A Way Back - The Maze Runner (♡Newt)

Chapter 68

A/n: What? I'm late? Nono, a wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to!

Ow, who am I kidding, I'm a female.

Aaaaanyway, sorry for the delay, but here it is! It's a bit longer then the other chapters so I guess that makes up for it being late...?

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments!

~Purple Dragon (30/04/19)

~.~.~

Cally's pov

The night had come quicker than I expected. Even though the Glade was still covered in the strange, unnatural grey glow of the sky, it felt darker than it ever had.
     I was laying curled up against one of the walls in the room, a thick blanket between me and the wooden floor. I ended up in one of the rooms on the first floor, together with as many Gladers as possible. I hadn't even tried to count them, there were too many, and I was too tired. The one bed in the room had gone to Newt, he wanted me to take it, but I insisted on sleeping on the ground so I could stay close to my twin brother. I didn't say that was the reason, but it was. I was scared of what might happen, and somehow, staying as close as possible to Ezra made me feel a little better. I've had that since we were kids, whenever I got scared of the dark, or some insect or even grandma's porcelain doll collection, being with my twin made the fear go away ever so slightly.
     Unfortunately, it didn't work that way right now. Yes, having my brother close did make me feel better, but the fear was still there. So many horrible things were going through my mind, I was making up all the worst-case scenarios, and I couldn't stop myself from doing it.
     I had been able to sleep for a few hours, but I had woken up and couldn't get myself to fall asleep again. I moved out of my curled up position and sat straight, leaning against the wall with my back. Bark was sleeping on the end of my blanket bed, just like Ezra was asleep beside me. His brown hair all messed up, mouth wide open, and even in the bad lighting of the sky, I could see a string of saliva hanging out of it. It made a small smile appear on my lips. At least that was still normal.
     Minutes passed by, and I still couldn't sleep, I was so tired, but my body wouldn't let me. As the minutes passed into an hour, I was still staring at the small kitchen knife I held in my hands. All the knives from the kitchen had been handed out as weapons, if we ever had to use them. It felt good to have some kind of weapon, but we all knew that it wouldn't make a difference if we had to go up against a Griever. Even if somebody could get close enough to the thing to use them, the Griever would rip the Shank to shreds in a matter of seconds.
     Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Thomas switching from laying on his back to his stomach for what felt like the thousand time. Thomas was positioned on Ezra's other side and behind the bed Newt lay in. It was clear to me that Thomas was awake as well. He had been for some time now, but I didn't feel like making conversation, especially since some of the Gladers in here were really sleeping, and I didn't want to wake them up.
   Then it happened. The sound of metal against stone sounded from outside. The familiar clicks and twirls from a moving Griever were clearly audible through the thin walls of the Homestead.
     The moment the first clicks were heard, I jumped on my feet, together with almost everyone in the room. It seemed like Newt was the first one to react, he was waving his arms in the air, so he got everyone's attention before he pressed his finger against his lips in a gesture for everyone to be quiet. All the Gladers got the message and stayed as quiet as possible.
     Newt got up from the bed and tip-toed towards the one window in the room. It was covered with three pieces of wood, but with enough space between them so someone could look outside. Newt was being very careful as he leaned in to get a look outside, Thomas followed our friend and knelt down to take a look as well. Me, being curious about what was going on, started to walk into the direction of the window, but Ezra stopped me. He stuck out his arm and blocked my way. I wanted to say something but realized that I had to stay quiet, so I just shot him an angry glare while I gestured that I wanted to pass. Only Ezra shook his head. With determination on his face, he mouthed, 'saver here.' I understood what he meant, it indeed was saver the further away you were from the outside walls of the Homestead. And even though I really wanted to see what was going on outside, I decided that I would listen to my brother. I was too tired to make a scene anyway. 
     Apparently, there wasn't anything important going on outside because Newt walked back to the bed and sat down, just like Thomas, who sat down beneath the window with his back against the wall.
     Minutes passed by while the metal sounds of the Grievers got louder and louder. They were still walking on the ground since the sound of metal against stone was all that could be heard. Of course, that also meant they could be climbing the walls of the Maze, which were way too close to the Homestead if you asked me. 
     I had sat down again as well, with Ezra beside me, our shoulders touching and both holding on to our small knives as if our lives depended on it. Bark had also woken up, and she was a bit restless. Of course, that was because she noticed all the tension and fear that seemed to hang in the air as a thick layer of black smoke.
