Her (Newt fan fiction/The Kill Order sequel)

Chapter 18 - Into The Woods

Finally.

After weeks of waiting around, hopelessly wondering what was happening to their 'untouchable' lives, Minho had agreed that they would fight this. Teresa was still unconscious and so Newt highly doubted Thomas would come with the gang; not that, in his state, he'd be much help anyway.

And not that they actually knew what they were going to do. Since she - Marley - was claiming she'd come from a flat trans, it seemed the only reasonable explanation that the corpses had too. He shivered at the thought.

There was a reasonably big part of the island that was still undiscovered; previously there had been no need to faff around in the dense, thick greenery of the large forest making up at least half of the place they called home. What Minho and the others didn't know was that Newt had often gone there, alone, when he was down. That was how he'd met Marley, but they didn't need to know this - and although Newt had only creeped around the edges of the forest anyway - exploring it was banned, although only because they had no idea what was there and the potential dangers of the unknown.

Still, Minho was desperate. Their world was crashing down on them. They had to do something, and by now, Newt would have thought the gladers were immune to danger. This was nothing.

They packed food for five days, but Minho and Gally insisted they would all be back long before then.

It was just in case, they said.

Sure.

Newt thought; they were terrified. Actually, he wasn't sure why he wasn't. Perhaps he was so curious - and it seemed like a bit of exploring was the only way they'd get any sort of explanation, or answer, or even a goddamn clue! - of what was happening.

It felt like they were inside a volcano. And you know it is going to erupt, and everything you have will be shattered, because it has happened before. Yet you cannot leave, there is no way out. You just have to ride it out, no matter how long it takes, how much pain and blood is shed. And all you can do to help is look for something, anything, that will cushion the damage in any way at all.