▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

36. ♥︎ ₊˚༢࿐

Mae and Teddy walk side by side among the crowd of side shops, streets, and buildings full of people rejected out of the city. Which is surrounded by a tall wall wrapped around for miles. Peter and Thomas walk in front of them, Newt and Frypan in the back.

Jorge is following Thomas with doubt, "This place has really gone through hell."

"We just gotta stay together," Thomas dismissed.

"Odds of us shaking our asses in WICKED's face are slim to zero in saving Minho," Teddy quips from the back for only Mae to hear, kicking his feet against rubble as he avoids the eyes of curious strangers.

Mae sighs, glancing around on high alert. Bumps on her skin travel up her arm and tingle on the neck, causing her to turn around past Brenda's head and into the crowd, she saw nothing, but deep down she knew, "Feels like we're being watched."

Teddy shuttered, "I should've stayed at the camp."

Mae turns to him, suddenly being completely aware of his presence, "I can't believe Peter let you come."

"He didn't. I threatened to tell Vince," Teddy says, "I wasn't really, but Peter knew he shouldn't take chances."

She couldn't protect him here. She didn't know if she could protect herself. Riots in the streets get more violent the deeper they go towards the City Wall. Soldiers could get bored and start fighting back, rile them up, start shooting.

Mae couldn't protect them all at once.

A car strolls through the crowd, preaching violence and justice against WICKED. The group stops, and Mae could see at least 4 or 5 people in masks and guns.

She feels that cursed feeling again, bumps on her skin traveling up her arm and tingling the neck, making her face hot and red as she locked eyes with the closest masked survivor.

Mae couldn't see his face, but she could tell without a doubt he was staring directly back at her, his body practically hanging off the car to soak every last second of her presence.

"Mae? You okay?" Teddy pulls her sleeve.

She blinks. The car is gone with the crowd.

"Yeah, M'okay," She grumbles, slipping back into a grumpy state, grabbing his hand.

"That's it, that's our way in!" Thomas says, attempting his way to make it to the front of the crowd and to the gate.

Mae hears this, and squeezes to the front of the group to say, "Think these people are shouting to be let inside if that way was opened?!"

"Thomas! This is not what you're looking for!" Jorge agrees. "You think you're going to find something they can't?"

"Came this far, I'm not turning back now!" Thomas shouts over the crowd.

"Teddy is with us, we can't just—!" Mae reminds him, but Thomas was already running away from them.

"What the hell did we get ourselves into?" Frypan mutters.

"Moral of the story since meeting you guys," Peter comments.

As Mae glanced back, fear struck her core when she noticed the same group of masked men standing still. What was eerie were the people running in havoc around them.

She squeezes Teddy's hand, "Be ready to move quickly."

Her anxiety is in her throat, looking away from the masked men, and trying to appear as nonchalant as she could.

She slowed her steps until she was beside Peter, keeping her head straight as she spoke, "We need to leave. It's not safe here."

Brenda pops her head out from the other side of him, "Try telling that to Thomas."

"I'm giving this order, not him." Mae states firmly. Instantly, the two friends straighten, high alert and guns slowly being adjusted, "We can find Minho another way, this is going to get us killed."

Newt, who was once nowhere to be seen over the heads of the violent crowd, runs up to Mae, "We gotta go! We gotta go right now." He pushes past them to warn Thomas, Frypan and George ahead of the group.

Leaving a gap for Mae to see the masked man pushing through the crowd. Straight for them.

As if the universe was against them, at the same time a whirling of metal could be heard from the Wall. The fighting crowd instantly quits as the guns turn aim to them. Advication turned to screams of terror as they ran away.

Thomas stood mortified at the front, and Mae was close enough to the mask man to hear him bellow for everyone to run. If she wasn't so panicked to pull Teddy away from guns, she would've recalled how familiar his voice sounded.

"Thomas, let's go!" Jorge and Newt drag him away.

Bombs and guns slam on dirt, killing people closest. Bodies drop around Mae, making her want to sob as she runs. It seemed she was in front of the group now, Jorge fast paced pushing past her and guiding them through abandoned streets.

Teddy falls just as they reach a clearing.

"Teddy!" Mae runs back, but crashes right into the arms of the same masked man from earlier.

He grabs at her clothes, leading her away from Teddy. Peter was also trying to reach his brother, thrashing in another strangers' grip.

They were all getting captured.

