Abused ≫ Newt [2]

Chapter 19.

"We have to find Thomas," Emily said, brushing a piece of hair from her face. She watched as Minho paced back and forth, tapping her foot impatiently.
"The best thing we can do right now is save our own shuck asses and run, alright?" Minho groaned as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Minho," Emily walked up to him, placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from pacing. "I heard him. He was being chased by a Griever, right around here somewhere. We have to find him."
Minho stared at her for a moment before saying, "How long ago was this?"
Emily shrugged, "Five minutes, maybe a little more."
"He could be anywhere by now," Minho stated. "It's not going to be as easy to find him as you think."
Emily sighed in frustration. She wanted to explain to him how important he was to her, but it would only waste the time that they already did not have. She knew he most likely would not understand, either. So she only begged, the best thing she could do at that moment.
"Please, Minho."
"Why is he suddenly so important to you?" Minho narrowed his eyes suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a long story that I don't have time to explain," Emily stated simply.
"Usually I would say that I have time, but for once, you are right. We don't have time," Minho said. "But, Emily, just answer one question. Do you have feelings-"
He did not even have to finish his question for Emily to understand. She cringed and, despite the situation they were currently in, a laugh escaped her lips.
"Shuck no. Minho, why-"
"Please don't lie to me, Emily," Minho interrupted her, staring at her with a look with such seriousness, she was taken aback at first. "Please don't do this to Newt."
"I do not like Thomas like that," Emily said, raising her voice. "I love Newt, and I would never do that to him. You wouldn't understand, alright? It is just too complicated to explain at the moment. If you want to know so badly, ask me some other time." She pushed past him, grabbing her wrist in her hand and began pulling him along with her. "Now come on. Let's go find the Greenie before he gets himself killed."
Minho pulled himself out of her grasp, "Emily, wait." He placed a hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off.
"I'm not answering any more questions at the moment. Sorry."
"Emily, don't go down there!"
Though his warning came too late. She had already turned the corner, only to come face to face with a Griever slowly squishing itself through a small opening in the wall.
She turned back to Minho, her eyes wide as she stared at him, "How did you know?"
"I heard it opening. I knew that there would be a Griever on the other side because that's how I lost it earlier," Minho explained quickly, grabbing her hand and pulling her in the opposite direction. "Come on!"
The roar of the Griever behind them only made her push faster, quickening her pace so that she was now running alongside Minho. The Runner casted a sideways glance at her, his light eyes shining in the dim light.
"You know, this is sort of romantic," he said with a sly smirk. "You, me, running for our lives from a Griever in the middle of the night..."
"Slim it, shuck-face," Emily rolled her eyes and, despite the situation they were in, found herself smiling. "The Griever that is chasing us just so happens to be your girlfriend." The Griever let out a long, dreadful screech, it's legs digging into the cracked stone with a clank every time it took a step. "I don't she is very happy with the way you're flirting with me." she added with a smirk.
Minho's eyes widened, and quickly glanced behind him at their monstrous pursuer. He turned back around, huffing as he quickened his pace.
"Katherine, babe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it!" He yelled jokingly. "I was only joking! This lady-shank here belongs to Newt. I love you and only you, my hideous, bulbous love!"
Emily snickered as the creature let out another screech, followed by a series of clicking sounds as a bright light flashed in their direction.
"I think you offended her."
"Well, sounds like a personal problem, if you ask me," Minho said. "I gave her a compliment. I can't held it if she gets offended by it."
A small laugh fell from her lips at his words. Despite the horrible circumstances, the Runner always found a way to lighten the mood. That was why she was so thankful to have him as a friend. He always knew how to lighten the mood, always had some sort of joke to crack, but he also know how to be serious whenever he had to be.
"This way," Minho nudged her slightly to the right. They turned down a new corridor- one that Emily had yet to come down. She quickened her pace, feeling as if her feet were barely touching the ground as she ran. The cool wind blew in her face, blowing her long hair backwards. The breeze kept her cool, stopped her from sweating. She was panting, exhaustion tugging at her feet as if her shoes were bricks.
She felt herself slowing down, the adrenaline that was pumping through her veins slowly running out. She felt Minho's hand slip into hers, pulling her up beside him.
