the scorch runner

Chapter 11.

Chapter song: Choke- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

I hadn't seen crowds as big as this since I went to a pride parade in New York a year before the virus. The general vibe there was very different to this though. I remember it very clearly, everyone was happy, free. Not here though. The majority of people looked ill, like they could crank out at any given second, they were screaming to be let in until their voices began to go hoarse, pushing each other around to try to break through to the front of the crowd, which stopped abruptly at a barricade, a few dead bodies laying further out, here I could only assume people tried to run through,
"Here! This is our way in!" Thomas shouted, raising his voice above everyone else. He pointed to the front of the crowd, beginning to make his way over. I stood at the back with Newt, who was looking the complete opposite way,
"We're being watched" He nudged me, subtly glancing back at a group of people with gas masks on, stood on top of vans and cars, one of them staring straight at us. I glared at him slightly before guiding Newt away,
"We'll lose him in the crowd, don't worry" he nodded at me, following me as I began navigating my way so we were deep in the crowd, somehow finding our way back to Jorge and the others, who were now stood at the front.
"Thomas this can't be right!" Brenda yelled but I don't think he heard her. In his defence, it was hard to hear anything with all the yelling and protesting going on around here. This time Jorge spoke, he was much louder, more direct which actually got Thomas' attention this time,
"All these people tryna find their way in. You think you're gonna find something they can't?" He yelled and the boy sort of shrugged in response. I turned around, looking for a way out when I realised I was wrong, we didn't loose the guys in gas masks in the crowd. I began planning our route out when a shockingly loud creaking noise began echoing out from behind me. I froze, slowly turning around. The shouting stopped and nobody moved, nobody said anything. Guns. Big fucking guns. They began shooting at us and I took off, completely ignoring the guys who were stalking us, just trying to  avoid death, really. I only stopped when I heard Newt fighting someone, shouting for them to get off him. I turned to see the stalker holding onto him. I ran over, pulling Newt from his grasp, punching him directly in the face,
"Newt go, run!" I told him, but it was too late. Another guy came over, grabbing Newt as the boy I punched took a hold of me, taking us our separate ways. I groaned in pain as I got quite literally thrown into a van with Thomas and Brenda, the same boy hopping in behind, just sitting, staring at us menacingly.

"He kinda creepy staring at us.." I whispered to Thomas and Brenda before turning back to the guy, "Can you like, I dunno.... look elsewhere? It's a bit weird" I asked him. He shook his head disapprovingly, apparently we had arrived at wherever we were going because the doors flung open and he hopped out. I let myself out, not waiting for orders, it was a bit stuffy in the van and I wanted to breath some more 'fresh' air.
"Hoy shit.." I chuckled as Jorge basically threw another man out his van, beating the literal shit out of him until Brenda rushed to his side, comforting him as much as possible.
"I'm right here. I'm right here!" She yelled and the man calmed down, I smiled at their relationship, even if it did very clearly get some people hurt.
"Everybody relax!" The boy I had punched shouted, separating his group from mine. We stood strong, staring at the other group who clearly outgunned us, "We're all on the same side here" I furrowed my brows,
"Really? Because like, last time I checked, people on the same side don't tend to kidnap each other" I snarked, shaking Newt off my arm, who was currently holding me back,
"What do you mean same side? Who the hell are you?" Thomas asked, stepping out in line with me. The boy grabbed his gas mask, pulling it over his head, tossing it onto the ground harshly. I didn't care for what he looked like, but I tried to hide a scoff when he looked at us, a dark bruise already beginning to cover his eye where I had pervious punched him.
"hey Greenie" The boy stated, which I have to admit confused me more. I followed his gaze onto Thomas' face, which had all the blood drained from it,
"Gally?" He breathed. There was pain and betrayal layered within his voice, I didn't know how, but these two had history. I was too slow to stop Thomas and before I knew it, Thomas' fist had connected with his jaw,
"Hey woah Thomas!" I yelled, sure he deserved it when I punched him but twice? I moved in towards him alongside with Newt.
"Stop it's all right!" Newt rushed down to Thomas' side, holding him back as he looked like he would punch again. I approached the guys with guns, trying to get them to back down, "Stop. Stop it!" Newt pulled Thomas back, who glared at him slightly, standing up and backing away from Gally. I let out a breathe of relief I didn't realise I was holding, putting out a hand to help the boy up,
"He killed Chuck." Thomas deadpanned, glaring at the boy intensely, who was rubbing his hand along his jaw, which no doubt was painful,
"yeah I know. I remember, I was there too okay?" Newt defended, gesturing to Gally, "But I also remember, that he was stung and half out of his mind" I glanced between the two, and back at Fry, who also looked like he was staring at a ghost. I looked back at Gally who was staring at me, furrowing his brows at me, I avoided his gaze when he spoke up,
"Kind of had that coming," He stated, looking among newt and Fry, "Anyone else? fry? Newt?"
"You know this guy?" I asked the two, who looked like they didn't even know what to say,
"He was an old friend.." Fry spoke up. That's when Newt stood up properly, moving away from Thomas, who had seemed to calm down.
"How?" newt asked, shaking his head at Gally, "How is this possible? We watched you die." That explains a lot.
"No. You left me to die," Ouch. "And if we didn't find you when we did, you'd be dead right now" He pointed at each and every one of us, shaking his head disapprovingly, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Minho. Wicked have him here, we're looking for a way in" Newt explained, pointing in the general direction of the city. Gally looked back at me again, narrowing his eyes before replying,
"I can help with that" Thomas was very quick to reply, almost too quick,
"I'm not going anywhere with you" He spat. I laughed, grabbing his arm,
"We've come too far to turn around because of a grudge, sort yourself out Tommy mate" I grabbed his arm gently, pulling him in the same direction as Gally, who had stopped walking now, staring at us,
"I'm sorry do I know you or something?" He asked, a hint of anger in his voice,
"No. You do not" I told him, trying to move on quickly,
"Gally this is y/n, she's Eric's sister" Newt introduced, pulling me back so I stood in front of the boy. His gaze softened and he looked between me and Newt,
"Eric?" He asked, looking down at me,
"yeah you know him?" I asked, wanting to move on from this conversation. I had too many things going on, I didn't need to be worrying about my dead brother too,
"He was one of my builders, Eric was like family to me" He nodded. I smiled up at him as we continued walking, Gally explained everything to us. How he got rescued after his accident with Minho (I thought it was quite funny) and how they were at war with Wicked.

Gally was taking us to see his leader, the guy in charge. Sure I had heard the name in the wind out in the scorch, but I only assumed he had died as someone told me he was 'cranking out', and that was quite some time ago. Gally stopped walking as we reached a corner, me and Thomas at the front, the others shortly behind. He put his hand out, stopping us from going further, talking in a hushed whisper,
"Listen uh, he doesn't get a lot of visitors. So, let me do the talking alright?" He asked and I saw Thomas nod, on behalf of all of us I suppose, it's not like we could say no anyway, "And try not to stare" He added before disappearing around the corner. I furrowed my brows, glancing at Thomas who looked just as confused before shrugging, once again taking the lead on the group, who began walking after us.

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total word count: 15, 510