Free (Maze Runner fanfic Newtmas Newt x Thomas)

Chapter 6

Chuck froze in his tracks, Thomas and Newt both staring at him also frozen in place, their lips mere centimetres from each other. "Um.. U-uh.." Chuck stuttered, breaking the silence and making a move for the door.

Newt leapt up, standing upright and his face going red. "W-who let you up here!?"

Now it was Chuck's turn to be embarrassed, his face going much darker. "I-I was j-just seeing if he was okay! He hasn't b-been outside, so I thought something was wrong..."

Newt scowled, the blush not leaving his cheeks. "Move out you shank. If you didn't have permission then you got no bloody right to-"

"Slim it, Newt!" Thomas scolded, Chuck looking at him in surprise. "Don't be so hard on him just because he cares as much as you do. You've never stopped him before."

Newt sighed and sat back down. "Thomas is fine, now back to work and tell no one what you saw or it's a week in the slammer."

"Newt!" Thomas scolded.

"Two nights in the slammer." Thomas sighed, knowing Newt was already straining himself.

Chuck nodded quickly and fled the room, his footsteps disappearing. "Why were you so hard on him?"

"Why? Why do you think, Tommy? What do you think'll happen if he went and blabbed?"

"I'm pretty sure the gladers are more concerned about the Mourner right now, relax. Alby remembers, and Minho does too, and they haven't done anything. Once we get out we can't just keep this forever now can we?" Thomas pushed himself up and put a hand on Newt's shoulder. "Just relax. For now, at least."

He clearly wasn't going to calm down. "I'll see you later." He didn't look back, quietly leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

~*~

Chuck reappeared later in the day, waiting outside the door for any sounds before letting himself in. He found Thomas lying face down on the bed, duvet on the floor and a quiet groan emanating from the pillow. "You okay there?" He asked, the groan stopping.

Thomas lifted his head and turned it to look at him. "My back feels like it's on fire. It hasn't felt like this before, at least not while I'm awake, but I swear I haven't touched it or got anything on it! Can you look for me? See if it's doing something?"

"Uh- sure." Chuck walked over and frowned, reaching out to touch it but then thought better of it. "Well, your veins are starting to show and they're really bright. Not glowing or anything, or a weird colour, but like.. they're coming up from underneath." Chuck had never seen a changing before, it must be quite scary for him..

Thomas felt a scream rise in him but he put his hand over his mouth to stop it. "Guess it's just irritation.." He lowered his hand before quickly putting it back.

"Are you sure that's all?"

"I just feel like like screaming, that's all." He sighed and buried his face back in the pillow, restarting his groaning.

Every now and again the volume would rise, but then he'd lower it again. "Shall I get-" Chuck was cut off by Thomas finally letting out his scream, almost as loud as when he was unconscious. "I'll get a medjack."

~*~

Outside, Gally was ranting to Newt about his new conspiracy theory he'd clearly conjured up from Winston, going on about how Thomas was the cause of all their current problems. He'd clearly been either eavesdropping on their gathering or someone had been spilling some beans that they shouldn't have. "I mean it's your problem, if all-" He was cut off by Thomas' scream.

Newt spun round. "Slim it, Gally? You hear that?" Another scream. "Tommy!" Newt sprinted off, already seeing a medjack run inside.

Chuck was running out the door, almost going smack into him. "Newt! Something weird is going on with Thomas!"

"Yeah, I heard his scream. The entire glade probably heard him."

Newt walked straight past, heading upstairs. The medjacks were both already stood by Thomas' side, inspecting his wound and murmuring between themselves. "You sure you gave him all the stuff in that syringe? Did we miss anything? Did we give it to him too late?"

"Minho seems fine, but you could be right. Maybe it's just a second phase, maybe there's two changes and Minho is going to have this too." One put a disinfectant cloth on the wound that made Thomas scream even louder in pain.

"What's going on?" Newt asked, putting on an authoritative tone.

"His wound has flared up, veins are appearing all round it and it's causing irritation and inflammation."

"You got anything to fix it?"

"No, but there's one problem. It's not for certain."

"What's that?"

"Judging by the pain it's causing and the way his body is reacting, if we don't get some sort of supply within the next few days, Thomas could die."

~*~

While the last supply was certainly missing a new glader, the next weekly one was an agonising wait but it was certainly worth it with the amount inside.

Minho was awake and his wound seemed to be doing just fine, it hadn't flared like Thomas'. Meanwhile, Thomas quietened down in the night and hadn't made a noise since; the medjacks assumed his body couldn't take whatever was happening internally and so it shut down. In an attempt to keep the fever at bay, someone was always sat by his bedside fanning him.

Newt tried not to seem too worried, trying to distract himself with gardening instead of spending every moment by his bedside, holding his hand and wishing for things to improve soon. It would show too much away..

When the supplies came a medjack, Frypan, Newt, and Alby all stood round the box nervously waiting what might be inside. Alby jumped down first, rummaging around. "Anything unsual?" Newt called.

"Well there's food, clothes, first aid stuff... Oh hello." Alby picked up a silver box, inspecting it by turning it in his hands. "This box has a four digit code on it, but this is the only thing out of ordinary. Loads more of that serum though."

Alby reached up and the medjack took the box. "Any idea on the code?"

"Nope, but there's 10 000 combinations and we may as well start now." They answered, heading back to the homestead.

Everything else was unpacked and the box disappeared back to wherever it came from, leaving Newt in an even worse mood. Sulking, he went to see how Thomas was doing, finding a medjack turning combinations in the box. "Take a break, I'll do that for a while." The medjack shrugged and gave the box to Newt. "Can't be anything too obscure, surely.."

Newt sat down on the edge of Thomas' bed and began slowly turning the dials. He reached 1234 and the box opened... Typical.

He was going to search its contents when someone screaming bloody murder caught his attention outside. It was one of the runners, coming in through the west door. Soon, everyone in the surrounding area began screaming and running too.

A creature - no, monster; came through the west opening. Flesh-like skin, metal teeth, scorpion tail..

Newt gasped and threw open the window, leaning his head out and bellowing, "MOURNER!!"