𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 - TMR, Gally

008 - I Don't Want To Anymore

I don't want to anymore.
I don't want to anymore.
I don't want to anymore.
I don't want to anymore.
I don't want to anymore.
I don't want to anymore.
I don't want to anymore.
I do not want to anymore.

That's what I kept repeating in my head the whole time Jeff treated my bruised wrist, which I hurt by punching the wall earlier. Gally stood behind us as always, arms folded, and eyebrows furrowed. There never came an explanation of why he stood there in the first place.

There was no 'Ow, ow, ow' and 'Ow, ow, ow won't let the pain fade away' or 'Shut up, Potato Head'. There was silence.

Sometimes Jeff would look at my face. It must've been puffy and tear-stained from earlier. My cheeks flushed red in shame of that. I hadn't told anyone about it either. All I did was worry about Luke and if he came back. According to the watch I got from Alby since I was the only girl (and most of the time only Keepers get one), they would close in half an hour.

"Clint!" Sounded outside just when Jeff finished rolling a bandage all over my hand and wrist. "Jeff!"

Once the boy's name got called, he jumped up and rushed out of the Med Hut. Three seconds later he stormed in again, more people following behind. It was Minho with a dirty face as always. In his arms he held a boy.

A boy I recognized as my brother. As Luke.

Blood trickled down from his head and side. His eyes were closed, veins ripping out out of his pale skin. I froze in my place, not able to speak.

All I did was watch my brother get pushed down on a bed, hands getting tied onto it with strong-looking ropes. It confused the hell out of me. What the hell happened in the maze?

Clint helped the boys tie the unconscious Luke. Then they all wiped sweat off their foreheads as if it was so hard to tie him on there. And before I could ask what happened, Gally did.

It fell silent. Everyone waited for Minho to answer, though by the looks of it, everyone in the hut knew what happened, except for me. I was desperate to know, feeling my heart ache for my brother already.

"Is he...?" I didn't dare to say the word out loud. My voice was shaking already. It made me feel weak, but no one seemed to bother it.

"No." Clint shook his head. A wave of relief washed over me. "He got stung, didn't he, Minho?"

For once, Minho didn't seem his sarcastic self. He didn't make any jokes and didn't pretend everything was fine.
"Yeah, it was weird. I'm running through the maze, suddenly this shank walks up to a livin' Griever like it was nothing. He was acting weird. I shouted for him, but he didn't listen and kept moving like... like a..."

"Robot." I finished. "This morning he walked into the maze the same way too."

"So he did go into the maze." Gally realized.

I gave him a sharp glance. Quickly the boy shut his mouth and continued staring at Luke, whose breaths were unsteady, chest moving up and down fast.

"But... stung? What's that?" I scrunched my eyebrows, confused. I had heard the word before, but no explanation.

"It's what the Grievers do. They sting you." Minho exhaled. It was enough to let me know things weren't good. "Makes you lose your mind, but we have the Grief Serum. Box sends 'em up. Gives them back a few memories. Horrible ones."

Before Minho got to finish— I could see he wasn't, since his mouth opened again— Gally interrupted by walking to the door of the Med Hut.

"I'm out. Don't wanna hear this shuckin' story of memories again." He muttered. The door slammed close behind him.