Who The Hell Are You?!

We drive towards the city, until we reach a small town, located just outside of the walls. Jorge slows the truck to a stop, getting out to observe our surroundings. 

"We'll be better off on foot" Jorge tells us, as we step out of the truck to stand with him. I turn to Thomas. "Come on. Let's go and find an in". 

Thomas moves to the front of the group, leading us through the crowd, towards the walls surrounding the city. I feel Brenda pull me to stand in between her and my uncle. I give her a small smile, walking beside her with the feeling of her still holding onto me. It warms my heart to know that she's keeping me close, so we can't get split up. Brenda and i have formed a strong sisterhood over the months, and my uncle has parented us the entire time.

It's nice to have family by your side, and i know the boys are happy to have our family extended. 

My uncle Jorge takes two steps forward, so that he's walking beside Thomas. "This place has really gone through hell" he says, looking around the area. 

"We just gotta stay together" Thomas says. We all turn to see someone in a mask, sitting on top of a vehicle. We come to a stop, staring as he addresses the crowd.

"We are the voice, of the voiceless! They hide behind their walls, thinking they can keep the cure for themselves, whilst they watch the rest of us wither and rot!".

My attention is pulled to one of the men, sitting on the vehicle. I can't tell for sure, because he's wearing a mask, but it looks like he's staring at our group. Maybe at me. His head turns as the vehicle drives further away, and i can feel his eyes meet mine. We stare at each other for a long moment. A familiar feeling blooms in my chest, but i have no idea what it means.

I'm brought back to reality when i hear the familiar sound of a WCKD berg hovering above us. I turn to Thomas, who's staring up at it.  "Let's move" He says to us. We follow him towards an alley, walking through a small archway. We end up joining a large crowd, who are standing just outside of the walls, throwing things and shouting profanities at it. They chant "Let us in!".

Thomas turns to us. "That's it. That's our way in!". He rushes off into the crowd as all of us try to catch up to him. I study the crowd and the walls, and i start to feel skeptical. 

If no one here has found a way in yet, then there's not a great chance of us finding one.

I look at the camera's mounted on the walls. A bad feeling starts to present itself in my gut with every step closer to the front we get. Brenda keeps hold of me, since i've almost been lost twice already due to all of these tall people pushing me away as they move around. 

"Maddie, hold my hand. The last thing we need is you getting lost" Newt says, grabbing my hand as he stands on my other side, with Frypan standing behind me. I've been completely circled around by all of them. Jorge and Thomas are in front of me, leaving no gaps for anyone to get too close to me. 

"It's so cute how you're all protecting me. You guys are literally my bitches" I say, chuckling. My uncle and Thomas turn to me, with small smiles on their faces. Brenda lets out a snort of amusement. Newt just shakes his head, but he can't hide the smile on his face. And Fry lets out a laugh. 

Not one of them even bothers to argue it. And i love it. 

We weave through the crowd, and i glance at my uncle as he shouts to Thomas over the noise coming from the crowd. He looks just as skeptical as i feel. "Thomas! This is not what you're looking for. All these people are trying to find a way in, you think you're gonna find something they can't?" he asks, but Thomas isn't having any of it. 

"Came this far, i'm not turning back now" Thomas replies, his tone resolute. 

"He's right Thomas, there's definitely no way in here. We should try a different area" I say to him, the bad feeling in my gut is growing too much for me to ignore. 

"What the hell did we get ourselves into?" Fry asks, watching the crowd as we try to not lose Thomas and Jorge. 

"Get out of my way! Get out of the way!" Jorge orders people, nudging them away as we finally get to the front of the crowd. "Thomas, this doesn't feel right" He says, as we all stare at the walls in front of us. 

"Listen to him, Thomas. I have a feeling about this too. We should go and find a different way to get in" I add, starting to feel nervous. 

Something bad is about to happen. I can feel it. 

Newt holds my hand tighter, causing me to look at him. "What's wrong?" I ask, watching as his posture tenses slightly. 

"We're being followed" He says, discreetly gesturing behind him. I follow his gaze, to see the same man from before, looking directly at us as he weaves towards us in the crowd. I notice more guys in the same sort of masks near him, all heading in our direction. 

