The Flare [Maze Runner, Newt, Oneshot]

1.

I recalled the moment when A.D. Janson announced the names of the ones who were not Immune. Immune was someone who was not affected by the Flare-a disease that ate up our brains, making us worse than humans. "Newt and Jackson from Group A. Catherine and Cleo from Group B," he had said. I had looked over, seeing Cleo being comforted by her group of friends. Her dark hair covered her face. I couldn't see who Jackson was. I saw Newt, a tall, blonde boy. He was the one who had a limp. He had faked a smile in front of his friends before it went away. I had cried, my 'friends' had come to comfort me.

"Hey, Catherine, grab a bite," someone threw some bread to me and I caught it. I would recognize that voice anywhere-Newt.

Just like me, he wasn't an Immune. He was in Group A of the maze and I was in Group B. Both of us were the Glue, the control. It was so ridiculous now that I thought about it.

"Cath," Newt said, calling me by the nickname he gave me. "Eat the bloody bread already!" he said in a harsh tone. His head twitched a little-the symptoms of the flare.

"Calm down. I'll eat it. Getting agitated will only make the Flare worsen," I soothed, gripping his arm.

Newt glared at me. His hair had been torn out in patches. Red, sore spots replaced them. "Cath! Don't you realize?! The two of us are gonna be shucking crazy in a few more days," he said, the word 'shucking' clearly showing that he was from Group A-Gladers, they called themselves. He continued, "I should have killed myself. That shank-Tommy. I trusted him with the note! He should have killed me." By now Newt was crying, tears streaming down his face.

He looked betrayed. I thought about myself being betrayed by my own friends. They had left me in the Crank Palace after seeing my condition worsen. They left me in that shabby place and went to Denver by themselves, leaving me all alone. It wasn't until Newt arrived before I finally had a friend in that place.

Before that, I would lay in one of the small huts in that place, knowing that the disease was eating up my brain, feeling myself going crazy bit by bit. But there was nothing I could do.

Just then, I felt Newt stand up from the cushion both of us were sitting on. He walked towards a vehicle-it was too hard to make out what it was. I strained my eyes and I saw that Newt was in front of a guy-Thomas, one of the Immune Gladers. Lucky sticks, I thought, using my own slang, the slang we used when we were in the Maze.

I picked with my nails, knowing that Newt would come back until I heard Newt say, "Kill me or I'll kill you. Kill me! Do it!'

"Newt..." Thomas trailed off, his eyes filled with pain.

"Do it before I become one of them!"

"I..."

"KILL ME!" Newt paused. He stopped trembling as much. "Please, Tommy. Please."

I saw Thomas looked sadly at Newt.

He pulled the trigger.

Newt's body turned limp, falling to the ground. I heard someone shout at Thomas to get inside the vehicle before they drove away. I ran to Newt's body. Cranks were coming closer, wanting to eat him up.

"Go away!" I screamed, glaring at them.

I felt something grip my hand. I looked down-Newt. "Stay with me, please," he whispered, coughing out blood with each word he said.

"Why did you do that?! You bloody shank!" I said, tears streaming down my face. Newt was like a brother I never had.

He smiled a little, hearing me use the slang that he and his Gladers used. "Had to do it. I couldn't....live...like that...anymore," he stopped smiling, struggling to talk.

I cried. I held Newt until he stopped breathing.

"Girl, let us have him," I heard one of the cranks say.

"Go away from me! All of you!" my voice was full of fury. I was almost...crazy. I could feel myself losing it. My head twitched, and I was filled with pure rage. Who were this people? Didn't they know that Newt was like my family? All these thoughts went through my mind, finding someone to blame for Newt's death. Finally, I snapped back to normal, regaining my last few remaining bits of saneness. My brain was degenerating faster.

I dragged Newt's body as far as I could go. I dragged him all the way, picking up a piece of glass along the way.

My body trembled as I pulled Newt's body. I walked on and on, not knowing how far I had went. Somehow, I managed to get to some place with dead trees and soil. I used my hand and started to dig at the soil. The pain from losing Newt numbed my body. He was like a brother. After gaining my memories back at the WICKED lab, I remembered that my family was all dead. Newt was also family to me, even though it was just for a while.

I dug and dug, finally digging a shallow hole. I put Newt's body inside. I had to at least give him a resting place away from cranks. I dug another hole. It was just as shallow.

I used the glass shard in my pocket to slit my wrist. Newt was right. The time I spent dragging Newt's body, I could feel myself giving in more and more to the virus. I didn't want to become a crank. There was no cure, I could only kill myself.

I felt myself losing energy as each drop of blood dripped out. I lay in the hole I had dug next to Newt's body. I closed my eyes and felt my life slipping away. I was going to be dead.

I was going to be with Newt and my family.

I smiled to myself as I took my last breath.

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