Gladiolus ~ The Maze Runner

3~7: The Calm Before the Storm, So Buckle the Fuck Up

I was waiting for a train.

    Standing on the platform, I blended with the crowd of people commuting to their homes after a day's work. Many were masked in hopes to protect from the Flare.

    Hood up, I waited anxiously.

    When I took my first steps into the Last City, I was in awe. It truly was amazing. My mind couldn't fully comprehend the human brain and how it was able to fashion something so vast.

Looking at it now, I feel sick. The people here have one purpose: work. WICKED claims that they built this city to protect the healthy. Their real plan is to contain the healthy inside so they can be slaves to the government, the fruits of their labor used to benefit WICKED's studies. Sure, the people are safe and under WICKED's care. But that's not why WICKED wants to keep them there.

    A girl with long brunette locks comes into my view, and I lock eyes with her from across the train station. Her face turns over in disbelief, like she's seeing a ghost.

    The train passes through, cutting us off from each other. I turn and walk back through the crowd. I hang a right and continue down a path with less bystanders, picking up my pace.

    "Hanna?" a voice calls.

    I turn another corner, glancing over my shoulder to make sure she's following. The clicking of her heels speeds up as I duck into an alcove, waiting. She rounds the corner and falters, turning in circles. Looking.

    I slip out from my hiding place, pulling my hood down. She senses my presence and turns around, her face a flurry of emotions.

    "Hanna," she sighs.

    "Hi Teresa," I greet, forcing down any pain that I feel.

    "You... What are you doing here? It's not safe. I-if Janson finds out-"

    "He won't," I promise, walking slowly towards her. "I... uh... I needed to check on you. I wanted to know..."

    "Know what?"

    "Do you regret this?"

    Tears come to her eyes as she looks at me. "...Sometimes," she admits. "But I did what I thought was right."

    "I know."

I nod once, giving Gally the signal, and he pulls her into darkness.

***

    A beautiful depiction of Mother Mary stares me down on the opposite wall as Gally forces Teresa down into a chair. He pulls the cover over her head, and she takes in her surroundings.

    We took up temporary residence in an old Eastern Orthodox church. An old and dark wooden building, we lit every single candle we could find because there was no working electricity. Stained glass windows surrounding the room, old pews pushed to the side, chairs and tables organized in the center. It almost felt inappropriate to station up in any place of worship, but it was the only building we could find that was already inside the city but far enough away from any residents or soldiers.

    Teresa takes a quick glance around the room before her eyes return to our group, who sits directly in front of her.

"...Gally?" she asks in shock, surprised to see the boy alive.

"Here's how this is gonna go," Gally starts curtly, standing next to where I am seated on the top of the table. "We're gonna ask you some questions... and you're gonna tell us exactly what we need to know. We'll start off simple: where's Minho?"

Gally grabs a chair and drags it over, sitting down in front of Teresa. Teresa starts shaking her head, looking to me for support that she won't find. "You guys don't seriously think..."