Subject B3 (newt x reader)

Chapter 12

Niamh's condition has worsened over the course of the day to the point where she can't go on any further, so we take refuge under the ruins of a bridge not too far from the mountains.

"Ok, we'll stay here for the night, and then continue in the morning." Thomas announces, anxiously darting his eyes over to Niamh, who's lying down on the sand using her rucksack as a pillow, her arms wrapped around her torso.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I ask softly, crouching down beside her.

"Bloody awful." She replies, her voice a mere whisper from dehydration. "This feels so much worse than any heatstroke I had in the Coremeum, Y/N. I feel like I'm about to die. I wish I would die so I won't have to endure this any longer."

"No. Don't say that." I say sternly, my heart wrenching at her words. I can't afford for someone else to die. "You'll feel better soon, I promise."

"Thank you, Y/N, but I'd rather someone just put me out of my misery." She replies, and from her tone it doesn't sound like she's joking.

"Niamh, stop." I say sharply. "Stop talking like that. You'll be fine, alright? I promise."

"Ok, we'll set up camp here for the night before continuing at sunrise. We aren't that far from the mountains so we should make it by midday at the latest." Thomas announces to the group. "For now, let's just... try and get a fire going."

"A fire? Using what?" Gzi says, leaning against the ruins of the bridge. "Sand? I'm sure sand would start a fire, won't it? And how would we even get the flame, hm?"

"I picked up some matches back in the mall." Aris says, rummaging through his rucksack and retrieving a small box, holding it up in the air. "And I'm sure if we dig for long enough, we'll find some wood."

Gzi scoffs. "Wood? In the desert?"

"No one's asking you to do it." Newt snaps. "Y/N and I will look for some."

My head snaps up at the mention of my name. "Me? Why me?"

"So we can resume our conversation from earlier." Newt shrugs, walking over to me. "Come on."

I stand up from my crouching position and follow the boy as he leads me away from the camp and to the other side of the bridge.

"Looks like someone has a little crush on you." Gzi smirks, nudging my arm as I walk past her. "Don't be too long with him."

******
"So how many of their were you in group B?" Newt says as we kneel side by side, digging through the sand for any sign of kindling just as the sun disappears completely over the horizon.

"Around 50. Only ten survivors though. Getting through the maze was pretty difficult." I reply. "What about you?"

"About the same. Only a few of us made it through, but then one of the boys who stayed behind in the Glade followed us through without anyone noticing. Just as we were about to leave, he held a gun up to us, well, at Thomas. Course, he'd been stung by a Griever so was completely out of his shucking mind, and just as he pulled the trigger, Minho threw his spear at him and it landed right in his heart, killing him. Unfortunately, the trigger had still been pulled. But before the bullet could hit Thomas, Chuck jumped in front of him, taking the bullet for him."

"Was Chuck the child you mentioned earlier?" I say quietly. Newt nods, and in the eerie moonlight I can see his eyes glossing over slightly, reminiscing the painful memory.

"Chuck saw Thomas like the brother he never had, which is probably why he did what he did. Thomas had promised Chuck a few days earlier that he would get the boy out of the maze and take him to see his parents again. That's why he's so determined to find safety, because, just like you, he's not going just for himself; he's also going for a lost friend."

I open my mouth to reply, but before I can get a single word out, a ear-piercing shriek comes from the camp, causing me to jump.

"What the hell?" I mutter, rising to my feet and running back towards the camp. As I get closer, the sound of multiple shouts ring out, and I feel my heart start to race as I run past the bridge back into the camp, with Newt following close behind me.

I stop abruptly in my tracks however when I see the scene playing out in front of me.

Niamh stands a few feet away from the group, with a gun to her head and tears streaming down her red face. The rest of the group stare in utter horror as the girl's finger wavers over the trigger.

"N-Niamh?" My voice is barely above a whisper, but the girl shifts her solemn eyes towards me. My heart feels like it's been ripped out of my body and stamped on when I make eye contact with her, and I can tell from her face that she feels the same. In my peripherals I see Newt slow to a stop beside me, his face becoming a mask of horror at the sight, but I keep my eyes focused on Niamh.

"Y/N, I'm sorry." She sobs, shaking her head. "I'm sorry but I can't go on. I'm in so much pain."

I feels tears prick my eyes as I step forward past the group, so I'm only a few inches away from her.

"Niamh, please don't." I choke. "Please. This isn't the way to solve this. We're so close to safety. Don't go now. Please."

"Y/N, I can't." Niamh cries, pressing the gun harder against her temple. "This is what I need to do. It's what I want to do."

"No it's not!" I cry, stepping forward towards the girl, but she suddenly pulls the gun away from her head and aims it right at my chest, causing me to freeze.

"I'm sorry, Y/N, but if you come any closer than I'll shoot you." Niamh whispers. I lower my eyes to gun aimed at my heart and then back up again to the girl, my eyes filled with hurt.

But as I look at Niamh, I notice dark purple veins branching up from her neck, stretching up to her cheeks before fading away just by her nose.

"Oh my god." I say, "Niamh, you've been infected, haven't you?"

"W-what?" She stammers, the gun shaking under her grip. "No- no I haven't."

"Yes you have." I reply. "You don't have heatstroke. You're turning into a Crank."

The two of us stand in complete silence for a moment, and no one in the group makes a single noise. I just stare at my infected friend, and watches as she slowly raises her gun back up to her head, pushing it against her temple.

"Ok, yes. I made up the heatstroke as an excuse. Just as we were escaping the mall, a Crank swiped at my arm and bit me just as I got through the door. I'm going to turn into one of them, Y/N. And I can't do that. Don't let me turn into one them."

"Niamh, we can solve this-"

"NO WE CAN'T!" The girl suddenly lashes out at me, black strings of blood flinging from her mouth as she shouts. "We can't, Y/N. It's too late for me. Just please, get everyone to safety."

She squeezes her eyes shut and hovers her finger over the trigger. I'm too shocked to even move and try to stop her, tears flowing from my eyes as my friend utters her final words:

"Goodbye, Y/N."

And just as I jump forward in an attempt to stop her, Niamh's finger locks around the trigger and pulls it.