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

- CHAOS AND ACTION -

The cold glint of that weapon is the last thing I want to see right now. My mind flickers for a moment - maybe I should put my mask back on, hide behind the steel and plastic like a shield. But it is too late for that.

The three of us stand here, weapons raised, unwavering. None of us hesitate. Not a flicker of fear. Not from me, not from Newt, not from Thomas. The weight of our guns are steady in our hands, the quiet hum of potential violence hanging thick in the air.

I force myself to speak, voice low and steady, even though my pulse thunders in my ears. "Your shoulder healed well," I say, reminding Janson - the man who should have been long dead - that I had shot him once before. This time, I won't miss. My finger hovers on the trigger, itching to squeeze.

Then, a voice shatters the tense silence. "Drop it, kid!!" Someone shouts from the side corridors.

Before I can react, a flood of guards appear, weapons raised and aimed with deadly precision. Their footsteps echo sharply off the cold walls, a warning and a threat.

Newt and I instinctively point our guns at the new arrivals, the logic immediate and brutal - if we shoot Janson now, these guards will kill us all without hesitation.

But Thomas acts faster. Without a word, he lunges forward, grabbing Teresa roughly and pressing the pistol hard against her throat. "Thomas!" I scorn, surprised by his action and my own defiance to it.

He doesn't react. "Back up!" He barks at Janson, his voice cold and commanding. "Tell them to back off!"

More guards spill into the hall behind Janson, their presence growing with each second. No one is willing to back down. It is a standoff, but it feels like a powder keg just waiting to explode.

"Hey, Thomas, come on," Janson says casually, his eyes flicking between the hostage and her captor. Then he glances at me, addressing me directly for the first time. "And (Y/n)? You seriously won't stand by and watch him shoot her?"

I didn't expect to be spoken to. I didn't expect to feel the weight of his gaze like that. "Yeah, you're right," I say, stepping forward despite the cold rage twisting in my gut. "I'd rather shoot you first."

Newt's voice cuts through the tension, quiet but urgent. "(Y/n), no." His words are muffled behind his mask, but the fear and desperation in his tone were unmistakable. The consequences to my actions would be immediate.

Janson smirks, raising his gun slowly to the air, the steel gleaming under the harsh lights. "Go on then," he taunts. "Shoot her. Shoot me." His tone is steady, chillingly calm. "I'll wait."

The seconds stretch into an unbearable silence, the air thick with dread and anticipation. My heart hammers so loud I think it might burst out of my chest.

I can feel Newt's eyes burning into mine, pleading with me to hold back, to think beyond the heat of the moment. Thomas's grip on Teresa is tight enough to appear intentional. Every instinct screams at me to act - to end this nightmare right here. But I know that once I pulled that trigger, nothing would ever be the same.

Janson's challenge hangs in the air, daring me to make a choice.

I steady my aim, finger tightening on the trigger, but a sudden noise - a soft, sharp sound - breaks my focus. Teresa's shoe nudges my heel, and just like that, I'm distracted.

A grunt echoes behind me. The others are being shoved backward, Teresa escaping Thomas' clutch. Then, without warning, she yanks me down, pushing me through the sliding door.

I barely register the sharp click of a little red lever she pulls beside the frame. The heavy glass comes together again, slicing through the corridor like a storm front barreling toward us.