The Maze Runner -Flare In Flames- |Newt X Reader|

Chapter 27~A Way Out~

Y/N's POV

       The room is silent as the five of us stand in a  circle. We just arrived at the warehouse. Thomas, Minho, and Gally look exhausted. "You three look terrible." I state the obvious. Thomas sighs and Minho shrugs. "I think being on that island the last year has made us... soft." Gally explains, emphasizing the word 'soft' as if it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. I can't exactly tell if he's trying to lighten the mood, or if he seriously thinks the Safe Haven made them weak. "Can we just get on with it. I'm ready for bed." Minho yawns. This isn't like Minho... this isn't like any of them. "We haven't found anything in the hospital yet." Aris becomes the barer of bad news. "How come?" Thomas questions with slight urgency in his tone. I honesty can't blame any of them. I want to go home just as bad as they do. Home... not exactly sure what home is anymore. It could be the island. It could be sanctuary inside Amanda's city. Wherever it is... it's not here. "Our duties in the hospital don't exactly involve being around the patients. We're more like assistants that make the real nurse's lives easier." Aris describes almost as if he's disappointed to be separated from the Wicked workers. "So how are you supposed to get the equipment you need?" Minho asks with sass. "Y/N is working on that." Aris blandly states looking over at me. His tone doesn't sound too happy, and I confirm his ounce of anger with the facial expression he makes towards me. Nothing the others will notice, but it's a face I've seen before in the Maze. There's an awkward silence in the room. "Since we got that cleared up," I start, changing the subject before too many questions are asked, "Who's going down the tunnel to secure our way out of the city?" No one says a word. The boys are tired, Aris already went once. I glance at each individual person. They're ready to collapse in their plastic mattresses. "Well looks like I'm up." This statement wakes the 3 of them up. "Hell no. Not by yourself." Gally starts off. "Y/N, you really do want a death wish." Thomas adds planting his face in his palm. "We've taken many many risks just coming here. We don't need to add to that list." Minho argues in full disagreement. Aris gives me that look again. The 'I told you so' look. He's talking about the risks I'm already taking with Rowan. "Alright then... who's coming with?" I question putting my hands together. The way they all snapped into focus as I volunteered to go makes me laugh. 

       "We'll be back in a few minutes." I explain going down into the tunnel with a flashlight in hand. Behind me, Thomas begins to descend down the ladder. The 3 boys above us over the entrance with the heavy metal circle. I shine my light down on the floor trying to avoid the unknown liquids streaming underneath me. After I manage to stabilize myself, Thomas does the same as me. "Aris said it's this way." I point the light down the circular corridor, "Shouldn't be too far." Thomas doesn't say a word. Instead, we walk in silence. I want to say he's just tired. The exhaustion of guard training is getting to him... but he was supposedly a runner in the Maze. He's a pusher. A little bit of guard training isn't what's draining him. "So should I worry about this new exhaustion from you?" I break the silence. Well, besides the drips and echoes from the tunnel around us. "Huh?" Thomas shakes his head out of a small trance like state. "No, no. I'm just thinking." It's quiet again. Something is off. "Thomas-" I start until he interrupts me. "I feel so useless here. Minho, Gally, and I should be in that facility with you. Instead, were wandering around aimlessly as Guard Trainees." His sudden admission surprises me. Before I can say anything, he continues, "What happens if they find out who you and Aris are? We can't do anything about it." I furrow my eyebrows as I stop in my tracks. "That's why we have the walkie-talkies." As simple as the answer is, he doesn't seem satisfied. "We should have just stayed in the city. We could actually try and help there. This recruitment and training for a position I never expected I would go for. I'm no better than any of the guards we've encountered throughout our lives after The Maze." At this statement, I place my hands on his shoulders. "Listen to me Thomas. I am glad you're here with me. You being in this city makes me feel safer. I know you and the others would never let anything happen to me." He opens his mouth to talk again, but I speak before he can. "Secondly, you will never be one of them. You are here on a mission. The guards who have hurt, attacked, and killed our friends... you cannot compare yourself to them." I take my arms down, but I'm not done. "This isn't over. Our war with Wicked. Winston, Newt, Teresa..." This is the first time I've spoken about Teresa since that night. I don't even know how he's feeling, "They died at the hands of Wicked. Are we really going to let them die for nothing? No. We are here to produce a cure. A cure that would have saved Winston and Newt. The cure that Teresa longed for." I stop watching his facial expressions. Thomas stares down at the ground with an expression I can't read. "After everything Teresa did to us... you and I were the only ones who understood why she did what she did." The others didn't want to forgive her, but they didn't see her at her last seconds. She wanted a cure that she couldn't give to our biological parents. She wanted a normal life with normal parents and siblings. In a way, I think Teresa did what she did so future generations could have the life we didn't.  "Teresa only wanted a cure. So lets do that. For her." This makes him smile. Suddenly, Thomas gently hugs me. He puts his face into my neck, and I feel is sympathy for him. I feel his body rise and fall as he stands straight up again. "Let's get this tunnel explored." He states softly smiling before starting back in the direction of our way out. 

       "I think this is it." Thomas suggests pointing the flashlight up a ladder. I look over at him, slight worry on his face. "Are you worried?" I question as he makes eye contact with me. "I never let my guard down." At this, I begin climbing the ladder. "Wait, I should go." Thomas shines his light back up. "It's okay! I just want to see." Grabbing, stepping, grabbing stepping. After reaching the metal plate at the top, I take a deep breath. One hand holding on, I use my other one to carefully lift the metal circle. It's extra heavy when I find a big wooden board covering the top of the circle. There is lots of voices. Darkness covers the outside except for people caring around torches of fire. This reminds me when Newt trailed off to confront the guy who pushed me back at Ava's City. Not my best memory of him. To my left, there seems to be a building where people are staying. It's just like the last city. Cranks outside sleeping, talking, waiting to barge through the gates. I carefully turn around, lifting the other side of the metal plate. Standing there is a wall with crowds of people hovering around it. People are shouting and screaming. They are so angry. I slowly put the plate down with my tired arm. "What do you see?" Thomas whispers as I slowly climb back down the tunnel. "Aris was right." I say out of breath from holding the plate so long. "It's a way out."