Promise Me ➵ Newt [3]

TWENTY TWO | the safe haven

I woke up with a jolt.

It was quiet. But not quiet enough to mask my thumping heart and the blood roaring in my ears; there was a dull throbbing in the back of my head. I stared down at my legs for what seemed like hours but was only minutes, my hands trembling in my lap. It was only when my ears picked up the sound of someone groaning beside me did I only look up.

I was in a little hut, the rickety walls made of bamboo sticks, the roof with thick hay and the floor of wooden planks; sunlight filtered in through the cracks of the walls. The bed I was on seemed to creak despite my weak weight, the mattress and thin blanket ruffling with my every movement. The sickly scent of of herbs and medicine wafted through the air, stinging my nostrils; it was an aroma I hadn't really got to smell in quite some time since... since the Glade.

There was another groan beside me, this one softer but somehow more insistent than the previous one, and I glanced to the side to see Thomas lying on a bed next to me, his face twisting into an expression of strained pain as he fought off whatever horrifying nightmares he was suffering through. His shirt was still bloodied where the wound was, but the crimson liquid had long since dried, crusting the fabric. Looking at the blood on his shirt reminded me of my own injuries - and I glanced down at my arm, where Newt had scratched and bitten me.

I had expected to see the familiar veins and bite marks on my pale skin, had expected to see the weird lumps and scars that visited ever since getting infected, but instead my skin was clear - clear except for the faint but noticeable traces of the bites, where Newt's teeth had sunk into before...

Before dying. Before Thomas pulled the trigger.

There was a tug at my heart and I felt it threatening to break apart the dam I had so painstakingly built inside me, keeping all my emotions and grief at bay with a sort of hopeless desperation. But I took a deep breath, and sealed back the crack in the dam, and opened my eyes again.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and winced, my entire body sore. Very slowly, I pushed myself up and had to lean against the creaky walls to steady my wobbly legs, which felt like jelly. I hobbled towards the exit, where sunlight rained down softly. I was about to step outside when a shadow loomed through the air and a figure stepped into view right in front of me, blocking the exit.

They jumped when they spotted me hunched over the doorway, my face no doubt haggard and weary. The figure was an adult who looked to be somewhere around Vince's age, her frizzy red hair tied back hastily into a ponytail as she clutched a medkit. Her brown eyes stared at me as I regarded her.

"You're awake," she stated, blinking in surprise.

I didn't say anything, just stared at her questionningly.

"Would you like a cup of water?" She asked tentatively. 

I gave a little nod and she gently brushed past me as she stepped into the little hut, her brown coat swishing around. She set her medkit down on a table and poured a glass of water for me, her fingers long and gnarled. She handed me the glass and I took it reluctantly, taking tiny sips from it. I watched as she rummaged around the medkit and changed Thomas' bandages for new ones, movements delicate and gentle and he grunted and shifted in his sleep. When she was done she stood up and dusted her coat, her eyes meeting my gaze.

"Where are we?" I asked, hating how croaky my voice sounded even after drinking water.

"We're in the Safe Haven," she smiled, wrinkles appearing in the creases of her eyes. "Don't worry, all your friends are safe."

Not all of them, I thought desolately.

"What happened while I was gone?" I asked, trying to blink back the tears that threatened to fall.