Liar [Maze Runner Fanfiction]

thirteen

"Come break me down. Bury me, bury me. I am finished with you." - 30 Seconds to Mars, Bury Me

~

Newt

Everything burst into red.

His sister's hands, small and delicate, flashed impossibly fast and gripped his throat. The moment her fingers wrapped around him, the landscape changed.

The scenery exploded into a nebula of red and white. Crimson feathers obscured his vision, as he raised his arms to bat them away. However, they were sharp as needles, and pricked his skin wherever he touched them. He felt thick liquid run down his palms, and was suddenly overwhelmed by the blizzard of red.

His head was swimming, a dizzying sensation overtaking his brain, numbing everything. He felt his limbs grow heavy and sluggish as he uselessly beat against the feathers. He was slipping, crumpling like a rag doll. The last of his strength gave out, and he surrendered himself to darkness, to tired to fight any longer.

Her voice echoed in his head as he succumbed to darkness.

"My name is Cassie, and I'm a Crank!"

~

"Cassie!"

He woke up, gasping for breath. His lungs ached, as if they were filled with water, then roughly pumped out. A small hand was on his chest, pushing him down. He reached up to take it away, but found that he didn't have the strength for it.

"It's okay, you're finished with the first test," a girl's voice came from around his left, soft and reassuring.

He blinked, once, twice, in the harsh fluorescent light. A girl, around twelve, was staring at him fixedly. Her lips were pressed into an expression of concentration, and her eyes moved wildly around his face, taking every reaction in. He felt so sleepy. His eyelids were heavy, weighed down by fatigue. His heart seemed to beat at a snail's pace, and a cloud of exhaustion spread from his chest.

"Once you pass all the tests, they'll let you go. Then everything will be okay."

He felt himself smile, and closed his eyes again.

~

When he woke up for the second time, he was on a metal table. The cool steel pressed against his back, separated by only a thin cotton blanket.

He shivered, opening his eyes a fraction, then closing them again. Bright, blue-ish white light shined down on him. The air smelled like antiseptic, and soft murmurs could be heard from all directions under the clatter of metal against metal and a strange, monotone beeping.

He forced his eyes open, feeling them sting from the light, and found himself face-to-face with the same girl from before. She was older now, around fourteen. Her blonde hair longer, hanging loose around her shoulders in waves, partially covering her face.

"Hey," she smiled, her voice hushed.

"Ella," he heard himself croak.

It was a strange feeling, as if controlled by some greater force. He could feel his lips moving, and hear his voice, but he had no control over his words.

The girl's face seemed to light up as she gently helped him sit up. His head was pounding, a sharp pain at the side. Her eyes wildly flickered around his face, and she bit her lip nervously. Her hands were clenched at her side. Then, as if she couldn't help herself anymore, she jolted towards him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

He laughed- though he didn't know why -and returned the hug, burying his face at the crook of her neck.
Traces of strangely familiar vanilla cut through the smell of antiseptic. He sighed contently, a feeling of safety spreading through his chest.

"I love you," he whispered.

He didn't know where those words came from. He didn't know this girl. He didn't know where he was. In fact, he was doubting his own identity. He felt her tense, a small gasp coming from her mouth, but then she relaxed, and he could feel her smiling.

"I love you too."

She pulled away, and everything went dark once again.

~

"Wake up, Newt! Your testing is finished!"

He felt himself smiling before he even opened his eyes, and when he did, he found himself, not under fluorescent lights, but on a very comfortable bed. Sunlight streamed through an open window, and he could smell food. He bolted up, realising he was hungrier than he thought, and found himself face to face with the girl.

"You're done!" she took his hands in hers, a big grin on her face. He was able to take a proper look at her face.

That's when he came to a sudden realization.

Elizabeth.

He'd called her Ella before; was that a nickname for her?

What was she doing here?

There were so many questions that he couldn't ask. So many words that he couldn't say.

"Finally," he heard himself say instead.

Then something snapped inside of him. His mind shifted, coming out of its murky state. Everything came back to him all at once. The world was in icy clarity, the fog had lifted completely. His name was Newt, and he was from the Glade. Second-in-Command, Runner.

What was he doing here?

He looked around wildly, searching for clues. "Where am I?" he asked, his voice rising in a panicked crescendo.

He could finally speak for himself. She just smiled.

"It's all a dream, Newtie."

Her face began to fade away. The room was distorted, as if it was made of wax and it had started to melt. He could feel the world crumbling, melting, shifting.

His heart pounded against his ribcage as he felt his breathing become labored. He was vaguely aware of the animal-like screams coming from his mouth. He fell, feeling the wind rushing past him as he dropped like a boulder through thin air.

"This is the end. I'm going to die," was the first thing that came into his mind, followed by a satisfied, "finally."

~

and now, the weather

Whoop. Short-ass chapter here. I'm sorry bruh I didn't have time I have the annual Halloween party (yes, it's during Nov. 7 bc f*ck logic) and have been pretty damn busy. I promise a very long chapter fifteen and an insane chapter sixteen, however.

Thank you guys for 10k reads!