"What the bloody hell's going on out there?" Newt cried.

We just crossed back into the Glade. Most of the Gladers were all standing in a clump around the South doors. His face was white, and his eyes never left Thomas's face. I leaned over to Minho and Teresa, whispering loud enough for Thomas to hear.

"Newtmis is SO gonna be a thing!"

Minho gasped and Teresa and I actually giggled.

"Shut up! You're annoying!" Thomas snapped, but his cheeks went pink.

"Sure, sure. But I'm so right!"

"Jessie shut.up." His face looked slightly panicked. I just smirked.

"What'd you do now, Thomas?" Alby asked, sounding tired and exasperated. But, he stood straight and tall, his arms crossed.

"It sounded awful! It sounded like it was all collapsing!" Winston cried as he elbowed his way through the crowd. I tried to fend him off, but he wrapped me up in a hug.

"Winston I swear!" I cried, "the the fuck off me!" I finally managed to shove him off. He had a cheeky smile.

Minho leaned over, "I think he does that just to piss you off."

"No shuck!" I rolled my eyes, just as Chuck slammed into me and hugged me tight around the waist.

"Chuck!" I cried, my eyes flashed angrily trying to pry his vice grip off me. "For fuck sakes. Get a grip on your selves!"

"We just love you!" Chuck grinned up at me. I rolled my eyes.

"That. That is a huge mistake. Now.get.off.me!"

I finally got Chuck off me when there was a wild scream. The crowd went silent and parted. Every head twisted to see Gally storming through the parted crowd. Every Gladers eye followed him, some had mouths wide open some backed up and a few actually coward.

"Gally." I said, with a moc bow, "nice to see your ugly face around here again."

"What the hell you done now, Thomas?" He demanded. His eyes were wide and deranged. Spit flew from his mouth.

Teresa and I glanced at each other and we had a second silent conversation. We both slid a knife out and stepped up on either side of Thomas. My knuckles were white as I held the knife tight.

"We saw something, a new passage. It could be a way out!" Thomas answered, still very much out of breath, but he stood straight and tall his eyes narrowed at Gally. The crowd around them burst into a buzz.

Chuck looked back and forth between all of us, his big brown eyes wide in wonder, "Really? A way out?"

"Yes Chuck. We found two actually." Teresa smiled kindly at the boy.

"What?" Newt cried. "You better bloody explain right now!"

"Well we split into two groupd. Tess and Jason went to four, with one of those Griever cylinder things. Thomas, Jessie and I went to seven, we saw something I'd never seen before." Minho said seriously.

"I think it might be where the Grievers go during the day." Thomas said.

"I got my hand covered in griever goop!" Minho added scrunching his face and shivering.

"Wait! Whoa, whoa, whoa... You found the Grievers' home? And you want us to go in?" Chuck asked horror struck.

I slowly turned to him, still hesitant to take an eye off Gally. But I turned to look at him.

"Well, it was a better option than the one Teresa and Jason found in section four! And...their way in could be our way out!" I explained.

The Gladers all gasped.

"It's true." Jason finally said. "Section four is probably not the best option, it was a small opening and if you miss you fall off the cliff."

The crowd got louder, more anxious. Gally scoffed as he shoved another Glader out of his way, he stopped right in front of Thomas's face.

"Yeah, or there could be a dozen Grievers on the side, of any of those Griever openings. The thing is," Gally cried, spit flying from his mouth as he looked up at the crowd, "Thomas doesn't know what he's done! An' the girls are going right along with it, as usual!"

"Gally? Where have you bloody been the last few days?"

He rounded on Newt, and took a threatening step closer. My protective instincts flared to life and I shoved my way between Newt and Gally, holding the knife up keeping him at bay. Gally's eyes flashed wildly.

Thomas's anger flared up and he stepped up into Gally's face, poking him in the chest, "Yeah, at least we're doing something, Gally. I mean, what have you done? Aside from hide behind these walls all the time?"

"Let me tell you something, Greenie. You've been here a week ONE week, all right? I've been here almost three years!" Gally was shaking with anger, the veins in his neck popping.

I could see his fists balling, and the tension in his shoulders tightened. Thomas didn't look any better, he was right up in Gally's face.

"Yeah, you've been here 3 years and you're STILL here, Gally! What does that tell you? Maybe you should be doing things a differently."

Gally went to punch Thomas. I saw it coming. And apparently so did Teresa. We threw ourselves at Gally just as his fist came around. Teresa and I slammed our shoulders into Gally causing all of us to fall.

I rolled off and came up standing, fighting stance ready, a knife in each hand. Teresa rolled to the other side and came up on her feet knives grasped tight in her hands.  Gally was absolutely livid now. He scrambled to his feet. His eyes were pure hatred.

He tried coming at me, but I ducked and spun under his arm, just as Teresa slid into his reach and slammed her elbow into his sternum, making him double over. As Teresa spun away I lunge closer and slammed my knee into him making him stumble backwards. Then at the same time, Teresa and I drop to our knees, spun towards Gally, and swept his feet out from under him. He landed hard on his back. Teresa and I both jumped to our feet, in identical ready possitions, knifes still held at the ready.

