If you've ever been my friend, love me.

the end.

They kept him tied down for the rest of the day. After screaming for an escape for an hour, thomas soon grew exhausted. His muscles would no longer fight against the straps around his wrists and ankles, his head would no longer fight against his fatigue. He passed out with eyes swollen with tears and checks dried with hot fear.
**
He knew when Alby walked in on the forth day that he had news. It was odd. He and Newt had been in that maze for only a night but when the doors opened to reveal the glade it had felt like forever. That was until Thomas encountered the next four days. Now that was an eternally longer forever.
But at the dusk of the fourth day, the rise of the fourth night Alby finally told Thomas the words he needed to hear.

"You did good, Newbie. You and Newt. You did good."

Good means alive. Good means safe.
Thomas felt it fill up inside him, he felt the influx of trust filter into his eyes and he smiled when he saw that trust shine right back in Alby's.

"Where is he?" It occurred to Thomas that the last words he spoke were pleads to be freed. He didn't care about anything else. He didn't care about anything except reaching him.

Alby looked at his feet, his smile twisting into a smirk of amusement
"You see that's the problem, the shank wants to go right back into the maze, bloody guy is sitting at the gates right now"
"What? No! We have to stop him he can't-" Thomas stopped as Alby chuckled behind his smile, getting up to undo Thomas restraints. They were a lot loser then Thomas remembered.

"Now calm down, calm down" Alby shook his head and looked up at Thomas "the guys been real bad, really really knocked up. Couldn't have you interfering and all. Not with all the things in that boys head" his face almost fell for a minute "but of course, we have Greiver shots for stings, he's a hell of a lot better in that sense"

Thomas rubbed his wrists, letting the tense red marks ease, he felt the same in his heart, Ablys words wringing out the worry.

"But if he wants to go back into the maze-"
Alby shook his head again. Thomas knew it was different now.
"He says he remembers. That's all he's telling us anyway. Keep saying he has to talk to you," Alby lamely poked him in the chest "not any of us. He's waiting by the doors now. Says he's got all kinds of stuff to tell you, then me right after of course."

"Oh yeah?" Thomas laughed.

"Yeah" Alby glanced up at Thomas then back at his hands, smiling at the now empty straps he was fiddling with "Newt said he remembers a way out"

Thomas let the words sink in - an escape to a hell he'd only just entered. He let that emotion fill him up too, knowing that it meant universes more to his new friends. Knowing that if an escape from the glade to Thomas felt good, it would surely elate Newt and Alby to the point of psychically  jumping for joy.
"Come on then," Alby announced "lets go see what the All Knowing has to say"
**
Newts back was to Thomas as he saw him from across the glade, sat right outside one of the four gaping gates to the maze. Alby lead him out of the Homestead, people seemed to linger closely until Alby appointed them stares of warning. Thomas noticed the same around Newt, a certain hushed semi circle had formed widley around him, but he didn't seem to notice or care.
They veared to the right, approaching Newt now at angle, he could see the boys eyes. Thomas watched him looking up, not into the long dark corridors but almost up and over the walls, into the sun that was just setting over the edge of the doors. The light made his skin golden, a kind of gold that his hair seemed to be spindled out of. A kind of gold that his eyes were surely carved from. 
Albys increasing presence made the surrounding boys scatter, but Thomas barley noticed.
A few meters from Newt, Alby stopped.
"Good luck" he simply said, a strange glow of knowledge dooned his face but Thomas couldn't quite place where it came from, nor could he place the meaning of Albys words. Alby pushed Thomas forward, only slightly, before turning and ushering off the final curious cluster.

Before turning back to Newt, Thomas felt the strange sensation of being very alone so suddenly, facing a barren place he barley knew with its inhabitants drifting away from him. Memory's he'd never had still failed to occur to him, his past empty of all but one face.
And as he turned back, the loneliness drained from him and he was consumed by that golden boy. More fragile up close but shockingly whole in that moment.
Thomas sat down next to him, Newt jumped like he'd only just noticed Thomas had been standing there, a lot on his mind. His face melted to happiness as soon as he saw the boy, his gold skin quickly rising to red.
"Tommy"
His arm slung over Thomas shoulders with a tight squeeze.
"Newt" Thomas said, letting his relief fuel his laughter "thought you'd quit on me, what the hell happened out there?"

"Quit on you? No! Never!" Newt let his arm fall back by his side, picking at the grass, meekly letting his fingers nervously pull the blades. "I got stung Tommy, it'd kill ya if you don't make it back to the glade but," he smiled "we did."
Thomas could see words on his lips, words he was scared to say. He wanted to help him. As always.
"Alby said.... you... remember something?"

"Something?!" Newt exclaimed, he rocked back and threw his hands in the air in mock exasperation "I remember everything!"

"Everything?!"

"Yes, everything!" He shook his head in disbelief, glancing over at his friend who had dragged him through hell and back. "Tommy, I can remember who put us in this place, I can remember why we are here - hell, I can remember a way out!" He looked close to tears, his words becoming faster as they pooled in his head then poured from his heart.
"I can get everyone out of here, Tommy. This place is over - this bloody prison, it's done. We can all escape together and face whatever is next together"
"Newt, that's fantastic. That's...that's..." Thomas was trying to find words but Newt wasn't done.
"It's the door in the underground room, Tommy.  I told you I almost took the other one last time, right? I think we can figure out how to pass through it this time. I think I get it. It'll be hard, yes, and maybe, maybe not everyone will be keen at first but," he ran his hand over his mouth as if in shock, staring into the sun, then facing Thomas again "we can do it, we can save everyone. I remember how, I remember why."

Thomas let his joy consume him. The light of the sun on his face felt like the light of a future Newt was insisting to be true. Thomas felt like he woken up from a nightmare. Maybe there would still be challenges ahead but Thomas felt strong enough to withstand them already.
He watched Newts eyes soak up the light, but Thomas realised that words were still waiting in Newts head.
The boys face fell as Thomas watched him struggle to say them, struggle to speak out. Thomas watched Newts heart racing, he could feel it in his own chest. Then Newt spoke again.
"I remember. I remember everything. The tests, the building of the maze, the people who put us here. We were good people before. We are here for a cause, Tommy. For a cure. I remember that now. I remember it all. I remember...."
He blinked furiously like he was fighting back tears but his smile was brighter then Thomas had ever known and when he looked at him, Thomas felt everything shift and move and half of it was fear and the other half was something he had never known before his memories had been ripped away.
"I remember you, Tommy"
Newts words were quiet and fragile and saturated in love.

"I remember us"