"Get off me you fucking slinthead!" She slams her elbow into his mask, and he stumbles in surprise.

Mae doesn't run, she grabs her knife and slashes it. And he had barely any time to dodge.

"Damnit!" He muffled through the mask.

Mae is grabbed from behind by someone new, leaving the tall man stunned.

She was shoved into a car with Brenda, Thomas, and Teddy.

"Mae!" Teddy shouts. Mae is roughly placed between him and Thomas, who glanced over her for visible wounds.

She shakes her head, looking him over too. I'm fine, you?

He nods. I'm fine.

"You know if I was as ugly as you, I'd wear masks too!" Teddy complains to the men the second the car starts moving.

Mae now has time to look at them. Well at least, the one in the middle. For some odd reason she knew he was looking at her, watching her as he rubbed the trigger of his gun. Maybe to calm his nerves.

Or maybe in blood-lust. Her brain was reminded.

They didn't respond to Teddy's words. Dead silent.

"Huh, are those semi-automatics? That's so last year," Teddy continues to prod at their nerves.

"Shut up, Teddy!" Thomas says through his teeth in anger.

"Don't tell him to shut up when this is your fault," Mae quips, pulling an expression of mockery that she knew even Gally would be proud of.

And just maybe he was.

Thomas turns fully to her in shock, forgetting they were even there when he said, "My fault? You're blaming me?"

"Oh let's walk into a riot straight to the front, for all of WICKED to see our wanted faces in hopes to find Minho," She recites, "I'm not saying it's your fault we got captured—"

"There's definitely blame there for us getting captured," Brenda speaks up, pinching her finger together to indicate how small she blamed him.

"Big blame," Teddy says bluntly, "It might not have been by WICKED but there's still blame."

"Okay, stop berating Thomas," Mae groans, "I feel like Newt."

She hopes her friends are okay. Mae couldn't bare the thought of them getting separated again, not when they were so close to reuniting their family.

Mae's eyes snack back up to the masked man, she can tell his eyes were on her even if she couldn't see them. Her gaze floats around his form before her eyes catch something on his wrist.

It was hard to see the fabric of his gloves, and the darkness of the van. It looked like a bracelet, braided from rope strings and– Mae's eyes widened, petal dye?

The vans roll to a stop, Mae doesn't have even a minute to process her thought before she's being forced out of the van, guns and loud voices are pointed at her, Teddy, Brenda and Thomas.

Teddy's eyes search for Peter, Mae's eyes search for Newt.

The second van had pulled in less smoothly than theirs. The car was shaking back and forth, a fight had broken out from inside, and Mae could've sworn she heard Jorge lecturing in there.

"Where you going?" Jorge's voice is muffled inside the van. Bang! The doors open and a masked man is thrown on his back, Jorge jumping on him and punching him hard in the face.

Newt, Frypan, and Peter step out of the same van, "Where's my family?!" Peter bellows, dangling out an unconscious person with a single hand before raising his hands up in surrender at the guns.

"Peter!" Teddy shouts, running up to him.

Peter's shoulders ease with relief, pulling Mae into the hug as well, "Thank god," He says, "Have we blamed Thomas for this yet?"

Thomas throws his hands up in defeat, then runs to help

"Where is she!" He demands.

"I'm right here! I'm right here!" Brenda eases Jorge, raising her hands to show that she was safe and unharmed. Jorge pulls her into a firm hug.

"Everyone relax!" The masked man shouts, "We're all on the same side here."

Thomas angrily tries to get in his face, but is held back by more survivors, "What do you mean, same side? Who the hell are you?"

At the question, the masked man hesitates, and Mae feels her anticipation grow.

He removes the mask to not reveal a man at all, but a boy— a teenage boy with the same blue eyes that haunt every nightmare Mae has ever had since the day she left the maze.

"Gally?" Thomas says in shock.

As expected, every Glader turned to Mae. Wanting to see her reaction, wanting to know just what she thought. She could feel their eyes, but her gaze was only on the ones staring back at her.

"Gally. . ." Teddy tries to recall, his face squints, making his glasses rise. Then, his eyes widened. As if he won the lottery he loudly goes, "Oooooh. Oh wait, oh my go—"

Peter quickly and casually covers Teddy's whole face with a single hand, pulling him out of the mix of the crowd.

"Hey, Greenie." He greets.

Mae felt as if she was dreaming. As if time and reality had left her stranded in the continuous loop of survivors' guilt. She had been captured and was now imagining her dead lover, projecting the reactions of friends who weren't really there just to validate her new insanity.

