28


Elle stood rooted to one spot, her eyes glued to Thomas who laid before her on the bed.

He remained unconscious, though that had more so to do with the serum Teresa had injected into him after he had pierced himself with the stinger, or Elle assumed. No one had the slightest clue as to what the serum was or what it would do, but it was their last means of hope.

As Teresa had put it, he was going to die and perhaps the serum might prove worthless, but it was worth a sort. At least they can say they tried all that they could.

Their options were dwindling and this was their best shot, simple as that.

Elle shifted her weight from one foot to the other. A sense of uneasiness has settled over her since the whole ordeal and as time went by, it just got worse. It was gnawing away at her insides, leaving her feeling both nausea and terrified. It wasn't a good combination at all. She had tried to alleviate the feeling, nonetheless nothing seemed to be working. It also didn't help that everyone else in the room was just as tense as her, if not more.

Elle's gaze flickered to Newt, who sat beside Thomas bedside. He was bent forward, his elbows resting on his thighs, his hands intertwined at his mouth and his eyes peeled to Thomas, just waiting for something; anything to happen that would indicate he was alright. She could see the worry in his features and Elle wanted nothing more but to ease it.

Realizing she needed to do something, Elle wandered over to stand behind Newt. She snaked her arms around his neck and leaned forward, resting her chin on his shoulder. Elle could feel Newt relax slightly under her touch. He reached over and rested his hand on her forearm, rubbing said area in a soothing manner as his gaze remained focused on Thomas.

Elle pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his temple.

"I love you." Elle murmured.

Newt brushes his lips against her forearm.

"I love you, too." She felt his lips move against her skin.

Elle grinned, for she never grew tired of hearing those three simple words. Mind you, she never doubted for a second that Newt didn't love her, even after the fights they had been involved in during the last couple days. That was to be expected, especially in an awful place such as the Glade. It was wearing on everyone and it was only a matter of time before one of them lashed out.

The fact it didn't happen sooner was more shocking than anything.

"What if he doesn't wake up?" Chuck's voice rang out, laced with with anguish.

Elle glanced over at him, only to find Chuck staring at Thomas, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. She could just how much pain he was in from all that had happened and it broke Elle's heart to witness it. Chuck was someone who had trouble making friends, for he was so young in comparison to the rest of the Gladers. When he had becomes friends with Elle, Chuck was more than pleased and now that he had made another friend, Thomas, he was on cloud nine. But the fact one of his friends might be torn from his life caused Chuck a great deal of hurt.

Elle wanted to take away his pain, but there was nothing she could do. She could offer him words of comfort; telling him that he would be alright and just to give him time, but they would become nothing more but empty reassurance. She didn't want to get Chuck's hope up, only to have them shattered if things were to take more of a turn for the worst.

So she settled for something simple, yet true.

"He's a fighter, Chaz." Elle said, offering him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Chuck merely nodded in response, his eyes never leaving Thomas.

So much had occurred in one day. They had fallen victim to an attack by the Grievers a lot of lives had been lost during the fight. The place in which they call home had been destroyed, leaving them with absolutely nothing. They had nowhere to go. After that was all said and done, Gally had approached Thomas and blamed him for everything and even went as far as to punch him. All that provoked Thomas to do the unthinkable. He stabbed himself with the stinger of a Griever and now his life was hanging in the balance.

And they can't forget that Gally had taken control over the Glade, having convinced everyone that Thomas was responsible for everything and leading them to wage a war against him and those who chose to fight alongside Thomas.

It was all utter chaos. And Elle didn't have the slightest clue how to fix it.

No one did.

Elle's thoughts are soon cut off when three Gladers come barreling into the Homestead, one being Gally. Elle removes her arms from around Newt's neck, straightening up and staring at the scene unfolding before her. Newt followed suit, standing up and facing Gally.

"What's goin' on?" Newt wondered aloud, looking to Gally for answers.

"I'm doing my job as a leader." Gally spoke, a smile decorating his face. "Thomas will be sentenced to the Slammer until his banishing."

Just as those words left his mouth, the two Gladers who had walked in with him made their way towards Thomas. In one swift movement they grabbed Thomas's arms and lifted him up off the bed. Without feeling a lick of empathy, they began dragging Thomas out of the Homestead, his feet scraping across the floor while his head hung forward.