I turn to Thomas, finally having enough of his stubbornness. I want to find Minho, but we need to find another way in, and we can't do that if we're captured by some shady looking men.

"Thomas-" I start to say, but get cut off by Newt, who's looking panicked. "Hey guys, we've gotta go. Now", he says, gesturing to the guys getting closer and closer to us. 

Jorge gets his gun out, but the sounds of something metal moving on the walls in front of us pull our attention. It silences the crowd, as we all stare. Large, metal guns turns to point in our direction. I assume that they're guns of some sort, because they make a sound as they turn on, and everyone in the crowd starts to retreat. Even the masked men, who i notice start escorting people to find cover. 

"Thomas, let's go. We've got to get out of here!" Jorge says, nudging Thomas as we all begin to back away. Shots start being fired at us, and i keep hold of Newt's hand as we run away. 

"Go, go ,go. Come on!" Thomas shouts as we sprint towards the buildings. We all try to stick together as we run. We watch as people are hit, and sent flying through the air, only to land harshly on the ground. 

All of us have near misses with the shots sent our way. I run as fast as i can manage, my lungs burning, and my legs starting to ache. We turn a corner, running back down the alley we had come through earlier, narrowly missing shots landing right behind us. 

Newt lets go of my hand as he runs into an open area. He pushes me back towards Fry, who's running to us, as he's grabbed by one of the masked men waiting for us. 

"Newt!" I shout, Fry and i rushing to his aid, despite the fact he tried to keep me away from them. All of us are grabbed, shouting for each other. One of the men grab me harshly, and instinct kicks in, causing me to knee him in his area. He drops to his knees in pain. I hear my uncle shout for me, just as he's grabbed my another masked man. 

"Run, Madeline. Run!" He shouts. I turn to see Thomas being grabbed by the man i stared at earlier, and i run to Brenda, attempting to pull her with me. If i can have at least one person on my side, it'll help when we go back to save the others. 

"Brenda!" i shout. She tries to run to me, but gets grabbed. I attempt to help her, but a different man grabs me. I shout out in pain, his grip hurting more than the first man's grip. 

"Brenda! Madeline! Get off of them!" My uncle shouts, thrashing around to help us. I hear the other boys shouting for us. Two men had to hold Jorge, pushing him into a van with Newt and Fry. As Thomas, Brenda, and i are forced into a different van. 

"Ouch, get off!" I snap. The man finally listens. Sitting with the other two in front of the three of us. I hold my arm, still feeling the tightness of his grip on me. I'm sure it'll bruise. Brenda sits in between Thomas and i, and we all stare at the armed men watching us. I feel the same guy's gaze on me. I feel the familiar feeling once more, but i get distracted by Brenda and Thomas glaring at the guy. They seem to have noticed that he's been staring at me during the entire ride, only glancing at the other two every once in a while. 

After a short while, we come to a stop. The three of us are pushed out of the van. We get out, and look around to see more armed men watching us. I panic when i don't see my uncle, Newt, and Fry. Another van pulls in beside us, and i stare as it shakes violently. I hear shouting inside, and suddenly, the doors burst open to reveal my uncle, landing on top of a guard on the floor. Newt and Fry follow out after, looking relieved to see us as they try to calm down Jorge. 

"Where are they?! Huh?! Where is my niece? Where is Brenda? You son of a bitch!" He shouts in anger, punching the guy in the face. The armed men around us, point their guns in his direction. Two men try to pull him off of their friend, but Jorge is unrelenting. They hold the other boys at gun point.

Brenda and i look at each other, seemingly reading each other's minds as we rush over to Jorge. 

"Jorge we're here! It's us" Brenda shouts, snapping his attention to us. 

"We're ok, uncle Jorge! We're fine" I reassure. He finally gets up, walking over and pulling us both into his arms. 

"Hey, calm down. We're all on the same side here" The guy says, pulling my attention to him as he looks at me again. He glances at the others, attempting to calm us all down. 

"What do you mean, the same side? Who the hell are you?!" Thomas demands in frustration, pushing one of the men's hands away from him. 

The guy doesn't reply, he locks eyes with me yet again, and slowly pulls off his mask. I feel my breath catch, and my eyes water. I'm in complete disbelief. The world around me, the sounds, fade as i stare at the familiar face. I don't hear or notice the other's reactions. I feel like i'm hallucinating. It doesn't feel real. 

