In These Walls (Newt x reader)

Seventeen

~ (y/n)'s P.O.V. ~

When Newt came in, I didn't hear him. I was rewrapping my leg like Clint had taught me to do. He had instructed me to rewrap it twice each day. 

I hummed, finished tucking in the wrap as two hands snaked around my waist, pulling me close. I jumped, stopping myself from turning quickly as to not hurt my leg. I smacked at Newt's arm.

"Don't shucking scare me like that." I scowled, but it quickly dropped to smile when Newt laughed. 

"Sorry, love." Newt kissed my cheek, then let me go to sit in front of me. It has been a week and a half since my leg got injured again. I had decided for George to try all the ideas we had for escaping the Maze. The worse thing to have happened to him so far was his foot got caught on a vine when climbing the wall. While some Gladers rooted for it, I didn't banish him because I knew what being in that Maze at night felt like.

"They're doing their next idea for escaping the Maze in a little bit, if you want to go watch." I hummed, nodding. 

"What is the next idea?" 

"Lowering him into the hole that the Box comes up in. They're putting a rope around one of his legs and the other for him to hold onto. They don't want him to fall if his grip on the rope slips." I pulled my uninjured leg up so I could lean my chin against my knee. 

"What about the Keepers of each group? Has that been decided." Newt nodded. 

"Minho and Ben were both in the decision for Runner, but Ben stepped down so Minho is the Keeper for the Runners, Frypan is Keeper for the Cooks, Winston is Keeper for the Slicers, Gally is Keeper for the Builders, Clint is Keeper for the Med-jacks, and Alby said you'd be Keeper for the Track-hoes. The rest are undecided." I smiled softly.

"Most of those are whoever has been in the position longest." Newt looked at me. 

"Yeah, because they've got the most experience." I hummed. Outside, a bell rang. Newt stood, gently going to pick me up bridal style.  I pulled him in for a quick kiss before he could pick me up. The bell rang again and Newt pulled away. 

"Can't leave them waiting, now can we?"

~

When we got close to the Box, the Gladers stopped talking, looking to us. The group parted for Newt to walk through, then Newt sat me gently on the ground beside Ben. I sent Ben a soft smile, then looked to Newt as he headed towards George. As promised, there was a rope connected to one of his legs and one in his hand. George briefly looked at me and I noticed the veins had crawled halfway up his neck, and his eyes looked dark. I made my eyes jump back to Newt, who was with the group set with the job of lowering George down into the hole. As they started to lower George into the hole, a heavy feeling set in my stomach. I swallowed, watching. 

"Do you see anything George?" Alby was the one to call down. George's answer sounded animal like as he growled. The growl echoed up to us and I shivered, clenching at my arms. Soon, George barked out a "no" and the boys continued to lower him down. After a few minutes, Alby called down again, and George was quiet. Suddenly, there was a tug on the rope and some of the boys slid forward, including Newt. His shoes came inches away from the opening. 

"Something is wrong, they need help." I whispered, yet Ben heard me and nodded, looking at me with a side glance as he got up, running to the back of the rope. 

"George?" Alby called down the hole and the growling started again. 

"It feels like something is crawling up the rope." Newt admitted as they slid forward again. If George was climbing up, how would he have so much strength to be pulling six of the Gladers forward? Suddenly, George let out a rasping laugh. 

"Let me up, let me up." There was gears whirring in the tunnel, we could hear it. 

"George, what's wrong?" Alby asked. The rope tugged again, this time harder, and Newt slid all the way to the edge. 

"Help them!" I shouted out and most of the boys scrambled to the rope ends, pulling back on it so Newt and the other boys could back from the edge. I felt two pairs of hands on me, then they were lifting me up. I looked to one side to see Clint, and the other was Dan. They backed me away from the Box hole. 

"Something is wrong with George, Clint, very wrong." I looked to him and he nodded. 

"Yeah, we just don't know what it is." I held a breath as the area around us went quiet, the tugging, the whir of gears, George. I stood on my uninjured leg, keeping my injured one in the air. A breeze went through my hair, grabbing at its strands, then disappearing. 

George screamed, and it echoed as the rope tugged harder. The gear whirring was louder, vibrating the ground around the box. 

"Pull me up!" George yelled, sounding close to his normal self, voice full of fear, sounding like a child. The Gladers hesitated, then pulled on the rope. George screamed louder and I felt the breath stop in my throat. He sounds like he's in pain. He's in pain and it's my fault. One of the ropes gave slack and the Gladers pulled up an empty rope. The other rope, they continued to pull, trying to go fast, then George's screams stopped. I felt the weight settle in on my stomach. I knew he was dead, I could feel it deep down before we had even lowered him into the hole. 

"Take (y/n) out of here." Alby looked to Dan and Clint. My eyes widened. 

"Alby I-" Dan and Clint began to pull me away as the whirring stopped and the ground stopped vibrating. "Let me go!" Clint shook his head at Dan, mouth in a line. I looked to Dan and he looked away guilty as they led me back to the Med-jack hut. As we entered the door, I heard one of the boys behind me shout in horror. When I turned my head, a group of the Gladers were rushing towards the woods. Dan and Clint set me on the bed, Clint pointed at Dan, telling him to stay with me, then he grabbed his bag, rushing out to see if they needed medical help, but I already knew as he too late. 

Original Publish Date: August 23, 2016