"Who She Loved" - (Newt&Thomas x reader) The Scorch Trials

~The Tunnels~

"He wasn't dead, unless the afterlife was just a crappy room of blackness."

James Dashner, The Scorch Trials

╔══════════*.·:·.✧✦✧.·:·.*══════════╗

Eventually, you sat up and clicked on the small flashlight that Newt had slipped to you while you were running in case it was needed. You tried to project your thankfulness to Newt through your thoughts even though you knew it was impossible.

You looked around through the rubble. "Thomas? Brenda?" you called out.

"I'm here," you heard a gruff voice say. A hand was put up out of the rubble.

"Oh thank gosh you're okay!" you exclaimed happily. He grunted as he got up from the ruins of what was once their hideout. You still didn't know who they were though... You ran over and hugged him, which surprised him but he welcomed it.

"Guys, I don't think there's a way back up," you heard Brenda say as she shone her flashlight at the elevator shaft you had practically slid down the wires of. You released Thomas and glanced at your hands, noticing the red burn marks on them.

"Oh no, how are we gonna get back to the others?" Thomas asked in a worried tone.

"Relax, I'm gonna get us out of here," Brenda said, digging through her bag and handing Thomas an extra flashlight.

"Why are you helping us?" Thomas asked, before grabbing your hand and dragging you down into a crouch beside Brenda.

"Trust me, it's not my idea. Jorge seems to think you guys are our ticket to the safe haven."

"Wait, how would we be-?" you got cut off by Thomas.

"The what?" he asked exasperatedly.

Brenda took in a deep breath, "you know, paradise? safe from the sun, free of infection. Supposedly the Right Arm's been taking kids there for years." She shoves her arms through the backpack straps as you and Thomas just look at her confused.

"Immunes anyway," she finishes. It finally dawns on you that not all of you are immune, at least from what Teresa said. So they may not take everyone in, but you couldn't bear to lose someone else.

"And you know how to get there?" you and Thomas both asked at the same time. "You know where that is?" you finished.

"No, but Jorge knows a guy," Brenda explains. You and Thomas both get up, still with interlocked fingers. He holds your hand gently but makes sure not to accidentally let go.

"Marcus, he used to," she starts and then spots a grate on the floor that was buried a bit before breathing out a sigh of relief.

"He used to smuggle kids up into the mountains," she says while grunting and removing a piece of wood from the metal grate. "If Jorge made it out, that's where he'll be taking your friends."

"If he made it out," Thomas stated in a calm voice, his hand griping yours just a infinitesimal amount harder. His eyebrows raised and he looked like he didn't believe her or a word she was saying. It all sounded like a bunch of jumbled nonsense but you got where she was coming from.

"You know what? You ask a lot of questions," Brenda began to complain.

We don't have time for this, you thought. You tugged Thomas over to Brenda and motioned to the grate.

"Thank you," Brenda said as you and Thomas lifted the grate to the side. You pointed your flashlight down the gaping hole and heard a shrill scream off in the distance of the underground.

"We'll that doesn't sound good," Thomas said, squeezing your hand again.

"No shit," you shot back.

"Yeah, down here they'll be full term," Brenda said. For some reason she was breathing hard. Ha, she probably never had to run as much as we did. Bad thoughts, y/n. Why am I scolding myself? This is pointless, let's go.

"Um... y/n?" Thomas said, waving a hand in front of your face. Great, I was spacing out again.

"Sorry," you said, sheepishly rubbing the back of your neck with you free hand and flashlight.

"Let's go," Brenda said voicing your thoughts. She threw herself down into the underground concrete tunnels, designs were spray painted on the sides, and most of the words were calling for help.

Thomas jumped down before reaching a hand up to you to help you get down.

"Thanks," you whispered. Your feet hit the concrete floor with a thud and you followed as Brenda crawled through a cylindrical tunnel. The noises around you made it sound like you were underwater. The ocean blocking out things and causing it to sound more eerie. Some sounded like whale calls, while others you could distinctly make out the screaming. It was horrific.

"I think it's this way," Brenda started walking right. Thomas held your hand and hesitantly followed behind, saying "ok."

He glanced down at you, to see you trying to decipher the messages on the walls and the horrible noises. "y/n? Are you still mad at me?" he whispered.

You looked up at him with a confused expression before realizing what he was talking about. You shook your head.

"What was it though?" he pried.

"You... you didn't tell me they were trying to sell us back to WCKD." you said, it had come out more shaky than you had liked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." he trailed off, squeezing your hand for reassurance. "Do people live down here?" he asked, trying to change topic.

"The solar storms forced people underground, Jorge says there are settlements all over these tunnels," Brenda explained for the two of you.

"So what about Jorge is he your father?" Thomas asked.

"Close enough? truth is I don't really know what he is he's just always been there. And i've always done what he's asked me to do. No matter how stupid."

"Lucky," you seethed under your breath. But you bit the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from saying anything more. Most people's parents were probably dead by now. So what if yours is an evil psychopath who experiments on kids? At least he's alive.

"What was that?" Thomas asked, turning to you.

"Nothing."

"So you don't think the Right Arm is real?"

A scream echoed close behind you, everyone whipped around pointing their flashlights in that direction. Then relaxed when there was nothing there.

"I think... hope is a dangerous thing. Hope has killed more of my friends than the flare and the scorch combined. Just thought Jorge was smarter than that." You reached a cross section of multiple tunnels. "Damn," Brenda cursed.

Thomas walked ahead, looking down each path and dragging you behind him. You examined each direction before seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, literally.

"Hey I think it might be this way," he said, obviously talking to Brenda.

"Brenda?" you asked cautiously. "Brenda?" You said, your hands beginning to shake. Thomas re-intertwined his fingers with yours, desperate to stop your shaking.

"Over here," you heard her say. A sigh of relief escaped your lips and Thomas let out a breath too. Getting separated was not a good thing in these tunnels. "Look at this." You saw the graffiti and spray paint on the walls, messages of help and then what Brenda was really looking at.

Moist leafy brown vines crept along the tunnel. They attached themselves to the wall and seemed to be emitting some goo-like substance. And they were everywhere.

╚══════════*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*══════════╝

1244 words