In the Scorch (Newt x reader)

Eleven

"(y/n)!" Newt was closer now. "Love, are you alright? Where are you?"

"Newt!" I pulled at some of the rocks. "I'm on the other side." I faintly heard something hit on the other side and Newt's cry of pain. I hissed at the rocks cutting into my knees as I shifted. "Tommy is on this side, maybe he'll come back."

"Well I won't leave until he does." Newt's voice was harsh and I nodded, looking back down the tunnel, where Tommy and Brenda had gone. I could hear the murmur of Delilah's voice and Newt's angry reply.

"Tommy? I need help! The ceiling fell in!" I stared down the tunnel, waiting for a reply. I had left my flashlight when I crawled to the rubble, and it shone faintly down the dark tunnel. "Tommy? Brenda?" Only my own voice echoed back to me.

"Is anyone coming?" Newt asked. I heard the rubble shift on his side. Down the tunnel, there was a splash in the water. Relief came to me for a moment, but it turned to fear and clenched at my throat. If the person coming to me was Tommy, he would've said something by now. "(y/n)? Are you there?" I shoved myself close to the wall, trying to hide myself as a man stepped into the light of my flashlight. His body looked like it was decaying, skin peeling off in some places, and black veins covered his body. My eyes trailed up to his face, and I clamped a hand over my lips. His nose was completely gone.

"Rose took my nose I suppose." The man's voice rasped, sending a chill down my spine. I tried to push myself closer to the wall, clenching my eyes shut as the man's eyes looked over the rubble.

"Rose took my nose I suppose." The man repeated as he took another step forward. I opened my eyes. He was closer to the light. I heard someone begin to dig through the rubble on the other side of me, a harsh tug taking place in my stomach. "Now I am here to take yours." The man smiled. In the light, I could see his cracked, blackened teeth. "I know you're here. I heard you shouting for... who was it? A boy named Tommy? Is that your lover? He should know that now, it's too late for you." The man stepped forward, kicking the flashlight and making it spin. It hit the wall, pointing back down the tunnel, flickering. The man took another step. The rubble was dug into faster.

"Come out, please. I need a new nose." The man's voice was a raspy whisper. I wrapped a hand around one of the larger rocks in the rubble, telling myself it was only in case Newt couldn't get to me in time. My heart hammered in my chest as the tugging grew stronger. I held the rock tighter in my hand as the man stepped forward again. I could hear his ragged breathing.

"I actually think I saw a boy and a girl running from here. I chased them, almost got them too! Then they closed off the tunnel they were in. I bet you that boy was Tommy! Well I guess it would please you to know that he's with another girl, wouldn't it? And I guess their little explosion closed you in too." I closed my eyes while he continued, taking in a slow breath. "People are funny things. They are so unpredictable too! Like who knew Rose would cut off my nose. My own wife! Can you believe that? But I guess I'll just get a new sniffer, yours to be more precise, as soon as you come out of hiding." I heard the digging come closer to me and I was hoping this man would keep talking, just long enough for Newt to get here.

"Bruce!" I heard him grunt in annoyance.

"Who's that digging by the way? They're being a real bugger. You know they won't save you in time, right? No one will. You can't hide forever, not from me or-" He was cut off by the voice calling for him again as a woman came down the tunnel.

"Bruce! What did I tell you?" In the light, she looked almost normal, if you didn't count for the large chunk taken out of her arm or the black veins crawling up her neck.

"Rose, someone is over here!" Bruce sounded desperate as he moved to step into the light again. The digging had stopped. Everything was quiet as Rose squinted her eyes at Bruce, then looked around.

"I don't see or smell anyone, now come back to our spot. We lost today's catch already, we'll just try again tomorrow, unless you wanna lose more than a nose."

"No. No I don't." Bruce said glumly. Rose turned to walk away, Bruce slowly following her.

I sat quietly for a few more moments, listening to Newt begin to dig again. I was too scared to move or make a noise, afraid it would alert both Rose and Bruce.

"(y/n)?" I turned to the whisper and moved from the wall. seeing the small portion Newt had cleared in the rubble. A flashlight shone on my face. "Oh, thank God you're okay." Newt clambered to me, holding me close for a moment. He grabbed at my hand, uncurling my fingers from the rock I had been clenching on to. "Let's get rid of this, alright? You're safe, they're gone." I let the rock drop to ground, forgetting I had even had it in my hand in the first place.

"Newt, you should get back over here. We've got to go." Newt nodded, helping me get to the hole. I crawled through, my hands shaking against the rubble. Delilah helped me stand as Newt crawled through, then she handed me off to Newt and began to fill part of the hole again.

"Who knows if they'll be back, and we definitely don't need them on our trail if and when they do." Delilah explained. Newt nodded, holding me close to him. When Delilah finished partially filling the hole, Newt completely scooped me up into his arms and we started down the tunnel again. On the other side of the rubble a voice called.

"Rose took my nose I suppose." A laugh followed. I held onto Newt tighter.

Original Publish Date: June 22, 2017