Newt sprang into action, going straight for the Gladers. He reached for his machete behind his back and once the weapon was drawn, he pressed it against the Glader's back. The Glader froze, gripped with fear. The other Glader stopped dead in his track as well, his eyes peeled to Newt.

"Let him go." Newt seethed. "He's injured and still needs to heal. You have no bloody right takin' him from the Homestead."

Elle gripped the back of the chair that Newt had sat in moments ago. Her body was tense and her jaw clenched as she stared at Newt and the other Gladers. She wanted to help, but Elle knew that she'd just get in the way. This was Newt's fight. And by the looks of things, he had the upper hand.

"Last I checked, that wasn't your call, Newt." Gally spoke, his voice hard. "I'm your leader now and with that comes the power to make decisions. If I'm telling them to take Thomas to the Slammer, they have no other choice but to listen. You can't tell us what to anymore."

"I don't give two shits if you're our leader now." Newt spat, barely containing his anger. "All thanks to you, Thomas is hurt-"

"All thanks to me?" Gally repeated, his voice laced with disbelief. "How is any of this my fault? The stupid shank stabbed himself with the stinger! As far as I'm concerned, he brought this upon himself. He doesn't need anymore medical attention and you know what? I could care less if he dies while in the Slammer. We'd do much better without him here. All he's done is cause problems."

"You're disgusting." Teresa snapped. "You're a vile human being and if anyone deserves to die, it's you. Look at what you've done, Gally! You blamed Elle for both Jackson and Ben's death, even though they clearly attacked her and she was a victim in all of this! And lets not forget Alby. You blamed her for his death as well, when you were well aware that it wasn't her fault. Then you had your pathetic friends kidnapped both Elle and I hold us captive. And that friend of yours, Darren was it? He was the worst of them all and you witnessed it, but did nothing to stop it. You're blaming Thomas for the Griever attack, when it's not even his fault! You pushed him to do something that could cost him his life. So before you start pointing fingers, perhaps you should look to yourself."

If looks could kill, Teresa would surely be dead. Elle could practically see the anger radiating off him in waves. It sent a shiver down her spine and the look wasn't even directed at her. But Teresa made a good point. Gally had caused a lot of harm. Sure she wouldn't ever wish death upon someone, but if anyone deserved it most, it was Gally.

"Your lives mean nothing." Gally said, his voice void of emotion. "By sundown tomorrow you'll all be dead. I guess you should say your goodbyes now."

He turned to face the Gladers. His eyes flickered to Thomas.

"Take him to the Slammer. Now."

And with those parting words, Gally turned around and walked out of the Homestead. Everyone was left staring at his retreating back with wide eyes and shock written across their face. That boy was heartless and this just proved that all the more. If he wanted to rid of them, so be it. Elle wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of pleading for her life.

Newt never moved. He remained still, his eyes focused on the Glader before him. Elle could see just how rigid he was from here. His free hand formed a fist at his side and his jaw was clenched.

Newt opened his mouth to speak, but Jeff cut him off.

"Just let them take him, Newt." Jeff murmured. "There isn't much more we can do here."

Newt looked ready to argue, but Clint spoke up.

"Jeff's right, Newt." Clint chimed in. "Thomas will be alright. No more fighting. Please."

Elle can see that Newt is caught up in an internal battle. On one hand he wants to fight the Gladers; insist they let Thomas go or else. But on the other hand, he knows that Jeff and Clint are right. There's been so much blood shed already and there's no need for anymore. It won't solve anything.

"Jeff and Clint are right, Newt." Elle spoke softly. "We'll figure something else out. I promise."

Silence swept over them as Newt weighed his options. Elle's eyes never let his. Eventually he let out a sigh and dropped the machete, it landing with a 'clunk' on the ground. The Glader that Newt had threatened quickly sprung into action. He picked Thomas up and practically raced out the door, never once looking back. The other Glader was forced to catch up, as he had been so caught off guard by how fast the Glader had moved.

Newt wandered over to the bed, sitting on the edge. He leaned forward and ran his fingers through his hair, gently tugging the strands out of sheer frustration. It was written all over his face.

