I Promise | The Maze Runner

Chapter 34: The Letter ✔️

Thomas 

"You had this on you when you passed out." Minho holds a necklace with a small container on it out to me. "Figured I'd keep it safe for you."  

"Thanks, Minho." I say, taking it in my hand. 

"See you out there." Minho says, standing up. 

"See you." I say as he walks off to join everybody around the fire.  

I look back down at the necklace. I slowly turn the cap of the small container and take it off. Two pieces of paper fall out. I pick them up and unfold them to reveal a letter. I recognize the writing to be Newt's. I stop, taking a breath before reading, 

Dear Thomas,
This is the first letter I can remember writing. Obviously, I don't know if I've written any letters before the Maze. But even if it's not my first, it's likely to be my last. I want you to know that I'm not scared. Well, not about dying anyways or forgetting. It's losing myself to this virus, that's what scares me. So, every night I've been saying their names out loud. Alby, Winston, Chuck. And I just repeat them over and over like a prayer. And it all comes flooding back. Just the little things. Like when the sun used to hit the glade at the perfect moment, right before it'd slip beneath the walls. And I remember the taste of Frypan's stew. I'd never thought I'd miss that stuff so much. And I remember you. I remember you first coming up in the Box, just a scared little Greenie, who couldn't even remember his own name. But from the moment you ran into the maze, I knew that I would follow you anywhere. And I have. We all have. If I could do it all over again I would, and I wouldn't change a thing. My hope for you, is when your looking back, years from now, is that you'll stay the same. The future is in your hands now Tommy, and I know you'll find a way to do what's right, you always have. Take care of everyone for me. And take care of yourself. You deserve to be happy, thank you for being my friend.
Goodbye, Mate,
Newt

I look up, away from the letter, towards the fire where everybody is sitting, talking...laughing. I see Minho, sitting next to Fry and Gally, laughing at a joke Aris made.

This is what life should be. Not trapped in a maze. I look out towards the water as the sun is setting. I look back at the paper before carefully folding it again and setting it on my bed before standing up and walking towards the campfire. I walk over to Minho and give him a hug, followed by Gally, Fry, and lastly Brenda. I sit down next to Brenda and talk with them, laughing with them. 

After a few hours of talking, most people have gone to bed, but I stand up, walking towards the ocean. I look out as the waves lap onto shore. Everybody would've loved this. Alby, Winston, Chuck, Newt...even Teresa. All of them.

Earlier, Vince had talked about the rock. We can carve the names of everybody we lost during the fight with WICKED into it, to remember them. I walk over to it and put my hand on the rock, tracing the names on it.

My eyes immediately go to one. Spencer. The sister I didn't know I had. I take the chisel from the bottom of the rock and start on another name. By the time I finish, it's already morning. I step back, admiring my work as the sunrise wakes everybody in camp.

I look back at the rock, even Teresa's name that I just carved can't take me away from the one.

Newt.

-----

"Hey, Thomas?!" Minho asks, coming into my tent.

I look up as he walks in. "Hey."

"There you are, ugly shank." Minho says with a small laugh. "Sonya just got her memories back, wanted to talk to you about something."

I nod. "I'll be there in a second." 

Minho nods, leaving my tent. I put the letter from Newt back under my pillow before standing and following Minho outside. I walk over to Sonya, Harriet, Luna, and Toby's tent before knocking on the door. Harriet opens it and moves so I can walk in. I walk in to find Sonya on her bed, wrapped in a ball.  Luna's sitting next to her, trying to calm her.

Luna looks up and sees me. She stands up and walks out of the house with Harriet. Sonya doesn't even look up at me. "What really happened to Newt?" She whispers. I stay quiet. "What happened?" She asks, looking up at me for the first time. Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy, tear streaks going down her cheeks.

I stay quiet before sitting next to her on the bed. "He was changing into a crank and he started fighting Spencer and myself." I say, quietly. "Spence thought if she got blood on the knife she could cure Newt, but..." My voice trails off as I re-imagine what happened. "She...she stabbed..."

Sonya doesn't say anything, but stays where she was. "He was my brother." She whispers.