"I'm telling you this once. Don't ever try that again." I snarled. Teresa didn't say anything, she was silent beside me, but I felt her tense and coiled body and heard a slight growl from the back of her throat.

"I remember Thomas. And her!" He cried, pointing to Teresa. "So did everyone else who got stung. What does that tell us? You shouldn't be trusted! You did this!" He hissed.

"How would you know? You weren't even here when Alby woke up."

Gally growled again, and narrowed his eyes.

"Where have you been Gally?" I asked again.

"No where." He snarled.

His eyes were wild and his body was shacking. Just as Teresa and straightened and started to take a step back, his body launguage changed. His wild eyes went vacunt and dead, his shacking body stilled and then everything went stiff as a board.

"They're coming for you." His voice was robotically.

Teresa and I instantly tensed and went back into our fighting stance. Gally tried to get up. I dropped down, my one knee on this chest, and my other foot holding his arm down. Teresa did the same on the other side, effectively pinning him down. I had a knife pressed to his neck.

"Don't even think about it." I hissed.

"They are coming for you." He repeated, his dead eyes flicked to me. "They're coming for you." He repeated in a sinister whisper.

"Gally, what the bloody shuck are you talking about?" Newt stepped forwards, looking down at the boy under Teresa and I. He wasn't fighting, but he was coiled like he was ready.

"It can't be solved," he said, his voice now quiet and distant, spooky.

"Again. What the blood hell are you ravin' about?"

"You don't get it, Newt. You're too stupid- you've always been too stupid. There's no way out- there's no way to win! They're gonna kill you, all of you- one by one! They're coming for you..."

"Okay enough! Phil! Grab some baggers, take him to the slammer!" Alby roared. His eyes were dilated in fear, his voice was loud and demanding, but I heard the waver in it.

Teresa and I slowly got up and let Phil and his guys grab Gally and tank him away.

I watched as Gally was hulled away, he didn't fight it, he walked stiff and tense. I felt a chill run down my spine and my skin broke out in goosebumps. I flinched when a hand grabbed mine. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Teresa paling and shaking.

"Is it Him?" She whispered, her voice was strained, hardly above a whisper.

"I...I don't know." I answered honestly. It definitely rattled me to the core. I had a deep uneasy feeling.

"What did he mean?" Someone from the crowd shouted.

"If he saw them why should we trust them?"

I whirled around to face the Gladers. My eyes flashed. A few of them stepped back or shrunk.

"Look here you whinny lazy jackasses. You wanna believe some jerk who never wanted to leave this hell hole by all means, stay here grow old with the fucken Grievers. I ain't gonna stop ya. But we might've found a way out and you wanna whine about one guy who might have maybe seen a guy in his very broken and messed up memories? Grow the fuck up!"

"How do we know you haven't been sent up to kill us? Huh?"

"Why the fuck would I wait 5 months to lead you all into the maze to kill you when I can do it right now and be done in 4 minutes?" I snarled stepping closer to the guy as I pulled a knife out. "Or maybe my first night here while you're all sleeping?"

I saw his eye shoot open and take a few scrambling steps back. A hand grabbed my arm and yanked me backwards into their chest. I ripped my arm away, glaring at the Gladers.

"Fuck you all." I snarled.

I spun on my heel and left the group storming towards the Homestead. I threw the front door open and then our bedroom door and slammed it shut. I threw my backpack onto bed, kicked my boots off and stripped out of my dirty sweaty clothes, pulled on one of his hoodies and threw myself down onto Minho's bed. Cursing and swearing the whole time. Once I was laying on the bed and my anger ebbed away the frustration and sadness crept in. Frustrated tears formed behind my clamped eyelids. Did they think I was actually sent? Maybe I was, but I didn't come willing. If I had the choice I would have stayed with Sonya and Harriet. I would have stayed in my first maze.

Since coming here, I've been stung, beat up, cursed, oogled, sexually harassed, been accused of just about everything, my heart has been shattered a few times, gone through more and worse PTSD episodes then my first maze. The frustrated tears slid down my temples and into my hair. Taking a few slow deep breaths to calm myself. I slowly drifted into a restless sleep.

That's when the dreams came.

•×•

I sat in a cold dark room. My dark blue eyes flicked around at the other kids. Most were older, and they looked mean. I was definitely way younger than all of these kids. As I sat in the cold basement room a girl on the other side of the room looked up. The girl had dark hair like mine and blue eyes, but hers were brighter. She looked right at me. The fear and apprehension in her eyes matched mine.

A door creaked open and her name was called. No, not her name. Her number. A-1

She slowly got to her feet and followed the lady through the door. It closed and the click was loud in the silence, making me flinch.

I waited hunched over in my small metal seat waiting to be called. The door opened and the lady called my number. The number I was given when I was dropped off here.

B- 4

I slowly got up on my shaking little legs and followed into a smaller room. Just a metal table and two chairs. The lady left and she waited alone.

