Admit Defeat (TMR fic 2)

Chapter 57

"Did we do something wrong?" I ask Newt as we pick our way up the rocky slope. We're a short distance away from the others, so I can let my armor slip. It's okay if Newt sees how worried I am.

"With what?"

"Thomas. Did we miss something? Did WICKED expect us to save him?"

"Who knows what WICKED expects? Ash, you nearly got yourself shot." He has a brief coughing fit, a lingering effect of the smoke from a couple days ago, but then continues. "You did your best. If they wanted more from us they should have told us."

I nod a little, trying to take comfort in his words.

He takes my hand under the guise of helping over a boulder and gives me a lazy smile. "One hike. That's all this was. One hike, and we've lost Thomas how many times?"

I grin to myself. "Yeah, it was only a hundred miles. But we lost him in the city, when WICKED took him in the Berg, and when Group B showed up. That's not a great track record."

"Right?" He pauses a bit, looking thoughtful. "It's strange to think how short of a time it's been. You were only in the Glade for a couple weeks before we escaped. Then there were a few days in that room, and next thing we knew we were out here, running a hundred miles in a week."

I stop walking and gape at him. "I- I've only known you a month?"

"Well," he says in a reasonable voice, "I have been around as long as you can remember." He winks.

I roll my eyes. "We made it out of the Glade with what, seventeen Gladers? Then we lost those two boys in the tunnels... and several in the lightning storm, including Winston and nearly Minho. That's a lot of death for a week. I guess we're lucky no one died in the city."

"Yeah. And who is responsible for that?"

I jump up on a rock so I can kiss Newt on the cheek. "Minho."

He yelps with protest and tries to chase me up the incline to the other Gladers. His limp is too great a disadvantage though, and I'm hiding behind Frypan by the time he reaches us.

"Come on, Fry, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"Sorry, Newt, but the girl appreciates my cooking more than you."

"See?"

"Oh, shut up, Ash."