"What the shuck is this all supposed to be about?" Alby asked.
"How am I supposed to bloody know?" Newt replied with frustration. "And will you stop asking me."
"Thought Minho might have told you by now. That's all." His friend and leader said, a tone of annoyance now in his voice at Newt's quick remarks.
"Minho doesn't tell me klunk. And why would he tell me and not you?" said Newt.
Alby didn't reply and when Newt looked over the other boy's eyes had a comical and knowing glimmer in them. It looked like Alby was trying hard not to snigger.
"Oh shut up." Newt retorted, speaking louder now that they were clear of the gladers sleeping outside on the grass that they'd had to quietly skirt around from the Homestead so as not to awake anyone.
"I didn't say anything." Alby replied, a cocky gleam in his face.
"Whatever it's about I bet it's not good news." Newt finally said in a melancholy voice.
"Seems like we never get any good news in this place." Alby grumbled as they strolled across the open area of the Glade towards the map room.
Newt's mind wondered back to the odd conversation he and Alby had with Minho earlier that day. Their Asian comrade had approached them straight after his duties in the map room, not long after the maze doors had shut for the night, while the other runners were off taking their showers.
"I need to talk to you." Minho said, as he joined Newt and Alby in the open Glade. He looked flustered and angry but there was also a hint of worry in his face, which was very frightening indeed as Minho was your shoot first and ask questions later type of guy not your klunks his pants all the time type of guy.
"What's up?" Alby asked. At first he'd wanted Minho to make it quick, but as soon as the runner opened his mouth Alby sensed that something was wrong.
"Not here." Minho replied, talking like Alby had just said something stupid and crazy. He glanced around the Glade, his eyes darting at every other boy who was busy at work around them. He leaned in closer to their small huddle and stretched his arm out, gesturing at nothing. "Look, meet me in the map room tonight after the sun goes down and when the rest of these shanks are all asleep. I'll explain everything then."
"But Minho-" Newt started.
However Minho had already turned on his heels and was jogging off in the direction of the showers, acting like everything was normal.
When the two boys reached the map room they found the door unlocked. Minho was waiting for them inside. His hands were resting on the table as he stood staring at a piece of paper on the top. It was larger than the ones runners usually used at the end of each day to draw out their section and it had a more detailed sketch of the maze, all eight sections appeared on the paper, with the Glade roughly shaded in the center. Minho glanced up as his friends entered but his face remained expressionless, he stepped back from the table.
"What this all about then?" Alby asked as he shut the door behind him and Newt.
Minho scanned the paper once more before looking back up at the other gladers, his eyes targeting them. "It's as we feared." He began, his voice sounded tense and grim. He gestured to the paper lying on the table top. "That's the maze." He told them in a dark tone. "All of it."
For several seconds the room was void of any sound, then Newt spoke up for the first time. "You serious?" He asked cautiously.
His voice seemed to ring out amongst the silence and the other two boys looked like they were about to jolt in surprise. Newt didn't realise it, but he'd grown much quieter recently, ever since his incident. Of course his turn in behaviour hadn't escaped the notice of his two friends, who kept a watchful eye on him at all time, that Newt had noticed. Minho had a pitying look in his eyes after Newt spoke up, Newt hated it.
"I'm afraid so." The Asian runner answered softly, as if deep in thought. Then he glanced from the sketch to his companion's faces again and started talking in a deeper, matter of fact voice. "I've run every inch of it myself, through all of the cycles, to make absolutely certain, and I can confirm that we finished mapping the maze, and we haven't found an opening yet."
Silence hung over the three on them again as Minho waited for a response, when none came he looked at his leader and pressed. "What do we do?"
Alby sighed and rubbed a hand across his brow, his face was bitter and sorrowful at the same time. "We have to keep it a secret for now. For some of the poor shanks in this place all they're holding onto is the hope that they're gonna get out of here. If we announce this they could break and we could end up with anarchy on our hands." Alby quietened, thinking back to the earliest days of the Glade, a time when everything had been a mess. "I'm not willing to go back there again in a hurry." He said out loud.
Minho nodded understandingly. "I'll keep running like usual. I'll find us a way out of this shuck place, I promise. And I'll keep the other boys at it too."
"Do they know?" Alby asked, referring to the other runners.
"No." Minho replied. "But they're suspicious, won't be too long till they figure it out."
"Then you get the job of breaking the news to them." Alby commanded. "And make sure they're gonna keep their traps shut once they're told."
"Thanks for that." Minho said, forcing a mock grin onto his face.
"You're welcome." Alby replied, throwing a grim smile back to his friend.
Then Alby noticed Newt, who had been quiet all this time, which wasn't uncommon for the kid nowadays, but it was more than that, something was wrong.
"Newt?" Alby asked, scrutinizing his second in command.
No response. Newt didn't move a muscle, he continued to stare unblinkingly at the table and the drawing of the maze on the paper. It was as if the boy was in a daze, a dream, or in shock.
