Disconnection • Newt • Maze Runner

21 - Home at Last

Newt was quite enjoying being in the passenger seat, though he kept sparing a glance or two at Aspen in the back, sending the boy a soft smile.

Once they were deeper into the mountains, they came to a bit of a crossroads, and left the vehicle. Cars, rusted and abandoned, were piling towards a tunnel.

Jorge sighed. "Well, I guess we're on foot."

As the group began to walk down the road, bypassing the looming vehicles, crows cawed serenely. What wasn't serene was the gunshots that followed.

Aspen practically threw himself behind a nearby vehicle, narrowly missing the gun shot that planted itself into the very car he hid behind. His breath caught in his throat as he thought of Newt.

He just hoped the boy didn't get shot.

The gunshots ceased. "Hey is everyone okay out there?" Thomas yelled.

"We're fine."

Aspen scoffed. "Yeah, yeah good."

Newt was relieved beyond belief to hear Aspen's voice. "Anyone know where those bloody shots came from?"

Aspen crawled out from behind the vehicle, eyeing the snipers above before they spotted him and shot more.

Jorge yelled out, "Everybody, get set to sprint back to the truck! And hold your ears!"

"Motherfucker," Aspen whispered to himself before a gun cocked next to his head.

He turned his head, eyeing the blonde who held the gun up to his head. He stood cautiously, the girl keeping the gun close as she directed him out from behind the car.

There was another girl, holding a gun up to Jorge. "I said drop it! On your feet, let's go, let's go! Move! Back up!"

"Easy." Jorge cooperated thankfully, as the girl kept the gun close to Aspen's head, he was collateral if something went wrong. Newt watched as Aspen and the girl came into view, sucking in a shaky breath.

"You two, over here now. Come on, let's go! Don't be stupid, move."

Aris stepped out, the woman clearly recognizing him. "What the hell are you doing here?" They hugged, Aspen turning his head to the girl holding the gun up to his head.

"You gonna keep that there or are you gonna let me go?"

The girl let the gun down slowly, before walking over to Aris and the other girl. "Aris you're lucky we didn't shoot your dumbass. You all right man?"

Frypan's brows furrowed, his mouth agape. "Uh, what's happening?"

Aris smiled, reunited. "We we're in the maze together."

One of the girls, with darker skin and braided hair, whistled out into the distance. "We're clear, guys! Come on out!"

The group was led over to a new area, where they were directed into trucks and drove through the lands. They eventually arrived to a sort of base. The Right Arm.

Aspen stared in astonishment, Newt clutching his hand with a reassuring smile. "We made it..."

They were taken over towards a man, clearly a leader of some kind. Minho perked up, "I thought the Right Arm was supposed to be an army."

"Yeah, we were." The man, Vince, stalked towards the group. "That's all that's left of us. Lot of good people died getting us this far. Who are they?"

"They're immunes. Caught 'em coming up the mountain." The girl informed.

"Did you check 'em?"

"I know this guy, Aris. I trust him."

"Well I don't, check 'em."

Brenda groaned before falling the ground with a gasp. She'd been bit.

"This just happened, okay? She's not dangerous yet." Thomas tried to get Vince to stand down as he held a gun out towards Brenda.

"You shouldn't have brought her here! We let Cranks in here now, the safe haven doesn't last a week! Step back!"

"I understand, alright? Just listen, please. Please, okay? I told her that you could help. There's gotta be something you can do." Thomas' heart was racing, he couldn't stand seeing Brenda like this but seeing her dead would be a million times worse.

"Yeah, there is." Vince cocked his gun, "I can put her out of her misery."

"Vince! That's enough! Let him go." A woman inched towards them with a commanding presence.

"She's infected, Doc. There's nothing we can do for her."

She smiled upon seeing Thomas, "No, but he can. Hello, Thomas."

"You know me?"

"Interesting. It makes sense they'd put you in the Maze." She glanced towards Newt and in turn saw Aspen. "Aspen..."

"What?"

The woman looked down pitifully. "I knew your mother," she sighed, "and your father. I'm so sorry for what he did."

Aspen took a step forward. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't know? Your dad worked for W.C.K.D. He gave you over to them."

Aspen gasped as his breathing quickened and he opened his mouth, trying to find the words. "He wouldn't do that. My dad wouldn't do that, he loved me. He did, didn't he?"

"You know he's not your biological father."

Newt clasped Aspen's hand, in a desperate attempt to comfort him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love me."

The women closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. "Jeffery only married your mother, because he knew you were immune, and he needed one. If he didn't give W.C.K.D. something, and soon, they were gonna fire him. So he gave them you."

"So, he never loved me, or my mom." Aspen's breathing slowed, as he stalked over with anger, not even allowing the woman to finish.

Newt called out for him, but didn't follow, he knew the boy needed to be alone.

Aspen sat atop a rocky hill, a decent reach away from the camp but still within walking distance. He watched in blissful silence as the sun began to set, covering the sky in a beautiful orange colour.

Footsteps approached behind him, and he didn't need to say anything for Aspen to know it was Newt. The boy sat next to Aspen, holding his hand and leaning his head onto his shoulder.

They stayed like that, in the silence as they watched the sun set slowly, beyond the horizon. They admired it with a sense of home they hadn't felt in a long time.

Home, not from the Right Arm, but from each other.

Home at last.