♡ Dark Paradise ♡ ; newtmas fanfic.

t u n n e l

I woke to the sound of laughter.

"They just couldn't stay away from each other," cooed Teresa.

"I knew that fight wouldn't last long, anyway." Chuckled Minho.

"Yeah," Drawled Chuck, "They're too in looooove!"

I sat up and coughed dramatically to catch their attention, when nobody noticed, I resorted to shouting.

"Hey!" I called out, smirking, "are you all talking about me?" I looked down at Newt, who was still sleeping; his body snuggled close to mine.

"I mean, us?" I corrected myself.

"Duh," Teresa teased, cackling with laughter again.

Her giggles woke Newt, who groaned and yawned. His eyes flickered open, and he greeted me with a gentle smile and a tired morning voice.

"Good morning, love."

"Morning, babe. Did you sleep well?" I smiled back at him.

"Aw," Teresa gushed, interrupting us. "What cuties!"

"Sorry to interrupt you two," Frypan said, winking. "But while y'all were over here cuddling, we were scavenging for food. So, eat up!"

I managed to stand on my feet, although my back was sore from laying against the rough ground.

Newt and I wandered over to where all the other Gladers were gathered, and took some berries and nuts that our friends had found.

We ate quickly, and packed our bags up again. While Newt left me to pack up his own bag, Paul slyly approached me.

"I see that you're with him again," Paul nodded grimly. "Just don't let it get in the way of our mission, all right?"

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "Aren't you upset with me? Aren't you going to say I'm 'confused' or something?"

"No.. I.. I was stupid for saying that. I'm sorry. Obviously, he makes you happy. I'm not going to approve, but I'm not going to try to stop you, either."

His words took me by surprise. "I see."

"Hey, do you know where Brenda went?" Paul changed the subject. "Nobody could find her this morning."

"Oh, err, I have no idea." I lied nervously. "I mean.. she was here last night.. right?"

"You were the last one to go to sleep, Thomas.." Paul cocked an eyebrow. "Did something happen that you're not telling me?"

I couldn't tell him what happened. He was far too fond of Brenda. I knew he would never forgive me or Newt for being the reason she left.

But then again, she was the one who started it.

"I.. Um.." I muttered, trying to figure out what the klunk I was going to tell him.

"Thomas.. You can tell me, okay? I'm your dad, remember?"

Those words still made me feel incredibly awkward. He hasn't exactly been acting like a father to me. But, he just told me he was sorry, and more accepting of Newt and I. Things seemed to be getting better.

Maybe I shouldn't tell him.

It could ruin everything.

"Actually, nothing happened. She probably just left before we woke up? God knows for what. I mean, she's Brenda," I bite my tongue to try to hold back the truth. "She does whatever she wants."

-

"So, you didn't tell him?" Newt repeats for the seventh time.

"No, I didn't tell him about last night," I whispered, kicking a rock out of my path.

"Why not? She forced herself on you, Tommy. You need to tell somebody. What if she comes back?"

I forced a laugh. "I think you scared her away, Newt."

"Don't joke about this," Newt nagged, but it wasn't hard to see the slight grin evident on his lips. "This is serious!"

"But it's over now." I reminded him. "You told me everything was okay now, and it is. You don't hate me anymore, and that's all I need. I don't care about Brenda."

"I never hated you.." Newt argued.

"You said you did."

His cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "I was just upset. But I didn't really mean it.. I'm sorry."

I smiled at him. "No more apologizing. That's in the past, now."

-

The nights grew long and cold. With no sense of direction, or any idea where we were headed, it made our journey feel even longer. All day, we simply roamed around pointlessly, probably walking in circles.

"How will we even find Alby when we have not even the slightest idea where we're going?" Teresa nagged. "I'm not saying we should give up, but I do think we should stop to make a legitimate, solid plan."

"Yeah, what she said," Chuck panted. "It feels like we're not even making progress; just waiting for something to happen."

We all slowed into a halt. "Okay," Paul tapped his fingers against his thigh impatiently. "So? What's the plan, then?"

Commotion erupted from the Gladers. Everybody was yelling things like, "What are we looking for?!" And, "we're walking for nothing!"

"Now, now.." Paul started, "the whole reason we're out here is to look for your friend. Don't forget that."

I didn't know what to say, honestly, so I pulled that piece of paper that I had taken from that testing lab area out of my bag and examined it.

Now that I got a closer look at it, the slightly washed out drawings and writing made more sense. The word 'Escape test lab NO.2' was scrawled across the page in bold, red ink.

Underneath that, some arrows were drawn like a map, and some vague directions written.

"This could help," I held out the paper in my hand. Paul snatched it.

"Looks like.. directions? A map!" Paul exclaimed. "Why didn't you show me this earlier?"

"I didn't think it was important. I just glanced at it, and took it from that lab room just incase."

"Well, good thing you did." Paul nodded approvingly. " This is the best chance we've got."

Somehow, once Paul got his hands on that little piece of paper, he became a genius with crazy good navigation skills. He was able to read that map like it was nothing. So, we didn't ask questions. We all just trailed behind him, chatting amongst ourselves. Our setting reminded me of a less burnt out version of the Scorch. With no Cranks, or any other sign of life. It was kind of relaxing, really; compared to being chased by insane Cranks and Ratman for days on end, and the Grievers in the maze.

Plus, I had more time to talk to Newt.

Newt and I walked side by side, holding hands, making small talk. I didn't really care what we talked about; I just liked hearing his voice. It made me feel even more relaxed, like we weren't in the middle of nowhere looking for our friend who may or may not be in the direction we're headed.

Paul lead us through a dimly lit tunnel. I could barley see. The squeaking of mice echoed off of the tunnel's walls, and the sudden noise made me jump in surprise. My grip tightened on Newt's hand, and I pulled myself closer to him.

"It's okay, Tommy," I heard Newt whisper.

Before I could reply, the thunderous sound of clatter and screaming flooded the tunnel.

Then, the sound of gunfire.