𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐀 - TMR, Gally ¹

𝟢𝟢𝟧，𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫

CH. FIVE
┗━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━┛

Zart's an alright boy. Doesn't say much as they work in the gardens, but sometimes that's nice.

Newt's here, too. He mentioned he liked the gardens before, so now he helps her weed some plants.

"Newt?"

He keeps his eyes on the plants. "Hm?"

"What's being stung?"

Then he no longer keeps his eyes on the plants and stares at her as if she said something super weird. "How do you even know about that?"

"Nick— well, his ghost or whatever mentioned it. And Camil said Gally was stung, so I'm wondering. An explanation to his grumpiness would be nice."

Newt exhales deeply. Groans a bit. "Inside The Maze, there's creatures. Grievers, we call 'em," he starts. "It's why one of the main reasons why only Runners can attend The Maze. If they don't kill you, they'll sting."

"I imagine giant wasps right now, but that's probably not it, is it?"

"No." He shakes his head. "They're... slimy, spiky, and have an enormous tail. I can't describe it well. Just that they're awful."

"Have you ever seen one?"

His Adam's apple moves. "I have."

Immediately, her back straightens, showing she's interested. "Really? So you were a Runner?"

"Were, yes," he says.

"What ha—"

"So when someone gets stung," he interrupts, "they go through The Changing. They get some memories back, but not nice ones. Barely a few have survived The Changing, too. It's a harsh, long-lasting process."

"They died during it?"

"No. They went insane after it."

Her mouth is wide open for a few seconds, her heart sinking. "Insane? How— why?"

"The memories are horrible, as I said. Most never want to leave The Glade again."

"Have you tried—"

"If we ask them about the memories and they try to reply, awful things happen. They can't say it."

Her frown deepens, so Newt continues.

"They start stranglin' theirselves. Or anything that'll stop them from saying what they want to say. It's not... them controlling their body. It's someone else," he says. "So we can't get information out of anyone who has gotten stung."

"And Gally is the only one still walking around?"

"Yes. He hasn't lost it, but still doesn't mean he's recovered. I mean, the people who got stung remember things, get hallucinations, nightmares, or are constantly grumpy. Maybe everything."

Hallucinations.

But she never got stung. Not that she remembers, at least.

"That's awful," is all she can manage, her voice suddenly cracking. "And Minho and Ben still risk their lives out there everyday? I mean, it's good that they're trying to find a way out... but aren't they... terrified?"

"Grievers usually don't show up during the day. If they do, most people make it back to The Glade unhurt before The Doors close."

Oh, right. The damn earthquake that happens at six PM and six AM. Lovely alarm.

"And they come out at night? Would you still be able to escape them? And what's The Maze like? How come it takes them so long—"

"It changes, alright?" Newt gets a bit snappier. "The walls move, just like The Doors. They're doing everything they can. Risking their lives out there everyday, so we can't complain."