Free (Maze Runner fanfic Newtmas Newt x Thomas)

Chapter 2

Newt was woken by someone pounding on his door, yelling for him to wake up and come outside. Jolting up, Newt only had time to briefly look at his watch before running outside.

Everyone was stood looking at the walls, and Newt wondered how they hadn't woken him, but.. the walls weren't open. Minho and Alby were stood by the small window in the north wall, so Newt ran over to them. "Why aren't they open!?" He called.

"We're not sure." Alby sighed, stepping back. "But we can still hear grievers out there."

"And so's Thomas." Minho added. "I've searched this entire glade and there's no sign of him anywhere."

Newt paled. "But it's day time, the grievers should be gone."

"And from what I can see," Minho continued, "the walls are still empty, it's like the rocks never fell! Something's going on and I don't like whatever it is."

"Well.. What is going on? As the runners' keeper you're the most likely one to know." Minho shrugged.

Newt looked through the small window to get look for himself. The walls were completely bare, not a spec of dust out of place. A figure came running towards it and Newt gasped. "It's Thomas!" His heart started racing when he got closer, his entire being filled with worry.

Thomas was covered in cuts and scratches, his clothes bloody. His expression was one of fear, anger, and a mixture of confusion with utter despair. He fell to his knees and put his face in his hands. It broke Newt's heart; he must have been hoping the door was open and he could run in to safety, but he was shut out the other side.

He looked up, seeing Newt peering through. He got up and limped towards the window, placing his hand on the cool glass, creating a misty outline from it. His mouth opened to speak, and he must have been yelling, but Newt could barely hear him. "Why are they closed!?" He cried, looking up to try and see if there was an opening or something.

"I don't know!" Minho and Alby winced beside him. "We'll find a way to get you in!"

"There's grievers everywhere!" He looked over his shoulder to see if any were coming, his chest heaving from running so much. "The walls didn't move overnight, the ivy is all gone and so are all the rocks!"

Newt was about to reply when he screamed instead, falling backwards. Thomas had suddenly spat out blood onto the window and fell to the side, his fingers smearing the blood as he fell. Newt scrambled back up and looked through the window again, seeing a creature that.. What was that? That wasn't a griever.

It wasn't slimy like a griever, it looked as if it were made of human flesh, but it stood on all fours like a gorilla would stand. Its mouth hung open, and Newt could see its teeth; jagged shards of broken metal. A long, white metallic tail protruded from its lower back, the tip of it red with Thomas' blood. To top it all off, spikes covered its back and knuckles, and no doubt his toes too.

It gave Newt a long, hard stare; stabbed at the glass, then disappeared out of view. "No! Thomas! Newt screamed, "Tommy!"

"What's going on!?" Someone shouted, a group of gladers running over to the trembling who was already getting fussed by Minho and Alby.

"Th-there's something different out there! I've never seen anything like it- it's like a gorilla, but.. it doesn't have any hair. Its teeth looked like metal, and it was covered in spikes; a-and a tail, I don't really know what it was made of, but it was pure white, except the tip.. It stabbed Thomas, I think he's lying dead in front of this gate."

Everyone was quiet. Nobody knew what to say. There could be a dead glader on the other side of the wall and they had no way of getting to him. "How about we-" Suddenly the grounds shook violently and a couple boys fell over.

Rocks started falling from above them and immediately the three keepers began pushing everyone back, getting them out of harms way. The doors were opening, but a lot more violently than ever before.

Things were falling all over the glade, all pots and pans and jars falling off shelves in Frypan's kitchen, the pigs' trough fell over, and some of the boys couldn't stand properly.

Newt saw an opening in the door, seeing Thomas' body lying on the floor. Rocks fell all around him, and soon enough he'd probably be squished by them. Newt started to go forward but Alby grabbed his shoulder. "Are you mad!? You'll be squished!"

"Thomas is going to get squished if none of us try to bring him back in! Who knows if the doors are going to suddenly close, too?"

"Then I don't want you on the other side!"

"Too bad! You'd do it for Ben, so do it for him!" Alby looked physically hurt by that comment; they'd been best friends, he came up with him early in the maze, but..

Alby let him go and Newt tried dodging all the rocks, a couple stones hitting him but nothing to knock him down. Suddenly Thomas let out a blood curdling scream, making Newt stop dead in his tracks and almost trip over himself. Thomas' head snapped in his direction, his pupils so dilated that Newt couldn't see his iris anymore, but he just.. stared at him. He lifted a bloody hand in his direction, but then dropped it and his eyes closed.

Gaining his composure, Newt ran forward again and crouched beside his body, trying to pick him up. A large rock landed right beside them, about to topple onto Thomas' arm, but somebody pushed it away. "Alby's so gonna put you in the slammer for this." It was Minho, picking up Thomas under the arms. "Get his legs."

Newt did as he was told and the two managed to carry him back out unscathed, having to climb over one of the rocks. When they got out of range, they noticed a wall of them had started forming between them and the door, but even Chuck could just step over them.

The doors were finally open fully, and the ground stopped shaking. "No one is to go near any of the doors! Runners aren't going anywhere today, you will stay put until we figure out what's going on. Stay inside, that gorilla creature might be gone, but if it's prowling in the day time, it could come in here. Any questions, you come to us three."

~*~

Minho and Newt carried him into the homestead, letting the medjacks take over. "He needs the serum, his veins are going crazy." One of them said, sending the other one away.

Newt was thankful for his place in authority, using the opportunity to watch what was going on, but internally panicking that Thomas was even still alive. He screamed, he looked at him, but was that his dying moments? They certainly didn't notice him breathe when they carried him, but they also weren't exactly checking. The chances were slim for him, the serum might not work despite showing the same symptoms as a griever sting, but this... thing, was so different; so much more dangerous. Newt could live in hope.

~*~

Without seeming too clingy, Newt rarely left Thomas' bedside in the time he had to spare. Whether it was the extent of his other injuries, or if because this creature was different, Thomas hadn't been through the changing yet; and nobody had an explanation as to why. If he wasn't feeling any pain yet, or very little, there was much worse to come. "Newt," Alby said, leaning against the doorframe. "Someone broke a rule, need you to deal with him."

Newt nodded. "I'll be down in a moment." He was surprised Alby hadn't scolded him yet, but maybe he had a change of heart.

When Alby shut the door, Newt leant over and gently pressed his lips to Thomas' forehead as a soft kiss. "I'll be back in a bit, don't start your changing while I'm gone alright?" Thomas made a pained sound.

Newt replaced the cold cloth on his forehead and left the room, only glancing back once.