Questions // Mazerunner

13- In which the deadheads are born

She woke the next morning in a blur of warmth and fear. Like eating burnt food. Feeling content, she rolled over and faced Newt. A small grin crinkled her eyes and then a frown crossed her face. Sleep had muddled her thoughts but she knew now. That boy. Maddy remembered everything all too clearly. Him trying to rape her. Threatening her. Newt rescuing her. She placed a light kiss on Newts nose, not realising he was in the happy land between asleep and awake, before climbing out of his bed and carrying her top, which was still on the floor next to her bed, to the homestead.

The doors were already open and the runners had left. Most people were still asleep but the boy was gone. Maybe he was a runner. Maddy changed quietly in an upstairs room and began to climb back down the stairs. Her thoughts consumed her like hungry monsters as she walked to her hammock. Newt was waiting for her.

She handed back the shirt he had lent to her last night and plopped down into her hammock opposite him.

"Hey Madgirl. You alright now?" She grimaced as his words brought back the memories of last night. "I've been better, I've been worse. Who was he?" By then Maddy knew they were going to have to tell someone. "Dan. He's a slicer, probably where he got that knife from. Have you seen him?" Maddy shook her head. "Maybe he's up early." Newt nodded his head before falling silent. Sighing, Maddy got up. "I've got to go and make breakfast. If he doesn't turn up for frypans bacon, we'll know something's wrong."
"Other than the fact that he tried to rape you and saw you nearly naked you mean." Newt grimaced.
"You saw me as well," She raised her eyebrows at him, "but yes, other than that." Together, they wandered towards the kitchen.

"How ya holdin' up?" Frypan greeted as they entered the warm room. "Fine," the two friends said simultaneously, both lying. Of course they weren't fine. Somebody, Dan, tried to rape Maddy, who was Newts best friend. They might not be fine for a long time. But they couldn't tell yet. "Good-oh," Frypan grinned before pointing at Newt and looking at Maddy. "Get him some bacon mads. He looks like he's about to keel over." She obliged willingly, and within a few minutes there was a plate of food in front of Newt. He raised his knife and fork to start but Maddy stopped him quickly. "Hold up there lizard boy," she smiled quietly at him, then ducked down underneath the table to where she'd put the tomato cupcakes.

Surprisingly, they were all still there, since nobody could stomach them. She scooped one up and dumped it on Newts plate. Sitting down, she laughed for the first time that day. "Eat up Lizard boy. What's stopping you?" Newt glowered at her and pursed his lips. "This rather grotesque looking cupcake that I am most certainly not going to eat." Maddy raised her eyebrows. "It's not tomato," she chuckled to herself, "It's strawberry. I made another batch." Newt cocked his head, trying to work out if this was the truth. He couldn't figure it out, so took a big chunk of the cake and nibbled at it. For about two seconds, when he promptly spit it out and started choking.

Maddy could hardly contain herself a she slapped Newt on the back until he stopped. "You little-" Newt began angrily. At that exact moment Frypan and the rest of the gladers trooped back in for their breakfasts. "No bad language in me kitchen newtie boy." Newt glowered even more at this and dug into his breakfast.

45 minutes later, everybody had eaten breakfast and only Frypan, Newt, Maddy and Nick remained. They finished the washing up in silence and Frypan left quickly after to get ingredients for lunch. "He hasn't come Newt." Maddy flopped down onto a bench and banged her head on the table. "I know," Newt slipped in next to her.

"What's going on?" Nick asked, sitting down opposite them. "Can you explain please?" Maddy mumbled, head still on the table. Newt nodded grimly. "Dan..." he started, "Oh god. Dan tried to bloody rape Maddy. And he got her down to just her knickers. And he was threatening her with a knife. He was really going to do it Nick." Newts voice broke. "He really was."

"Where's the shank now?" Nick was already heading for the door, fists clenched so the skin was stretched white.
Newt continued softly. "We can't find him anywhere and he didn't turn up for breakfast. I think," Newt could barley go on in more than a whisper, "We think he might have gone into the maze." Maddy's body began shaking with silent tears.

Nick sat down, resigned. "So we'll just have to wait for the runners to get back." Newt snapped, more angry then sad now. "We'll just have to wait.
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Several hours later, at 4:30, the runners returned. In Minho's arms lay a dead body. Dan's dead body. It hurt Maddy more that couldn't face her to say sorry, that he regretted it, that he didn't know what he was doing than it did to see him dead. It just left her numb. Minho lay him down on the grass outside the forest and jogged over to Maddy and Newt.

"Suicide." His voice was flat and monotone. "Jumped off the wall." Nicks eyes were on fire. "Bury him in the forest," he snapped, "Do it quickly and quietly. He doesn't deserve a proper funeral." Mink nodded and with Zart, went and buried the body.

His headstone, when it was made, proclaimed, 'Dan. He couldn't face his wrongs." And that was how the second glader died, just 5 months into the maze trials. Nick will think that it should have been Stan who got buried, not this criminal, for the rest of his days. But, as was so often the case in the maze. There was nothing he could do about.

And so the deadheads were born.

A/N Thank you so much for so many reads it's crazy! Sorry I didn't update recently :( I was away. You know the drill by know. Comment and that pleasies. Did this chapter go on a bit? Anyhoo thank yous so much *cookies for everyone*

-K