RECKLESS [The Maze Runner || Newt || Book 1]

26 - Hope

Clara walked out of the homestead and found Thomas leaning against the wall next to the door, awkwardly picking at his fingernails. He jumped up when he noticed her, and he opened his mouth to speak but she reached her hand up, putting her finger against his mouth.

"Not a fucking word greenie, let's go." She said and removed her finger from his mouth after he slowly nodded at her. Together they jogged into the forest where they saw Minho leaning against the map room. He stood up when he saw them coming and Clara noticed Frypan, Winston and Zart emerging from behind the map room. She and Thomas jogged closer to them,

"Will this be enough?" Minho asked, and Thomas looked at the boys, nodding before he spoke,

"Okay. Let's go."

The six of them took off, jogging out of the forest and through the nearest doors. Minho was in the front with Clara and Thomas just behind him and the other boys a few steps behind the two of them. Minho led the way to where they'd trapped the griever the night before, making sure not to run too fast so the others could keep up. After a few minutes, they reached the corridor and Clara spotted the metallic leg sticking out of the walls. They slowed down, walking towards it.

"That's disgusting." Zart muttered, looking at Minho with a frown on his face.

"Wait there's something in there." Thomas said as he stepped forward, looking at the small gap in the walls.

"You mean besides a griever pancake?" Frypan remarked as Clara leaned closer, trying to see what he was looking at. Suddenly she noticed a flashing red dot in the darkness, and she heard a soft beeping noise coming from inside the wall. She looked around at the boys, none of them willing to go any closer to the thing.

"Pussies." She mumbled as she took a few steps forward, so she was standing next to the griever's leg.

"Woah, woah, woah what are you doing?" Zart asked before she stuck her hand inside the small gap, trying to find whatever was making the beeping noise. She suddenly jumped back as the leg of the griever started moving, bumping into Minho as she stumbled backwards.

"I thought you said it was dead!" Frypan shouted,

"It was a reflex?"

"You hope."

"Come on let's try and pull it out." Thomas stepped forward, grabbing a part of the metal as the other boys all joined in. 

On his count they all pulled the leg backwards and it broke away from the grievers body, sending them tumbling down to the floor. Clara stood up and brushed herself off, stepping forward to pick up the thing that was flashing red. She grabbed it and lifted it up, it was a fleshy sack encasing some sort of metal cylinder. Using one hand to hold the sack, she pulled the metal object out of it. The sticky goo that was covering the metal stuck to her hands as she dropped the sack to the floor, causing Zart to back away in disgust as she shook it off.

"What the hell is that?" Thomas asked her as she turned the metal cylinder over in her hands, noticing the number that was being displayed on its side.

"Whatever it is, can we take it back to the glade? Cause I don't wanna meet this guy's friends." Frypan said, stepping away from the metal leg.

"He's right." Minho agreed, "It's getting late. Come on"

Clara nodded and tossed the cylinder to Minho before they all started running back to the maze.

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"We found this. It was inside a griever." Thomas told Newt as he turned the small metal object around in his hands, analyzing it.

"These are the same letters we get in our supplies."

"Whoever put us here obviously made the grievers. This is the first real clue, the first anything we've found in over 3 years, right Minho?" Thomas asked and the keeper nodded at him, "Newt, we've gotta go back out there, who knows where this might lead us." He pleaded, stepping toward the boy.

"You see what he's trying to do right?" Gally questioned, and everyone in the room looked at him. "First, he breaks the rules and then he tries to get us to abandon them completely. The rules are the only things that have ever held us together, why now are we questioning that? If Alby was here, you know he'd agree with me. This shank? Need to be punished."

"Never took you for the kinky typ,e Gally." Clara muttered, earning a glare from him.

"Clara." Newt scolded her as he handed the cylinder back to Thomas. "You're right, Gally. Thomas broke the rules. One night in the pit, no food."

"Oh, come on Newt! One night in the pit, you think that's going to stop him from going out into the maze?"

"No. And we can't just have non-runners running into the maze whenever they feel like it. So, let's just make this official, starting from tomorrow, you're a runner."

"You kidding me, Newt? And what about your little girlfriend over there huh? Is she also getting a promotion? You gonna make her the new leader now?"

"She already knows what's going to happen to her, that's none of your concern."

"Wow." Gally scoffed as he stormed out of the council hall, Frypan following close behind him, trying to calm him down.

"Thanks, Newt." Thomas said, nodding at the blonde boy.

"You know, personally I think it's a little unfair that Thomas gets to be a runner, but I get an indefinite amount of prison time. Feels sexist." Clara remarked, leaning back in her seat, her eyes darting between the two boys.

"Oh, slim it, you dug your grave, now lie in it. Come on, let's go." Newt responded, gesturing for her to stand up and the two of them walked towards the pit. He opened the door for her, and she hopped down into it, glaring up at him,

"What, I don't even get a kiss goodbye?" She joked, pouting at him. He started leaning down and she raised an eyebrow, surprised at his reaction but she didn't pull away. Suddenly he slammed the door shut, locking it and stepping away.

"Have fun sunshine." He smirked, winking before he walked away.

"Dick." She muttered, sitting down on the floor of the pit, leaning against the wall. Might as well take advantage of the quiet. She thought, closing her eyes, and letting her body relax. Her peace was short-lived though as she suddenly heard a commotion going on outside, she stood up and looked out the wooden door of the pit, trying to see what was going on. She stumbled backwards when someone stepped in front of the door, she looked up and saw Jeff standing over her.

"Jeff?" She questioned, but he didn't answer, quickly bending down and unlocking the door, moving backwards so she could climb out of the hole. "What's happening?"

"It's the girl."

"Is she awake?"

"You could say that."