"Don't give up now, Emily," his voice came in quick puffs; he was clearly just as exhausted as she was. "We can get through this."
Emily's vision was blurry, her head spinning, but she forced herself to keep running. She had come this far, she was not giving up now.
The Griever was right on their heels, it's screeches echoing throughout the night air. Lights flashed randomly all around them, causing monstrous shadows to dance along the wall. She could hear the whirring sound of one of the creature's appendages, a saw blade fastened on the end of the metal rod.
"Come on!" Minho tugged her to the left, pulling her down a narrowing passageway. "We can loose it down here!"
Emily realized with a jolt that the corridor was slowly closing in. Minho slowed his pace, gesturing for her to speed up in front of him. She pushed herself to go faster, squeezing through the tight space of the narrowing corridor. Two walls squished against either side of her, and she eventually had to- somehow- run sideways. Minho was right behind her, huffing in effort as he squeezed through the tight space.
Emily pushed through the last part, falling to the ground into a new corridor. Minho landed beside her just as the walls met with an echoing boom. She could hear the Griever's frustrated screeches over the sound, and could not help but smile. They lost it.
But how long would it be until they ran into another?
Emily looked over at Minho, who was laying on his back on the ground. His hands were covering his face as he groaned loudly, arching his back as if he were stretching after a deep sleep.
"I am so tired, man. So shucking tired..."
Emily patted his arm with a small, sympathetic smile, "Rest, then. We are safe for now. Make use of this time and rest."
"Good that." Minho pulled himself to a sitting position and shuffled so that he was now sitting against the wall. He rested his head on the wall, closing his eyes with a long sigh. Emily scooted across the ground so that she was sitting next to him. A yawn escaped her lips as she laid her head on his shoulder. She felt Minho tense under her touch, though he relaxed as he let out a breathy laugh.
"I'm proud of you, Emily. You know that?" he said quietly. "And I know Newt would be, too."
Emily stayed silent for a moment, listening to his quick, shallow breaths.
"He's the only reason I kept on running," she said. "I just keep on imagining the look on his face when the Doors open and he sees me. It's the only thing that keeps me from giving up. That, and I knew you would never allow me to sacrifice myself to the Griever."
"You weren't really thinking that, were you? About sacrificing yourself to the Griever." Minho's voice was full of surprise. He looked down at her, his eyebrows furrowed.
"For a second, yeah, I did," Emily said mid-yawn. "And I would have, if that meant saving your sorry ass."
Minho laughed, though there was no humor behind it, "You're too selfless sometimes, Emily. Someday, you are going to get yourself killed because of it."
"Maybe," She said with a shrug. "But at least it would be for the people I care about."
Minho suddenly shot up into a standing position, causing Emily's head to snap up. She groaned, rubbing the back of her neck as she stared up at him through narrowed eyes.
"What-?"
"Thomas?" Minho's voice rose in disbelief as he stared down the dark corridor. Emily sat up at the mention of his name, pushing herself to stand next to Minho. She stared down the passageway, squinting her eyes as she saw a dark figure moving towards them.
At first she thought it could have been another Griever, but then she realized it was too small. It was a person. It was Thomas.
She took off running down the corridor, despite the exhaustion that still tugged at her legs.
"Emily, wait!" Minho called after her, but she ignored him. She ran up to Thomas, wrapping her arms around his waist and engulfing him in a hug. She rested her head on his chest, letting out a long, shaky breath. Thomas seemed taken aback at first, but soon relaxed and wrapped his arms around her small frame.
"I told you I would find you."
He suddenly pulled away from her, coughing awkwardly as Minho approached them.
"Good to see you are alive and healthy, shank," The Runner said, his gaze flickering accusingly from Thomas to Emily and back again. "But-"
"There is no time to talk," Thomas cut him off, his voice suddenly rising in panic. "I lost a Griever back there. I don't know if it has given up or not, but it can't be too far away. We have to go."
Emily let out a long, overly-dramatic groan at the thought of running once more. But, as the two boys took off at a sprint down the long corridor, she followed closely behind them.
