Try To Keep Up

Disclaimer: I do not own The Maze Runner otherwise Newt would still be alive.

Author's Note: In this Newt's leg has recently healed but he stays in the Glade unless a runner is down for a day.

Thomas walked over towards the shelter that housed Minho's hammock along with Newt's and Alby's. Last night Minho had told him to meet at the east doors ten minutes before the doors opened. That was fifteen minutes ago. Walking over to Minho's hammock, Thomas was surprised to see a form still under the blanket.

Thomas cautiously walked over and shook Minho's shoulder. "Minho?" Thomas asked quietly. "Wha'?" The older glader groaned, pulling the blanket over his head.  "You ok?" Thomas asked pulling the blanket away from the teen's face. "Wanna sleep." Was the only reply the younger teen got. "I'll be right back." Thomas said before heading to the gardens. When Thomas was heading to Minho's hammock he had seen Newt already working on something there.

Sure enough the blonde was kneeling on the ground, turning over the leaves on a plant. "Hey Newt!" Thomas called out as he jogged over. "Hey Thomas. What's up?" The Brit asked. "Something's wrong with Minho." Thomas said, watching Newt quickly rise from the ground. "Hammock?" Newt asked, already walking to the brunette, and consequently their friend's hammock, by the time Thomas nodded.

When the two arrived back at the homestead Minho had pulled the blanket over his head again. Newt kneeled next to the runner, a hand on his shoulder. "Min, you wanna pull the blanket down a bit for me?" The blonde whispered. The only response was the blanket being pulled down to reveal a sweaty, flushed face. "Oh Min. How about we go see Jeff?" The blonde asked offering a hand up to the slightly shorter teen. "Need a favour from you." The sick teen said, an arm over Newt's shoulders while he buried his face the crook of the blondes neck. The blonde just hummed, looking over at Thomas silently telling the other to grab Minho's other arm and help him to the med-jacks. "Need you to run seven with Thomas." Minho said, allowing the others to pull him the short walk over to the med hut. "Ok but let's just get you over to Jeff and Clint before that, ok?" It was more of a statement then a question, but Minho didn't seem to notice and just nodded.

After dropping Minho off, Thomas followed Newt while he grabbed water and what would have been Minho's lunch. The two had walked over to the maze doors before Thomas broke the silence. "I'm almost confident I know the way but Minho has it written in his little journal." Thomas said, not noticing that Newt was looking at the small diagram in the journal until Newt flipped it closed with a small clap. "That's good. Try to keep up." Newt called out the last part as he took off running. Thomas stared for a second before chasing after the blonde.

•*•*•

"Newt! Wait... a minute. I need... a break." Thomas called out, slowing his pace before stopping and resting his back against the wall. Newt stopped and turned around, smiling fondly. Thomas reached into his pack and grabbed out his water bottle, all but ripping the lid off and gulping several mouthfuls before a voice stopped him. "Slow it down, greenie. We've only run half the way out and we still have a long ways to go yet. Take sips as well. We don't need you getting a stitch, that'll just slow everything down." The blonde said as he grabbed his own water bottle, much less desperate than Thomas, taking only couple sips before replacing the lid. Thomas nodded, slowing down and only taking a few sips before following Newt's example and capping his bottle. Thomas looked up just in time to catch a strip of something Newt threw at him, before looking at the blonde questionably. "Eat. It keeps you're energy up until you're used to running." Thomas nodded and sat down, followed quietly by the blonde, who also had his own piece of jerky.

The teens sat silently for about five minutes, so Thomas could catch his breath, before the silence was broken. "How do you know this?" Thomas asked but only received a confused look from the track-hoe/gardener. "The way through the maze? I've only see you check the journal once. Or about sipping the water? Or how newer runners need more energy until they're used to running? I mean even as second-in-command you shouldn't know all of this without experience." Thomas said quickly, not even realising the last thing he said. "You just answered you're own question. I wouldn't know this without experience." Newt said laughing at Thomas' expression. "You were a runner. Why aren't you one now?" The first part was said quite dumbly but the second was of pure curiosity. "Broke my leg. It's healed up now but I couldn't run. Plus there are things that I need to do in the Glade rather than train someone else so I'd have a partner." Newt said, a sad smile on his face. Thomas just nodded, dropping the subject.

Thomas opened his mouth to say something but interrupted by a click. Newt suddenly tensed, face pale, and held up his hand for Thomas to stay quiet. Click click whir. Suddenly Newt jumped to his feet pulling Thomas with him before running, checking the coast was clear before running around the corner. "Newt, what is it? You're kinda scaring me." Thomas asked, the clicking sound grew faster and somehow felt closer. What Newt said next made Thomas' blood freeze. "Griever." The one word was filled with so many emotions but Thomas could only identify one. Fear.

Suddenly the ground shook slightly and there was a thump behind the pair. Thomas looked back long enough to catch a glimpse of the bulbous form about fifty meters away from them before turning his head back forward as Newt pulled him down another corridor. Thomas could hear the griever getting closer when Newt suddenly veered off towards the wall, giving Thomas no choice but to follow. He watched in a mix of panic and curiously as Newt pulled back the ivy showing a deep cutout in the wall. Newt quickly gave Thomas a leg up telling him to get to the back of the cutout.

The griever's leg shot out with little precision. Just as Newt reached for the ivy to pull himself high enough to get into cutout when he felt a sharp pain in his upper arm and leapt back just enough to avoid the griever's huge form jumping forwards. Thomas watched the griever lunged again. Watched the blonde roll under the form, stand up and run towards the cutout. Thomas finally acted as Newt reached the ivy, running forward to pull the blonde inside before pulling them both to the back of the cutout. The griever's leg reached into the gap scrabbling around trying to grip something. Thomas pulled the blonde flush against himself when the leg almost grabbed him, both as far away from the griever as possible, yet that was only a couple of inches.

Even after ten minutes the griever was still there, Thomas could feel the blonde trembling, even more than he himself was, head buried in the brunette's shoulder, hands gripping the shirt he was held against. Eventually the griever gave up, leaving the pair shaking in their little gap in the wall. The two waited a few more minutes before slowly peeking out of the cutout and jumping to the ground. Thomas watched Newt silently as he ripped part of his shirt and try to wrap the strip around his upper arm with shaking fingers. The brunette reached over and wrapped the cloth around the blonde's bicep and tied it tightly when the blonde said it needed to be tight to stem the blood, which still ran down his arm in small rivulets.

They ran back to the glade in silence, keeping an ear and eye out for any sign of the griever. When the pair got back there was only half an hour until the doors shut for the night. While Thomas went off to find Chuck, Newt headed to the med hut, intent on checking on Minho but most likely getting dragged on to a bed while one of the med-jacks cleaned and bandaged his arm properly. The next time the two saw each other was at dinner while Thomas was sitting with Chuck while Newt came to get some dinner for Minho and himself, back in his usual hoodie which he had left behind earlier in favour of running.

Newt walked over to Thomas holding to bowls in his hands. "Clint said Minho will be down for a couple days before he can even consider running." Newt said, lips thin, thinking about how Minho will start fighting back before then. "That's too bad. But to be honest, I'm not sure why people let him train the new runners. He's impatient." Newt laughed at the annoyed tone the runner used. "Excited to run together tomorrow?" Thomas asked, grinning. "Just try to keep up." Newt said, smiling back before leaving.

A/N: I am planning on writing a story of why Newt is so scared of the grievers apart from the fact that there the reason people he knows are banished.