In fact, Mae only snapped into reality when Thomas ran forward to punch Gally so hard across the face he dropped. Thomas goes down with him, not done yet.

She knew Thomas was only fighting Gally to avenge Chuck, it had nothing to do with her, so she let him release it for a moment. She can blame it on the initial shock.

No one else seemed to agree as they rushed to pull Thomas off the former Glader. Newt seemed to be the only logical one, grabbing Thomas' hand before he could take another swing.

Not bothered by the guns pointed to his head, Newt continued to aid Thomas back to the moral road, "Stop! Stop it."

"He killed Chuck!" Thomas reminds.

"I know. I was there too, all right? I remember. We all remember," He emphasized that Chuck's death was not forgotten, that Thomas wasn't crazy for wanting this revenge, "But I also remember that he was stung and half out of his mind. Just calm down all right?"

Thomas debates with himself for a moment, before reluctantly letting Gally go with a shove, standing back next to Mae, who still hasn't reacted.

"Mae," He turns to her breathlessly.

Mae is still looking at Gally.

"I had that coming," Gally replies to him, "Anyone else? Fry? Newt?" He hesitates, looking at her, "Mae. . ."

The sound of her name on his lips sent chills down her spine, the kind that felt like a ghost whispering in her ear before disappearing from view. Her eyes burn with tears.

"Gally. . ." Her voice is choked, unable to say anything else but his name.

Gally feels his body soften, the sound of his name in the air making him feel like the sun had shined back down on him.

"Do you know this guy?" Jorge asked in confusion.

"He's an old friend." Frypan explained.

Teddy roughly removes Peter's hand, "And Mae's ex-boyfriend."

Jorge's eyes widened, "No—"

"Stop gossiping," Brenda snapped through her teeth.

"How is that possible?" Newt stutters, "We watched you die."

Gally scoffs, "No, you left me to die. And if we hadn't found you when we did, you'd be dead right now."

Mae's face twisted at his words. Left him to die? She felt a rage bubble in her chest at Gally's accusation, the relief of seeing him alive was now blocked by her pride.

Her pride in revenge for the Mae whose life changed the very moment she was pulled away from his bleeding body.

Mae struts forward and slaps Gally so firmly his face flies to the side, shock in his eyes at her sudden outburst. He looks at her, sort of. . .excited. This was far from the Mae he knew in the Glade, in a way he found it beautiful, like a fully bloomed flower.

"Left you to die?" Mae repeats, "I was basically pried off your dying body by WICKED soldiers with guns. You think I wanted to leave you there?!" Swelling angry tears turn to mourning drops on her cheeks, "How could you say that!"

He looked down in shame, "Mae. . ."

"I would've rather died! Died than be apart from you, seeing you lay there alone! I thought you died alone!" She cried.

Peter rushes forward, and pulls Mae away from Gally, glaring at him hard. Teddy stands in front of them, pointing two fingers from his eyes and directly at him.

Of course, Gally wanted to hold her. Jealous fills his chest at the sight of Peter, thinking the worst as the older boy comforts the one person he had spent almost a year trying to find.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Gally sighs, looking at Thomas.

"Minho," Newt answers, "WICKED has him here, we're looking for a way in."

"I can help with that, follow me," Gally says. He understood the feeling of being separated from someone you love, his eyes glancing back at Mae every second, wanting to talk to her.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Thomas answers.

Gally shrugs, "Suit yourself, but I can get you through those walls."

Teddy narrows his eyes at Gally, leaning to whisper to Mae, "I hate that I like his casual one-liners."

Mae couldn't help a soft smile. She always thought Gally would've enjoyed Teddy. Gally was easy to rile up, and he'd bicker with a child for hours given the chance, in the way Teddy liked getting under people's skin.

"After the maze I get picked up by a group headed to the City," Gally explains, they realized I was immune, patched me up, and they brought me there to Lawrence. This group has been in War with WICKED ever since they took control of the City."

"Well, WICKED can't hide behind those walls forever," Mae says sternly, thinking about her mother that stayed cozy on the other side of that wall, torturing her friends.

Gally nodded, a barely noticed smile on his face, not much for public affection. Mae always noticed, in fact, that was considered more than usual for Gally in the Glade, "Exactly," He says lightly, "The days gonna come and they're gonna pay for what they've done."

