The Transfer | Gally TMR

Chapter Fifteen

I was awoken by a familiar scent of musty wood, sawdust and Frypan's famous bacon, as I slowly opened my eyes to see Gally standing over me, a small, sympathetic smile spread across his face. I returned the small gesture as I took in the entirety of his scent as I slowly sat up, taking his hand as he helped me off the hammock. We stepped quietly around the tight sleeping quarters of everyone fast asleep in their hammocks as he lead me away from the Homestead. We walked in silence through the early morning haze, reminding me of nights similar to this, just a few days ago. It seemed like years away now.

"He told me things...before I killed him..." I muttered softly. Gally stopped, it wasn't sudden, as though he was expecting me to speak up.

"Oh...?" Was all he replied. I nodded, my hand never leaving the comfort of his.

"The Creators. WICKED. They spoke through him. They were warning us." I said, my voice steady and calm. Gally walked towards me, slower now. He took my other hand in his, holding them close to his chest as I allowed a single tear to fall down my cheek. He shook his head, pressing our foreheads together.

"It's ok to be scared, Lilli. If you ain't scared, you ain't human. Something Alby always used to say." He muttered softly between small kisses on the forehead. I exhaled deeply, sniffling softly as we stood there a while longer.

"What did they tell you, then?" He said softly, as we began strolling again. I was reluctant at first, but I spoke.

"We have 100 hours left. Something about, every 10 hour cycle, one of us will die. And..." I didn't even want to think about the last part, the rest was terrible enough as it was.

"What is it, Lilli?" He said softly. I bit my lip.

"The trials have only just begun."

"What do you mean, they've only begun?" Gally said warily, stepping closer to me as I sighed, shaking my head.

"I don't know, Gally, honestly. That's just what WICKED said. I think it means that the maze, maybe the maze isn't the end. Maybe there's more of these shucking trials beyond the Maze." Gally sighed, laying his head in his hands, shaking back and forth.

"No, no, no I want out! I need out of this bloody hell hole! The Maze has to be it!" He screamed. I was taken aback, extending my hand to lay on his shoulder, but he just brushed it off. I bit my lip, taking a step back. He was furious. I didn't blame him, he had been stuck here completely in the dark for over 3 years. That's enough to drive anyone mad.

"Gally...listen to me...we have to take this one step at a time, ok? For now, let's just focus on getting out of the Maze and-" He shook his head, holding his hand up to stop me.

"No, no I'm not gonna play their stupid shucking game anymore, Lilli! Don't you see it!? I've been here three shucking years! You've been here, what? A week or so? You don't know what it's like to be trapped somewhere, as long as I have! As long as any of us! You will never have to know the kind of torture that I've been through!" He was full on shouting now, I was just thankful we were out of earshot from the Homestead. My mouth hung open in shock, and I had to bite my lip to restrain myself from telling him just how much torture I really had endured. He had no idea what I'd been through. I shook my head, a single tear rolling down my cheek. I closed my eyes and turned away. He wasn't angry at me, he was angry at the system. Then again, wasn't I a part of the system? I shook he thought, turning back towards him. He had calmed down a bit, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose as he sighed in aggravation. He then looked up at me, and his eyes softened.

"Lilli I-...I'm sorry. I'm just upset, it's not your fault..." I nodded, giving him a small, sympathetic smile as I walked closer to him, resting my hand lightly on his shoulder. It was my fault.

"It's ok, Gally. I get it. It isn't fair...to any of us. But if we only have 10 hours, Gally. Ten hours to get out of the Glade, and get back to the exit we found, which is at least 7-8 hours away. Plus, we have to get all of stuff together that we'll need to take and-" Suddenly, I stopped mid-sentence. 100 hours left...within the Glade... The Creator's hadn't said "Maze", they had said "Glade". It had been a clue. A trick, to see if we were smart enough to catch on. I sighed in slight relief, but also in slight panic. Relief, because we didn't have to find the exit within 10 hours, but panic because that meant we would have to spend the remainder of the time it took to get to the exit- within the Maze. I swallowed hard, nodding as I faced Gally. His expression held worry and concern.

"We don't have to get out of the Maze in 10 hours, we have to get out of the Glade. The Maze is our safe haven." I said confidently. I never thought in my entire life I would ever say those words. The Maze is our safe haven. Gally's eyes widened.

"Are you being serious?" Surprisingly, his voice was more genuine inquiry than mocking, sardonic humor. I nodded.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. Listen, I say wee give ourselves 8 hours to get ready, make sure everyone is prepped and ready to go, and then we leave a couple of hours before dusk. That way we have maximum time in the Glade, while still letting everyone adjust to running in the Maze before we endanger their lives to the Grievers. Gally, I know this seems sudden, and I know nothing was going wrong until I showed up, but this our only way. We have to survive this." I said, my voice far more steady than I had originally planned. Gally took a step closer to me, his eyes soft as he took my hands, staring straight into my forest green eyes.

"Lilli, it's not that nothing was going wrong. It was that nothing was changing. And as far as this place is concerned, change is the only thing that keeps me sane. So, I think it's safe to say that nothing was going right until you showed up. Because even if a shuck-ton of Grievers and unexpected deaths followed suit, you are still the best thing in my entire life, and if I could go back and change it, make everything the way it used to be- I wouldn't." I blushed, smiling down at the ground as Gally placed his finger gently underneath my chin, lifting my head upwards as he smiled playfully. He leaned forward, kissing me lightly on the lips. Our hands slowly releasing each other, I wrapped my arms gently around his neck, as he placed his his hand protectively against my back, compressing my body against his. It was magical, and I felt honestly that nothing could have possibly ruined that moment. Perhaps, however, it wasn't the moment, but rather the person I was sharing it with. Slowly separating, I took in a deep breath, letting out a nervous, good natured chuckle as I stared into his loving eyes. He blushed.

"I get butterflies every time we do that." I chuckled, blushing and rolling my eyes.

"We've only done it twice." I reasoned, smiling as he stepped closer to me once again. I could feel his warm breath against my face and I couldn't help but smile. Every moment I spent with him, in his embrace, another piece of our past together would come flooding back into my memories. Why would they have possibly wanted to make me forget that?

"Maybe we should try it again, then. For good measure, I mean." I chuckled at his humor, nodding as I gave in to his warm, comforting aura, our lips meeting once again. Although, I had to admit, it still felt like the very first time.