Questions // Mazerunner

33- In which it is too much and not enough

He stood on top of the wall, shoulders hunched and lips curled down. His eyes were closed and his breaths came too hard and fast.
His feet were planted aexactly where Maddy's had been.

He opened his eyes and they drifted down towards Maddy. It looked as if she might only be sleeping. Newt knew she wasn't, but he could hope. Then slowly at first, a puddle of blood began to pool around her, staining the stone red.

Newt almost got down, almost climbed back down the ladder and tried to save her. But in his heart of hearts, he knew she was gone. And he wanted, more than anything, to join her. So he cut the ivy ladder and as it feel away from the wall, Newt could almost hear the blood leaving Maddy's body, her soul forgetting all the pain and her mind moving on.

The ladder fell on top of her with a dull thud, covering her completely other than one pale finger, stark white against the dark green. He ran, running and racing until he found the place it had all started. He sat, landing heavily and lay back.

Just like Maddy does, he thought. Then he realised she didn't do anything anymore. Now there was only things she did, and things she never got the chance to do. And that was it all came crashing down on him.

His best friend, the girl he loves more than life itself, was gone. He would never see that smile, those eyes, feel her hug ever again. He sobbed silently, cradling himself in his own arms till the sun warmed the hard stone beneath him and the air quivered with heat.

Standing, he turned to look at the sun. Maddy always thought it was fake, and know Newt couldn't help but to agree with her. Too little, too late, he thought to himself.

Newt turned to face the Glade, seeing exactly what Maddy must have seen the first time she woke up. Hell. He wanted it to be over. He just wanted to be with Maddy. And then he remembered her words.

"Get out of here, for me."

But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't. It was too late; there was only one way out of the maze now. One way to be with Maddy. Jump.
So he did, launching himself into the black abyss and falling into misery.

And as he fell, he too remembered.
Six words; Float, Catch, Bleed, Death, Stiff, Push. They flashed in quick succession, each one almost too fast to read, but each word came with a picture or a video or a memory. He has no idea what they were, but they were there and they were real.

As the word Float appeared, he saw Maddy falling into the Glade, jumping from the grievers. Her hair was fanned out and her face was calm and then she was gone.

Catch brought voices, him rescuing her from Dan, holding her, comforting her. And then she was gone again.

Bleed flashed in front of a video, the first boy dying in the Glade, in the maze, and then the next and the next. But just like Maddy, they were gone.

Death was a feeling, feeling like he was drowning as the misery pushed up against him, squeezing the life out of him. But when Maddy was there, the clamps released and he was happy again. Gone.

Stiff brought pain and sadness. The weeks that Maddy ignored him, trying to protect him from what she knew might be the only way out. But she wasn't there to protect him now and he didn't know what to do.

And the the last word, push, when they sat in the woods and Maddy asked him to come with her. And him saying yes. Why did he say yes? What had he done?

Gone. Blackness. Losing consciousness and knowing only a pain in his leg, lessening as the pain in his heart increased. He was stuck. He couldn't see but he knew he was stuck. So he did the only thing he knew how to. He called for help. When Minho arrived, he had already passed out.

Several days later, Newt opened his eyes. He recognised the wooden roof of the medjack hut and started to cry, one tear slipping down each cheek. "She's gone," he mumbled. "She's gone."

And then he remembered. Falling and words, 6 words. What were the words? The words were the key to everything, he knew it, but he couldn't remember them and he needed to get out for Maddy. Why couldn't he remember.

Immediately his hand flicked to his head and he groaned. Bandages. Amnesia. Couldn't remember. He passed out.

"Newt?" Minho's voice was dull in the quiet of the hut. "You awake?" Newt nodded.

Minho sighed, "Why did you do it Newt? Why did you jump?" Newt's eyebrows furrowed and confusion filled his every vein. Was it not obvious? Did they not know?

"Maddy." He uttered.

"Who's Maddy?" Minho replied, he's tilted to one side and eyebrow cocked.

"You don't remember?" Minho shook his head.

Suddenly the door burst open. "Lunch," Frypan announced and set down two plates, each with a sandwich, an apple and a cupcake. Maddy's vanilla cupcakes. And then he knew.

A/N One chapter left :) Was that okay? I'm going to finish it tomorrow and will probably start some kind of sequel later this year. It will be called 'Questions' if you're ever looking for it. Thanks as always.
-Katie