Newt glanced between Mae and Gally, a frown on his face. He doesn't like the idea of Mae getting involved in a War.

Gally stopped the group, "He doesn't get a lot of visitors. So, let me do the talking. All right? And try not to stare."

Gally led us behind a door guarded by over ten people with guns. It resembled a greenroom, a thin man is tending to his roses, muttering to himself as another survivor keeps eyes on him. He was hooked up to an IV, filled with a cure to whatever was decaying his body.

Teddy's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Woah," He says slowly, touching his own nose in shock.

"Gally," Lawrence greets, "Glad to see you made it back, Jasper told me what happened."

"It was a slaughter," Gally sighs, "There's nothing we can do against those guns."

"No, but they can only poke the hornet's nest so long before they get stung," He replies, putting a rose to his deformed face, "Now, who are these people? Why are they here?"

"We need to get into WICKED, and Gally said you can get us through the walls." Thomas steps forward.

Gally looked instantly annoyed but before he can speak Teddy rolls his eyes and says, "Thomas, he just said let him do the talking!"

"Gally should know better to make promises he can't keep," Lawrence dismissed, he pointed a boney finger at Mae, "That's the girl from your journal, aye? Well, that wall will only be half your problem."

Gally looks down, a light blush on his face. Mae raised an eyebrow, curious to know what exactly these people knew about his past.

"Getting inside WICKED is impossible."

"Not impossible," Mae steps forward, "I can get us inside, and Thomas can end this."

"There could be a way now," Gally agrees, "But it doesn't work without Thomas." Thomas can't help but appreciate his words, Gally would've never uttered those words before.

"Is that so?" Lawrence hobbles up to them, "Do you know what I am..?"

"Deformed?" Teddy raises a hand.

"Old," Peter guessed.

"A businessman," Lawrence corrects.

Teddy snapped his fingers, "That was my second guess."

"It means I don't take unnecessary risks," He continues in annoyance, "Why should I trust any of you?"

"'Cause I can help you. You see, if you can get me through those walls, I can get you what you need." Thomas vows.

"And what is it, do you think I need?"

"Time.  Every last drop."

Lawrence scoffs, "Is that what I need?"

Mae didn't like the sound of his tone, reaching for her gun on her hip slowly.

"WICKED has something we both want," Thomas continues to bargain, not breaking eye contact as much as the man's appearance made him uncomfortable, the situation making him nervous. He wouldn't allow Lawrence to see it.

"I'll tell you what. Three can go for now." Lawrence smiles, "The rest stay down here with me. Just a little insurance to make sure you find your way back. We have a deal?"

Thomas instantly shakes his hand.

"Gally, show them the way."

—

The entrance into the city was through the sewer systems. Mae should've guessed. Gally and Frypan pull the metal grate from the large wet hole in the ground. He grabs the ladder, putting it down the hole.

"Okay, I guess we should discuss who goes," Mae states, "Newt obviously because this is Minho."

"You should probably stay here," Thomas says gently, "It should be me, Newt and Peter. We have the most combat experience."

"Wanna go right now and see who's right?" Mae smiled sarcastically.

Gally grins to himself. She only ever slipped that attitude with him in the Glade, he was glad to see she expanded her victims.

Thomas huffs, "I just mean—"

Mae waves him off gently, "Peter, you stay here. You have great second in command qualities and can keep Teddy in check so we don't come back to everyone thrown in jail."

Peter nods, "Yes, ma'am."

"Accurate," Teddy agrees.

"You, me and Newt will go." Mae continues, "I know the City, you need me."

"Okay, fine," Thomas raised his hands.

"Gally, take care of these three," Frypan smiled before leaning down to whisper for only Gally to hear, "And keep them from killing each other. . .or anyone else."

Gally raised his eyebrows, surprised, mildly amused. Was he in a twilight zone? "Yeah. no problem."

The sewers were as wet and smelly as Mae expected them to be. She clicks her flashlight on, accidentally shining it in Newt's face. He lightly smacks it away. Gally leads the way into the sewers, Thomas beside him, Mae and Newt in the back.

"Ugh, this is gross!" Newt complains.

"Yeah, this is great." Thomas says sarcastically.

Mae frowns, "Safer than anything else."

Gally pulls a lever and multiple light bulbs light their way down the tunnels. Lawrence and his group must've done this. How long had they had access to inside the City?

"Stay with me, we have a long way to go," Said Gally, pulling his flashlight away and looking at the trio sternly.

