After the Death Cure ( The Maze Runner )

Chapter 6

He rubs his face, and puts his hands back on the table.

 He leans forward even more than he was before. "I'm immune. Ok? That will never happen. Even if it did, I wouldn't hurt you. And you know that."

"Yeah."

He just sits there, staring me in the eyes. I realize how handsome he is. How distinct his facial features are. I can tell he wants to say something, but he's holding back, "What?"

He ignores my question, stands up, and exits the room. I feel an emptiness that I haven't felt so strongly since I woke up after the explosion.

"Why did I have to tell you my dreams?"

 I'm hoping that Joshua can hear me through the intercom, and he does, "Because, we need to use the happenings from you dreams, and bring them to reality."

It feels as if I'm falling.

"What- why?" I ask desperately.

"We need to see what you've seen. Your reactions, and, you said that you can't tell whether it's a dream or not. We need to train you to know. Because if you understand that a dream is a dream when it happens, you can control your feelings, therefore, your hope is still there, and the Flare will not kill you in your sleep."

Those last words felt like a stab. My mind goes back to the ripping of my flesh when Newt stabbed me.

"Ok." Was all I could force out.

I hear a click, and spraying noise; purple fog sprays out little holes in the ceiling. My eyes feel heavy. I try to keep them open as long as I can. I don't want to sleep. Finally my will power gives out. I sleep.

I dream.

I wake up in the same white room, but it's bigger than before. It smells like fire. I hear the fire. I turn around. People are walking towards me...They're on fire.

"The sun! Make it stop!" A man yells from the small group of people. I back away. "I can't! I'm sorry!" I can't do anything, it's hopeless. Hopeless.

"It's a dream! WICKED, it's a dream!"

Wake up. Wake up.

I wake up. Same white room. A hand grabs my shirt, pulls me to my feet, pushes me against the wall to where I can't see who it is. The perpetrator smashes my face against the wall. I hear the cracking of my nose, so I turn my head to the side. I try to push off the wall...but whoever it is is too strong. Abnormally strong.

I squirm and fight and try to move. It's useless. There's no point in trying to escape. There's no-I'm dreaming.

I wake up. Am I awake? I look around. Same white room. But no one's in here. I hear an electrical sound I spin around to see who it is this time. Newt. He walks toward me. Swiftly. He pulls his fist back, then it swings, finds my face. That hurt. It's real.

"Newt, stop! I'm awake! I know I'm awake!"

He doesn't even hesitate to punch me in the face again. Hard. I fall to the ground. Pain surges throughout the right side of my face, numbs it. I spit red onto the floor. It's not heavy blood, probably just cut the inside of my mouth on one of my teeth in the collision.

"St-stop." I try to stand, but I fall back onto the floor. I feel a kick to my side. Over and over. I feel hopeless. But it's not a dream. I feel an itch in my brain. I can literally feel it. I lie on the floor. I don't move. I let him hit me.

Then it stops. I look up, and he's gone. I lay my head back down, and groan from the massive headache I now have. The intercom. "Good job. You’re getting the Flare once more." Sarcasm.

I try to stand, it takes a lot of effort, but I do it. Joshua enters the room, and he looks frustrated. "You need to keep hoping. You can't just give up like that. You’re only bringing death upon yourself much faster."

"Ok." I don't feel guilty at all. I'm actually kind of pissed. They made Newt beat me, and now they’re going to tell me I'm a failure? Doesn't seem fair.

I can tell Joshua knows what I'm thinking, and he feels bad for it. I get what he's doing, though. I can't take light of this situation. He's only doing what he needs to. "You may take a break for lunch."

"What? How long was I out?"

"About five hours."

Five hours? How? I exit the room, and there he is. Newt. He has this look of...utter depression. I quickly look away, and leave the observation room. He's following me.

I press the elevator button as fast as I can, step inside, and press the second floor button redundantly. The door almost completely closes, when he sticks his hand in. Klunk. He steps inside the room, and he's already defending himself, "That wasn't me."

"It's ok. You had to."

"It wasn't me."

"Ok." I don't feel like talking. I know, I understand. Even if it was him, he still had to do it. I'm just embarrassed. Embarrassed because of how I reacted, weak. I knew what I was there for, and I failed. I'm angry at myself.

"I feel like you don't believe me."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I would never hit you. I'd find another way to train you, but I would never hit you."

"Ok."

The elevator stops, opens, and I step out. He follows, right on my heels. We eat lunch together, same spot, same silence. And I can tell he's staring at the bruises on my face. I ignore it, though.

We head back to the observation room, and he opens the door for me. "We need to use a different approach. I don't want you guys to hurt her anymore." Newt sounds more desperate than angry.

"This is the only thing we have, Newt. I'm sorry, but it's the only way. Unless you want her dead," I shiver, "I suggest you stay out of this." The blonde haired lady seems angry with him, and irritated at his existence. I'm guessing he gave them a hard time earlier.

I walk into the room, and sit at the table. The purple fog shoots out of the ceiling again, and I don't fight it this time. I lay my head down on the table, and drift off to sleep. This stuff can't be healthy.

I wake up...well, I don't know where. Paradise I guess. It's a beautiful cliff, which overlooks an ocean. I see a small village. I find a place on the cliff that I can walk down to ground level at. I reach the few little houses, and walk to one of them. I knock on the door. Thomas.

I feel anger surging inside of me. He looks surprised to see me. He reaches out for a hug, but I push him, hard.

"He was your friend!"

"I had to." His voice is calm. I hate that.

"You could have found another way! Now he's dead!" Dead? No he's not.

I wake up. Back in the Maze. I stand up, look around. I see Lily. "Lily! What's going on? Why are we back in the Maze?"

"Because of you."

"What did-" She pushes me, and I fall to the ground. She's on top of me, punching and punching. I try to get her off, but Thomas runs up, and pushes my hands down above my head. I'm dying. Slowly drifting away. I'm going to be beat to death. I die.

I wake up in the white room, and spring to my feet. My breathing is out of my control, I feel my heart trying to jump out of my throat. I'm ready to fight anyone who shows up in here. I clench my fists, and scan the room. There he is, Newt is standing at the end of the room. If he punches me, it's not him. I've learned that he keeps his promises. He pulls a knife out of his pocket. Dream or not, it's not him. I set my feet, shoulder width apart. I'm not going down. Not this time. He walks toward me, and the suspense is killing me. He reaches me, lifts the knife in the air.