I Promise | The Maze Runner

Chapter 27: Don't Lie To Me ✔️

"No, there's gotta be another way." Thomas says, walking back towards us.

"Like what?" Gally asks. "You've seen the building, she is our only way in."

"What? Do you think we're just going to ask her to help us?" Thomas asks.

"I don't plan on asking for her permission." Gally says, rolling his eyes.

"Am I missing something here? This is the same girl you betrayed us, correct?" Brenda speaks up. "Same dick?!"

"I like her." Gally says, nodding his head to Brenda. Finley wacks him. "I'm joking, joking." He says to her, putting his hands up in surrender.

"What's going on?" Brenda asks Thomas, ignoring Gally and Finley.

"What? You afraid your little girlfriend's gonna get hurt?" Everybody looks at Newt. "Hmm?" He asks, looking at Thomas. "This has obviously not just being about rescuing Minho, is it?"

"Newt?" Thomas asks, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Teresa!" Newt yells, straightening up. "She's the only reason Minho's even missing in the first place and now we finally have an opportunity to get him back and you what?" Newt starts walking towards Thomas. Thomas starts backing up as Newt yells louder with each word. He yells at Thomas like he's letting all the anger he's kept to himself for the past 4 years. "Don't want to because of her?! Because deep down you still care about her, don't you? Just admit it."

Thomas looks at Newt, still quite confused. Newt has backed Thomas to the wall by now. "Newt, I-"

"Don't lie to me!" Newt yells, putting his hands on either side of Thomas' body. "Don't! Lie! To me!"

Newt stops, looking at Thomas with fear and sadness in his eyes. "Sorry." He whispers to Thomas. He turns to look at everybody in the room. We're all looking at him. "I'm sorry, I..." He locks eyes with me as his voice trails off. "Sorry." He whispers before leaving the room.

Everybody looks at each other confused. I bite my lip before also leaving, looking for where Newt went. I find him on the roof, sitting on the edge while looking out towards the city. I sit down next to him and lay my head on his shoulder.

He jumps back, stepping away from me. "Newt, what?" I ask as he steps back from me again.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, looking at me with tears in his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you."

"The only way you're hurting me is if you're hurt." I reply quietly.

He starts chewing his lip before sitting down again. This time, instead of jumping up he lets me lay my head on his shoulder. "It's getting worse." He whispers, rolling up his sleeve. The black vein are almost up his entire arm by now.

The two of us stay like that for a few minutes, just looking out at the city while listening to the sound of this world. Newt looks up at the sound of footsteps from behind us. "Sorry about that, back there." He says, his voice soft again. There's a pause where Newt looks back down at his arm. "I guess I can't hide this anymore." He shows his arm to who came onto the roof.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I recognize the voice to be Thomas'.

"Didn't think it would make any difference." Newt replies, looking back at his arm before rolling his sleeve back up. "All I know is that WICKED put me in that maze for a reason. Even if it was to tell the difference between immunes, like you, and people, like me."

"You know, we can still fix this, Newt. We can." Thomas says, trying to convince him.

There's a silence between the two. Newt looks up and over at Thomas. "Did I ever tell you how I broke my leg?" Thomas shakes his head lightly. "It was way back in the maze. I had just come up in the Box, just like all the other guys.  Didn't know where I was, who I was, you know. Even though all my memories were gone I could still feel that something was missing. I felt empty. And I just couldn't handle that, couldn't take it. So, one morning I got up early, snuck out into the maze. And I found the tallest wall I could...and I climbed up there and I...I jumped off it." Newt says, looking back towards the city. I take his hand and he squeezes it as he continues. "'Course I got tangled up in all the ivy, snapped my leg in three places like a proper shank, landed hard on the floor. I thought that was it. And then Minho found me, somehow. He picked me up and took me back to the Glade. And we never told anybody the truth about what happened. He saved me and gave me a second chance."

The two boys stay quiet again. "Don't worry about me." Newt says, looking up at Thomas. "This is about Minho. And Kat." He adds. "Now they need us. So if there is even the slightest chance we can save them, get them out of there. Then take that. No matter the cost."

"Okay, I hear you." Thomas says after a few seconds, nodding his head. With that, Thomas stands up and walks away, leaving Newt and I alone again. The two of us stay quiet for a few minutes.

"If I go full crank...will you kill me?" I look at Newt as he whispers those words. I stay quiet, not wanting to say it. He looks at me. "Promise me."

I shake my head. "I hate promises."

"Spencer, please."

I look at him, tears starting to fill my eyes. "Newt..."

"Promise me." He repeats. "Please."

I look at him for a few seconds before saying the words that feel like poison on my tongue. 

"I promise."