"Newt, you okay?" Alby asked again. This time he reached out and gently touched Newt on the shoulder.
The physical contact yanked Newt out of his shock, he jerked a step back from Alby, looking madly around in panic like some wild animal caught in a trap. Alby still held his grip on Newt's shoulder so the blonde boy shoved his hand away and pushed passed him and bolted out the door.
Minho had run round to the other side of the table when Newt started to act panicky and he rushed out the door after Newt, Alby hot on his heels.
Outside in the dim light they could make out Newt, moving as fast as he could with his limp, making a beeline for the forest area of the Glade.
"Shuck." Minho cried out, both in astonishment and in anger. "What was all that shuck about?" He questioned, looking over at Alby.
Alby didn't answer. They both knew all too well what Newt's show had been about. Their British companion wasn't well, he was sick even, but it unlike the Griever sting, there was no simple cure. Alby and Minho did their best, and most of the other gladers did too, they all knew. A runner didn't simply end up with an awful limp and have to quit their duties just like that. Some days it seemed like Newt was recovering, but the next he could be unpredictable all over again.
Alby managed to put his head down and get on with things and still make time for Newt. But Minho, he just hated all of it. He hated having to go out running everyday and Newt not being by his side like he used to. Having the constant worry looming over his head of what was happening to Newt back in the Glade. The fact that Newt thought himself that worthless, that he thought life was that worthless, Minho knew their lives were a load of klunk, but it was Newt that made it bearable, and that stung Minho to the core, because of what Newt had tried to do to himself meant that he didn't feel the same way.
"You should go after him." Minho said, looking at Alby. Newt had now disappeared into the trees.
"No. You go." Alby replied decidedly. "I'll lock up."
At first the idea of going after Newt made Minho feel bitter. He didn't like being reminded how broken Newt had become, although the knowledge was inescapable. He was about to retaliate but the look on Alby's face told him otherwise, they both knew he was the best man for the task.
"Thanks." Minho replied shortly and then took off in the direction of the forest after Newt without looking back. For the first time he was thankful the doors shut at night not only to keep the Grievers out, otherwise he bet Newt would have ran straight into the maze and tried to throw himself of the cliff.
As Minho entered the dark enclosure he wanted desperately to call out for Newt, but he forced himself to be quiet, worried that if Newt knew he was there he'd do all he could to hide from the runner. He ventured further into the forest, heading for the small graveyard area, thinking Newt might be crouched over his fallen friends with stupid ideas of joining them. But Newt wasn't there, Minho turned around slowly, trying to get his baring and his ears pricked up for any noise. He heard whimpers and sobs and plunged deeper into the woods.
Newt was huddled up in the innermost corner of the deadheads where the two walls of the Glade met. His back was turned away from Minho, the bone of his spine sticking out underneath his skinny frame, he had his legs pulled up to his stomach and his arms wrapped around them, though Minho could only see his tussled blonde hair he could hear Newt sobbing loudly.
Minho approached Newt slowly but making no attempts to be quiet, he didn't want to give Newt another reason to be startled.
"Newt?" He asked as softly as he could muster, his voice coming out as a hoarse crackle.
He saw Newt shiver but the boy either ignored him or didn't hear him and only continued to snivel.
"Newt." Minho repeated, this time with a more exasperated sigh. He got down on his knees, now only a foot away from Newt, and reached out his hand touching the boy's shoulder gently.
Newt freaked out, he turned on Minho, cheeks stained with water and eyes glistening, and pounced on him. He pushed the keeper to the ground and started wrestling, punching and clawing at every bit of Minho he could find, yelling all the time as he did so. "Shank. Why haven't you tried harder. Two years. Almost two shucking years we've been stuck in this bloody shuck hole. And what have you done? What have you done you shuck faced shank? Try harder."
"At least I'm doing more than you." Minho roared back, his temper getting the better of him as he blocked most of Newt's crazed attacks.
As soon as he said it he was both thankful and regretted it because Newt's figure crumbled over him and he started wailing.
"I hate it." He mumbled into Minho's chest where he'd collapsed, getting the other boy's shirt stained with tears. "I hate this shuck place, Minho."
"Don't we all?" Minho murmured, feeling stunned at Newt's quick mood changes.
"No, it's not that." Newt whimpered back, he raised his head to look at the Asian with a desperate and pleading expression and he looked a mess, face red, eyes glazed over with tears, hair messy. It made Minho feel uncomfortable, made him question where was the forward thinking boy that he'd fallen in love with. "I can't stand it, I can't stand it here. Can't stand to live here, can't stand to work here, nothing. This place is driving me crazy. And I want out, I want out anyway I can get it."