     The sounds of metal pins against stone got louder and louder, one of the Grievers had made its way to the Homestead. Then, the sound changed. It was now deeper, more hollow. A new wave of fear came through the room as we realized what it meant.
     The Griever was climbing against the Homestead. Its pins were easily making their way through the wood as it climbed higher and higher. Every time the monster spun to get its metal pins in a different position, the building started to shake.
     All the Gladers made their way to the back of the room, as far from the window as possible. I was standing almost in front of everyone, holding Ezra's arm, who was standing beside me. Squeezing it to be sure he was still there. With my other hand I was holding Bark by her head, I wasn't squeezing it as I was with Ezra, but I held her close to me this way. Thomas and Newt were standing in front of us, pressing all the others behind them. 
     Everyone was as quiet as they possible could, I barely heard anyone breathe, which reminded me that I had to breathe myself.
     The sounds of the Griever climbing on the walls of the Homestead became louder. The tension in the room became worse with every click of the metal pins or crack of the splitting wood. The moment the lights shone through the openings between the wooden barricade by the window, Bark started to growl at it. Everyone glared at me as I tried to shuss my companion by petting her head, "sssshhhh girly, it's okay, be quiet." I whispered to her, and she seemed to understand since she looked at me and stopped the growling.
     A big shadow fell over the weird lights, which made clear to us that the Griever was steadying itself for an attack. Without noticing, I started to hold my breath, just like almost all the other Gladers. Bark kept quiet, but she still was nervously moving around in her sitting position. My grip on my brother's arm tightened even more as Newt protectively stretched his arm in front of me. The room was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat. Everyone was staring at the window, scared for what could happen at any second.
     The door, that was behind all of us, busted open without warning. Almost all the Gladers, including me, jumped forward, away from the door. Some screamed, startled by it. Bark also jumped up, tail between her legs as she started to bark at the intruder.
     I had expected it to be Alby or Chuck or maybe Minho, but it wasn't. It was Gally.
     Everyone was surprised to say at least to see him, but I didn't have time to focus on that, I had to get Bark to be quiet again. I knelt down in front of her.
     "Shhhh, shhhhhhh. Barky, quiet down. Stop it, please." As I whispered to the dog, I petted her neck with one hand and tried to get her mouth shut with the other. It didn't take me long before she had calmed down enough to stop barking, and after that, I turned my attention back to Gally.
     He had fallen on his knees, his clothes were dirty, torn apart. Blood was visible on multiple places of his body, but I couldn't make out where it all came from. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was his eyes. He looked around the room as if he were a predator looking for his next kill. At first, I couldn't really believe it was him, but then he spoke up.
     "They'll kill you!" He screamed, spit flying out of his mouth with every word. "The Grievers will kill you all, one every night until it's over!"
     I stared at him, mouth hanging open. I was terrified by Gally right now, and what he was saying didn't help. It did, however, confirm what I remembered. In the movie, they also just took one Glader every night. Which didn't make it better. Gally pulled himself back on his feet, stumbling forward. He was dragging his right leg behind him with a heavy limp.
     Everyone in the room seemed frozen. Even Bark stared at the boy as he made his way to Thomas. Pointing at him with a bloody finger, "You." He said, voice scratching. "It's all your fault!" He yelled, and before I knew it, he punched Thomas on his ear. Thomas screamed as he stumbled backward, grabbing his ear where Gally had hit him.
     This snapped most of us out of our shocked states. Newt was the first to respond, he pushed Gally back, making him crash into the wooden desk that was standing by the window. The lamp that had been on it fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
     I hoped Gally would stop, but he just stood back up, taking everything and everyone in with the crazy look in his eyes. "It can't be solved," he said, his voice quiet now, it was distant and sounded spooky. "The shuck Maze will kill you Shanks... The Grievers'll kill you... one every night till it's over... I... It's better this way..." Gally looked down at the ground, "they'll only kill you one a night... their stupid variables..." I tried to listen to every word he said. Up until now, he didn't say anything I didn't know already, but somehow I felt like it was important to remember all of it.
    "Gally," Newt started, taking a step forward. "Shut your bloody hole. There's a Griever right outside that window. Just sit on your butt and be quiet, maybe it will go away."
