In the End (Newt x reader)

Fourteen

"What in the shuck was that?" I hissed out as we all righted ourselves. 

"They've already started." Teresa breathed out, turning in her place. Felicity looked at her, wide eyed. 

"Who started what? What is going on?" Tommy held out his hands, an effort to calm us. 

"Listen, we don't have a lot of time, but we have to get out of here. There are people trying to destroy WICKED, and that means the Maze too." Felicity scoffed beside me at Tommy's comment. 

"And how do you suggest we do that? We've only just learned we were in a maze in the first place. We have yet to explore it. And there are hundreds off us too. Many of us you haven't seen, on the other side of the forest." Tommy's eyes moved to look at me, then Minho, Teresa, and Gally. 

"We already have a plan." He stated simply, shifting on his feet. 

~

I moved with the back of the group, falling behind with Minho. Tommy and Teresa were at the front, while Gally was with Felicity towards the middle of the large group. Tommy had explained the situation to Felicity, and she helped explain to everyone left in the Maze with us, and the few weapons they had were gathered as we surrounded the door Tommy and the others had come through. 

"Bet you thought we'd never be in here again." Minho commented as we jogged. I huffed. 

"Yeah, well, at least this time I can maneuver myself through without being carried." Minho didn't reply as the Maze shook again- this time worse than the first. Cracks traveled up the wal and small rocks rained down around us. The ground creaked, rumbling as it shook again, and to my horror, a large chuck of the wall fell, slamming down onto the people in front of Minho and I before they could even scream. I slid to a stop, watching with widened eyes as blood oozed from under the rock. In front of me, more people yelled out. 

"We have to keep moving!" Minho cried out, grabbing at my arm and dragging me around the chunk of rock. I numbly followed, still seeing the red pool from underneath, tainting the gray stone a deep maroon. "Keep going, people! We have to get out of here!" Minho yelled, waving them forward. The front of the group seemed to pick up pace as they realized what was happening to the back of the group. The people  around us also began running, realizing the true danger the Maze held over them. I looked up at the sky as the Maze shook again. I could hear other chunks from the wall falling, but these ones were only behind us. 

"If we aren't fast enough, soon the sky will come caving in." I managed to huff out, regaining some of my senses as a little girl stumbled in front of me. I gently caught her, pushing her forward to follow the group as the front came to a narrow passage. 

"How ironic would it be if we died here?" Minho asked beside me and I shot him a glare as people shoved one another up ahead, all trying to push through the passage. 

"Don't say things like that, dimwit." I punched Minho's shoulder, feeling anxious as the Maze shook again, creating more cracks along the wall, but I couldn't go anywhere until the group moved through the wall. Up ahead, I could hear Tommy yelling for the people to hurry as another rock fell. People screeched, stumbling away as it fell. I couldn't see where it landed, but by the shouts, I could tell it hit someone. 

Soon, I was sliding through the passage, Minho close behind me, and the front of the group was moving quickly again. There were only a few more twists and turns before we reached where we first faced off with the Grievers. For a moment, fighting the Grievers flashed through my mind, when one cut my leg with its tail- I remember how in that moment I had believed I would die. 

The front of the group began to get led through the door, and I stared around at the cracking wall as dust rained down. I crossed my arms, running my fingers over my skin. Newt's face flashed briefly in my mind, how he had fought, how I had momentarily thought he would die here too. 

"I hate it here." I murmured and Minho nodded absent-mindedly. 

"Tell me about it. I still get nightmares about what happened here. Those boys didn't deserve to die like that." Minho whispered as the Maze shook. This seemed to only encourage the group to make their way faster through the entry way as chunks of rock began to rain down around us. In front of me, some of the people began to cry, particularly the younger groups, such as the little girl I helped earlier. I bent down to her, hugging her as we waited for the group to move. I whispered words of comfort, brushing her hair as the Maze quaked around us, rumbling like thunder. Half of the group was through the door by now. 

With the next shake of the Maze, I felt something droop down onto me, sliding down the side of my face, making me freeze as I gently loosened my hold on the little girl. 

"Shuck." I breathed out, tilting my head to look back. Above me was a creature I had grown familiar with, its legs gripping onto the crumbling Maze wall. Minho turned to look with me as the slime continued to drip down, running down my face. The contact on my skin broke me from my daydream. "Go! Hurry!" I pushed the little girl forward, sending her stumbling into an older man as the Griever dropped down, its metal legs scraping the stone and bringing down sets of vines with it. Screams were heard up ahead as I reached for the spear I had snagged before going into the Maze. 

"What do we do? Last time, it took a lot of us to take down the Grievers." Minho's observation came out as a harsh whisper. 

"We deal with it, stall long enough for these people to get out." I held the spear in front of me as Minho spun a sword in his hands, holding it out in front of him. 

"I was afraid you'd say that." He replied as the Griever stepped forward, seeming to smell the air. The tail slid along the wall, making me wince at the grinding of rock on metal. I glanced back to the group once more, seeing that their pace seemed to be quick now that more danger had appeared. Now, only a quarter was left. 

I faced the Griever again, backing up, then I jabbed the spear forward. The Griever was quick to catch the weapon, however, gripping tightly at the wood with its teeth. I took to yank on the spear, trying to get it back with no use. Instead, the wood quickly broke in my hold, the Griever grinding down what was in its mouth and I stumbled back with what was left of the wooden spear held in my grip. I let out a nervous laugh, staring at the splintered wood. 

"Aha. Well, that didn't work." Minho scoffed. 

"You think?" He blocked the Griever's tail. I winced at the sound of the metal, and I rushed forward, smacking the tail with the broken spear. The Maze shook again, the walls seeming to crumble faster, and even panels of the sky was falling now. Minho looked back. "I'd say this is a good time to get out of here." He yelled out, throwing his sword at the Griever. The blade sliced into part of the back of the creature, making it scream as we both turned to run. The group left over was only a handful now, and they seemed to be making their way quickly through the exit. 

Suddenly, Minho was slammed forward. He let out a yell, hitting the ground hard and sliding forward. I heard the yell from one of the people who had yet to escape, then they ran for him.

"Minho!" I cried out, reaching for him, but then I turned to the Griever. Its tail was poised in the air, and I could see the needle in the air as it brought the tail down, slicing down through the air. I held the spear up, catching the claw with the wood as Minho groaned behind me. "Minho, go!" I yelled out, feeling the wood in my hands begin to crack as the Griever pushed down harder. 

"I can't just leave you." Minho objected. I glanced back at him, saw the blood dripping off of his hands as he pushed himself up. His leg slid behind him with a limp. I gave him a sad smile, shaking my head. 

"I'm not like you guys, Minho. You're all immune, and if Newt's condition is most likely dead, then I've got nothing. But I can make sure you live, because that's exactly what you did for me when I was hurt. So go!" I felt the tears pool in my eyes as I turned away. The spear shook in my grip. Behind me, I could tell Minho was protesting, then I heard the scuffle as he was pulled  away from me, then I was left with the Griever as the Maze fell down around us. 

Publish Date: January 7, 2021