For As Long As I Can Remember

The Maze Changes

Throughout the next week Minho had put (probably too much of) his mind to thinking of a way to get Newt back. He'd even gotten Alby in on it. He was ready to win this unspoken competition. Newt had no idea what was going to hit him next week. Minho grew more and more impatient everyday waiting for it.

But there was actual work to be done still. Minho finally let Newt guide their next running mission as he'd been asking to for many many weeks now. Alby had told him teamwork required compromises and as much as Minho hated not being the leader he allowed it. So here he was trying to compromise.

Newt ran them into a dead end.

Was he serious? Minho was 99 percent sure that he knew the maze as well as he did.
"Why'd you run us into a dead end?" Minho asked.
"It wasn't a dead end yesterday!" Newt's eyes were wild.
"What do you mean?"
"I knew it! I bloody knew it!"

"Knew what?" Minho was clearly confused and it showed through in his voice.

"We're going back." Newt turned around and sprinted off, ignoring Minho's question.
Minho turned to follow while shouting, "Knew what!?"
Newt did not respond. Just ran.

He didn't stop running once they made it to the glade. He sprinted right past camp and into the hut with the replica maze. He stopped, doubled over using his hands on his knees to support his body as it heaved up and down with irregular breathing.
"Newt slow down." Minho panted, "What the shuck was that?"

"The maze," He said between ragged breaths, "It changes."

"What?"

"The maze changes." His whole body shook as his legs threatened to collapse beneath his weight. Minho rushed towards him and held the smaller boy's shoulders as he shook.
"Sit down." He commanded.

Newt complied and slipped along Minho's arms until he was sitting on the ground still breathing irregularly. Minho sat down beside him.
"What's wrong?"
"The bloody maze-" He struggled to form a full sentence in a single breath, "It changes- at night."
"It changes?"

"It changes- at night." He closed his eyes and his breathing started to settle back to normal. Minho was thankful for that.

"It changes at night?" He asked gently.

"Yes. The walls- they move. You can hear it. That awful grinding- it's not the grievers. It's the maze. Moving."
"How do you know?"

"That path was open yesterday. But now it's a dead end!"

"It changes. If it changes there must be a pattern."
"A pattern." Newt shot up straight, "Yes a bloody pattern. It's in the numbers!"

"What?"
"The numbers on the side of the walls."

"What about them?"
"They open each night." He stood up, "We have to go to the end of each one. One has to be the way out!"

"Hold on." Minho grasped his arm. "We will start tomorrow. Just stay still for a little. Please."
Newt nodded his head and as he stood still his body seemed to go through tremors, hardly noticeable unless one was looking for them. Minho was. He watched as Newt breathed in and as he breathed out his body shook. As he calmed down the only thing left vibrating were his hands. Then it was just his fingers. Minho waited patiently for the fingers to stop their unnerving dance but they never did. Newt's eyes weren't as wide now and his breathing was normal, heavy but normal. He seemed tired. Run down maybe. Without any words the two of them went back to the glade.
"I'm going to sleep. Got an early morning tomorrow." Newt said with his voice empty and low. He then left heading towards the sleeping quarters. Minho did not push the other boy but he knew that tomorrow would be no earlier than usual and that he had no real reason to be heading to bed earlier; except for if he was tired and as much as Minho tried to tell himself that the sprint had tired Newt out he knew deep in his heart that it wasn't physical tiredness he was running from but emotional tiredness he planned to sleep off. And Minho would let him. He had no reason not to let him but Minho would not miss dinner.