If There Is A Light

Chapter 41

Newt was not sure where he was or how exactly he got there. He twisted his head look at his surroundings it was dark, but he could see the trunks of the many trees and some of the low hanging branches. He must have been in the woods, but he still had no idea why it was he was there... the last thing he could remember was being asleep...

"Newt." The voice was soft and obviously weak, barely audible, but he knew immediately who and what it was. Newt ran, pushing the leaves out of his face and being careful not to trip over any logs or holes in the grounds. He called out for her and she responded, but it was just his name in repeat. It seemed like the more he ran the more the further away she sounded and then all of a sudden he was on the ground.

He could feel a throbbing in his head, but he ignored it when he realized that just ahead of him was what he was searching for. He scrambled to her side, "Ellia? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She smiled weakly up at him, but her smile fell quickly after as her face twisted in a pained expression, "Newt please help me... please..." All Newt could do was watch in horror as the girl's trembling hand started to pull up the hem of her shirt. He grabbed her hand and stopped her. He didn't want to see. He hoped he was not hurting her as he squeezed her hand. Her cried hit him like a sack of bricks to the stomach, "Ssh... Okay, I'm gonna help you..."

"Newt... I'm glad I met you, even if it meant being here."

Newt felt himself gasping for air and in a cold sweat. He was thankful that no one seemed to be bothered by his startling wake-up call, but all around him the other Gladers seemed to be sleeping peacefully and not at all affected by the outburst. It was still dark and the cool wind made him shiver as it hit the sweat on his skin.

Carefully he lowered himself back down onto his hammock and tried to ignore the soft cries from Ben. The pit was pretty far away from their sleeping quarters so what was probably a loud outcry sounded more like a ghostly reminder of the horror of this place.

He felt guilty. Ben was a friend (more like a brother in all actuality) and he was out in the maze suffering, he was dying, or he might as well have been. He could still hear his cries for help and the only thing that was in his mind was the look on Ellia's face. She was not real. It was all a dream. He tried to comfort himself with the harsh reality that he often tried to forget.

His breathing by that point had slowed down to a steady and normal pace. He screwed his eyes shut and made an effort to keep them shut. He contemplated what would be worse: not being able to sleep or seeing her like that when he closed his eyes.