⚠️⚠️tw: hate crime violence⚠️⚠️
"Cally?" I knocked on the door of the Medbay. "Leah sent me."
I heard Cally cover up her sniffles, "Come in."
"How're you feeling?" I asked after entering.
"Alby is stable, he'll wake up in a few days..." She was sitting at his bedside, reading a book.
I sighed. "That's great, but I asked about you, not Alby."
"Oh- um." She stammered, closing Of Mice and Men. "I'm holding it together, I guess."
I smiled sadly and sat next to her. "You know you don't have to."
She nodded, tears reentering her eyes, "I know. But I feel... less broken this way."
I nodded as well. "I understand." And it was the truth. Grief worked in weird ways and it was a different process for everyone. I lost Nick, but so did everyone else in the Glade, he meant a lot to everyone.
For Cally... Ben was her person. I didn't know if she'd find another like him, I wasn't sure she wanted to.
"Are you okay? Jack spilled to me you were drinking a lot last night..." She held her hands together, anxiously playing with the silver rings on her fingers.
I shook my head in disbelief, "Dammit Jack. Yeah, I had a rough two days. I think... I think it's better now though."
"This have to do with Newt being an ass?"
I smiled sadly, "Maybe?"
She sighed, "He loves you a lot, the stress of being a leader hit him hard. Did you guys make up?"
I shrugged and tried to hide my smile as I remembered the kiss a few hours ago. "Something like that."
She rolled her eyes, "You are insufferable, little brother."
Little brother was a common tease from Cally but today it struck a cord in me that sent a cold chill down my spine.
Cally notices, "What?"
I took a deep breath, "Have you ever gotten dreams... about before the Glade? Dreams that felt like memories?"
She sucked on her teeth, "Rarely... but yes. Did you see something?"
I nodded, "It was before WICKED... I was with an older boy, but he looked like me. He called me his brother. WICKED found us and took him..."
Cally's eyes went wide and her face paled, "Shit, Felix. I'm sorry... Do you think it was real?"
I shook my head, "I don't... I don't know, Cal. But it was definitely familiar."
"I understand..."
"I think.. WICKED has my brother."
Cally opened her mouth to say more, but was interrupted by a loud alarm.
BLANG BLANG BLANG
"That's the Greenie alarm-" I said.
Cally was already up and moving, "Let's go."
Cally and I weren't the only ones in a frenzy, Gladers were racing from as far as the Slammer, Newt included.
"What's going on?" He asked Cally and I since we had reached the Box first.
"It's the Greenie alarm but-"
"We just got one. What the shuck is going on?!"
With an ear-peircing screech, the Box stopper. Gladers pulled the doors open and inside was the usual crates and canvas bags, but there was an unconscious girl too.
She was small, but her face was aged, I assumed it was malnourishment. She had pale skin with freckles and dark hair. She came in brown cargo pants and a pale blue shirt. She looked too clean to be here.
Newt sighed, jumping in and lifting her up to us.
"I'll get Clint and Jeff," Chuck announced, jogging off to find the other Med-Jacks.
Newt set her on the grass, allowing Cally to check her vitals. I helped Newt out of the box and watched intently.
"Well she has a pulse," Cally determined, holding her wrist.
"We'll keep her in the Medbay til she wakes," Newt instructed.
"What's that?" I nudged at her hand, noticing a small slip of paper.
"I don't know..." Cally grabbed it, opened it and gasped.
"What?!" Newt yanked the paper from Cally. I read it over his shoulder.
"She's the last one. Ever..." I mumbled.
"Holy shit!" A Glader nearby exclaimed. With him, many others started to freak out too.
"This confirms it!" I said to Cally and Newt. "They're killing us, they're tired of waiting for the Maze to be solved."
Newt nods in agreement, "I'll talk to Minho when he gets back." Minho went against Leah's wishes and went into the Maze again.
"Here," Newt bent down and picked the girl up. "Let's get her comfortable and when she wakes up, maybe she can tell us some things."
***
That evening I was enjoying my alone time in the treehouse, waiting for Newt to come home. He was still doing his job, seemed like it never ended.
There was soft knock on the underside of the trap door. I smiled with excitement, Newt was finally here.
I opened the trap door, except it wasn't him. It was Danny, a Slicer I didn't know very well.
"Danny? What are you doing here?" I was confused, but I smiled anyways.
He finished entering the treehouse and grinned, but something in his eyes wasn't right...
"I'm here for you, Felix."
I raised my eyebrow, "What-?" Before I could say another word, Danny came at me swinging. In the dim candlelight I didn't notice the handmade club in his hand.
It hit me in the side of my head, my temple. I tried fighting back but Danny was bigger and stronger and he was fueled by something more... rage.
"Danny!" I screamed. "Stop..."
