I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner]

[33: The Gunshot]

"Hey!" Frypan shouted, lunging to wrestle the gun away from Winston's grasp.

"Guys, get down here!" Aris called to Thomas and Teresa, who came running right away.

"Winston, what the hell were you thinking?!" Elle exclaimed in shock, staring at their friend with wide, disbelieving eyes. "You could have hurt yourself – or someone else – really badly!"

"Give me that!" Frypan took the weapon from Winston.

"What's going on? What are you doing?" Newt added.

"What happened?" Teresa wondered when she and Thomas arrived.

"I-I don't know. He just woke up and grabbed the gun and then he tried to..." Frypan trailed off, devastated to have to say that Winston was trying to shoot himself.

"Give it back, please," Winston wheezed, getting on his knees and trying to grab the gun. Covering her mouth, Elle shook her head in denial.

"Winston, are you okay?" Thomas asked, kneeling beside Winston just as he vomited up blood. Thomas jumped back in surprise.

Elle stepped forward to help and was halted by Teresa. "Elle, wait," she protested. "We don't know how long he's been infected, what if he's dangerous?" Teresa whispered.

Retching her arm away, Elle stared in horror at Teresa. "He's my friend, none of that matters," she replied, pushing through the group and kneeling beside Winston. "Hey Winston, I'm just going to roll you so that you don't choke on any blood, okay?" she narrated her actions so she wouldn't startle him.

"Elle, I can't..." Winston slurred, grimacing. He caught his breath, his chest rising and falling quickly. His health was steadily declining, and even Elle's positivity wasn't enough for him to cling to anymore. "It's growing..." Winston pulled up his shirt to show them his wound. "Inside me," he cried.

The skin on his stomach was red, cracked, and dangerously inflamed. He was progressing through the stages of the Flare quickly, and Elle hadn't regained enough of her memories to know how to treat him. She was remembering more by the day, but most of the knowledge and information she learned at WICKED was still missing. For the first time in days, Elle looked to Thomas for help. She had tears in her clear green eyes and stared at him like a kicked puppy, and Thomas had no idea how to fix it.

Winston stared at his friends as if he was memorising their faces for the final time and told them, "I'm not gonna make it." With a weak, trembling hand, Winston reached out to Frypan, who was still holding the gun. "Please. Please. Don't let me turn into one of those things," Winston begged. "Please..."

Frypan fiddled uncomfortably with the gun, unsure how to proceed. Everyone stood in silence, watching their friends suffer and wondering how they could save him or move on without him. At this point, it seemed that they only had one option.

"It's okay Winston," Elle soothed, stroking his hair in a calming way. She glanced up and met Newt's teary eyes, knowing he would be able to relate to what Winston was going through more than anyone else. By talking to Newt and understanding what he went through in the Glade, Elle knew they had to let Winston end his life the way he wanted it to end; that meant not letting him turn into a Crank. "We're going to help you." Stepping forward, Newt took the gun from Frypan and approached Elle and Winston.

"Wait, Newt--"

Newt ignored Thomas. Kneeling by Winston's free side, Newt took his hand and placed the gun in it. The sadness in his eyes made Elle want to cry, so she averted her gaze and pressed her lips together.

There was nothing but relief on Winston's face. "Thank you," he acknowledged. "Now--" Winston swallowed. "Get outta here."

Newt's bottom lip trembled. "Goodbye, Winston," he whispered to one of his oldest friends. He stood up, walked past Frypan, and picked up his bag to leave Winston alone.