The Maze Runner Imagines

Newt [26]

The maze doors were shutting and the ground was rumbling. All of the Gladers were gathered around the maze entrance anxiously, hoping and praying their friends would make an appearance before it was too late.

Sure enough, they did. The runners filed into the corridor ahead of the Gladers, but they were moving slow.

Between Minho and Y/N was Alby, body lifeless and just barely behind held up and dragged by the pair. Y/N and Minho looked completely drained and as if they were losing all hope. The rapidly shutting maze doors weren't exactly encouraging them to keep going.

"They're not going to make it," Thomas whispered to Newt, trying to lock eyes with him. "Can't we send someone after them?"

"It's against the rules." Newt said coldly, no expression in his voice or face. His mind and body were completely numb. With his vision churning and feet feeling unstable, Newt began to hope this was only a dream. But, he knew it wasn't when he heard her voice.

"Newt!" Y/N's scream tore through the air and right into everyone's ears. It hit Newts chest like he was being crushed right between the maze doors.

"Newt HELP!" She cried so raucously, his own throat became raw. He could see the blood on her hands, the bruises on her body and the tears streaming down her face. Y/N was strong, after all, she was a runner. But she was breaking down and everyone could see it.

Truly, he wanted to run into that maze and save her. Newt, however, knew better than to leave the spot where he stood. No one survived a night in the maze and if he left now, they'd be down four Gladers. Besides, he wouldn't even make it into the maze before those doors shut. With his limp, even if he did make it past the doors, he'd be dead in hours. That wasn't the kind of thinking he liked to allow go on inside of his mind, but it was the truth and he knew it.

Newt knew why Y/N was calling for him and only him. She knew she could trust him. He'd once promised to always have her back, and yet here he was, betraying his promise. It was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. The guilt of having to stand there as he watched the doors shut made it feel like someone was ripping every bone out of his body one by one.

Caught in the riptide of his thoughts, Newt failed to notice Thomas taking off into the maze. He and Gally couldn't catch him before it was too late.

The last Newt saw was Y/N collapse to the ground in defeat. She sat there, hands on her knees with legs burning up from exhaustion. As the maze doors cut them off from one another, Y/N watched in horror as Newt turned his eyes away and looked to the ground.

"He...he left us." She rasped in disbelief. In the moment, it was if all she knew about Newt and all of the history they had together faded away.

It was a long, miserable night for both those in the Glade and those stuck in the maze. When the runners finally saw the sunrise, they all let out a sigh of relief and disbelief. They most certainly had a way of surviving that was completely unexpected, especially since how just a few hours ago, they were certain they were dead.

The moment those doors opened and Newt saw Y/N he ran as fast as he could right to her. But, he wasn't met with the greeting he'd hoped for. She pushed past him and strode straight for the med jack hut without even looking at him.

Newt wasn't one to leave Y/N on her own, especially after whatever she had faced last night. As quickly as he could, he chased after her into the medjack hut. Inside, he found her scrambling to grab supplies and knocking things over left and right. Very obviously, she was beyond exhausted and her mind was scattered. Wounds on her body were still seeping blood, indicating to Newt the fight hadn't ended until just before the doors opened.

"Y/N," Newt reached out to grab Y/N's arm but she pulled away, a wild look in her eyes. "Y/N, just calm down. Sit down and I'll help you."

She refused to listen, still struggling to pick up a towel with her shaky, torn up hands. "Y/N!" He shouted desperately, only catching her attention for a quick moment. "Look, I'm sorry! There wasn't anything I could do last night—"

Y/N's face tightened and she clenched her fists. "Yeah well screw you, Newt! You left us!" She hissed, picking up the bucket of water she had right in front of her and throwing it at the boy with as much force she could muster.

Pain radiated through his chest from the impact of the wooden bucket but he took a deep breath and picked it up, putting it aside. "Y/N, listen—"

"Get out!" She screamed.

The girls voice was a real contradiction to the look Newt saw in her eyes. She was in pain, probably in more ways than one. She was afraid, bone-tired and confused. Taking out her anger on him was the only thing she knew how to do right now.

"You wanna know why I didn't run into the maze? It's because I love you. And you know what? I thought it'd be easier to live with the fact that you never made it back than to have run into the maze and not have been able to save you! I didn't want to watch you die, alright!?" He sputtered out the words in complete honesty. Newt knew being truthful would be the only thing that would save their relationship now.

Y/N scratched away the tears which fell from her eyes. In doing so, she left trails of blood and dirt across her cheeks, making Newt feel even worse about himself. "You could have done something! Anything! Instead you just looked away!"

"I can't do shit, Y/N! I would have gotten everyone killed because I can't run fast enough!" Newt exploded, breaking down. He was trying to save what he had with the one person here he loved, but it didn't seem to be working. "I'm useless, alright?!"

Y/N let go of all the anger and feelings of betrayal the moment Newt forced those words out of his mouth. "Newt?" She furrowed her brows, heart aching.

"What?" He snapped back sharply, eyes narrow and brimming with tears. His face was red and hands were shaking. His chest was tightening and he couldn't fight off the feeling of lighting striking him anytime he thought of losing Y/N because it was her choice. Not because she didn't survive a night in the maze, but because she'd never forgive him. The cold thoughts cut right through to his bones and he began shivering on the inside.

"Do you really think that? That you're useless?" Y/N's nerves calmed and she regretted throwing that pail of water at him. She sat down on the cot and left room for him beside her.

Newt didn't hesitate and sat down in the spot. His hands were over his head and he groaned in pain. Y/N put a hand on his back, making him hesitantly look up.

"You're not useless, Newt." She assured. "You made the right choice last night. I was too selfish to see it."

"No, you have every right to hate me." He shook his head. "I did leave you."

"Only because deep down you knew the four of us would be fine on our own." She said. Newt raised his head and took in a deep breath, wiping his eyes and nose.

"Yeah, I did." He thew his arms around Y/N's body and held her tight, rocking back and forth. Y/N ran her hands over his back and buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, love."

"It's okay. We all made it back. Time to move on." Y/N pried herself out of Newt's arms and sent him a warm smile.

"And time to clean you up," He let a soft laugh pass his lips as he reached for clean supplies and a new pail of water.