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

- ESSENCE OF TIME -

Silence expands for a single suspended moment. And in that silence, I can hear the rasp of Newt's labored breathing. The smothered sound of blood being swallowed. The way his body trembles beneath my fingertips.

The fluorescent lamps struggle to come back to life, leaving us with an eerie glow.

I try to lift his head to ease the pain, one hand cradling behind his neck, the other brushing black-stained hair from his face. "It's okay," I whisper, though I don't believe it. "You're gonna be okay..." His head lolls, jaw slack for a second - then his spine straightens all at once like a cord's been pulled tight. He sits up suddenly, too fast, like something inside him has snapped into focus. My hands fall away from him. He's still breathing, but it's strange - too even. Controlled. His shoulders heave slowly, as if he's holding something inside.

But then he shifts toward me.

And the moment his eyes meet mine, my blood runs cold.

What looks back at me now is hollow.

Vacant.

Predatory.

His pupils are blown wide - obsidian black, devouring the gold and chestnut I've known my whole life. They swallow up the light, leaving nothing but shadow behind. The veins in his neck, his arms, his temple - they're pulsing, thick and black, writhing under the surface of his pale skin like something unnatural, barbaric. It's like the Flare has cracked him open and something feral has clawed its way to the surface.

He jerks once - then launches.

"Newt-?!" I don't even have time to finish before he's on me, tackling me back against the floor with a snarl that doesn't sound human. The air punches out of my lungs as I crash onto the cold concrete. His weight hits like a hammer, all elbows and knees and desperation. His hands go straight for my throat - scrabbling, clawing, trying to get a grip on the collar of my uniform. He's not seeing me. Not really. His fingers dig into the fabric at my chest, scratch at my skin. "Newt, hey!!" I scream, thrashing beneath him, my palms braced against his shoulders, trying to shove him off. "It's me!"

He growls again - low, guttural - and we roll. My body slams against the floor again and I twist, pushing against him with everything I've got. Concrete grinds against my spine. Then we roll again and - by some miracle - I get the high ground. I'm straddling him now, knees braced on either side of his hips, pinning his arms with my trembling hands.

His chest rises and falls in jerky spasms. His fingers twitch at his sides. His eyes blink.

For a second - just one breathless heartbeat - I see him again. Real him. "Love," Newt rasps, voice trembling. "You have to..."

And then it's gone.

The clarity drains like water through a sieve. The veins in his neck pulse again, and he lets out a sound like a scream and a sob mashed into one. His body seizes and kicks - he shoves me hard with both legs, and I fly backwards, skidding over broken tile and ash.

"Newt!?" I shout, scrambling back to my feet. My hands are shaking. My heart is going to explode out of my chest. "Please-" But he's already back on his feet too. His hands tremble, fingers flexing like claws. His lips are curled in a snarl, black blood dripping from his mouth. Then he lunges again. This time, he slams me against the wall. My shoulder cracks painfully into the metal frame of a broken bench. I cry out. His arms wrap around me like a vise and he tries to bite - I swear to God, he tries to bite me - but I shove my forearm into his throat just in time, holding him back with all the strength I have left. "Newt, stop!" I'm screaming now. My voice breaks as the panic fully takes hold. "It's me! It's me-!"