"Grace!", Alby hurried over towards me. The pure worry on his face made an instant feeling of anxiety grow inside my chest.
When I uneasily asked him what happened, he just shook his head, signaling me to follow him.
We jogged through the open gates of the Maze that gaped open like a monster's jaw. And we were running right into its throat.
With every step I took, the hallways seemed to grow closer. My nerves were tensed over the edge as I followed Alby down the dark tunnel overgrown with ivy vines.
When we turned the last corner, my heart wanted to jump out of my chest at what I saw.
Newt was lying in front of us, withering in pain, his leg sprawled out in a crooked angle. Around him oozed a pool of what I soon noticed was his own blood.
I heard somebody scream, only to realize that I was the one calling out his name.
My legs moved on their own as I rushed forward. Sitting down next to him made me scratch open my knees, but the pain skipped over me like a balloon flying into the gray sky.
Nothing wanted to matter anymore, now that I saw him lying there, almost close to death.
"No, no, no, Newt!"
I felt myself panicking when I saw how sickly pale his skin was.
His eyes were open but empty, whisked clean in sorrow. Tears streaked down his cold cheeks and his chest heaved with short breaths.
"Newt, hey!", my voice sounded far away, like I was listening to a recording of myself.
My hands were shaking as I carefully cradled his head in my lap. I felt numb, yet my skin stung like cold frost. Newt's hair was dirty with blood.
Slowly, recognition washed over Newt's face and his foggy gaze cleared.
"Grace...", He tried to get up, only to break down again, flinching at the wounds that sprinkle his body. I felt how my heart shattered into pieces.
"Sorry... I'm sorry-", he coughed up those words, wincing when I softly touched his back.
My vision blurred and I didn't even try to stop my heavy breathing. A scream built up in my chest, getting stuck in my throat.
"You dimwitted Shank! What were you thinking?!", Next to me, Alby quickly lifted the body like it weighted nothing, making Newt yell in agony.
Time wouldn't flash by, like I was paralyzed by it when we hurried back the way we came from. Faster than I realized, we'd managed to bring him back to the Glade, rushing towards the med-house.
Nobody saw us.
We did our best to fix him up, which wasn't much. Alby didn't allow Clint to help. He didn't allow anyone to know what happened.
Not like we really knew either.
After tow horrifying hours when Newt's blood had finally stopped dripping onto the bed's sheets, we'd managed to put him into a stable state again. Alby had left, saying that he needed time to think and restructure.
For many minutes, the emotions inside me raged like a wild storm. I was worried sick, harshly pacing back and forth in one place. I was devastated of what happened. But most of all, I was furious. Blazing anger at the creators and what they were doing to us.
And I was mad at myself.
Newt had told me how much he hated that place. Once. He'd never spoken of it again. How he sometimes wished he didn't have to endure this torture.
I should've read between the lines. Should've acted earlier.
Guilt clawed at my insides.
Oh, a lot of thoughts spun around my head, but it was all washed away when I heard a soft groan coming from the bed next to me.
I hurried over to his side, careful not to touch him.
Newt's pretty face was all banged up, with purple bruises on his chin.
We might've managed to stop the bleeding, but I knew that his leg would never properly heal.
When I knelt down next to him, I could feel myself tearing up again.
"Hey, stay down. You can't put pressure on your body now", my voice was a quiet whisper, too scared to speak up.
Newt looked at me with those soft brown eyes filled with regret and shame. It hurt so much, I wish I could take all this pain away from him and bear it for him.
My throat burned.
"I- I'm sorry", Newt's expression twisted in pain when he spoke. "I am so sorry that you had to see that. I didn't want you to...", his voice broke and a small tear rolled down the bridge of his nose.
I carefully cupped his face, leaning my forehead against his.
"Newt...", the words didn't want to spill. I was afraid of what to say.
I gasped in a short breath, tears now streaming down my face again.
I was lucky that he was still here, and for that I felt incredibly grateful.
This realization hit me like a truck, letting the sobs that had built up inside me spill out.
I'd almost lost this wonderful person forever.
I pulled Newt into a hug, stroking over his hair, silently thanking whoever controlled the Fates for this second chance.
I could feel him burying his face in the crook of my neck, holding on like I'd disappear if he let go.
I took in every detail of this feeling, making sure I'd remember it for the rest of my life. How precious our time together was. And how silent somebody's pain can be.
In the silence of us holding onto eachother's presence, I heard four words. And I didn't know which one of us said them. But they would stick with me for ever.
"Please never leave me"
Aight, that was it. Congratulations, you've made it.
Ayayay, this is not very author-y of me.
The words aren't wording.
*Throwing up noises*
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