Stay // The Maze Runner

Chapter 10

"Time to go," Lucas said, shaking me awake from my deep slumber. I rubbed my eyes feeling strangely well rested.

Inside San Francisco the air was tense. People were rushing about, not delaying anywhere. A lot of people held masks to their faces to cover their mouth and nose.

"What's going on?" Minho asked. "Code red. They must have found a few infected, a few more than usual," Isabella answered. "We better hurry. Keep your heads down and say nothing to anyone that talks to you."

We scuttled through the streets like ants. No one paid any attention to us, we were something that could be ignored, not like the impending Flare.

The closer we got to the centre the crazier the streets became. Men in uniforms stood barely five foot apart, shouting orders over the noise of the streets. Red and blue lights flashed. People ran, dragging their children behind them.

Some had masks that covered their faces. They were green, leaving only the eyes visible by glass. Tubes came out of the mouth, connecting to some sort of a filter. Even through them you could see the tears in the children's eyes. The fear as they ran.

"Come on," Lucas said. "We must hurry." We ran, crossing streets and turning corners so often I could never have made my way back.

We came to a building that looked exactly like yesterday's, but smelled much worse. The stairs moaned under our weight as we walked up them.

With each flight I got more and more worried the the rotting wood would give way, until we finally made it to the 8th floor. Lucas knocked on the door. The lock clicked and he opened a door into a dark hallway.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked me. I nodded. We followed him through the door and down to the end of the hall whee a door stood ajar.

The room stank of dampness. Mound grew up the walls, even the press doors hung by their hinges. There was a small buzzing fridge in the corner and a pathetic looking oven. In the middle of the room there was a dirty old table and 4 chairs. A man stood at the other side, his back to us.

"Sit," he said. We did so, hesitantly. Minho had no idea who he was about to meet, but even though I did it didn't make it any easier. Gally turned around and faced us.

He had scars on his face, not a lot but still noticeable. His eyes were wet and his hold body seemed to droop like a wilting flower.

"You shank!" Minho screamed, leaping across the table at him. Before he even got near him another man came out of nowhere and pulled him back. All this time I watched Gally, he didn't even flinch.

"What the hell are we doing here?" Minho spat at Lucas. "Why did you bring us to this shank? There's nothing he could possibly do for us!"

"Be quiet Minho," Lucas said. "No! Why should I be? He's a shank! He killed-" "Shut up Minho," I said quietly. Gallys shoulders seemed to drop even more and he lowered his head.

After a couple of moments he looked up again. He looked at Lucas and then began to talk.

~~~~~~~~

"And why should we believe you?" Minho asked. "It's not like you're the most trustworthy person. Anyway what if it's all a set up and you're still working with WICKED."

"He's not working with WICKED," he answered. "Like I told Rosie, WICKED kicked him out when they thought he was insane. They left him to rot on the streets," Lucas said.

"Pity he didn't," Minho mumbled.

"Where do we go?" Lucas asked Gally, ignoring Minhos comment. "The Point, tomorrow 9pm."

"Okay," Lucas said getting up. "See you there." He got up to leave and we all followed.

"Wait," Gally called as we were leaving. "I.. I know it doesn't mean much," he said, coming around the table. "But Rosie, I'm so sorry." He put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me into hug him.

I didn't move, I couldn't even lift my hands to hug him back. When he let me go he smiled a sad smile and we left, without me every saying anything.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you okay?" Minho asked me, falling behind the other two. "No," I answered. "Of course not why would I even ask," he said. His cheeks went as red as the sky above us.

Sirens blared towards the city and a voice boomed over us. "10 minutes until curfew. Please leave the streets and return to your homes. Anyone caught outside after 8pm will be prosecuted."

"Shit," Lucas said. "We must run or we will not make it."

~~~~~~~~~

The city went into lockdown just as we made it out. "That was close," Minho said.

"Why is the door of the Berg open?" I asked, beginning to run. "Wait Rosie, be careful," Lucas called after me.

Inside the place looked like it had been thrashed. Something was crying towards the back, hidden under a chair. "Ghost," I whispered, walking slowly toward him.

"Hey boy, good boy," I called calmly as I tried to remove him from under the chair. His front legs were covered in blood and he limped out toward me.

"What happened boy?" I asked him gently, stroking his wet fur.

The others came in then. "Holy crap," Minho said. "What happened here. Looks like a bomb hit it."

Suddenly my heart stopped. "Where's Newt?"