Why Can't I Hate You?

~33~

We made our way into the outskirts of the city. Clearly, much less well off than the city itself. They'd just been left there to fend for themselves.

A huge crowd of people were protesting at the wall. Holding signs and yelling. I almost got lost walking through, but I barged past and found the others at the front.

"Thomas, this doesn't feel right." Jorge shouted over the noise.

Then came a sound I couldn't describe. It silenced the crowd. Then they started moving back in a frenzy. When I finally realised what was happening, my feet cemented to the ground, unable to move.

A hand suddenly gripped mine. "RUN!" Newt screamed, dragging me into the crowd as explosions started going off around us.

He pulled me out of the commotion, and I ripped my hand away from his.

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't need your-"

Someone grabbed a hold of me from behind. I panicked, kicking my feet and trying to pull away from the grip. Before Newt could do anything, a person wearing a gas mask took hold of him. Despite my resistance, I was forced into the back of a van beside Jorge. They shoved Newt in after me. Two of the masked people with guns sat in silence opposite us as it drove us away.

The three of us stayed alert, but it didn't make us any less confused. I tried to calm my shaking nerves, readying in case I needed to fight.

We could fight them, and we outnumbered them. However, it didn't seem the best idea. Someone was driving the truck, which made it three versus three.

When the van finally stopped, Jorge pounced on one of them, punching hard. He slammed into the door, opening them and rolling onto the floor. "Where is she!" Where is she!"

The people pushed us away in a restraint, I felt one pull my arms behind my back. "Hey!"

Brenda ran forward, presenting herself to Jorge. "I'm here, I'm here! I'm ok!"

"Alright, calm down. we're all on the same side here." One of the masked men spoke.

Thomas shoved a guy off him, walking forward. "What's the hell's going on? Who are you?"

He stared at Thomas for a moment,  then  looked away to pull off his mask and turned to look at us. Gally.

"Gally?" Thomas breathed.

"Hey, Greenie."

For a moment, everything was calm until Thomas connected his fist with Gally's face. They both dropped to the ground, and Newt rushed forward to grab Thomas's arm and stop him punching again. "Thomas, stop!"

He was breathing heavily, the anger radiating from every inch of his body. "He killed Chuck."

"I know, I was there, remember. But I also remember he was stung and half out his mind. So, just calm down."

Thomas breathed madily, then got up sharply, letting Gally get back on his feet. He adjusted his jaw where he was hit. "Kinda had that one coming. Is there anyone else? Fry? Newt? Y/n?"

"How?" Newt shook his head in a disbelieving manner."How are you alive? We watched you die."

I vividly remembered Minho throwing a spear into his chest and watching him gasping for breath on the floor. How the hell do you come back from that?

"No, you left me to die. And if it wasn't for me, you'd be dead right now. What are you doing here?"

"Minho." I said."Wicked has him. We're looking for a way in."

Gally looked at me with a sort of understanding and nodded. "I can help with that. Follow me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Thomas glared, clenching his fists.

"Suit yourself." Gally shrugged,"but I can get you through those walls."

I looked at Thomas, who seemed conflicted. Clearly, he wanted nothing to do with Gally and probably didn't trust him at all. They didn't particularly like escjother in the glade. But this wasn't about liking people. This was about Minho and saving him from wicked.

"Alright," He caved in. "How do we get in?"

We followed him as he explained how he got here. How they patched him up and brought him here for another chance at life. Part of me hoped that Chuck could've been saved, too. That he wasn't really dead. That wasn't possible, I actually watched him die.

"He doesn't get visitors often, so try not to stare." Gally lead us into a large room.

In the corner was a man with his back turned. He seemed to be cutting the throns off roses, chanting. Rose took my nose, I suppose.

"Hey Lawrence." Gally greeted the man.

"Gally, I'm glad to see you made it back safe."

"It was a slaughter. There's nothing we can do against those guns."

"No." He turned around, but I couldn't see his face because it was so dark."Who are these people? Why are they here?"

"We want to get into wicked." Thomas stepped forward." Gally said you could get us through those walls."

"Gally knows better than to make promises he can't keep."

"There might be a way now. But it only works with Thomas." He tilted his head towards Thomas.

Lawrence took hold of his IV drip and wheeled it forward, taking shaky steps closer into the light. "Do you know what I am, Thomas?"

I could finally get a good look at his face. His nose was missing, like it had been bitten off, and his veins were black. He was a crank.

He got close to Thomas, close enough for him to feel his breath on his face. "I am a businessman. Which means I don't take any unnecessary risks. So why should I trust you?"

"Because I can get you what you need."

He laughed slightly through his breath. "And what is it that you think I need?"

"Time. Every last drop."

He seemed unconvinced. "Is that what I need?"

"Wicked has something we both want."

"Tell you what, two can go for now. The rest can stay. Just a little assurance that you'll find your way back. Gally, lead the way."

Gally removed a vent or drain cover from the floor. We agreed that Thomas and Newt would go, and we would stay and wait. I didn't exactly feel comfortable with the idea, but we had no other choice.

We stood around the drain to see our goodbyes. Gally climbed down first, followed by Newt, who stopped mid-way to look up at me with a smirk. "Don't miss me too much, love."

I rolled my eyes, pushing him down the rest of the way. "As if."

Thomas was the final one to go down, and then the lid was placed back on, sealing them in.