𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐃| 𝐓.𝐌.𝐑. (𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐭)

9: Come with us

"Alby!" I gasp again, holding my chest with my right hand.

"Hey, it's alright. Are you okay, love?" I hear Newt say and I notice that I'm laying on his lap while he strokes my hair.

"Alby. It took him right from me. Alby...it's my fault. He was right." I pant as I now sit up.

"It's not, okay?" He tells me

"What the hell were you thinking?" I hear Chuck say and I get startled as I see Chuck, Minho and Thomas crouching down to the pit.

"What happened?" I ask, rubbing my head.

"Gally has taken control. He said we had a choice. Either join him...or get banished at sundown with you." Newt says and I look at everyone.

"And the others agreed to that?" I sigh, crossing my legs.

"Gally has everyone convinced that you're the reason all this has happened." Thomas says.

"Well, he's been right so far." I sigh.

"What are you talking about?" Newt asks.

"This place...it's not what we thought it was. It's not a prison, it's a test. It all started when we were kids. They would give us these challenges. They were experimenting on us. And then people started disappearing. Every month, one after the other, like clockwork." I say.

"They were sending them up into the maze." Newt says and I look at him.

"Yeah, but not all of us." I say.

"What do you mean?" Minho says.

"Guys, I'm one of them." I say. "The people who put you here, I worked with them. I watched you guys for years. The entire time you have been here...I was on the other side of it." I state. "So were you." I say to Thomas and his face drops.

"What?" Thomas says.

"Thomas, we did this to them." I say with watery eyes.

"No. That can't be true." He says.

"It is. I saw it." I nod. "C'mon, Thomas, you have to recognize me. People always said my eyes were the most noticeable feature." I plead and he ponders for a moment.

"Wait, I think..." He trails off. "I don't know, everything is still blurry. But, why would they send us up if we were with them?" Thomas says.

"It doesn't matter." I croak out as tears roll down my face.

"She's right. It doesn't matter. Any of it." Newt shakes his head. "Because the people we were before the maze don't even exist anymore. These Creators took care of that. But what does matter is who we are now, and what we do...right now. You went into the maze and you found a way out." Newt tells me.

"Yeah, but if I hadn't, Alby would still be alive." I say with meme tears streaming down my face.

"Maybe." He croaks out, nodding sternly. "But I know that if he were here, he would be telling you the exact same thing. Pick your ass up and finish what you started. Because if we do nothing...then that means Alby died for nothing, and I can't have that." Newt says and I sigh, buying my hands in my face.

"Okay." I nod. "Okay, but we gotta get through Gally first." I say, and everyone looks at me.

"You gotta a plan?" Minho says.

"Most of the time, yeah." I nod and Minho sends me a smirk and I chuckle as Newt wipes the tears under my eyes with his thumb.

||

"This is such a waste." Gally says as the two guys are carrying me, now dropping me to the ground.

I stay frozen, acting like I'm passed out.

"Gally...it doesn't feel right, man." Winston says.

"Yeah, what if Alana is right? Maybe she can lead us home." I hear Frypan say to him.

"We are home. Okay? I don't wanna have to cross any more names off that wall." Gally tells them.

"You really think banishing us is gonna solve anything?" I hear Thomas say.

"No. But this isn't a banishing. It's an offering." Gally says and I hear something being pushed, but I fight the urge to get up and punch the boys.

"What? Wait! Gally, what are you doing?" Thomas says and I hear rope being tied.

"You really think I'm gonna let Alana back into the maze after what she has done?" Gally questions. "Look around you! Look at our Glade! This is the only way. And when the Grievers get what they came here for...everything goes back to the way it was." Gally says.

"Are you listening to this? Why are you all just standing there? He's fucking crazy!" Thomas exclaims.

"You shut up." Gally spit at him.

"If you stay here, the Grievers are going to come back. They're gonna come back, an they're gonna keep coming back...until you're all dead!" Thomas says.

"Shut up! Tie her up!" I hear Gally say. "Do you hear me? I said tie her up!" Gally exclaims and I feel hands on my arms.

Thomas then kicks a boy in the balls and Frypan cuts the tied rope off his wrist.

I then get up and elbow the boys in the stomach, making them fall to the ground. Minho then points his blade at Gally's shoulder. Chuck then walks over and hands me my blade as Newt points his stick at two other boys. We then gather around as Frypan hands Thomas a knife.

"You're full of surprises aren't you?" Gally says as I stick my blade up at him.

"Unfortunately you aren't. You just keep sitting around, doing nothing." I shrug. "And don't have to come with us, but we are leaving. Anyone else who wants to come, now is your last chance." I announce.

"Don't listen to him, he's just trying to scare you." Gally says to the boys.

"No, I'm not trying to scare you. You're already scared. I'm scared." I shakily say. "But I'd rather risk my life out there than spending the rest of it in here." I state. "We don't belong here. This place isn't our home. We were put here. We were trapped here. At least, out there we have a choice. We can make it out of here. I know that. I'm sorry. Gally, it's over. Just come with us." I plead, still with my blade pointed at him as Chuck moves closer to me.

"Good luck against the Grievers." Is all he says and I look at him.

"Let's go." I say, glaring at Gally one last time.

We then turn and start running.

Good luck to you, too, Gally.