The Glitch (Newt || The Maze Runner Fanfiction)

"World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department"

Disclaimer - James Dashner...his ideas, every last one of them, mostly, except Autumn...but that's besides the point :/

A/N - It's gonna start to get more intense and time is going to pass quicker now so... here we go

Also thank you guys so, so, so much for all the reads, favourites and nice comments...I know you hear it a lot but it really does genuinely make me happy so thank you :)

It has been three weeks since I woke up in the Maze, two weeks since I became a Runner and I'm starting to understand why the Runner's are beginning to feel so hopeless. I've ran everyday, the first week with Minho and Newt and the second on my own. Nothing seems to be important, there was no clever reasoning behind the man made walls, it was just a steady pattern that repeats itself and not much more. The Maze holds so much, but it also seems to hold so very little. I have no idea how long it will be before we find another clue, much less the exit...

Today I was running with Newt. We we're meant to go on his usual route and inspect this plaque, everyone had seen it except me, so now was the time.

"Ready?" I asked Newt, who somehow still managed to have a smile plastered on his face.

"MmmHmm," he nodded. I stared into the open door. I remembered my route by heart, every twist, every turn and even where not to step (you know because tripping is somewhat of a major issue for me). I smiled a bit before we made eye contact and set off at a sprint into the Maze. Left, right, right, left, straight, it was an endless pattern, his a bit different then mine, but it was relieving all the same. I smiled as the familiar feeling occurred, the warm wind wrapped around me like a welcoming blanket, the feeling of accomplishment pumped through my veins. I was doing it, I was running, we were going to find a way out. Something about this time felt different, it felt right, something was going to happen...and happen it did.

We sat down at the usual spot that he stop to eat lunch everyday, well when I run here.

"You think we'll find anything?" I asked Newt. I was sitting with my elbows resting on my knees and I was leaning slightly forwards.

"Well that's what we're trying to do isn't it?" he replied copying my posture.

"How come we just run though? Why not try something different? I mean has anyone ever climbed the walls?" I wasn't really sure how that would help, maybe you'd see something. I'm not really sure...

"No, I don't think so." Newt was touching his lips with his hand as if he was deep in thought. "I don't even think anyone's even bloody tried something different..." He gave a small laugh. I nodded and continued eating my packed lunch.

"So this bloody plaque? I wouldn't get your hopes up, it's not that exciting." he nodded looking at me from the opposite wall.

"How far away is the shuck thing?" I asked him, craning my neck so I could see down the unfamiliar Maze.

"Not that far...about ten minutes from here actually." He shrugged putting away his lunch again and standing up.

"Shall we," he asked me bowing down a little.

"We shall," I responded doing a curtsy, pulling out the sides of my pants a little. We both laughed before starting to run again. He lead me down a winding path, the ivy got more and more dense and the air around us cooled. We had been running for about eight minutes now.

"It's just up here." Newt said waving his arm in front of him. I sped up a little so I was in front, I could see to where he had been gesturing to.

"Just there?"

"Yeah."

I sped up even more, the sounds of shoes slapping the stone ground echoed and ricocheted of the hundred foot high walls. The sun glinted off of a metal that was partially hidden under the rope like ivy. I slowed to a halt in front of it, brushing the ivy to the sides I read: World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department.

"Killzone?" I thought aloud as Newt caught up.

"Yeah these things are all around the Maze. They all say the same shucking thing." Newt resolved my question and took the ivy that I was holding out of my hand and held it for me. I gave him a quizzical look, he just smiled a big toothy grin. I stepped closer to the plaque.

"So they don't do anything besides tell us we're in some shuck experiment...which we already knew."

"Pretty much."

I leaned in closer to the metal, trying to take in every detail. There really didn't seem to be anything wrong with it, just a simple metal plaque stuck on the wall for ironic purposes. I reached out and touched it. My fingertips turned cold as soon as they came into contact. I pulled back quickly in shock.

"What?" It had sparked Newt's interest. Okay this was uncommon. I thought to myself.

"It's cold."

"What do you mean it's cold?"

"Feel it." He placed his hand on the plaque but didn't pull it away.

"No...it's the same bloody temperature as everything else."

"What?" It was my turn to be surprised. Why wouldn't it turn cold for him? I reached out and pressed my whole palm against it. It turned icy cold once more, the chill bit into my skin but I held my hand there for a few more seconds. I pulled it away and quickly slapped it onto Newt's forearm.

"Bloody -" he jumped back letting the ivy fall back into place. "How..." Newt reached out and grabbed my hand. It was still frozen, he then touched the metal again. There was no reaction. He took a step back, and scrunched his face up deep in thought. I shuffled my feet awkwardly as he tried to work out what was happening.

"Give me your finger."

"Actually it's kind of attached to my shucking hand so-"

"Not like that slinthead." I smiled at his as he took my index finger and touched the metal with it. It was freezing.

"Ow!"

"Oh sorry," he let my hand drop and he began to pace. Why was it turning cold for me? Maybe it was because I'm a girl. Perhaps the Creators just wanted to confuse us more.

"I don't understand. We need to go back and tell Alby." I nodded in agreement and we started to run. We ran faster than we normally would have, I was ahead as we wound our way through all the Maze's twists and turns.

We were about fifteen minutes away form the Glade now, not far at all. I was still in front, Newt in the back. We were both breathing heavily and maybe that was the reason why he didn't hear it...but I did.

Whir. Click. Click. I blinked hard, I was under stress and it was the middle of the day still. We had hours before the doors closed. They would be nowhere near us...they couldn't be.

Whir. Click. Click. I wasn't imagining it. My head snapped around and I saw it. A griever. It was directly behind Newt and it had it's sharp metal arms pulled back, poised to attack. My voice didn't work. I tried to scream, nothing happened. I did the only thing I could, I flung myself at Newt and shoved him out of the way...right as its metal arm shot forwards.