"We need to think of a plan." Minho spoke out. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not liking the idea of being banished. And knowing that Slinthead, Gally, he'll make it as humiliating as possible."

"Would you expect anything less?" Elle responded, flashing Minho a grin.

"First we worry about Thomas." Teresa chimed in. "Then we think of a plan. Alright?"

Teresa was right. Thomas was their first priority. They would move forward with figuring out a plan when Thomas woke up and they knew he was okay.

"Alright."

.

.

.

Night had fallen upon them. The moon shined high in the sky, casting an glow across the Glade.

Elle, Newt, Chuck, Minho and Teresa had all decided to sleep outside of Thomas's Slammer, just so they could be there in case he woke up. No one liked the idea of him being alone. Another reason was that their homes had been destroyed, so they didn't have anywhere to sleep. It was either here or somewhere else on the ground.

Elle had her back pressed up against the Slammer, it was a tiny wall separating Thomas's cell and the next. Her legs were stretched out before her and crossed at the ankle. Newt lay on the ground, his head resting on her lap. His arms were folded against his chest and his legs extended in front of him, much like Elle.

Elle watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, indicating he had fallen asleep. Elle couldn't help but smile, for he looked so peaceful and as ease. He looked so much younger, if that was even possible, considering he already looked younger to begin with. Nonetheless she loved watching him sleep. She loved seeing him relaxed and without the stress of the Glade on his shoulders.

Taking in her surroundings, Elle's gaze fell upon the other Gladers. Minho laid on the ground nearby, his arms propped behind his head, acting as a pillow. Teresa laid a few feet away, curled up in a ball in which Elle assumed was to preserve little warmth she had. Chuck, on the other hand, laid against the cell door. His entire body faced Thomas, while his fingers grasped the door. Even as he slept she could see the worry etched in his features.

Elle frowned. She didn't like seeing him like this at all.

Elle glanced back down at Newt and settled for running her fingers through his soft strands. She loved the way his hair felt between her fingers. It was rare when she got to play with his hair, for he was a bit picking on her touching it. Although many would never guess, Newt worried about his hair more than he'd ever let on. For a joke she'd sometimes reach up and mess it and Newt was never too pleased. He smack her hand away and shot her a look, one that showed he wasn't too impressed.

It didn't stop her. She loved messing around with him.

Letting out a soft sigh, Elle leaned her head back. She began to think of today's events and just how screwed up everything was now. Everything they had worked so hard for had been destroyed within a matter of minutes. She still couldn't come to terms with that, for it just seemed so hard to believe.

The Grievers had wrecked everything.

Elle started to think about how she had been locked up the Box. That had to have been one of the worst moments of her life. She had never been so scared before. She had been scared for Newt, Thomas, Minho, Chuck and every other Glader that was involved in the fight. Nonetheless, she had also been scared for her and Teresa. Elle didn't know if they were going to make it out alive. She feared that Gally might rid of them, making it so they wouldn't be able to go and blab to everyone else on what had happened. But surprisingly enough, he didn't. He spared their lives and although she was grateful, it still didn't change how she felt about him.

He was an awful person, in every sense of the word.

And with him having blamed Thomas for all that happened, it proved that all the more.

Only two things mattered as of right now. One being that Thomas needed to wake up and be okay. She couldn't lose him, especially after everything they had been through. And two, they needed to figure out a plan; a way to escape.

The Glade was no longer a safe place for them.

They needed a way out.


Dun, dun, dunnnnnnn! Gosh, Gally is such an asshole, eh? I know I wouldn't want him as my leader. No way. So what did you guys think of this chapter? I'm not too sure how I feel about it. I had a hard time writing it, so that right there concerns me. And speaking of that, I'm sorry I'm just updating now. I wanted to get an update out yesterday, but I got playing Rise of the Tomb Raider and well, it's such an awesome game that I couldn't stop.

I love it sooooooo much! Tomb Raider games are awesome, just saying.

On another note, only two more chapters left of this story. Crazy, huh? I can't believe it's almost done.

Nonetheless, let me know what you think.

You guys are awesome! And your reviews make me oh so happy.

Thanks :) xoxo.

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