"Gally?" I whisper, almost too scared to say it out loud. 

He stares at me, looking unsure as he studies my features. "Mads. Greenie", he greets, glancing at Thomas. I also look to Thomas, and see that his face is full of disbelief, and fury that's been buried for a while. Thomas doesn't hesitate to step towards Gally, and punch him in the jaw. Gally falls to the floor, and Newt rushes to hold Thomas back, with the help of Frypan. My feet stay planted in my spot. I don't think i could move without collapsing. 

 "Stop. Stop. Stop!" Newt orders Thomas, who's ready to send another punch at Gally. What shocks me, is that Gally just lays there, ready to take it. 

"He killed Chuck" Thomas says, his voice shaking with rage. Chuck's innocent face flashes through my mind, and more tears threaten to fall. 

"Yeah i know. I remember. I was there too, alright? But i also remember, that he was stung, and half out of his mind. Just calm down, alright?" Newt says to him. Thomas finally relents, abruptly standing up and stepping away from Gally. 

We all watch as Gally gets up and rubs his jaw. " Kind of had that coming. Anybody else? Fry? Newt?"He looks to them, and then to me, pausing for a split second. "Mads?".

"Do you know this guy?" Jorge asks us, noticing how silent i've been the whole time. I glance at Brenda, who sends me a look saying 'You can tell me later'. 

"He was an old friend" Fry says, with a look of nostalgia. 

"How? How is this possible? We watched you die" Newt stammers, with a confused frown.

"No, you left me to die" Gally replies, causing guilt to pool in my stomach. "And if we hadn't found you when we did, you'd be dead right now. What the hell are you doing here?" He asks. 

"Minho. WCKD has him here" Newt starts to explain. 

"We're looking for a way in" I say, slightly breathless as i finally bring myself to speak. We stare at each other, and i can't help but let my eyes wander, taking him in. He's a lot taller now. More fit. I try not to blush when he notices my gaze lingers on his biceps. I swear the tiniest of smirks appear on his face. 

"I can help with that. Follow me" He says. I go to follow, but Thomas puts a protective hand on my shoulder to stop me. 

"I'm not going anywhere with you" Thomas tells him, still pissed. 

"Suit yourself. But i can get you through those walls" He replies, his jaw clenching slightly as he stares at Thomas' hand on my shoulder.

I look at Thomas, pulling his attention. "If Gally has a way in, we should take it. For Minho" I tell him, not wanting to miss out on the chance of saving our friend. Thomas takes a moment to think, but finally nods his head in agreement. 

I'm the first one to walk towards Gally. He stays planted in his spot, as if he's waiting for me to reach him before he finally begins walking. I hear everyone's footsteps catch up to us, and soon enough, Thomas has moved into my spot next to Gally. Newt walks just behind them and i'm now walking next to Brenda, trying to ignore her pleading looks for information on how we know Gally. 

Luckily, Gally starts talking, and pulls our attention to him. "After the maze, i got picked up by a group headed for the city. They realised i was immune, patched me up, and brought me here to Lawrence. This groups been at war with WCKD ever since they took control of the city" Gally explains, gesturing to the armed guys who stare as we walk past them. "But WCKD can't hide behind those walls forever. Day's gonna come, and they're gonna pay for what they've done". He stops us, sending us a warning look as he talks. "Listen uh, he doesn't get a lot of visitors. So let me do the talking, alright? And try not to stare" He says, before walking off again for us to follow. 

"Were you two ever together?" Brenda asks lowly as we follow the group. 

I'm very aware of my uncle behind us, and i hope he's not eavesdropping. "What makes you think that?" I whisper. 

"Well, he hasn't stopped staring at you since he saw you. You're both looking at each other like your the only people in the room. It's cute, and sickening" Brenda replies teasingly. 

I roll my eyes at her playfully. "Shut up. We were together when we were in the maze, but keep it quiet. I don't need Jorge to find out and go all overprotective, threatening Gally's life" I plead, glancing at my uncle who seems oblivious to our conversation. 

Thank God. 

We follow Gally into a large room, hearing a voice singing inside. "Rose took my nose, i suppose. Rose took my nose, i suppose. Suppose, suppose, took my nose".