They walk in utter silence.

Mae is deep in thought, looking at Gally's back as he walks in front of her. Suddenly, Newt gives her a light shove forward, almost knocking into Gally if she didn't plant her feet still.

She glared at him, but the boy simply jerked his head in the direction of Gally. His eyes clearly scream, 'Go talk to him.' But Mae shakes her head in a panic.

Newt, never one to take no for an answer, grabs Thomas by the collar in front of him, pulling him out of the way.

"Hey–" Thomas snapped at the sudden action.

Now, the trio was close together under Newt's firm grip, much to everyone's dismay. Thankfully, Gally stayed looking forward, partly to keep focus on the path, another part was playing blissfully unaware.

"Go talk to him," Newt whispers.

Thomas catches on, glancing at Gally.

"But, Newt," Mae whispers back, "Now probably isn't the best ti—"

"All right, then. Off you go," He pushes her forward.

And she stumbles right into Gally's side, causing him to shift his eyes away from the trail and towards her.

Instantly, she blushes in embarrassment, clearing her throat and facing forward, "So," She drags, "If Lawrence wants WICKED so badly, why doesn't he send his army through the sewers?"

"Because he's right, getting in is only half the problem, besides it's more heavily guarded inside, we still lack the numbers," He explains, glancing at her again in the corner of his eyes, "Mae. . ."

"Yes?" She says softly, eagerly.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier," He says slowly, trying to pick the right words. Gally was never good with words, or apologies. But he was trying, "You didn't leave me to die. I know that."

"A lot has happened since then," She remarks softly, "I got my memories back."

Gally's full attention is on her, his eyes wide, "Makes sense. I thought the new Mae was created because of all this," He motions forward, but she knew he meant being thrusted into this world, fighting and surviving, "Guess it was just real Mae all along," He smiles.

Mae's heart swelled at his words, the guilt she felt seemed to wash away. She looks down at her feet. She hasn't felt her heart swell in a long time. "Yes, well. . .all of this shaped me too," She reminds, "Losing you. . .changed me."

Gally nods in agreement, "Yeah, me too."

In the time Gally spent away from Mae, he had learned the importance of kindness. If it hadn't been for the group that found him, or Lawrence, he would be dead. It took him having nothing to understand the value of everything.

To understand that fear only controlled what he let it control. In fact, he had taken a page out of Mae's book in the same way she had taken several out of his.

If he could go back in time, he wouldn't have let fear win over love.

He would've followed Mae in a heartbeat.

"I knew you were alive," He says suddenly, "I never stopped looking."

"Really. . .?" Mae says in surprise, "Never?"

"Not once," He firms, giving a shrug of nonchalance.

Mae suddenly shakes the hope from her chest, looking forward with a distaste for herself, "I have a mission," She explains gently, glancing back at Thomas and Newt who had decided to walk 10 feet behind them, "We've lost too much to get to this point, finding Minho is important, but killing Ava is the endgame."

Gally looks down at her, "You want to kill her? You'll have to get in line."

"I'm serious," Mae says firmly, "It has to be me. She will not get away with everything she's put us through. I hate that woman."

Gally's lips turns up in amusement, "Coming from the girl who once said she was never the type to hate anyone."

"I was oblivious to true evil," She says softly, "Thomas and Newt don't agree with a lot of the things I've done recently, I understand if you find me unsettling or—"

Gally genuinely laughed, "Jesus, Flower, you act like you started WICKED from the ground up." Mae was taken back by his laughter, the sound so beautiful to her ears, "The day I fear you will be the day. . .honestly I can't think of a day because it's never gonna happen."

Mae smiles softly, "Flower. I haven't heard that nickname in a long time."

"I hope not, it's mine." His eyebrows knit together. He realized his own words and blushed in embarrassment.

Mae eased. The more she spoke to Gally the less tension she felt. In some aspects, she felt like a young girl with a crush all over again.

"So, Gally, how'd you end up with a bloody Crank as a roommate then?" Newt asks, the two rejoining the conversation as the path comes towards the end.

"Actually, I owe that Crank my life." Gally explains, "When Lawrence and his crew found me, they could've sold me back to WICKED or traded my life for a view vials of serum. Instead he offered me a place, reminded me I have something worth living for."

"What's that?" Thomas asked.

Instantly, Gally looks at Mae. And Thomas understood.

Oddly, it made his heart feel less heavy. As if he could let Mae go knowing it was in the right hands. Even if they were the hands of someone he never saw himself being allies with, let alone friends.

