Firsts and Lasts

It felt like agony waiting all night for those doors to open; it felt like the Maze was smiling down upon them, wanting to watch those boys go crazy with uncertainty. It loved watching them look so scared, so sad, so divided. There were a few boys that believed they'd be alive, while most of them believed them to be dead. Either opinion, the boys waited beside the doors all night. They sat, they walked back and forth, but they never left the Maze's walls. None of them got any sleep, either. Truly, undoubtedly, that night was agony for those boys. So when the sun peeked above the Maze's stone walls, they knew it was almost time. Their hearts thumped out of their chests, their palms were sweaty, they could barely keep still.

They needed those doors to open. They needed to know if their friends were okay. It was killing them at that point.

BOOM, GRUMBLE! The Maze had finally answered their prayers. Everyone heard its gears turning, its stone moving, and the trembling of the ground underneath their feet. Chuck immediately stood up and stood before the slowly opening entrance, trying to peek inside despite it being only an inch open. Still, Chuck looked. He couldn't look away. He didn't look away until-

"Hugo, no!" Chuck shouted after the dog, who had run into the Maze the second the opening was big enough for him to fit in. Though, Chuck's yell went unanswered and Hugo merely ran into the Maze and disappeared behind a wall. The sight made Chuck feel even worse. "Please… Please be okay…"

By then, everyone was standing around Chuck: Newt, Frypan, Winston, Zart, Jeff, Clint, Hank, Dan. They each stared into the Maze and hoped for a miracle to happen. Normally, those boys wouldn't be praying. At that point, they would have given up. But Hope had done something to them - she had made them believe that hope could work. That there was still some in the world. So they hoped and they hoped. And, it seemed that… their hope had paid off.

"Woof, woof!" They unexpectedly heard Hugo bark in the distance. It wasn't a distressed bark, however. It was… It was happy. "Woof, woof, woof! Woof!"

"Haha! Hey, buddy!" Hope's laugh and angelic voice moved through the Maze… and right into the Glade's ears. "Did you miss me?!"

Then, they saw them. From where they'd just heard Hope's voice came two boys carrying one other boy in their arms: Thomas, Minho, and Alby, where all alive. At first, the Glade could only gasp. But after their initial shock, they started cheering more joyfully than ever before.

"YEAHHH!" Chuck bellowed.

"I-I can't believe it!" Frypan huffed in disbelief. "They're alive!"

Dan and Hank each smiled toward Minho. "He actually did it…"

"No way," Zart beamed.

Once Thomas and Minho had taken one step into the Glade, everyone had already surrounded them. The two carefully place Alby onto the ground, prompting Jeff and Clint to instantly start checking him over. And although Alby's conditions were still a mystery to everyone else, they couldn't stop themselves from asking the million-dollar question.

"What the heck happened out there?" Frypan asked.

"Yeah, how'd you make it out?" Winston asked as well.

"Y-You…" Chuck looked straight at Thomas. "You saw a Griever?"

Thomas nodded. "Yeah… I saw one…"

"He didn't just see it," Minho acknowledged, showing everyone a victorious smile. "He killed it."

Everyone looked straight at Thomas after hearing this, making Thomas look back at all of them in surprise. He didn't know what to say, nor did he really want to say anything. The boy had been through one hell of a night, and he just wanted to stop for a second. So, luckily, a certain boy that hadn't looked away from the Maze took every ounce of that attention away from him.

"Where is she?" Newt questioned, causing everyone to whip their heads toward him. "Where's Hope?"

"We just heard her," Frypan added while standing back up too. "She's okay, right?"

"Sh-She had to be. Hope is…" And almost like Hope had heard Chuck's voice, the girl in question walked out from behind the wall with Hugo at her side. She lifted her hand to wave at everyone, a bright smile on her face. However, Chuck could barely see it as he immediately ran to her with tears in his eyes. "H-Hope!"

"Chuck!" Hope beamed back. What she didn't expect, though, was for Chuck to instantly wrap his arms around her. "O-Oh!"

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Chuck cried into Hope's chest, wrapping his arms even tighter around her. "W-Why would you do that to me?! I was so worried that you wouldn't make it! Never do that to me again, okay?! Never ever!"

"Ch-Chuck, I'm…" Hope stuttered without knowing how to respond. But then, once she'd fully digested all that Chuck had just said, she smiled and, for the first time, hugged Chuck back. "I'm sorry, Chuck. I swear, I'll never leave you again."

Chuck stepped away and punched Hope's arm. "You better not! I'll kill you myself!"

"Heh," Hope chucked, "I would want it… any other… F-Frypan?"

"You're such an idiot," Frypan mumbled after he'd walked up to wrap his arms around Hope as well. However, his hug was much lighter. "Seriously, the biggest idiot here."

"I know," Hope whispered while a warm smile adored her face. "I know, boss."

"But the kid's right: never do that again," Frypan said once he'd broken the hug. "You're the best Cook I got, and I… I need you."

"Awe, you guys are the sweetest…" Hope mused, causing Chuck to huff.

"You saying that won't make me any less angrier."

"I know that, too." Hope smiled and then looked between the two excitedly. "Though, I gotta tell you all about what happened in there! It was awesome! Obviously, the Griever was super scary, but you should've seen Thomas! He was-!"

