Scene: It started with silence.
Zart had gone into the Maze for a routine check. He didn't return.
The Gladers searched for hours. No sign. No blood. Just his flashlight, cracked and flickering near the ivy wall.
Y/N felt it first. A cold shift in the air. A whisper in her dreams: "He's mine now."
Three days later, Zart walked back into the Glade.
But something was wrong.
His eyes were too dark. His voice too flat. He didn't blink. He didn't speak unless spoken to. And when Y/N passed him, he whispered, "You shouldn't have touched the journal."
Newt pulled her aside. "He's not Zart."
Y/N nodded, trembling. "Something followed him out."
That night, Zart stood in the garden, staring at the photos Y/N had hung. He began tearing them down—one by one—muttering in a voice that wasn't his.
Minho tried to stop him. Zart turned, eyes black, and screamed.
The Gladers scattered.
Y/N stepped forward, journal in hand. "You're not welcome here."
Zart froze. Then laughed—a sound that didn't belong in any human throat.
Newt grabbed Y/N's hand. "We need to seal it. Whatever came back with him—it's looking for a way to stay."
They performed a ritual from Donna's journal—salt, fire, symbols drawn in ash. Zart collapsed mid-chant, gasping.
When he woke, he cried. "I saw her. I saw the doll. I couldn't move. I couldn't scream."
Y/N held him. "You're safe now."
But she knew the truth.
It wasn't over.
Newt's Reaction (retelling the moment):
"Zart went missing. Came back wrong. And for a moment, we weren't just fighting the Maze—we were fighting something ancient."
"Y/N stood in front of it. Faced it. And I stood behind her, ready to burn the world if it touched her again."
"Because love isn't just protection—it's defiance."