Minho swallowed and tried to move down towards Newt, but at his change it looked the British boy was ready to struggle again. So Minho grabbed him and pinned his arms and legs down over him as best as he could and although Newt shrieked and whimpered Minho was too strong for him. But he continued to grapple until Minho with all his energy leaned his head down and pressed his lips to Newt's temple. Then the blonde shivered and stilled. Minho kissed his forehead again, and again, until Newt relaxed and Minho softened his grip.
"Why do you do that?" Newt asked. He voice was scared and he turned his head away from Minho, staring at the stone wall but it looked like he was staring into nothingness. "Every day you leave." He suddenly blurted out before Minho could respond, his voice breaking higher. "Sometimes you act this way but every day you still run out into that bloody maze and leave me trapped here, alone. And you act like it's all okay, like it'll be no big deal if you get trapped out there and end up with the Grievers munching on your brains and I'll still be bloody trapped here."
Minho waited him out, didn't try to cut in and just lay there as Newt cried out a rant. When Newt fell silent Minho still stayed quiet, the emptiness of sound seemed strange after all of Newt's cries and harsh words, but thankfully the blonde boy was finally beginning to stop sobbing.
"You wanna know why I go out there every day?" Minho whispered, drawing his mouth close to Newt's ear even though the boy was turned away from him. "I used to run for the answers, because I wanted to know what we're doing here as much as next shank stuck in this place. But it's not about that anymore. I run that maze every day for you, Newt. Because I know you hate it here, and I'll do anything to find you a way out. But the way you're thinking about isn't the right way, if you're getting outta here I'm coming with you. So I run. I run every day and risk my butt out there and try to find a way out for you. And I'm sorry that I can't stay here for you but I'm doing my best." He sighed and paused for a moment but he knew he wasn't finished. "I know I can't show it that often but Newt please know that someone loves you, which is good I guess because someone should, even when you can't love yourself."
"You shouldn't." Newt said miserably. "You just said yourself. I'm not worth it, Minho, I'm not worth you."
"Newt, you're the best part of me."
Newt snorted, which was about the closest he came to laughing these days. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"
"It looks like you're finding everything hard right now." Minho replied. "I guess things can only get better, and I'll wait for you. I'll come outta that shuck maze and back to you every day for a lifetime if that's what it takes."
At this thought Newt shuddered. "Don't say that." He muttered and finally started to move, sitting himself up but instantly holding onto Minho. "How can you say something like that? You said we'd find a way out. We have to get out."
Minho worried that Newt would get panicky again when he'd just calmed himself down, so he kissed the boy's brow again and clutched him closer. "Honestly, the idea of it doesn't seem so bad to me. I can never know how you see it but too me the Glade is kinda welcoming after a day out in the maze. Dude, apart from being trapped in a box and things outside said box wanting to kill us we've got a pretty sweet life here."
Newt snorted again.
"Imagine it, baby." Minho continued. "We've no idea where we came from. I don't know if the worlds all shucked up or if everyone's is rolling in riches out there. Shuck, I don't even know if we're on the world at all, might be on the shucking moon, but I don't care. All I know is that so long as I make it back inside here every day and you're here waiting for me then I'm good. I'll be good to the day we die with that."
"Sounds nice." Newt responded quietly. He was about to continue and say it was a shame it was just a dream but then he realised it wasn't. Everything Minho had just said was true to the extent of their knowledge. And somehow, by some miracle Newt found himself feeling better because of it. He felt horrible at the same time for the way Minho really did love him and all he'd done was throw himself off a bloody wall in return. But he could change that, he thought. He might never be good enough for Minho, but Minho would never turn him away either, he'd just have to live with that, which wasn't such a bad deal really.
Slowly he craned his neck over and kissed Minho on the temple, the same way the runner had been doing to him all night. "Thank you." He murmured and stared at Minho's face.
A warmth from his heart crept out inside Minho forcing him to smile. He was about to shrug it off and jokingly tell Newt anytime, but then he realised that Newt really did mean it. He glanced over at the blonde boy. "Of course." He answered meaningfully.
Newt licked his lips nervously and then smiled. He leaned into Minho and kissed his lips, wanting him to know that he appreciated everything Minho did for him even if he didn't understand why he did it.
When they pulled away Newt snuggled into Minho's body and sighed. "I don't want to spend my life trapped here but I want to be able to freeze my life right here and live in this moment forever."
Minho smiled. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that, but I can go steal us some blankets and we'll stay here tonight."
Newt smiled back and to Minho's amazement he laughed. They'd both missed the sound of those golden notes.
Minho got to up. "Stay here." He said, giving Newt a last quick kiss. "I'll be back in a minute."
Just as he'd said a minute or so later Minho returned from the area of the Glade where the boys slept to the corner where Newt sat. He carried to unused blankets in his arms and got to work laying one out beneath them on the ground and tucking Newt and himself up in the other.
Newt huddled facing the maze wall the same way Minho had found him that night, but this time he had Minho's body between him and the stone, the runner's protective embrace holding him safely. That night was the first that Newt fell asleep without any worry.