THANATOPHOBIA - newt [1]

~ THIRTEEN

Of course, Thomas didn't listen, and ran out anyway. So, naturally, most people followed. Including Lela and Newt.

Lela was heartbroken when she saw what was left of the field. Her home. It was a mess. Buildings left in bonfires, any sign of crops they had were gone. And there were only about twenty Gladers left. They had lost nearly sixty of them during the attack.

"Where is everybody?"
"Who's that over there?"

Everyone looked to the five figures making their way over. Lela immediately recognised the walk. She knew that he would blame Thomas, and so had to get him to safety.

"Thomas, go inside." She told him, but he didnt.

"Gally..." He said, once the three had came close enough to see their faces.

Not even a word before Gally punched Thomas straight away.

"This is all you, Thomas!" He shouted, "Look around!"

"Back off, Gally! It's not Thomas' fault!" Lela defended, "He fought whilst you were hiding in the box like the coward you are!"

"You heard what Alby said!" Gally said to everyone, "He's one of them!"

He was about to reveal Thomas' big secret to the last of the Gladers.

"One of who?"

"He's one of them, and they sent him here to destroy everything, and now he has! Look around, Thomas! Look around! This is your fault! They sent him here, and now he's destroyed everything that we've built! He did all this to..."

Lela blocked Gally out, ignoring jis speech about how bad Thomas was and how they should banish him for starting it all. She was more focused on the fact that Thomas had taken the Griever stinger from Chuck.

"Thomas?" She stepped closer, "Thomas put it down."

"Maybe he's right." He said quietly, "I need to remember!"

Thomas swiftly stabbed his thigh with the stinger, allowing the venom to pulse through his bloodstream and make him start the Changing.

"Chuck, get the other syringe!" Teresa told the boy, who ran off to find where he had left it.

Thomas' body slumped to the floor, as Teresa held him close to her. Chuck soon came back, and they stopped the venom getting anywhere crucial.

____

"So what do we do now?" Lela asked Newt, "Medjack hut it trashed. There's no way we can leave him, either."

"Throw him in the pit." Gally scoffed.

"Oh, slim it, Gally!" Newt shouted, "There's no need for it!"

Lela's eyes widened, "Actually that's not a bad idea."

"What?"

"The Pit." She repeated, "It's safe in there, and it'll be warm enough for him to survive the night."

"You're right." Minho agreed.

Teresa nodded, "I'll sit with him through the night. Make sure nothing happens."

"Then we have a plan."

____

As promised, Teresa stayed with Thomas, which left Minho, Newt and Lela on their own. There was nowhere to sleep after the attack, and it wasn't likely any Glader would after what they had all been through.

Lela sat in the burned down, singed deadheads, still from the shock of what had happened that night.

It used to be her favourite place in the Glade. It was her safe space, where she could sit freely and talk to the flowers about anything she wanted to, with no distractions. She could smell the fresh scent of each white lily blooming in the forever-summer weather.