The door in front of me opened and someone walked in. They were huge, like a giant. I couldn't see their face, it was in the shadows. And when they sat down everything was fuzzy, like someone did a hastily sloppy job of erasing.

"Welcome to The Hall, Jessica. We are glad you are here."

"I didn't have a choice." I whispered.

"Hmm. Everyone has a choice Jessica."

"I didn't." I said quietly, my voice wobbled, trying hard not to cry. "Marcus made me come. I didn't have a choice. He's bigger than me."

"Are you angry at Marcus?"

I glared at the man dressed in shadow, my jaw clenched and my hands formed tight fists; they were so tight my nails dug into my fists. I ground my teeth. I felt the anger burning in my chest.

"Yes." I spat.

"So...tell me little wolf." His voice was deep and smooth. Even at eight I could hear the amusement behind it. "Do you want to punish those who have wronged you?"

I sat and thought for a moment, chewing the inside of my cheek.

The dream faded from the dark cold red tinged room to a shambles of a house. Everything inside the livingroom was either broken, faded and mismatched. The wallpaper was added and peeling, everywhere had a slight layer of sand or dust and the air was thick hot and dry. It was hot, obviously no air conditioning, making them both sweat. Bright hot sun poured through the curtains.

A dirty dishevelled man with greasy blond hair was holding me tight by the arm. He shook me violently, making my head snap back and forth.

"I'm taking you to them! And that's that!" He yelled.

"Daddy said you were supposed to take care of me!"

"Well your daddy isn't here anymore, is he?" He sneered. "And why's that? What happened to your dear daddy? Huh?"

I stayed quiet, tears formed in my eyes and I looked away. The man grabbed my chin and squeezed my cheeks so hard it hurt, he yanked my face up to look at him.

"I asked you a question, my dear." He spat the pet name.

I mumbled something with my eyes clamped so tight trying to block everything out.

"I didn't hear you!" His voice was dangerously quiet.

"I said, Marcus," I yelled and I ripped his hand away, "I shot him. I had to shoot him. Right in the head!"

"Yes. Yes you did." He cackled. "You shot my dear older brother in the head."

I could feel a sob coming up.

"And that's why I'm giving you over to The Hall."

There was a heavy knock on the rickety front door. Both our heads turned in the direction of the door.

The shambles of a house faded and I was back in the cold dark room again.

I sat across from the huge man in shadows.

"I asked you a question, Jessica. Are you mad at your uncle?"

"Yes." I whispered bitterly.

"Do you want revenge?"

"Yes." I whispered even quieter.

"Good little wolf." The shadow man purred.

The room faded.

I was screaming, it ripped through me and out of my throat. The screaming was pure raw pain. It started from my mind and radiated down into my body. Every nerve in my body was being ripped apart and spliced back together. I tried to curl up on myself, but the cold metal bit into my skin kept me strapped down.

Then from behind me, a voice. It sent more fear through me than the pain. It read the words. And I cried harder.

"No!" I screamed.

"Red. Night Walker. Four."

"No!" She wailed louder, "Stop! Please, no!'

The voice kept reading, louder over my pleading to stop.

"Dashner. Two hundred fifty. Lost. Run. Wicked. Comply."

I had stopped struggling. I lay still, every single muscle coiled and tense, like a spring ready to explode. I was panting hard, the tears still wet on my face. But I didn't belong to myself anymore. He had my mind now. I was at his mercy. I was nothing more then a tool. A weapon.

"Assassin?"

"I am ready to comply."

My voice was flat, my eyes were blank. I looked straight ahead, my mind full of a thick fog. I belong to them now.

"Good."

I stood in the shadows, in the heat of the day, waiting. My hood and mask pulled up. The only things visible were my eyes. He was supposed to be coming this way, my target.

He was late. But he finally came around the corner. He passed my hiding spot. Grabbing him by the collar I slammed him into the wall, a knife to his throat.

"Be quiet and listen." I hissed.

His eyes were dilated in fear for a second, and then he relaxed. He pushed my hand away.

"Always so dramatic."

"They want you dead, Uncle. Whatever you did to piss them off now, it worked. I'm supposed to be killing you right now."

"Well, I didn't know I was so important to them higher ups" He smirked.

"Shut up and listen. I'll get you out, I can get you to the Crank City, but you disappear, go into hiding, something."

"Why help me Miss Killer of Men?"

"Because your family, Marcus. Now come on. If I take too long He gets suspicious." I hissed.

A hand shook me awake. I sat up a knife clutched so tight in my hand my knuckles were white. My eyes were dilated in fear and my chest heaved like I just ran the maze.

"Hey...hey Jess. Shhh. It's okay. Your okay. It was just a nightmare."

I blinked a few times. I had the knife at Minho's throat, his hand was wrapped around my wrist. I dropped the knife, ripped my hand away and scrambled back into the corner.

"Hey, Jess. It's okay. Your okay. Your safe. It was just a nightma-"

"It was memories Minho. Memories." I chocked back a sob.

•×•

× A little Jess & Tess Assassin board. So our...Handler, Him, The Man in Shadow has a thing for girls with dark hair and blue eyes ×