Great, the guy who might help us is insane. 

"Gally. Glad to see you made it back. Jasper told me what happened" The man says, half of his face hidden in the shadows. 

"It was a slaughter. There's nothing we can do against those guns" Gally replies. 

"No... but they can only poke the hornet's nest for so long, before they get stung" The man says, holding a rose up to his nose. My mind involuntarily replays his little song in my head at the sight of it. "Now, who are these people? Why are they here" He questions Gally, referring to us. 

"We need to get into WCKD" Thomas replies, grabbing Gally's attention. I already know he's feeling annoyed because he told us to let him do the talking. But of course, Thomas doesn't listen. "Gally said you can get us through the walls".

"Gally should know better than to make promises he can't keep" The man says, turning to face Thomas. He grabs his cane and steps towards us. "Besides, that wall is only half your problem. Getting inside WCKD is impossible".

"There might be a way now. But, it doesn't work without Thomas" Gally explains. 

"Is that so?" The man asks, walking to Thomas. "Do you know what i am, Thomas?". He steps closer to Thomas, into the light to reveal his infection-riddled face. I force myself not to react, not wanting to piss him off in any way. 

"I am a business man" He whispers into Thomas' ear. I grimace slightly. 

I bet his breath reeks.

"Which means i don't take unnecessary risks. Why should i trust you?" he asks, giving Thomas some space. 

"Cause i can help you. You see, if you can get me through those walls, i can get you what you need" Thomas answers, his tone confident. 

"What is it, that you think i need?" The man asks him. 

"Time. Every last drop" Thomas answers bluntly. The man scoffs. "Is that what i need?".

"WCKD has something we both want" Thomas says. 

"I'll tell you what. Two can go for now. The rest stay down here with me. Just a little insurance to make sure you find your way back" The man explains. 

"We have a deal?" The man asks. Thomas looks about ready to agree to the deal, but a voice interrupts. "Wait. Lawrence". It's Gally.

"What is it Gally?" The man asks, his tone slightly impatient. Gally walks over to him, whispering something in his ear. The man, Lawrence, chuckles lowly, nodding his head in agreement to whatever Gally's saying. 

"Fine. So, do we have a deal with Thomas?" He addresses Thomas again.  Thomas sends a questioning glance in Gally's direction, but shakes Lawrence's hand anyway. Sealing the deal. 

"Gally, show him the way" He orders. Gally walks over, moving a flat piece of metal to reveal a dug out hole in the ground, and places a ladder inside. 

"Gally. Take care of these two" Fry says, referring to Thomas and Newt. 

"There's actually three of you going now. Gally requested the girl to go with him" Lawrence says, his tone full of amusement as he points at me. Everyone turns in my direction, causing my cheeks to heat up. I look at Gally, who has his legs resting on the ladder in the hole. He looks up at me, his neck turning slightly red from embarrassment. 

"No. No. My niece is staying by my side" Jorge says, shaking his head. 

"We'll look after her Jorge" Newt says to him. 

"Let her go with them" Brenda says, sending me a look that says 'Use this chance to talk to him'.

"I promise i'll keep her safe" Gally says with a serious expression. Jorge stays silent for a moment, contemplating. 

"I can handle myself, uncle. Don't be such a fun sponge" I say with a small smirk. Jorge points at me, feigning seriousness. "I'm not a fun sponge. You can go but be careful" he says, causing me to grin. He then looks at Thomas, Newt and Gally. "If she gets so much as one hurt hair on her head, I'll be slicing and dicing you all. Understood?".

The three boys exchange a worried look. "Understood. Sir" They say in unison, causing Brenda, Fry, and i to snicker. Even Lawrence snorts in amusement. 

Gally moves down the ladder first. "Mads, your next!" he shouts. I send one more look of reassurance towards Jorge, and start making my way down the ladder. I look above to see Thomas climbing down next. 

Author's Note:

I didn't know where to stop writing. We finally have Gally back though, and they will be having an important conversation soon. We're getting towards the end, and i'm kinda sad about it :(

I've got a concert tonight but i've scheduled this to be published because i don't trust myself to remember to publish it before or when i get back lmao. I have already started writing the next chapter and plan to publish it on Sunday.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Xxxx