A Different Path

Chapter One - A Different Path

"Make amends! Repent for what you did!" The words tore out of him, his whole body trembling. His voice dropped to an urgent, harsh whisper. "Kill me you shuck coward. Prove you can do the right thing. Put me out of my misery."

The words horrified Thomas. "Newt, maybe we can-"

"Shut up! Just shut up! I trusted you! Now do it!"

"I can't."

"Do it!"

"I can't!" How could Newt ask him to do something like this? How could he possibly kill one of his best friends?

"Kill me or I'll kill you! Kill me! Do it!"

"Newt..."

"Do it before I become one of them!"

"I..."

"KILL ME!" And then Newt's eyes cleared, as if he'd gained one last trembling grasp of sanity, and his voice softened. "Please, Tommy. Please."

Thomas looked at his friend lying on top of him. He thought of the first time they had met, and of all the time they had spent together. I can't just shoot him, he thought. I can't give up on him, not now, not like this.

"Shuck it. I should have known," Newt said softly. "You're too weak to do what has to be done. I should have given Minho the note..."

Thomas felt tears streaming down his face. "I can't kill you, Newt, you're my best friend. You can't expect me to kill my best friend!" he said in a trembling voice.

"Oh shut up and bloody kill me already! Don't let me become one of them!"

"You know I can't do it Newt... You know I can't..."

"Stop crying and shoot me!" Newt yelled.

Thomas could see Newt was getting more and more agitated with every word he spoke.

"Please just calm down Newt, I'm begging you!"

"And why would I do that? 'Cause you clearly didn't listen to me when I was begging you." Newt replied angrily.

Thomas looked Newt in the eyes, slowly seeing his sanity dripping away again. He was clenching his fist even tighter around the gun, and his breathing was so fast calling it hyperventilating would be an understatement. 

"Newt, please, calm down."

"Calm down?! Calm down?!" he screamed. "I'm a Crank Tommy, a Crank! I can't calm down! Just KILL ME, do it! Do it now!" Newt had officially lost it. "DO IT TOMMY!"

His breathing was getting even faster than before. This can't be good, Thomas thought.

"Newt, please, just listen to..."

"To you? Why the bloody hell would I do that?!" Newt replied full of hate. "I thought we were friends Tommy, I thought I could trust you. But apparently I can't trust you, apparently you're not my friend! Because if you were my friend you would have listened to me, if you were my friend you would have killed me! But you didn't kill me, right?!"

"Newt, listen, you are my best friend. I love you, I can't kill you" Thomas tried.

"Love?" Newt said sarcastically. "That isn't love, Tommy, that's being selfish!"

Thomas was at a loss for words. Never could he have expected this to happen. To have Newt pinning him down to the ground, begging him for death. Newt didn't deserve this, yet Thomas could not bring himself to end it all. Seeing Newt like this was unbearable, but so was the thought of having to live without him.

Despite the dilemma tearing him apart, Thomas managed to recollect himself.

"Newt, I do care about you, but I just can't kill you. I need you to understand that," Thomas said resolutely. "Do you get it?"

"No I don't get it! And stop lying to me!" Newt yelled. "You don't care about me, the only person you care for is you, not me! Everything's about you, only you, you don't care about ANYONE ELSE! Now kill me, or I'll kill you!"

Thomas noticed that Newt's grip on him was suddenly loosening. His head slightly swayed as well, and his breathing was slowing down. Before Thomas could act, Newt had already hit the ground.

Thomas quickly rolled over to see what had happened to his now motionless friend.

"Newt? Wake up!" he said whilst checking for a pulse. Thomas felt a weak but continuous pounding. He's still alive. He's unconscious, but he's still alive, Thomas thought.

"Hey, Thomas! All done?" Lawrence called. Thomas had completely forgotten about him. "He ain't moving, so saying goodbye is kinda impossible now!"

Thomas looked back at the van. Lawrence did not seem happy.

"What are you waiting for? Get back in! Or do you want those other cranks to eat you?"

The cranks at the garbage heap hadn't noticed them yet, but Thomas knew it wouldn't take much longer. Some cranks weren't interested in the junk anymore, and had already started to wander around.

"Can we... I mean..." Thomas stammered. "We have to take him with us."

Lawrence snorted. "You're kidding, right? That kid's gonna kill us if he wakes up!"

    "If he wakes up?" Thomas asked anxiously.

    "You saw him, right? The boy was so angry his brain probably exploded or something. Now hurry up and get your butt back in the van! You were about to save the world, remember?"

Shuck! I can't leave him here, Thomas thought. But Lawrence won't let him come with us...

It didn't take Thomas very long to reach his final decision.

    "If you won't take him, I'm not coming with you."

The way Lawrence looked at Thomas sent shivers down his spine.

    "You'd better get up and come here, boy," Lawrence growled.

    "What if I don't?"

    "Then I'll make you," Lawrence drew his gun and aimed it at Thomas. "Now get over here."

A wave of panic washed over Thomas. His thoughts ran at full speed, trying to figure out a way to escape, when he realised something.

    "You're not gonna shoot me. You can't shoot me. You need me to get into WICKED."

Lawrence cursed as he threw his gun into the back of the van. "Get over here, you brat!"

Thomas noticed Lawrence's feet shuffling in place. He's afraid to come out of the van! he thought.

    "If you want me to come, you'll have to drag me back into that van," he said whilst trying to hide a triumphant smirk.

    "This is the last time I'll say it! Get in the van! Now!" Lawrence yelled with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

    "The Cranks can smell fear, you know. Plus, you're attracting them with all of that yelling," Thomas said no longer concealing his grin. "Maybe you should send the pilot to come get me."