The Maze Runner: Newt One-Shots

Day one

Visions. Visions of people, but their expressions blurred, and their features unfamiliar. Visions of places, but burned to the crisp. Voices, dancing around, impossible to match with their owners. Nothing was clear. Not yet.

You were surrounded by darkness. You could feel yourself moving up. From the little amount of light you had, you seemed to be in a box, surrounded by supplies. You tried to remember how you got here but you couldn't. Heck, you can't even remember your life. It feels as if you were just born. You were beyond confused, and wanted answers, but realizing the increasing speed, your confusion quickly turned into panic. It was too much to take in, and you passed out.

The box came to an abrupt stop, and two metal doors swung open above you, the sunlight raiding the box. You were still laying there, unconscious. There were several boys, teenagers, that were gathered around the box. One of them jumped down into the box, and leaned closer to you, examining you.

"What is it, Newt?" A boy called out to him. He hesitated.

"It's a girl," he paused, earning some confused expressions, including the one he wore. "And I think she's dead."

Silence filled the air as Newt reached a hand to gently shake you awake, when suddenly, your eyes shot open and you gasped, bolting upright. The boys backed away a step, startled by your sudden awakening, and Newt pulled back his hand, scrambling away from you. You looked around frantically, scared, scooting to the edge of the box and curling your legs to your chest. Newt got up after a few moments and carefully made his way towards you. Your eyes widened, full of confusion and terror.

"It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you," he assured you, his loving brown eyes seeming to melt away some of the terror. He had tousled blonde hair, much lighter than many of the other boys. You had an internal war, deciding whether to trust him or not, but once your eyes met his, all your doubt had vanished. Just like your memories.

"Who are you?" You asked shaken.

"My name is Newt, you can trust me," he replied. He held out a hand to you. You looked at it, then at him, and back again. You took it, and strangely, you felt safe and assured. He helped you up, and out of the box.

All the boys surrounding the box looked you up and down, making you feel uncomfortable. What are they all staring at, you thought. Haven't these boys ever seen a girl before? One sweep of the crowd of them however made it evident they hadn't- at least, not for a while. Newt gave them a warning look and came up beside you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders protectively. The place where his fingers met your skin tingled, even through your shirt.

He lead you to a dark skinned boy who looked to be the oldest out of the bunch. You guessed he was the leader here.

"Alby!" Newt called.

"Newt," Alby said, "Who's this months' greenie?" He must've been talking about you, so you spoke up.

"My names Y/N," you said. Whoa. One second nothing, the next it just appeared in your mind like a light switching on.

"Y/N, nice name. Suits you well." Alby replied.

"Thanks, I guess. What is this place?" You asked.

"Welcome to the Glade." He replied. "I'm Abby, the leader, and Newt here is my second in command." At the mention of his name, he smiled. "Why don't you give her the tour today? I've got other things that I need to take care of." With that he ran off to do whatever he does in this Glade.

"Well Y/N, today is your lucky day. Looks like I'll be showin' you around. Come on, daylight is fading, and the doors will be closing soon." He said with a smile. You smiled back at him, knowing things will be clear soon. You followed him around the glade, letting him explain everything there is to know: the places, jobs, schedules,  keepers, and most importantly, the rules. Last, he lead you to the maze.

"And this, is the maze. See those shanks runnin' out of it?" He asked. All you could do was nod. "Those are the runners. Every day, they go out into the maze, trying to look for a way out. They are the only ones who can go out there, rule number 1." He said. You nodded in understanding. "Don't ever break it. If you do, you-"

A loud roaring screech rang out from inside the maze, sending a gust of wind through the entrance. You immediately went into Newt's arms, as if it was an instinct. He hugged you protectively, shielding you from the debris. Once it stopped, you looked at each other, blushing, and quickly separated.

"What was that?" You asked him, terror in your voice. He looked at you sympathetically.

"We call 'em Grievers." He answered solemnly. "They're awful creatures, scary mix of animal and machine. If one of them stings you, you better get out of the maze, or you're as good as dead."

"Do they ever come inside the Glade?" You asked, your voice cracking. Cold fear gripped your chest at the thought of what a creature like that would look like, what it was capable of.

"Never have. But if they do, I promise I'll protect you with my bloody life." He assured you. You weren't sure if you managed a smile, but the fear was dwindling and it felt a bit easier to breathe. After the maze doors closed, he lead you to the homestead. Alby got you a separate room, away from the rest of the boys. They all seemed to have quite a bit of interest in you, some of it genuine and some of it unnerving, but you weren't very worried about it having the second in command around you. Right now, however, you felt like you could sleep for a month.

You took off your shoes, and changed into some shorts and a t-shirt brought up with you in the box within a makeshift changing tent Alby had made for you to ensure your privacy, plopping down into your hammock and closing your eyes.

But you couldn't sleep. As much as you wanted to, you couldn't. There were too many questions, too many gaps in your minds eye that it raced to try and fill them. You wanted your memories back, and you were afraid of the Grievers. Right now you could also use a blanket- the breeze was less forgiving at night.

Suddenly you heard faint footsteps, getting closer and louder with each proceeding step. You sat up, now on alert. The footsteps stopped, and your door creaked open. "Hello? Who's there?" You called out softly, making the door abruptly stop as a tuft of blonde hair peeked through.

Newt.

"Sorry. Just wanted to make sure you had enough blankets." He was holding a blanket, and you couldn't help your shiver when you saw it. You nodded towards him, giving permission for him to come in. He unfolded it and draped it over your shivering shoulders, warmth covering your exposed skin as a sigh of relief made your body relax a bit.

"Thank you, Newt." He smiled softly in thanks, barely visible in the faint moonlight.

"Goodnight Y/N," he whispered. He was about to walk out, when you called out to him before he left.

"Newt?" He stopped in his tracks, and turned around to face you. "Wait," you pleaded gently with him. "Could, could you stay here? Just for tonight? I haven't exactly warmed up to this place yet." You said looking around nervously while pulling the blanket around you tighter. He nodded sympathetically, walking over to you. He remembered his first night, how overwhelming and daunting and lonely it was. If he can help you in any way at all, he will. So when you made room in your hammock for him, he climbed in and settled under the blanket. He let you get comfortable beside him, hugging his arm as his other hand rested on your arm. A soft touch just to let you know he was there. You nuzzled your cheek to his shoulder, and his rested on the top of your head, making you feel more secure.

"Goodnight Y/N," he whispered softly.

"Goodnight Newt," you replied, and you quickly fell into a peaceful asleep.

The next morning, Newt awoke before the sun rose to you so entangled with him that there was no way he could get up without waking you. He acted as your wake up call, gently shaking you so you could get your first full day started, but you only grabbed on to him tighter. He gave a small laugh, finally sitting the two of you upright to get you started.

You didn't feel embarrassed, or flustered or very nervous around him at all, or about the fact he had spent the night entangled with you in your hammock. It felt natural, until eventually it became so, and when you would go to sleep for the night, your space was yours together.