The Death Cure || 1

Chapter Six

"Here." I said, my voice straining, hauling a metal ladder over to Gally, who quickly lowered it down the alternative, more accessible pipe we'd recently discovered on the eastern side of the building.

My heart sank when Lawrence forbade me from returning to the city. I'd been whinging since we had first come back just to be sent back there on any mission, even if it was just as a look out. But still, not budging, he held firm, crushing my desire to explore the city filled with liquid light pouring onto the concrete valleys inhabited by the most pristine robot-like humans you could ever imagine.

"You'll be back in the city in no time, I'll take you myself." Gally grunted, gathering supplies for the gladers.

I sighed, slumping my hands on my hips, sour with jealousy turning my vision a shade of hazy green in annoyance.

"Be careful, Eyebrows." I smiled anyway, nudging his arm gratefully, thankful for his gesture.

With quick a nod of his head and a flash of a smile, he disappeared down the tunnel, followed by Newt and then Thomas.

"Don't miss me too much." Gally hollered up the shaft, saluting me with a devilish smirk before running off with the others.

"On second thought, don't come back!" I yelled after him. I huffed as I shut the vent, muttering at him to myself, walking over to the table where I'd left one of my gadgets. Grabbing my screwdriver, I sat cross legged on the edge, beginning to take it apart.

"It's Jack, right?"

"Jackie." I corrected, raising an eyebrow whilst removing a gear from the contraption with my screwdriver, before sharpening it's edges. "Can I help you?" Dismissive as I must've sounded, I was still slightly curious.

"Sorry, it's just that Gally calls you Jack." The voice came from next to me, it's tone not hugely deep, but rather soft and inviting.

"He does." I shrugged, putting the newly sharpened gear back into the gadget.

"Right." He trailed off, my question still unanswered, I turned to the stranger who I'd put down to the character of Frypan from the sound of Gallys stories of the glade. He was looking right at me with one of those 'I know you from somewhere but I can't figure out where' looks, unnerving me somewhat regardless of how friendly he seemed.

"You need something or what?" I asked, turning back to my invention.

"Sorry." He quickly stammered, straightening his back. "It's just- well you look so much like my friend, Newt. He's the guy who stopped Thomas before he pummelled Gally to death."

"I suppose so," I mumbled, furrowing my brows at the machine in hand, trying to figure out why we were so alike. There had to be a reason, I mean, it was practically uncanny, but I shrugged it off for now. "Not my problem." I said, an awkward pause settling between us.

"So what's your deal?" I ask finally, pausing in my repairs, looking up at him with furrowed brows.

"Uh- My deal?"

"Your deal." I nod, seeming to have only confused him more. "Well Thomas is obviously the leader, Newts the peacekeeper, y'know, keeping the leader from pummelling people to death. And you, I can't quite figure you out, how come you made it out of the maze?"

He managed to comprehend what I was saying, his eyes finding mine as he began to explain. "Oh, well in a nutshell, it was Thomas, he found our way out, put all the pieces together and here we are. We've followed him ever since."

"That easy huh? I'll be it that shank has the hero act nailed, managing to get all of you to trail after him like that." I laughed airily, but stopped at the thought of Lawrence and his 'way of operating', our allegiance to him less of a question and more of an expectation. I thought at least Thomas had given people a chance to make their own mind up, but really, anyone against WCKD was good enough.