GladerWolf 2 (Newt X Female!Reader)

An Old Friend

Brenda turned to us from the front of the truck, a smug grin on her face. "Thank you," I said to her.

"You're welcome," she replied.

"That checkpoint back there was the city's last defence," Jorge began as we drove. "If that was overrun, there's a chance the city is too."

Newt stroked my hip as we looked out the window. "Yeah, unless they've figured out another way to keep all the Cranks out."

I followed his gaze and Bertha threw dust up past the window as Jorge stopped suddenly. We climbed out of the truck to get a look at the city.

It was vast and expensive-looking, so different from the wastelands and scrap-heaps we'd come to know over the past few months. The sun shone and reflected against the silver and grey buildings. There was an outer part of the city, which didn't look particularly upkept, even from this distance, and then a massive stone wall that resembled a buttress dam, which kept the shiny skyscrapers and fancier buildings protected. Among the maze of buildings was my brother, somewhere.

"Funny how we spent years trapped behind walls; trying to break out. And now we're trying to break back in?" Newt said. He brought his arm around me and kissed the top of my forehead.

"Yeah, it's hilarious," Fry said dryly.

"Those walls are new," Jorge said. "I guess that's WCKD's answer for everything."

"Well, we ain't gonna figure it out from up here," Brenda said as she made her way back to the car. "Let's go!"

~

We reached a busy town, full of hustle and bustle: groups of people moving in unison and dissension. Their voices blurred together, along with their combined scents varying from just sweaty to recently infected. It was impossible not to touch people as we passed: bumping against shoulders and getting shoved as we tried to pass. I caught a familiar scent and lifted my nose to the air.

Newt clutched onto my hand. "We're gonna be okay," he soothed quietly.

"No, no, I can smell something."

"There's a car coming, let's move out the way."

"...of the voiceless!" A voice was speaking through a megaphone. People made space as a group of armed men on a convoy of trucks rolled past, protesting about WCKD, presumably. Some people raised their grubby fists into the air in agreement. When the first truck passed us, I ripped myself from Newt's grasp, lifting my nose and peering at each man on the truck. Most of them wore masks over their faces, to prevent them from catching the Flare. Most of the masks were clear but I could not see through them because they were reflecting the light from the sun. But I knew a scent when I caught one, and one of the men on the truck was staring back at me.

"It's Gally," I wanted to say, but I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud. What if I was wrong? Maybe he had a brother of a similar scent and was looking at me because he thought I looked weird?

"Bergs," Newt announced. We looked up to see the dreaded flying vehicles. From the marks on our necks, we'd been detected.

We shoved through the crowds of protesting people -- some of them holding up signs, all of them shouting -- as we followed Thomas toward an opening in the giant stone wall. Jorge shouted over the noise, telling him we wouldn't find a way in if no one else had.

But the people behind us were pushing us forward.

"What the hell did we get ourselves into?" Fry asked.

The people moved no farther than a barricade. A couple of people tried to move past it -- which they easily could -- but were pulled back by others around them.

We soon saw why.

At the top of the wall, at least four large mechanical contraptions lifted up, red lights flashing within them. The people around us scurried back where they'd come from: screaming and shoving each other all the while.

The machines started firing.

They blasted people around us: sending people to the ground, or throwing them into the air, and ripping limbs from bodies.
We ran.

Even spaces between buildings weren't completely out of firing range.

The people in masks grabbed us and shoved us toward their trucks. "Hey, what are you doing?!" I shouted as I felt myself lifted by one of them.

It was time to use what I'd learnt.

I twisted myself in the man's arms and locking my legs around his torso, using both our weight to bring him down. I gripped his mask with one hand and drew back my other first to punch the glass straight into his face, but stopped short.
He had the familiar scent. And, looking into the mask, I saw familiar blue eyes. Before I could speak, someone pulled me off him and I was hauled into a truck. Doors were slammed as the engines started. People shouted to go. I was sat between Thomas and Brenda, opposite three men with gas masks and guns.

We didn't dare to speak.

~

After what was less than a ten-minute drive, we slowed to a stop and the boot was opened behind us. Someone patted the side of the truck and yelled at us to get out.

Our truck drove off and another one pulled forward, stopped and then moved forward again. There was shouting from inside. The doors opened and a masked man was thrown to the ground. Jorge leapt after him. "Where is she?" He shouted. Brenda. He punched the man and Thomas leapt forward to haul him off him.

"She's right here!"

"I'm here, I'm here!"

"Everybody relax, we're all on the same side here," one of the men said.

But they had us at gunpoint. Thomas shoved one of the men off him. "What do you mean 'same side', who are you?"

The man removed his mask and my breath hitched in my throat. It was him! It was actually him! "Gally," I cried, tears stinging my eyes. His hair was shaved to a buzzcut and he looked aged from being out here. But I supposed, we all did. I wanted to hug him, if not for the amount of guns flagging us.

Thomas wasn't as hesitant -- he'd killed Chuck.

I sensed that he was about to move forward and grabbed his arm. "Wait!"
He ignored me; punching Gally in the face and straddling him when he was on the ground. I heard the clicking of guns being cocked around us.

It was Newt who calmed him. "I remember what happened," he said. "But I also remember that he was Stung and half out of his mind. Let's just listen to what he has to say." When they stood and bearings were found, Newt looked at Gally. "We watched you die."

"No, you left me to die," he corrected. "___ was the only one who wanted to help me."

 I was crying. I hadn't noticed the pain in my throat as I sobbed silently. Gally didn't look at me. Newt didn't hold my hand.

"If we hadn't found you, you'd be dead too. What the hell are you doing here?"

"WCKD has Minho," Newt replied. "We're looking for a way in."

Gally nodded. "I can help with that. Follow me. But first..." He looked at me. "___, I am so sorry." We ran to one another and he wrapped his arms around me. I sobbed into his chest. My best friend was here again.

"I didn't want to leave you, I didn't want you to go," I said.

"I know, wolfy," he replied. "I missed you too. I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere."

"You'd better not," I said with a laugh as I pulled away.

"I promise."