IT STARTED WITH A MAZE - Newt x Reader (F)

- CONSEQUENCES OF CHANGING -

I act without thinking - grabbing a thick branch from the ground and swinging it with all my strength. It connects with a sickening crack across Ben's back. He howls and rolls off. Thomas coughs, gasping for air.

Then Ben turns- onto me.

He's on me in a blink, pinning me down with knees and forearms. His breath is hot and rancid on my face. "And you-" His spit hits my cheek. I buck beneath him, kneeing him as hard as I can between the legs. He shouts and slumps, and Thomas grabs him by the shoulders, dragging him off.

Then he grabs my hand. "Let's go!"

We run. "Guys!" We both scream, voices shredding the silence. Branches whip my arms, scratch my face. My lungs burn as we sprint, feet slamming the forest floor. Thomas is fast - faster than I expect. Faster than most boys I've seen. But Ben is faster.

He catches up. A flash of movement and something tangles in my feet. I fall hard, my cheek scraping bark as I slam into the side of a tree. My vision swims. Thomas skids to a stop. He turns back. "Go get help!" I yell, pushing myself up with shaking arms. "Just go!"

He hesitates, caught between instinct and reason. But finally, he turns and bolts. Ben is there before I can rise. He tackles me again, forcing me back to the ground. His hands wrap around my throat, pressing tight. "I'm going to kill you," he snarls.

I thrash, legs kicking. My fingers claw at his wrists. Nothing gives. Thomas's voice echoes in the distance, calling my name over and over. "Ben's hurting (Y/n)! Someone, help!!" Stars burst in my vision. My lungs scream. I find a rock. It's not big, but it's all I have. I swing it into Ben's temple. He shouts but doesn't let go. Then suddenly - his weight lifts. I blink, coughing, as Thomas reappears, dragging me to my feet. "Come on! Just run!" We crash through the trees, stumbling toward the Glade. The forest begins to thin. Light breaks through the branches. The sound of shouts and tools - real, alive - filters in. We break through the tree line. A handful of boys turn toward us, alarmed. "Help!" Thomas yells.

Ben lunges out of the trees just behind us. I freeze - but he doesn't come for me this time. He goes for Thomas and takes him down again.

Then a blur of motion- Newt, sprinting in from the side. He swings a gardening tool like a club and slams it into the side of Ben's head. Ben drops with a grunt, twitching. "Get on top of him!" Newt shouts. Boys flood in, grabbing Ben's arms and legs, pinning him down. He thrashes like an animal caught in a trap, screaming nonsense.

"What the hell happened!?" Gally's voice cuts through the chaos like a knife. He storms over, sweat slicked across his forehead, fists clenched at his sides. His eyes move rapidly from me to Thomas to the group of boys struggling to keep Ben pinned to the ground.

"He just- he attacked us!" Thomas stammers, chest heaving.

"He was crazy," I add, swallowing hard. My throat is raw. I can still feel the imprint of Ben's fingers around my neck, the phantom weight of him pressing down on me. "He wasn't himself."

"That's a bloody understatement," Newt mutters, glaring toward Ben.

"You're bleeding, (Y/n)," Alby says as he appears behind Newt. His voice is calm but low, like he's holding something back. My eyes dart to him, then to Newt, who's staring at me with concern etched deep into his face.

I lift my hand to my cheek, and it comes away red. The sting blooms now that I'm noticing it, a scrape running along my jawline from where I'd fallen. It's warm and aching, but compared to everything else... it barely registers. "Something's happened to him," I say, eyes on Ben. "It wasn't just rage or panic. He looked wrong. Like... infected."