Almost as if on cue, a loud, blood-curdling screech came from behind them. Emily glanced behind her just in time to see a Griever rounding the corner. It took off at a sprint at the sight of them, it's red eyes gleaming in the darkness.
"Hey, Minho," she nudged the boy as best as she could without breaking her pace. "I think that is Katherine's father."
"Yeah," Minho dragged out the word with a dry, humorless laugh. "He seems pretty pissed off, too."
"What?" Thomas glanced between them, and Emily couldn't help but laugh at his confused expression.
"Nothing, Green Bean," Minho said flatly. "Just keep on runnin'."
The rounded a corner without breaking their fast pace, running side by side down the long passageway. Emily glanced up at the sky, relief flooding over her as she realized that the moon was slowly sinking in the sky. It was only just visible over the towering walls, its light barely reaching them.
They almost survived a night in the Maze. If only they could just loose this Griever, then they would be safe...
They turned yet another corner, and Emily sighed thankfully when she realized that the walls were slowly narrowing.
"Come on, this section's closing!" She yelled at the two boys over the Griever's roars. "We can loose it down here!"
She quickened her pace, barely even bothering to check and see if Thomas and Minho were following. She raced through the narrowing passageway in a breeze, turning around just as Minho stepped into the new corridor beside her.
Her heart clenched, her breath hitching in her throat at the sight in front of her.
Thomas was still on the other side of the corridor. And he was not moving.
"Thomas, what are you doing?!" she yelled, her throat burning as she screamed it raw. She gasped as she saw the silhouette of the Griever as it rounded the corner.
"What's the shuck-face doing?" Minho whispered from beside her, his words laced with disbelief.
"Come on!" Thomas's voice was barely audible over the battle-cry of the Griever as it began running towards him. He waited for the thing to catch up to him before turning and bolting towards her and Minho. The section was already half-way closed, only just big enough for a Griever to fit through. Though that didn't stop the monstrous creature; it's legs hit the sides of the walls as it followed Thomas, it's screeches echoing off the narrow walls.
Emily realized with a jolt exactly what Thomas was trying to do. She just hoped it would work.
"Come on, Thomas! Don't look back!" She urged him on, her voice full of desperation.
"Come on, Greenie! Let's go!" Minho joined in, clapping his hands as he leaned forward.
Thomas was halfway to them, but the walls were growing narrower, and it was getting harder for him to move. His face was scrunched in concentration, fear, and his hands slid across the wall.
Emily's vision blurred, the voices around her becoming fuzzy. She felt herself falling, nearing the ground as her vision went black.
"Thomas!" Minho's voice was the last thing she heard, followed by a deafening thud that was cut off short.

+

Emily's eyes fluttered open, only to close once more at the sudden brightness. For a moment, she thought that she was dead. But then she felt the pain.
It was all over. Whether it was just her muscles aching from running all night or something else, she did not know. All she knew was that it hurt.
"Emily?" Thomas's voice filled her ears, causing her eyes to snap open once more. The sky above her was a light purple color, tinted with a bright shade of orange. Something blocked her vision from seeing the whole sky, however. Someone.
"Thomas?"
Thomas smiled, his face only just now coming into focus. It was covered in bruises and scratches, drenched in a thick layer of sweat. But he was alright. He was alive.
"Is she awake?" Minho's voice spoke from behind her, full of desperation. Emily realized for the first time that she was laying on something soft, unlike the cold stone ground. She turned to see exactly what she was laying on, only to come face to face with Minho. She realized that her head was rested in his lap, his fingers absentmindedly running through her tangled hair. The Runner smiled down at her, his eyes glazed over with exhaustion. He looked as if he had just woken up.
"She's awake," Thomas confirmed with a nod, backing out of her line of vision. She sat up with a groan, her head spinning with dizziness as she did so.
"Take it easy, there." She felt's Minho arms wrap tightly around her as she lost her balance. "You're exhausted."
"What happened?" Emily rubbed her pounding head, another groan escaping her lips. She looked around her, realizing with a jolt that they was still in the Maze. How long has it been since she blacked out?
"It's morning, Emily," Thomas said from beside her, a smile stretching across his face. "We survived."