You Expect Me To Carry On? (A Newtmas Fanfic)

Chapter Eighteen: Exposure

The heat was blistering and unbearable.

Thomas's face was slick with salty sweat, his hair plastered to his head which was pounding with pain.

And with voices.

Every time he heard someone speak, a lancing crack of blinding pain sliced across his vision, and every time it did, the world in front of him tilted and swayed.

He was at the back of the group, staring at Brenda's back as they slowly trudged through the desert.

Sand cut at his eyes and gritted between his teeth, his tongue was dry and his throat scratchy.

'Guys!' he tried to yell, but his voice was too hoarse.

'GUYS!' he managed to splutter louder.

Brenda turned around, and raised a hand to her eyes to block the sun and get a look at him.

'What's up?'

'Could we- could we stop for a sec?'

Thomas's head was ringing with dull, distant noises and awful, thudding pain. He felt like he was going to pass out if he kept walking.

Newt turned around, and for a second, Thomas's chest flooded with concern.

New sets of spidery, purple veins had crept from the corners of Newt's eyes, which looked dull and corpse-like.

Surely it was just the light.

'Of course we-'
he was cut off by a spluttering cough that doubled him over.

Brenda, Frypan and Minho had joined them.

'Sure thing Thomas.' Brenda said, her eyes a reflection of Thomas's concern.

'It's getting dark anyway.'

Thomas didn't think so, but he didn't say anything.

This is what being kind looks like.

he reminded himself, ignoring the full, ripe, beating sun on the back of his head.

Minho pointed into the grainy yellow distance, where a small hunkering shadow ruptured the wavering horizon.

'There's some sort of abandoned office block up there. We can sleep, and we should be at the city by tomorrow.'

Thomas squinted, and the building didn't look too far away.

'Okay.' he nodded, and reached out to help steady Newt.

His boyfriend?

So... so much had happened, there had been no time for any emotions, let alone romance.

Just get to the city, get the cure, and then there'll be all the time in the world.

And so they set up again, Newt draped over Thomas's shoulder, trudging into the heat.

~

It only took around half an hour.

Seemingly a thousand years ago, the building had collapsed, right through the middle. However, so much time had passed that it had become relatively safe. Dust had settled on ruined doorframes and bits of broken desk. There was even a lightbulb hanging in one of the abandoned offices, still almost intact.

The friends carefully stepped over shards of broken window into a huge room.

It must have been the cafeteria.

Thomas thought.

He could just make out the burnt remains of a poster on 'The importance of a balanced diet', pinned above a gaping hole in the wall where food must have once been served. Bits of green plastic chairs sparked uncannily in the burnt out, colourless dust.

'It'll do.' Minho grunted

Thomas agreed- he saw now reason that they would be unsafe here.

He and Newt began to pick there way over to the far corner, followed by Brenda, Fry and Minho.

No one spoke as they began to make camp, exhausted from the trek. They rolled out reed mats and sleeping bags in grateful silence, checking through food and medicine supplies, drinking water and splashing it on their burning faces and necks. The shadow from the dilapidated ruin was more than welcome, and Thomas already felt better, saved from the merciless heat of the day.

With a relieved sigh, Newt collapsed onto his back, head lolling against his rucksack.

Thomas felt the pit of concern in his stomach deepen, and he pushed his mat next to Newt's, scooting next to the boy with an opened can of baked beans in one hand.

'Come one Newt. You gotta eat something.'

He helped him sit up slowly, leaning him against the wall, and offered him the can.

Newt looked at him, affronted.

'Well how the bloody hell am I supposed to eat this Tommy?'

Thomas stared at him, Frypan stopped wriggling into his sleeping bag, even Minho and Brenda paused counting the bandages and turned to Newt in confusion.

For a second, they all sat in silence.

Then Newt grinned.

'I don't have a goddamn spoon, do I?'

He-

The group burst out laughing.

Newt giggled, face flushed, Thomas let out a surprised shout, Brenda was cackling.

The burden of the day seemed to momentarily lift from Thomas's shoulders as he watched Newt laugh, cracking up again when he saw the look on the blonde's face as he stared into his can of beans.

~

Beautiful cool night sir had begun to seep under the walls of the building by the time they settled down to sleep. Thomas curled up next to Newt, wrapping his arms around him tightly, and he thought, for a fleeting second, that things might just be alright.

Then Thomas heard another voice in his head.

It was Newt's voice, but Newt's mouth wasn't moving.

Newt was fast asleep.

'Tommy...'