Escape to the Hills // Newt x Reader

21

Stopping for a lunch break was the only rest you got. You understood all of you were in a rush to get out of here but someone was bound to collapse from exhaustion at some point. That person was you. You were going to collapse.

You sighed as you sat with your back against a wall. The cool stone pressed against your hot but light, grey sweatshirt felt amazing. It felt like a thousand years since you took a break, but in reality it was only a half an hour.

"How big is this damn Maze if it takes us half an hour to get where we want to go even though we know where we're going?" Gally complained as he sat panting a little farther ahead of you.

"Actually," Minho looked down the two paths leading left and straight uncertainly as he confessed. "I only have a slight idea of where we are."

"I tried to tell you they changed up the directions." You stated.

"But it feels like I've been here before. What does this feel so familiar but so different at the same time?"

"Because, they didn't exactly change the paths themselves, they just switched up the section orders. Like 2 is now next to 8 or something like that."

"Why would they do that?" Winston asked.

"Throw us off." Alby voiced.

"Exactly," Gabi said, exasperated, like she had finally gotten a small child to figure out their math homework she had been explaining for an hour. "See? Now you're getting it."

"Gabi!" Jeff called from the front next to Winston.

"What?" Gabi yelled back, almost a little too intensely.

"Shut the shuck up."

You raised your hands in a slow applaud. "Thank you, Jeff. Thank you."

"Fuck you, you-" Gabi went to stand but Minho started talking.

"Alright!" He said, grabbing everyone's attention. "Time to get a move on, peeps."

Yeah. Aris said in your mind. That might be a good idea. They've almost hacked back into the system. When they do that they're probably going to cut off our connections. Good luck, guys.

"You too, Aris." You said.

Your group started off again. It was quiet as you walked. River had fallen asleep on Newt's chest when you stopped. The only sound that could be heard was feet shuffling. The tension in the air was so thick it was like walking through water.

Up ahead Minho and Alby were discussing the paths they should take based off of what they already knew from the sections. Minho said something about how the sections and corridors were the same but the area was different so they just needed to follow that section, but Alby countered by saying that they probably did change some of the paths to confuse them. Gabi said that maybe the gas back in the Maze was still around, just invisible, and that they were all going slowly insane. Winston piped up, and told Gabi to shut up and that no one needed her two sense every five seconds before promptly hiding behind Frypan.

Gabi just made a face at him over Fry's shoulder clearly conveying the message of "You're a bitch and I don't need to listen to you." but you thought the situation should be the other way around.

Soon enough, you started coming across little pieces of stone. They grew larger as you went on. You kicked a rock and it bounced forwards then stopped.

"Maybe taking some of the little pieces would be a good idea." You suggested, plucking a few good sized fragments of the wall off the floor.

"Why?" Thomas asked. "How is that going to help us?"

"So she can kick it around like a two year old with the little shit." Gabi stated.

You flipped her the bird without looking and bent down to pick up some more rocks which you stored in Frypan's satchel and a few in the bag of weapons.

Minho and Thomas along with Alby lead the group down a path to your right and their already slow walk slowed even more. Confusion set in at the dust cloud draping over about 3/4 of the corridor. Fallen ivy vines laid on the stone floor like a carpet and intertwined with the high piles of stone set in front of you.

"Be careful." Minho said. "Step only on sturdy rocks. Don't risk anything."

Your group nodded solemnly and started forwards. You made it a few feet before the hundredth scare that day happened.

Someone sneezed to your right because of the dirt and dust and sent a couple of smaller rocks tumbling. Everyone froze.

After a few moments Thomas asked. "You okay?"

Gally sniffed and nodded. "Yeah. Just keep moving."

You didn't like the way the rocks shifted under your weight. You knew it was worse for the others that were bigger than you, and you feared for their safety.

You looked over to Newt to confirm he was okay, and he was, but that still didn't settle the storm raging in your stomach. That feeling that something was about to happen just couldn't be shaken.

Newt let out a small grunt of effort and River asked if he was okay. The five year old clung to Newt like a baby koala. He had waken her up when you started climbing, just to be sure she didn't fall off or he didn't drop her.

You made it about halfway up the hill of crumbling stone when all that could go wrong went wrong.

Teresa made a risky step on a stone and wobbled her way over it. Frypan, also thinking the rock was sturdy, stepped on it and dropped. He let out a shout of horror and surprise, which scared you into almost falling yourself.

"Fry!" Gally yelled, quickly scrambling over. A new cloud of dust had risen at the shift of the rocks and made it hard to see exactly what was going on. You could barely make out Gally's form over Frypan's.

"I'm fine!" Frypan called but his voice shook. "I'm fine."

Thomas stumbled over to check the damage. "Dude," He said. "You're stuck."

"Yeah, Thomas." Fry said as he wiggled around trying to free his left arm. "No shit."

You made your way over with Newt in tow. Gabi kept look out in the direction your group was heading and didn't bother to check what was happening.

"Alright," Alby stumbled on a rock and steadied himself by grabbing onto Minho's arm. His glared at the boy when he smirked at him playfully. "Gally, Minho, grab under his arms. Pull with all your strength."

"I dunno, boss," Minho scratched his head. "He looks really stuck in there."

"What did you just call me?"

"Let's try moving some rock away, then." Thomas suggested.

"Yeah," Fry nodded, his face scrunched in discomfort. "Let's try not to rip my arm off."

Just as Gally and Minho got a good hold under Frypan's arms, a sound that scared you more than any other echoed throughout the silent maze. It froze you and the others dead in your spots. You shared a devastated look with Newt. At this point you knew you were fucked.

A howl.