RECKLESS [The Maze Runner || Newt || Book 1]

10 - Guilt

"It was this giant slimy creature thing, it was disgusting. It had these bloody metal arms and a tail with some type of needle at the end of it. It grabbed Freddy while Clara and I weren't watching and stabbed him with it." Newt spoke.

He was now gathered in the council hall with Alby, Minho, Clara, and the rest of the runners. After they'd arrived back from the maze Minho ordered a meeting with the runners, calling Alby in to hear what the pair had to say about what happened.

"What happened after that?" Alby asked, standing up from his seat and moving to lean against one of the wooden columns, crossing his arms.

"We- we tried to carry Freddy out but there wasn't time, the doors would've closed and all three of us would've been trapped inside," Newt responded, a slight shake in his voice.

"Okay. First of all, NOBODY goes into the maze tomorrow, alright?" Alby announced to the runners, all of them nodding and mumbling in agreement. 

Clara was standing in the corner of the room, completely still, the tears hadn't stopped falling from her eyes and guilt crawled over every part of her body, she had been silent up until now

"What?" She whispered, causing all the boys to turn and look at her,

"We have no idea what those things are, we can't risk anybody going out there." Alby responded,

"No, Alby we have to go back, we can't just leave Freddy in there. We have to go back and find him!"

"That's enough. Anybody who goes into the maze tomorrow gets punishment. End of story."

"Fucking ridiculous." Clara scoffed before running out of the hall, slamming the door behind her, leaving the rest of the runners standing staring at the door. Alby nodded to Newt, who quickly followed her out.

Clara ran into her room and collapsed onto her bed, her sobs shook her entire body and guilt was overwhelming her, eating away at her insides. She curled up into a small ball in the corner of the bed, hugging her knees to her chest and crying into them, struggling to breathe between sobs.

"Clara?" She heard a voice coming from the doorway and looked up, her vision was blurred from the tears, but she recognized the tall, blonde boy standing at her door. The girl didn't answer, pushing her head back down into her knees. Suddenly she felt him sit on the bed next to her,

"It's – it's my fault Newt. He's stuck in there because of me and now we can't even go back and get him," she spoke between sobs, her voice trembling as tears kept falling from her eyes.

"Hey, hey, it's not your fault Clara, you couldn't have known."

"But I- he-" She stuttered, unable to get the words out and she gave up, letting herself collapse into his chest and allowing the tears to flow freely again. Newt hesitated slightly but wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his chest, sobbing softly as he gently rubbed her back.

After a few minutes she'd finally calmed down, her sobs had subsided into small gasps as she tried to take deep breaths. Her eyes were stinging, and her throat was sore, her face felt dry from wiping away the tears. She was lying down on her bed, Newt sitting beside her, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Newt?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you stay with me tonight?"

"Uhm yeah, yeah I can."

The boy climbed into the bed behind her, wrapping his long arms around her as she curled into him.

She closed her eyes but sleep never came. The images of the horrifying creature stabbing Freddy with its tail, of it dropping him to the floor, of his body leaning against the wall as Newt carried her away, filled her brain.

I have to find him, she thought, that feeling of irrational hope nesting inside her brain, desperate to find a way to get rid of the guilt that was destroying her.

I have to go back.

She was going to wake up before the runners tomorrow and go back into the maze, back to where they left Freddy's body. And with that thought, with that glimmer of hope, she finally fell asleep.