. It was mine," Plune admitted.

"Wha... What are you talking about?"
"I told you that I thought we should leave. Staying here is dangerous."

"And going in there isn't?"

"You don't have to come with us," Thomas spoke up, "but we are leaving. Anyone else who wants to come, now's your last chance."

"Don't listen to him. He's just trying to scare you, alright?"

"No, I'm not trying to scare you. You're already scared. Alright? I'm scared. But I'd rather risk my life out there than spending the rest of it in here. We don't belong here. Okay? 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. I know that." The Glade was silent before more Gladers walked past Gally, joining Thomas and the others. Once everyone had chosen their sides, Gally looked over the remaining Gladers, nodding and clenching his jaw. "Gally, it's over. Just come with us."

He looked at all of them, blinking before speaking. "Good luck against the Grievers." His eyes came to rest on Plune who looked at him sadly.

"Come on," Thomas told them, but Plune didn't move. "Plune." She ignored him, walking forwards and hugging Gally who hesitated before hugging her back. She pulled away, scanning his face before looking at the Gladers behind him.

"Take care of them for me." He nodded, refusing to say anything else, so she gave him a sad smile before joining Newt and the others at the entrance to the maze. Thomas went in first, the others following. Plune hesitated, looking up as Newt grabbed her hand.

"It's not too tight," he tried and she gave a small chuckle, intertwining their fingers before allowing him to pull her into the maze.

Hey, thanks for reading! This isn't edited yet, but I'm gonna try to get back to it soon. Sorry, it was just a super long day for me and I'm ready to crash. Hope you all enjoyed! Two chapters left!