The healer [The maze runner Newt x OC]

Chapter six

It was still night when Grace had woken up from her slumber, looking over the Gladers as she untagled herself from Newt. After all the late-time night shifts of being a Medjack, she was used to being up late, or early in this case. 

She drug through her backpack, grabbing the notebook she had found while exploring the abandoned building. She skimmed through the first set of pages, her eyes landing on the title: 'Maze trials.' 

That was one that caught her eye earlier, and so, she began reading. 

Hours passed before Net woke up, noticing the girl missing next to him. ''Hey, you're up early.'' She looked up from the notebook, her eyes still disoriented. ''Hey, what's wrong? What ya got there?'' 

''I found it in that abandoned building, Newt, you're not going to believe this.'' 

''Those creatures we saw, they call them Cranks. People who caught the Flare, remember Paige talking about that in her video?.'' The group was listening intensely as Grace tried to explain. ''We were put in the Maze because we're immune to it, they wanted to analyze our brains when we were fully stimulated.'' She turned to Thomas and Aris. ''You guys said you found bodies, right? With tubes coming out of them?'' The boys nodded at her.

''They were ... harvesting them, our blood and some kind off ... I don't know, something our brain created, it's part of the cure they found.'' Thomas and Aris turned to each other, both understanding it. ''So they weren't dead ... they were being ... drained?'' 

Grace nodded in conformation. ''Until there's nothing left anymore ... '' 

Grace went to explain more about the Maze and the Grievers. She had found out that the Griever sting was a mutated version of the Flare and that the Serum was an early version of the cure being created at the time. ''I guess that's why some were affected more by the sting than the other, maybe one is more immune to it than the other is.'' Grace spoke as she walked next to Newt, the two of them still discussing the notebook. ''It's insane what's in there, there were supposed to be more phases to the trials, the Maze was only the beginning.'' 

''Who do you think left it?'' 

''I don't know, maybe someone who worked for WICKED and found their conscious?'' 

When they halted to a stop again, Grace sat down next to Winston, looking over his condition while the other Gladers, plus Aris, sat around in a circle in the shade. Frypan sat opposite of her, emptying his shoes as Minho and Newt shared Minho's water bottle.

Winston's breathing was uneven, much more rapid as he groaned in pain again, one hand on the bandage Grace had out on him. She scooted up behind him, letting him rest against her body. ''Come on, let's get you to sit up for a moment.'' He gave a soft yell of pain when she helped him up, holding her water bottle in hand. ''You need it more than I do.'' She could feel the stares of the others on her, choosing to ignore them and letting the former Medjack do her work. He nodded when he'd has enough, letting his head fall back against her body, heavily breathing. His tattoo became visible for the first time, she read it carefully, A13: The weapon. 

''How's it looking?'' Newt called over to Thomas and Teresa as they spoke in the near distance.

''It's a little further.''

''That's not very convincing.'' Newt turned to Grace as she nodded and lifted Winston of her body, pushing her water bottle into her backpack as she went to sit on Newt's right, leaning her head on his shoulder as he pushed his arm around her.

Grace pulled the notebook out of her bag again, wanting to know more about what happened to her and her friends, and more importantly, why? She had just flipped it open when a gunshot was fired from Winston's spot. She jumped up in response, leaping towards the boy while Newt yelled over to the other two Gladers. ''Hey! Guys, get down here!''

''Winston what are you doing, man? Give me that!'' Frypan pulled the gun away as Teresa and Thomas stopped besides them. ''What's going on? - What happened?''

''I don't know. He just woke up and grabbed the gun and then he tried to...'' Winston reached out to them with his arm, ''Give it back, please.'' Grace crouched down next to the boy, one hand on his back as he helped the boy keep himself on his knees. ''Winston, are you okay?''

The former Slicer rested on his hands as he puked a black liquid up, Grace quickly getting up and stepping away before Winston rolled onto his back. The boy lifting up his shirt as he looked at his stomach. ''It's growing... inside me.'' All eyes turned to Grace as she looked at the boy's wound, it did look like a Griever sting, but even worse. ''I ... '' She just spoke before shaking her head.  Winston panted as he looked at the group, pleading as he spoke. ''I'm not gonna make it. Please. Please. Don't let me turn into one of those things.'' He reached out with his hand before it dropped down again.

Newt was the one to make a move as he pulled the gun out of Frypan's hand. ''Wait, Newt...'' But the Brit ignored Thomas as he placed the gun in Winston's hand, leading it to his stomach as Winston spoke. ''Thank you. Now, get outta here.''

''Good-bye, Winston.'' He spoke as he nodded. Grace bent down after him, tears in her eyes as she grabbed onto his hand. ''Go. It's okay.'' 

''I'm sorry I couldn't do more ... '' He patted her hand that was on top of his. ''You did enough ... '' She bid her last goodbye, remembering all the times in the Medjack hut where the Keeper would come in for yet another injury. It was the first time she couldn't help him. Newt had waited for her, pushing his arm around her shoulders while kissing the side of her head. 

The group walked in a line, First Aris, Newt, Grace, Teresa, Minho, Frypan and then Thomas. They all stopped in their tracks when the sound of a gunshot went through the desert, indicating that Winston had put himself out of his misery, fulfilling his wish not to become a Crank.

Minho had halted to a stop, resulting in the other Gladers following his lead without a command, building a camp for the night. They had found wood and made a fire in the middle of their circle, all crawling under clothes and blankets for the night.

''I thought we were supposed to be immune.'' Minho spoke as he played with a knife in between his hands. ''Not all of us, I guess.'' Teresa spoke from besides Newt as the Brit nodded. ''If Winston can get infected... we should assume so can the rest of us.'' That scared Grace more than she thought, what if she could get infected, even worse, what if Newt could? She caught glimpses of Minho tossing the knife up and down as Grace moved to Newt's side, letting her head fall onto his chest before Frypan spoke.

''I never thought I'd say it...'' All heads turned to him, seeing their former cook tear up as a single tear left his eye. ''I miss the Glade.'' 

Minho let them sleep for almost four hours. Not that he had to wake many people up. The loss of Winston fresh on their mind. By the time they had finished breakfast sweat had covered the Gladers and Grace missed the showers back in the WICKED lab.

The Gladers remained quiet for their walk, no-one needed to say it as they all thought the same thing, they no longer had the energy to run while the sun was up, the heat was too much and water was running out.

Grace saw Minho trying to squeeze water out of his bottle before tossing it to the side. The girl frowned at him as she grabbed the bottle again before pushing her water bottle into his hands, walking up ahead to make sure he couldn't give it back.

And yet one more Glader has left the group. I felt so sorry for Winston, knowing he wouldn't make it and just wanting to die like a human instead of a Crank. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, please leave a vote, comment and add this book to your reading list to stay updated! See you on wednesday!

-X Violet's-library