"No!" He hit me in the stomach next, my old rib injury sent hot pain running up my side. "You deserve to die!"
"Stop!" I begged, "Stop please!"
He straddled my torso, locking my body under the weight of his.
"Shut up!" He spat on me. "I already told you, Felix. Death." Another punch to my skull.
"Why?!" I panted, it was hard to breathe with him sitting on my chest.
"You're a disgrace. Unnatural."
My eyes went wide, this was because I was gay? Danny smiled down at me, there wasn't anything human left in his eyes.
"Newt!" I screamed, as loud as I could. There wasn't any other way out of this... not alive.
"Shut up!" He growled, slapping a hand to my throat.
Danny started to squeeze.
I clawed at his hands around my throat, but that only made him squeeze harder. My vision was starting to go, I was starting to see dark spots.
I wondered if this is what dying felt like.
That's the last thing I thought before darkness took control.
***
"Here. You have to get the sand wet first."
I opened my eyes to find myself at the beach. Calum was sat in front of me, we were building a sand castle.
This was another memory.
"Calum? Where are we?" My voice sounded young, juvenile.
He smiled, a genuine, joyous smile, "The beach silly, I told you already."
My brow furrowed. "No I wasn't here I just... Am I dead?"
Calum blinked at me, stared and then broke out into snorts and giggles.
"You have quite the imagination, kid."
"Where are you, Calum?" Once I finished my question, my brother's body went completely rod straight.
"You are not permitted to ask that question." It was a robotic voice, but it was coming from Calum's mouth.
"What?"
"You are not permitted to ask that question, Felix." It repeated.
"Who are you?!"
"You are not permitted to ask that question."
"Put me back in the Glade!"
"You aren't in the Glade."
"Where am I?" My eyes widened with fear but Calum didn't answer me again. The world just warped around me, and I was falling into a void again.
***
This time, everything was dark. It hurt too much to swallow and I couldn't open my eyes.
"Newt?" I tried to speak but my words came out more like croaks.
Nevertheless, someone heard me. "Oh god, Felix..."
"Newt..." I smiled.
"Shh, don't speak. Your vocal cords are damaged." He reached for my hand, holding it tightly. I ignored his instructions to stay silent.
"Wha-?"
"What happened?" He finished for me. "Danny attacked you, I'm pretty sure..."
I nodded, I already knew what it was.
"I was gonna kill him, Felix..." Newt confessed. "Leave him to the bloody Grievers. Alby told me to wait til you woke up."
I squeezed his hand, it was okay. "Alby?"
"He woke up while you were out. He's okay. The girl woke up too."
Jesus shuck, how long was I out?
"You've been down for two days." Newt's voice was weaker with this noise, like he was crying, or about to.
There was the sound of a door opening, closing.
"Oh good, he's up." Cally's voice, I thought.
"Felix you've suffered from internal bleeding, bruises on your vocal cords, superficial lacerations, and two swollen black eyes." Oh god. I heard someone suck in a breath, failing to hold back tears. Newt.
Cally sighed, "I was able to stop the bleeding and stitch up the lacerations. But the bruises and black eyes are more time based healing... especially with our limited resources."
"H-how long?" Newt's question shook with concern.
"I'll take the stitches out in a few weeks, the black eyes will heal soon, enough so you can see. And the vocal bruises... I'm not sure. Can't tell without a stroboscopy and that's not equipment we have."
"Thank you, Cally." Newt said, I nodded my head in agreement. Then I heard shuffling, the scrap of a chair against wood. Newt probably stood to hug her.
Door opened, then closed again.
"She's gone," Newt clarified. "God Felix, I'm so so sorry..." I knew he'd apologize, but there wasn't anything he could've done.
Danny was going to do it regardless, whether his target was me or someone else. This was inevitable.
"Come," I said hoarsely. I patted the side of the bed next to me.
"But, you're healing," Newt protested.
"Please?" I needed him close... I wanted to feel safe.
And I felt safe with him.
Newt sighed, and I felt the weight in the mattress shift as he laid down next to me. He rested an arm and his head on my torso gently and I held him there, to tell him I wasn't in pain.
Despite my injuries, Newt wasn't agitating them. While strong, Newt wasn't heavy at all.
"You really scared me, 'Lix," He whispered.
"I know," I ran my fingers through his hair, which was greasier than normal. I hadn't realized it before but... I doubted he left my side in those two days.
"Danny will get what he deserves." Newt's voice was scarily calm.
I nodded, "Good." I wasn't a violent person, but when it came to hate crimes... that was something I didn't tolerate.
"I love you, Felix." Newt said, his voice soft again.
I hated that my throat hurt too much, I just hummed in satisfaction.
I didn't remember anything after that. I think we fell asleep.