Quiet is Violent {Newt | The Maze Runner}

22. Glade or Maze

Sleep came easily to Tasha after her talk with Thomas, something which she was grateful for after her adrenaline filled night and stress inducing plans for their escape. She wasn't woken again until someone yanked her by her arms from the pit, and began dragging her across the Glade. It took her only a moment to realign her conscious thoughts and remember the plan, to remain quiet and limp, pretending she was still asleep as she heard Gally bark orders at those dragging her. She realised they had arrived at their destination when she heard a thud from somewhere close to her which she figured must have been Thomas, and was unceremoniously dropped to the ground herself. Her heartbeat sped up in anticipation, but she lay on the ground, unmoving, waiting.

"This is such a waste." Gally muttered from where he stood, somewhere behind her, closer to Thomas if her hearing was reliable. She felt her blood boiling at his words and it took all of her energy not to even flinch.

"Gally!" Winston's voice called out to the builder, making Tasha tense. She hoped no-one notice, but when no-one made a comment she figured that their attention had been elsewhere. "It doesn't feel right, man." Winston admitted and Tasha allowed herself a brief smirk.

"Yeah, what if Thomas is right?" Jeff asked, changing Tasha's smirk to a smile and she pressed her face closer to the dirt, her heart soaring. This must have been what Newt and Minho had been doing for the past few hours; planting the seeds of doubt in Gally's supporters.

"We are home. OK?" Gally told them, his voice steady. He believed this, wholeheartedly, and once more Tasha felt herself sympathising with him. Then, she remembered her split lip and bruised cheek and any friendly feelings she may have had towards him evaporated. "I don't want to cross any more names off that wall." He said, and Tasha squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to think of all the people lost to the Maze - or to themselves.

"You really think banishing us is going to solve anything?" Teresa asked some feet away, fuelled by quiet determination.

"No." Gally admitted, to which Tasha froze. "But this isn't a banishing; this is an offering." Tasha almost squeaked involuntarily, fear flooding her veins. The plan was laid out, but this... this was something she hadn't anticipated, if any of them had anticipated. It wasn't, judging by Teresa's reaction.

"What?!" Teresa cried, "Wait, Gally!" Tasha could hear the scuffling of footsteps and the scrape of rope against wood. She couldn't hardly bear waiting but she had to, had to... even if one of the others was injured, there were others that could step in and she wouldn't have to break the illusion. It was just her nature, though, to help in the face of everything, and it was all she could do not to jump up then and there.

"Do you really think I'm going to let Thomas back into the Maze after what he's done?" Gally shouted angrily. "Look around you, look at our Glade," it was obvious at this point that he was addressing the other Gladers and even on the ground, Tasha could smell the smoke of burning buildings, "this is the only way. And when the Grievers get what they came here for, everything goes back to the way it was." Tasha was a live wire, electricity running beneath her skin and cracking at her fingertips. This wasn't how the Glade worked. Everything was changing and Gally couldn't adapt fast enough.

"Are you listening to this?" Teresa spat. Tasha almost laughed, she knew she had made a good friend in Teresa, "Why are you all just standing there? He's crazy!" She proclaimed, a surge of pride running through Tasha at her words.

"Could you shut up?" Gally huffed, and Tasha had to grit her teeth to keep quiet. She wasn't used to being this still in the face of confrontation, but she knew that Teresa had it covered, or... she hoped. Despite any of their disagreements, she admired Teresa's strength and drive.

"If you stay here, the Grievers are going to come back." She told the Gladers, "They're gonna come back and they're going to keep coming back until you're all dead." She was right, her words were harsh, bitter and full of venom, but they were still the truth.

"Shut up!" Roared Gally, "Tie them up!" He spat. Tasha guessed he was talking about herself and Thomas, but the feet by her head just shuffled nervously. She took silent pride in the fact that either she intimidated them or Gally wasn't as good of a leader as he thought. Either way she won. "Did you hear me? I said tie them up!" The person near her sprung into action lifting Tasha by her arms, until she was kneeling, which was the cue for Tasha and Thomas to spring into action. Tasha lunged forward, tearing herself from his grip by surprise, before spinning around so she was standing opposite him and kicking him in the face. She heard the crack of bone and watched him crumple onto the cold, hard dirt, before taking his sword from the sheath on his hip and standing by Thomas, who had escaped his captor's grip. Frypan had managed to free Teresa from where she had been tied to a pole, and the others were now forming a line, backing slowly towards the Maze. Tasha forced herself not to look at where her captor lay face down in the dirt, a pool of blood beginning to form around his face, presumably from his broken nose. This wasn't her fault, she told herself, over and over again, this was Gally's fault.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?" Gally glowered at Thomas, who had his spear aimed directly at Builder, and Tasha's lip curled in contempt from where she stood between Thomas and Newt, though no-one paid her any attention.

"You don't have to come with us, but we are leaving." Thomas told Gally, defiance in his words. All Tasha could think in that moment was Gally if you come with us I swear I will feed you to the Grievers first chance I get. "Anyone else who wants to come, this is your last chance!" He called, addressing the group at large, thankfully ignoring Tasha's snarl in Gally's direction.

"Don't listen to him, he's just trying to scare you..." Gally growled, looking back at the others, who all had begun shuffling nervously where they stood, weapons in hand.

"No, I'm not trying to scare you, you're already scared." Thomas told them, simply, and he was right. "Alright, I'm scared." He admitted, "But I'd rather risk my life out there than spend the rest of it in here." He spat, his hands shaking as he held the wooden spear tightly. "We don't belong here." He muttered, "This place isn't out home. We were put here. We weretrapped here," he spluttered angrily, "At least out there we have a choice. We can make it out of here." His speech finished resolutely, determination in his voice. "I know that." Tasha could see some of the others switching side, their allegiances changing drip by drip. Winston was the first to join them, followed by Jeff and a few of the others. By the looks on their faces, Tasha knew they weren't sure what to believe, but they knew they had to believe that Thomas was right, otherwise, they believed they would die. Tasha watched the boys, boys she had known for years now, friends leaving friends because of this Greenie. It was almost heartbreaking.

"Are you OK?" Newt whispered to her, his lips barely moving, startling Tasha as she watched the scene before them. Realising who it was, her gaze slid to him and she gave him and wry smile and a single nod.

In the end, there was only a handful of boys left, ones who still believed in Gally, who believed in the Glade. "Gally, it's over." Thomas murmured, "Just come with us." Tasha wanted to speak out against the idea, but she pressed her lips together and watched the ground, frowning.

"Good luck against the Grievers." Gally's voice was defeated. Tasha looked up, surprised, but she could see it in his face, he was broken. This was a man who knew he had lost the war. Her gut feeling was unease and she wasn't certain how to feel about that. Thomas huffed out a sigh, and the others began to turn and leave. Tasha was the last, analysing the remaining Gladers through her usual squinting glare. Gally's broken expression turned to anger as he saw her still standing there.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He spat. Tasha clenched her jaw and her frown deepened, but she didn't move. "I'm not the worst thing out here, you know." He told her, and Tasha hummed thoughtfully, sucking in her bottom lip and running her tongue over the split skin there. It took her a moment more of his fuming rage for Tasha to return to her neutral mask and look him dead in the eye.

"I know." She said, simply, before she turned sharply on her heel, running from the Glade, just like she did her first day there She ran into the Maze and after the others.