Newt couldn't help a smile on his face, looking at Mae's reaction felt worth it. Watching how it started, knowing where it's heading. He saw a glimpse of a happier Mae. A calmer life. Finding Minho and going to the Safe Haven.

Her eyes locked on his for only a moment before he tore them away, "Wait here, I'll be right back." He ducks into a dark tunnel.

Thomas frowns, "Do you guys think we should really trust him?" He asks, still unsure and certainly uneasy, "After everything he's done?"

Newt shrugs, "What other options do we have? Look, I know this may be hard for you to believe, Thomas, but there was a time that Gally was a true friend of mine." He explains, motioning to Mae, "He would never actively put Mae in harms way either. Seems we have the upperhand."

"Only way in," Mae agrees, "Besides, you promised Lawrence. You shook on it, and Teddy's up there. We can't turn back."

"Hey," Gally voiced, "It's clear. Let's move."

"I hope you're both right," Thomas sighs.

"All right, this way!" Gally leads them through a crawl space to a wide hole that leads into an underground train system.

The wind was heavy and Mae was quick to put her hair up. She crouches beside Gally, looking down at her friends with wide eyes at the sight.

"Okay, we gotta be quick about this. We won't have a lot of time, stay on me okay?" He shouts through the wind. Gally turns his head for only Mae to hear, pointing a finger at her, "I swear if you trip, fall, slide or tumble, I will pick you up and drag you."

Mae rolls her eyes, a smile growing on her face, "I wasn't that clumsy was I?"

He gave her a look of exasperation, remembering all the times he and his Builders try to do projects that end with Mae stumbling or causing accidents to herself and others.

He found her cute of course, but he swears it was because she needed more people to practice stitching on in Medical when Clint and Jeff were always doing something else.

"Fine," Mae huffs, "I'll be extra careful."

He nods in acceptance. The train passes and Gally is quick to jump out, the others following one by one. Mae's feet hit the metal to a very very narrow train rail. Gally puts the grate back on the hole.

"Great! Tommy loves trains, don't ya mate?" Newt teased.

"Yup, great, because you're about to see another one real soon!" Gally replies, grabbing Mae's hand and running past them, "Come on!"

In panic, they were quick to follow.

Mae is running at what felt like the speed of light and yet she felt like they weren't getting any closer. Her lungs burned as she followed after Gally, Newt behind her, and Thomas at the end.

"Gally, what the hell are we doing?!" Thomas bellows.

"Less talking, more running!" He screams back.

Suddenly the metal starts to vibrate under her feet, lights start to flash above them, and Mae could faintly see a light get closer and closer. Mae realized that it was because they were running towards it.

"Is that a train we're running at?" Mae yells.

"Not if you're quick!" Gally answers, leading them towards a ladder.

He shoves Mae up it first, from above she sees Newt crashing to the ground, his legs giving up on him.

"Newt!" She screams.

"Newt!" Thomas runs to sprint to him, but Gally shoves him back, running faster.

Mae felt her heart stop, her lungs crash. Her grip almost loosened on the ladder at the sight of Gally lunging for Newt just as the train zoomed past her. Her body pressed so hard into the ladder, Thomas pressed firmly into the wall below her.

He didn't want to look, he wouldn't dare. Even as the train past he didn't want to open his eyes. Mae however, was wide eyeing the unmoving bodies on the track.

She hops down and runs past Thomas.

A groan is heard and Mae's steps falter, Gally sits up from beside Newt, grabbing his chest in pain, "Well, that was fun," He says, "Never were great runners, were we Newt?"

Newt accepts Gally's hand, "Well, I've only really got one good leg."

"Yeah? And I've only got one good lung," Gally grins.

He turns straight into Mae hug, her arms wrapped around his neck, face buried in the crook as she lets out a relieved breath. He stands there stunned, knowing he had dreamed of this moment every day since the second he left her.

Slowly, he eases but the reaction wasn't quick enough for Mae who felt like she overstepped, slowly pulling back, "Sorry, I know you think hugs are stupid—"

He pulls her tighter, one arm around her waist, the other on the back of her head, "Don't let go," He says.

"Look at this. I almost died, too," Newt says to Thomas, motioning playfully to the hug. Thomas smiles.

"I'm glad you're alright, too!" Mae hugs him just as tight.

"Come on, before another train comes."

the long overdue chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed :3