Griever Tamer|| The Maze Runner¹/ Minho

|C.19|

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Gally looked worst than the last time she saw him. His clothes were ripped and shredded with dirt-stained on them. Oil and sweat dropped from his hair. Slime and blood smeared against his large hands. His eyes stared around with insanity. He dropped to his knees, inhaling sharp heavy breathes. Gally's eyes traced the room like a wild animal, searching for its next meal.

"They'll kill you!" Gally screamed, spit flying out of his mouth. "The Grievers will kill you all-one every night till it's over!"

Gally scrambled to his feet, dragging his right leg as he limped. No one moved. No one said a word. Blake noticed Thomas standing with his eyes widen. Even Newt stood with his mouth gaped open.

Blake watched Gally move so he was in front of the three of them; he pointed a bloody finger at Thomas. "You," his voice rang, sending a strange feeling of disturbance in Blake's chest.  "It's all your fault!" Then, without warning, he slammed his left fist into Thomas's ear. With a cry, Thomas crashed onto the floor.

Blake finally snapped from her gaze. "Thomas," her voice squeaked.

Thomas was already on his feet as Newt pushed Gally to the ground. His body landing on a desk, scooting the lamb off the side and breaking into pieces.

Gally straightened, turning his gaze to Blake. "And you. I should have killed you when you were stung!" His eyes traveled around the room in madness. "It can't be solved. The shuck Maze'll kill all you shanks... The Grievers'll kill you ... one every night till it's over... I ... It's better this way...." His eyes fell to the floor. "They'll only kill you one a night ... their stupid Variables ..."

Blake couldn't help but feel guilty. She made the creatures that were said to kill someone each night. Gally was wack but something about this seemed important. Something they should actually take to account. Maybe, he wasn't lying or just saying crazy stuff.

Newt took a step forward. "Gally, shut your bloody hole—there's a Griever right out the window. Just sit on your butt and be quiet-maybe it'll go away."

Gally looked up, his eyes narrowing. "You don't get it, Newt. You're too stupid—you've always been too stupid. There's no way out-there's no way to win! They're gonna kill you, all of you-one by one!"

After screaming the last words, Gally bolted to the window and started tearing the wood off. He had already ripped a board off before anyone could react.

"No!" Newt yelled, running forward. Thomas followed to help. Blake couldn't move she was frozen in shock.

Gally ripped off the second board just as Newt caught up to him. He swung it backward with both hands and engaged it with Newt's head, sending him sprawling across the bed.

"Newt!" Blake cried, breaking from her shock and running over to Newt's unconscious body. The wound on his head was bleeding bad, smearing blood in his hair and down his face. Newt was in daze, with his eyes closed tightly, letting sharp groans escape his lips.

"Gally!" Thomas yelled. "What're you doing!"

"You shut your shuck-face, Thomas. You shut up! I know who you are, but I don't care anymore. I can only do what's right."

Blake grabbed the sheet, applying pressure to the wound. The tip of the sheet was drenched with blood in just a few seconds.

Blake heard the final plank drop to the floor. Not even a second later, the glass exploded, causing a musical rhythm of clinks to sound. Thomas scooted to the bed where Blake and Newt lied.

A Griever's plummy, sluggish body had squeezed its body halfway through the window, metal arms pinching and snapping in all directions. Blake was scared, but not for herself—for Newt who was injured and dazed out. "Newt, please. We have to get out of here."

The Griever's long arm reached for the two of them. Despite Blake's pleading, the Griever didn't stop. She couldn't control or stop the Griever's hunt for its victim. Blake wasn't going to leave Newt, she just hoped the Griever would take her instead.

She watched Thomas scramble to find a weapon. They both knew that none of those knives were going to be able to cut off the creature's arm.

As the Griever's arm got closer; Gally started to speak again. Then, like it had to listen, the Griever's arm retreated into its body, and it then proceeded to try to squeeze through again.

"No one ever understood!" the boy screamed over the horrible noise of the creature, breaking its way deeper into the Homestead, ripping the building to sticks. "No one ever understood what I saw, what the Changing did to me! Don't go back to the real world, Thomas! You don't ... want ... to remember!"

Gally gave Thomas a haunted look, then, dived into the creature. The creature clung Gally like a teddy bear, making any escaping or rescuing impossible. Blake couldn't believe it. Gally saved their lives. He saved the Glader's lives.

The boy sank into the Griever's gooey slippery skin, making a squelching sound. The Griever then pushed itself down the building toward the ground. Blake couldn't see what was happening from where she was, but it must have been something bad. Thomas started to scream "stop" outside the window. Without warning, Thomas then ran outside the room.

"Thomas!" She shouted, but she knew it was no use. Blake notice Newt was awake.

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