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

- ONE MORE TRY -

I sprint back toward the group, each breath jagged and desperate, my legs burning with the effort and my mind a chaotic storm of fear and hope. The ground beneath me is littered with debris - twisted metal, shattered glass, and smoldering fragments of what once was a city. The acrid scent of smoke fills the air, mixing with distant explosions and the crackle of gunfire, creating a grim symphony that reminds me just how fragile our moment of safety really is.

When I reach them, they're still there - figures etched sharply against the dimming twilight, standing rigid as if holding the weight of the world on their shoulders. Their eyes lock onto mine, searching, waiting, hoping. Gally's voice breaks through the chaos, sharp and tense. "Did you get it?"

I swallow hard, the ache in my chest tightening like a vise. My throat burns with unshed tears, and a cold wave of exhaustion washes over me. "No," I say honestly, voice cracking under the strain. I'm barely holding it together a lying to them would be easier, but I can't. Not now. "But Teresa has my sample. She promised she'll meet us at the tunnels with it."

Minho's eyes narrow, suspicion flickering across his face. "Did you sell your soul to get that outcome?" His words sting, echoing the question I've been wrestling with since I left WICKED's walls.

I pause, mind replaying every moment in that sterile, suffocating place. The sterile coldness of the labs contrasted sharply with the burning desperation inside me. "I made a deal willingly," I admit, the weight of that choice pressing down on me. "Now, what's happening?"

Thomas steps forward. "Brenda just radioed," he tells me. "Vince and Jorge are here. They brought a Berg to rescue us."

Relief blooms cautiously in my chest, a fragile ember against the darkness surrounding us. For the first time in what feels like forever, a glimmer of hope warms the cold tension in my veins. "Perfect," I say, voice steadier now, though my heart still races. "It'll make it easier for Teresa to find us." I move closer to Newt, who looks more fragile than ever - his face pale, the dark stains creeping across his skin a cruel reminder of how quickly time is running out. I reach out, my hand trembling slightly as I cup his cheek, my thumb brushing over the fevered skin. His eyes close briefly at the touch, and I cling to that small moment of connection. "How are you holding up?" I whisper, trying to sound stronger than I feel, desperate to anchor him - and myself - to something real.

He opens his eyes, meeting mine with a flicker of warmth that breaks through the haze of pain. "Better," he says quietly. "Now that you're back."

The night hangs heavy as we leave our little crumbling sanctuary. Our footsteps echo off cracked walls and shattered windows as we dart through narrow alleyways, shadows swallowed by the flickering orange glow of distant fires. The city is a fractured skeleton - collapsed buildings and twisted steel loom like ghostly sentinels, their charred remains smoldering in the darkness.

Explosions continue to punctuate the night like thunderclaps, sending cascades of sparks raining down from above. The ground shakes beneath us as another building shudders and crumbles, dust choking the space around us.

Newt is at my side, though his steps falter, his breaths coming in shallow gasps. The black stain on his face seems to darken in the flickering light, spreading like poison creeping through his veins. I glance at him, panic gnawing at my insides. "Go without me," he says suddenly, voice hoarse and weak.

I stop, stunned, and honestly pissed off that he would even suggest such a thing. "No," I snap, grabbing his arm. "Don't- don't say that. We're in this together."

He shakes his head, his eyes clouded with pain and exhaustion. "I'm slowing you down-"

A fury rises inside me, fierce and desperate. "We're not leaving you!" My voice cracks, tears stinging my eyes as I tighten my grip. Minho, Thomas and Gally are all quiet in deliberation, but I know they share my thoughts.