Disconnection • Newt • Maze Runner

4 - Sunken & Aching

Aspen's heart ached. Tears welling in his eyes as he sat, leaning against a tree in the dead of night. Head pounding as his mind struggled to grasp what had happened. He'd watched Ben get pushed into the Maze, into certain death.

That pain, that Ben must've been feeling, shook Aspen to his very core. Watching him struggle as they push him towards the Maze, farther and farther away from any speck of hope he might've had left. Hearing his screams, his cries, the cries of a lost soul being punished for something that wasn't his fault.

Aspen knew that it had to be done, but that didn't make it any less awful to behold.

The stars danced in the night sky, not a cloud in view. His mind racing as he began to worry about what might happen to Ben in there, and if it might happen to anyone else. What if Gally was stung, or Newt...

His chest began to heave as his heart rate accelerated, beginning to rock back and forth to combat the shaking that wouldn't seem to cease. His vision was becoming blurry, tears welling in his eyes as he gasped for air, barely any making its way into his lungs.

His hands grasped the thick grass around him, pulling on it with hopes of stability. Nothing was working, he couldn't stop it, merely allowing himself to fall unconscious in the grass of the Glade, the silent night swarming all around him, eating him alive.

"Aspen, Aspen!" He was startled awake with a worried and glassy eyed Newt standing over him. As Newt realized he was awake, his heart finally slowed down, eyes drying up.

"Bloody hell, I thought you were dead. What are you doing over here?"

Aspen glanced up at the flock of boys staring down at him as he sat up slowly, "I don't know, I just couldn't sleep." He stood up, shaking off the intimidating glare from all around him, and stalked off towards the garden without a word.

Newt ran after him, grasping his wrist and pulling him aside, towards the trees and out of sight. "What happened?"

Aspen chuckled nervously, frantically looking all around him, dreading this conversation. "Nothing. I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep last night so I sat down by the trees and I guess I passed out."

Newt eyed him warily, not fully believing the story, yet understanding if he didn't want to say more.

"How are you feeling, after the whole thing with Ben?"

Newt glanced down at the ground, heart aching. "It happens, we lose a lot of people here."

"That's not an answer."

Newt merely shook his head, Aspen understanding the gesture, not pressing him for more.

Aspen swung the blade with as much force as he could muster.

"All right, but why would Alby go in the Maze?" Thomas pressed eagerly.

"Thomas, why all the fucking questions?" Aspen interrupted, annoyance lacing his words as he swung the blade again.

Thomas continued regardless, "I mean, he's not a- He's not a Runner."

Newt side eyed the boy, "Things are different now. Alby went to retrace Ben's footsteps before sundown. Look, are you gonna help?" Newt began swinging again.

"So he's gonna go back to where Ben was just stung?"

"Alby knows what he's doing. All right? He knows better than any of us."

Thomas pressed on, "What does that mean?"

"Oh my god, Thomas, but put two and two together. Alby's obviously been here the longest."

Newt motioned to Aspen, "He's right. Every month, the Box send up a new arrival, someone had to be first, right? Someone had to have spent a whole month in the Glade alone. And that was Alby." He gripped the blade once more, swinging it back into the piece of word they were slowly chipping away at. "I mean, it can't have been easy. But when those other boys started coming up, one after the other, he saw the truth. And he learned that the most important thing is that we all have each other. Because we're all in this together."

Newt was right, Alby had said it himself. None of this works, if they didn't do it together, clearly Thomas had finally taken the message as he stood up and began to help then chip away at the wood.

Thunder rumbled loudly in the sky as rain began to fall. Seeking shelter at the Homestead, Aspen and Thomas both began to grow worried for Alby and Minho, neither of whom had returned.

"They should be back by now. What happens if they don't make it?" Thomas questioned, particularly directed at Newt.

"They're gonna make it."

"And what happens if they don't?"

"They're gonna make it."

Or they die.

When the rain had finally ceased, they all crowded around the opening to the maze, eager for their arrival. Aspen wasn't so eager, not because he didn't want them to come back, he did. But because he had enough common sense not to believe false hope.

"Come on guys, can't we send someone after them?" Thomas asked, despite having known them for a mere few days, he was growing to care for them.

Gally spoke up, "That's against the rules. Either they make it back or they don't."

Newt glanced towards the worried boy "Can't risk losing anyone else."

Yet there they were, as the gates began to close, and Thomas made the stupidest decision in the history of decisions. He ran.

And despite Aspen's better judgement, he ran with him.

The walls closed in on them quickly, practically cutting off their airways as they ran as fast as they could through the closing gates. Just barely making it through. Aspen collapsed to the ground, before getting up and slapping Thomas in the face.

"What the hell do you think your doing?"

A scoff could be heard from behind S
Aspen, and his heart sunk as he turned around, staring Newt blankly in the face, as he stood in front of the concrete walls. "I could ask you the same question, Aspen."

Minho looked up, face filled with sorrow and sympathy, "Good job, you all just killed yourselves. Newt, I thought you knew better than this."

"So did I." Newt said as he stared blindly at Aspen who wore a worried yet accepting look on his face. Aspen could accept death quite easily, if it was his own. That's why he ran, to protect Thomas and Minho, help them last as long as possible, regardless of his own life and safety. But Newt? Aspen was clueless as to why Newt ran.

Newt merely stood there, eyes glued to Aspen's. He couldn't just let him go into the Maze alone, even if it meant practically killing himself.

A/N:
Ironic, isn't it? Anyones I hope you all are liking this so far, it was a pretty split second decision to randomly write a fanfic, seeing as I always abandon them. But i'm going to keep at this one. Please vote and comment if you liked it <3