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

- REDEMPTION IN FLAME -

The Crank lunges.

Time slows just enough for me to catch the full, terrible picture.

It crashes into Janson with brutal force - wild, snarling, relentless. Teeth clamp down on his arm, ripping flesh with a sickening snap, wet and raw. He screams - a guttural, raw howl of pain and rage that cuts through the chaos like a blade.

Teresa stands frozen for a split second, eyes wide and terrified, before her survival instinct kicks in. She watches the Cranks with growing horror, backing away but ready to fight if they turn toward us.

Janson thrashes against them, but there are too many. They tear into him with savage fury. His screams continue to echo off the metal walls, a horrifying soundtrack to his own undoing. I barely register the chaos around me, my eyes fixed on the man who once called himself my father. His face twists in agony, his skin shredded, blood spraying in dark, frantic bursts.

The sight is grotesque and undeniable: the man who betrayed us, who tried to break us, now being devoured by the monsters he thought he controlled. A grim satisfaction coils in my chest, tangled with sorrow and disbelief.

Thomas is at my side, voice low but urgent. "We have to move." But for a heartbeat longer, I watch Janson's resounding cries, a brutal reminder that sometimes, justice comes with savage, unforgiving teeth. Yet then Thomas' hands are hoisting me to my feet.

"Tommy," I argue weakly, my voice barely a whisper as I try to steady myself, clutching my arm around his shoulder. My other hand instinctively presses against the searing pain in my abdomen, trying to stem the relentless flow of blood and the deep ache radiating through me.

"Nope. You're okay, and we need to go," Thomas says firmly, his grip tightening to keep me upright, his eyes sharp and unyielding. There's no room for argument - only urgency.

Teresa moves quickly to my other side, her hands steady and practiced as she supports me. "Thomas is right," she says, her voice tight with concern but resolute. "We have to get out now."

Together, we move from that hellish room - the scent of blood and burning circuits lingering in the air - stepping into the hallway beyond.

Sparks fly intermittently from exposed wiring along the corridor's ceiling, crackling with dangerous short fuses that hiss and spark, threatening to ignite or block our path. My chest tightens - each inhale shallow and ragged - and a wave of dizziness washes over me. My legs tremble beneath the weight of pain and exhaustion. I struggle to keep moving, to stay upright.

Where did I need to meet Minho?

How were they going to save our asses?

My thoughts are left unanswered as the agony only rises. Teresa's voice cuts through the chaos: "This way!" She pulls me toward a nearby door, her grip firm, guiding us from the failing systems and sparking hazards.

We push through the heavy door and step into a narrow stairwell. The flickering emergency lights here are faint, casting long, jittery shadows on the concrete walls. It feels claustrophobic, the steps echoing with each hurried footfall as we descend. Every movement sends fresh jolts of pain radiating through my soul, but Thomas and Teresa keep me steady, their presence the only thing holding me together.

The distant roar of destruction still reverberates through the building - another bomb, another explosion shaking the very foundation beneath us. We're racing against time, against collapse, against everything. Smoke fills the stairwell now, choking and thick, invading my lungs with every ragged breath. There's a fire down there. "Up! Up!" Thomas yells and we change direction. "A little further, (Y/n)," he urges, his voice steady but tight as he supports me, helping me drag my weight up the stairs. Every step echoes hollowly off the concrete walls, but with every movement, the sharp, searing pain in my side flares like a brand. My muscles tremble. Each inhale burns, raw and desperate. My legs give out beneath me, trembling uncontrollably, threatening to collapse.