Flares // Newtmas alternate ending

Newt stared at the photo Thomas was holding. His mouth fell open and he blinked a few times.

After about thirty seconds, he stood up and turned around, running a hand through his hair.

It was Ava Paige.

The lady who'd been part of The Maze Trials. Thomas claimed she'd been kind before the Maze when he'd known her, but all Newt saw was the woman who locked him and the others in a Maze for three years. Someone who'd not tried at all to stop Janson.

Newt pressed the palms of his hand to forehead and let out a long creative string of curse words.

"I mean it makes some sense," Thomas said quietly. "And it does answer your questions as to who lived here and what happened to them. It was Ava Paige and her family. And probably some other WCKD employees."

Newt turned back and eyed the photo resting on the table. "I suppose you're right—"  then a thought occurred to him. He cursed again.

"What?" Thomas asked. Newt started to pace and anxiously tug at his hair. "Isn't this good? Now that you know? It's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

"Thomas, if this was a place where lots of WCKD employees lived I hardly think this is safe."

Thomas tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Newt shook his head and chewed on his lower lip as he sat down on a rock a little ways away from the table.

"Well we've been running from WCKD, yeah? We don't know for sure that they're through, they could still be out there somewhere. And if members of WCKD lived here then that could be very bad for us. We came here to be safe but what if some of them came back? What if they found us here? What would happen then?"

Nervousness flashed across Thomas' face for a moment. Then he shook his head and smiled and waved his hand in forced disbelief.

"Ava Paige is dead, Newt," Thomas said.

"As far as we know. Plus, if other WCKD employees lived here, then maybe they'd come back and they could alert WCKD if they did."

"If they're still alive, and if, WCKD is still a thing," Thomas pointed out.

"Might as well expect the worst, shouldn't we?" Newt countered. "We've gone through Hell already, what's to say we won't have to go back again? By this point, we should come to accept that bad things happen to us." He shook his head. "We've just got to be really careful."

Thomas laughed, though Newt detected some nervousness in the tone. "Newt, we've been here for over six months now. WCKD hasn't stormed us yet. In fact, no one's come. No Cranks, no wanderers, no one. Alright?"

"But they could. They could be gathering up remaining people as we speak, Thomas. Heaven knows how badly they wanted you and the other Immunes. They might want to try again. And if this place is still on their radar, they could come back here!" Newt stood up. "We need to tell Vince about this."

Newt started to walk off towards the main building where Vince was most likely going through that month's supplies, but Thomas caught his wrist.

"Newt, hold on," he said. Newt turned to look at Thomas.

"Tommy, this is something big. Even if it is 'nothing' like you say, Vince should know."

Thomas cast his gaze at the ground and his grip loosened on Newt's wrist. "I suppose... but I just don't think it's a big deal," Thomas said.