I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner]

[22: The Cost of Freedom]

Gally was the last person any of them were expecting to see.

Aside from being adamant they should all stay in the Glade, Gally also expressed how much he blamed Elle and Thomas for everything that had gone wrong. That made him the least likely person to follow them out of the Glade, through the Maze, and into WICKED's facility.

"Gally?" Thomas stepped forward, holding his arm behind him to prevent Elle or Chuck from following.

"Don't," Elle grabbed his arm, effectively stopping him in place. "He's been stung," she observed.

Thomas's eyes dropped to look for any signs of the Changing. Elle was right. Gally looked just like the others that had been stung in the past. He had dark, clouded eyes that didn't resemble their usual colour. Tears were welling in his waterline, and he blinked frequently, as if it was difficult for him to focus on one thing for too long. The last piece of the puzzle was the blood stain on his shirt; it was the site of the sting.

Gally dropped the Griever key to the ground with a loud clang. The Gladers jumped at the sound, looking down at his hands and discovering he was holding a gun in his free hand. Even though he was stung, Elle could tell there was something off about him. The unsettling fear and sadness in his eyes made her think that it wasn't just the Changing; something else was bothering him, controlling him.

He sniffled, shaking his head. "We can't leave," Gally stated. His body trembled as he placed his finger on the trigger of the gun. Elle felt her pulse pick up, her heartbeat clamouring in her chest as she observed the boy. A horrible, unsettling feeling appeared in her stomach. She had no way of proving it, but she knew deep down that Gally was no longer in control of his actions.

"Something else is wrong," Elle whispered for Thomas, Minho, and Newt to hear. "It's not just the Changing, something else is going on. He's not himself."

"We did leave," Thomas replied, telling him they could leave if they wanted to. "Gally, we're out. We're free." Nobody moved for fear of triggering a response from Gally. All they could do was stand still and hope to convince him he could be helped. Elle wondered if it would even work.

Gally's face was reddening by the second; it looked like he was suffocating on the spot before them. "Free?" he echoed, turning his head and crying. Gally revealed his blackened veins, and Elle shut her eyes for a moment, registering how far along he was in the Changing. At this point, he would already be experiencing delusions and had perhaps gotten some of his memories back. "You think we're free out there?" Gally gestured towards the door that had just opened for them. "No," he denied, shaking his head. "No, there's no escape from this place." Gally shakily raised the gun in his hand, pointing it directly at Thomas.

The Gladers rallied around their friend, trying to move closer to protect Thomas in case Gally fired the gun. Thomas lifted his hands in front of him, partially for his own protection, and to show that he was completely surrendering to Gally. He hoped that he might be able to prove that he meant the other boy no harm. Seeing Gally in such distress made Thomas agree with Elle's suggestion that he wasn't himself; WICKED must have done something to him like another trial to test the surviving Gladers. It was just cruel enough to be a possibility.

Thomas minimally shook his head. "Gally, listen to me," he tried to coax Gally out of his pained state. "You're not thinking straight. You're not. Now, we can help you. Just put down the gun," Thomas pleaded, trying to make Gally see reason.

"I belong to the Maze," Gally spluttered, his face still turning red and eyes growing more swollen.

"Just put down the gun," Thomas reiterated, voice softening further. Elle wondered what she would be able to do to prevent Gally from hurting anyone. Any step she took might endanger the others because it could startle Gally, but if she stood by and did nothing, someone could die.