     Gally's attention got turned to Newt, 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!" He screamed the last part as he shot to the window and started to tear on the wooden boards that covered the window. Before anyone could react, he had already torn off one of the boards and dropped it to the ground.
     "No!" Newt yelled, running forward, followed by Thomas. I wanted to help, but I was frozen on the spot. The moment Newt reached Gally, Gally had already torn off the second board, with the force he had from pulling off the board, he slammed the thing against Newt's head, knocking him out as he fell on the bed, a small spray of blood sprinkling the sheets. This snapped me out of it, I wanted to run forward to see if Newt was okay and to help Thomas stop Gally. But of course, Ezra grabbed me, holding me back against his body.
     "Stay back, stay back, sister. He'll be fine." He said in my ear, I growled, not wanting to stay back and do nothing while my friends were in danger, but I couldn't get out of Ezra's grip. 
     "Gally!" Thomas yelled, "What're you doing!" He demanded from Gally, but he didn't care. Gally spat on the ground, still jurking on the wooden board.
     "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." 
     "Gally don't!" I yelled at him in a desperate attempt to make him stop, but he didn't listen. He ripped off the last board, and the moment it hit the ground, the glass of the window exploded into the room.
     Ezra turned us around, forcing me to crimp in as he used his body as a shield to protect me from the glass flying everywhere.
     The moment the worst sounds of the glass hitting the ground was gone, I freed myself from Ezra's hold and turned back around. Thomas was holding himself up on the edge of the bed while he was staring at the window just like me. A Griever was trying to squeeze its big, ugly body through the small wooden window. The shards of glass that still stuck out of the window cutting it's skin, but it didn't even seem to notice.
     I was terrified as I stared at the creature, it's metal pins furiously scrapping at the wood of the walls and floor in an attempt to pull itself through the window's frame, reminding me of a big spider that tried to make it's way through a narrow crack.
     Everyone around us ran through the door, wanting to get away from the monster in front of them. Except for Thomas, who was frozen in place, Newt, who was still knocked out on the bed and Gally. Ezra pulled on my arm, "let's go," he whispered, scared that the Griever would notice us. But I didn't move, I couldn't leave them behind. 
     The Griever seemed to realize it wasn't going to get inside through the window, so instead of trying to do so, it stretched out one of its metal pins to Newt's lifeless body.
     Adrenaline shot through my body, I couldn't let it take Newt. I ripped my arm away from Ezra and ran forward, trowing myself between the Griever and my friend, holding my knife in front of me.
     "Cally!" Ezra whisper yelled, also taking some steps forward, but too scared of the monster to get close. Bark, who also hadn't left the room, started barking furiously, running from one side of the room to another. The Griever seemed to reconsider its prey, confused by the sudden loud noises of Bark's barking. But it quickly  made up its mind, stretching out its metal pins, reaching for me this time. I was terrified, to say at least, but I stood my ground, holding my knife in front of me, ready to defend myself when the Griever got too close. 
     "No one ever understood!" Gally screamed out of nowhere. I don't know if it was intentional, but the boy's screams got the Griever's attention. It pulled its pin back from me, but instead, it started to pull itself further into the room. Only Gally just continued his yelling, and somehow, he was still audible over the sound of the breaking wood.
     "No one ever understood what I saw, what the Changing did to me! Don't go back to the real world! You don't... want... to remember!" Gally's screams were haunting, but I didn't look away from the Griever until I felt a hand tight around my shoulder. I glanced back to see Newt had woken up again. Blood dripping off his face, terror in his eyes.
     Before I knew it, Gally jumped forward, face first into the slimy body of the creature. Thomas yelled as all the metal arms of the Griever clasped themselves around Gally's body, making it impossible for the boy to escape or get rescued. I wanted to scream as well, but I couldn't. The Griever lounged itself back, out of the window. I heard a loud bang, indicating that the thing had landed.
     Immediately, I ran towards the window, just like Thomas, Ezra, and Newt. Even though Newt was more stumbling, probably due to his limp and pain in his head. I wrapped one of my arms around his waist to help him walk, and together, we made our way to the hole in the wall where once was a window. The Grievers made its way back through the West door, followed by all the other Grievers. I thought it was over, but the next moment, I saw something, no, someone, running after the creatures into the Maze.
     It was Minho. Apparently, the other three saw it as well because we all started to scream and yell at him to come back, but of course, it was too late.
     Minho was already inside of the Maze.