But then, Hope saw him. Standing off in the distance between Thomas and Minho, stood Newt. From so far away, Hope couldn't tell for certain what his expression was, yet she could still tell that… he wasn't himself. There was a darkness in his eyes - a sadness. The look made Hope frown, prompting Chuck and Frypan to each look over at Newt; likewise, upon seeing Newt staring so longingly at Hope, Minho and Thomas each stared at Hope. There were a few moments of silence between the six, none of them knowing what to say or what to do. Though, there was one entity that knew exactly what to do. And that entity… wasn't even a person.

"Woof!" Hugo barked impatiently at Newt. "Woof, woof!"

He snapped. Something within Newt snapped when he heard Hugo's bark. The boy couldn't keep still, his legs started moving by themselves. Newt remembered last night as he and Hugo had sat beside one another, both of them feeling uncontrollable grief over losing someone so precious to them. And yes, a part of Newt still couldn't believe that Hope was actually alive. A part of him believed that he didn't deserve such a miracle. So he needed to make sure. Newt needed to know that this wasn't just some cruel dream and that this girl was alive. Moreover, since Hope was a pretty idiotic person, Newt needed to make sure that… he'd be able to do this just once.

"N-Newt, I can tell that you're mad," Hope stammered after seeing Newt start striding toward her. "But I just want you to know that- Mmm!?"

Newt's lips crashed against Hope's the moment he reached her; his hand combed through her hair, while his other wrapped around her back, keeping both of their bodies flushed together. And upon feeling Hope's warmth intermingle with his own, Newt knew for certain: Hope was alive. She was alive, and she felt… amazing. He never wanted to let go of her, but he also knew that, as he continued to feel Hope's stiff body against him, that Hope kinda needed him to let go. Therefore, Newt slowly disconnected their lips, those same lips making a kiss sound as he did so. Then, after Newt nuzzled their two noses together, he opened his eyes up with a smile.

"Gotcha," he purred, biting his lip. "And that'll happen again if you pull a stunt like that ever again, you got it?"

Hope opened and closed her mouth. "I… I-I…"

"You're so cute," Newt flirted and then took a single step back. However, he didn't let her go without swiping his hand delicately across her strawberry-red cheeks. "C'ya later."

Newt turned around and walked away like nothing had happened, leaving everyone other than him to stand there utterly flabbergasted. All eyes were on him as he walked past everyone, yet the boy himself didn't give them a single regard. He just kept on walking, never looking back. Nonetheless, once the boy was out of everyone's sight was exactly when… pandemonium erupted.

"I'm sorry, but what… what was that?!" Frypan screamed.

"That did not just happen!" Chuck violently shook his head. "Nuh-uh!"

"I hate to admit it," Minho sighed, "but that was pretty smooth."

Thomas gave Minho a weird look. "That's what you're thinking about? And since when were those two even a thing…?"

"They've kinda always been a thing," Zart stated, making Winston nod.

"Yeah, I'm surprised that you never noticed… Even if you have only been here for a few days."

"…Hope!" But then, in the midst of everyone freaking out, the girl who had the most reason to be freaking out did freak out. The entire situation had just sunk in and hit her, and Hope didn't know how to deal with it. Hence, Frypan noticed Hope lose her footing, so he quickly ran up and caught her in his arms. "H-Hope, what's wrong?!"

"W-W-What was th-that?!" Hope yelped, her mind going a hundred miles an hour and her face literally looking like a tomato. "W-Why did he… HUH?!"

"Jeff! Clint!" Frypan yelled. "We've got another man down!"

Chuck started cracking his knuckles. "I'm gonna kill that shank."

"Yeah, out of all the ways this night could have ended, I never would've thought that this would be it," Minho huffed before glancing behind him at where Newt had walked off to. "You did good, though, buddy. I'm proud of you."

"Greenie! Hope!" All of a sudden, a rage-filled voice cut through the chaotic air and turned it serious. Everyone, even the frazzled Hope, snapped their heads toward the voice in fear, knowing exactly what was about to happen. Gally was standing behind everyone, his head shaking in disappointment. "Both of you, Council Hall. Now."

Yep, this actually was one way Minho had predicted the night would end. And he was dreading it all the same.


The Council Hall was full of chatter and male voices. Every single boy was in there, all of them sitting except for the Keepers standing beside one another. And although Thomas and Hope were one of the main focuses of the meeting, one of them couldn't focus on the meeting itself. This certain girl sat in the corner beside Thomas, her face still completely flushed. She kept trying to look up from the ground, but each time her eyes naturally found Newt leaning against a wooden pillar. And each time did he blush even deeper. Seriously, this girl had almost died fifty-times, yet the only thing she could think about was a boy. It went to show how much power Newt truly had over Hope.

However, when Gally's voice boomed through the chatter, Hope finally had something to distract herself with, so she glanced up and gulped in anticipation.

"Things are changing - there's no denying that," Gally told everyone. "First, Ben gets stung in broad daylight… and then Alby. And now, our two Greenies, here, have taken it upon themselves to go into the Maze. Which is a clear violation of our rules here."

"Yeah, but," Frypan shook his head, "they saved Alby's life."

"...Did they?" Gally inqueried, causing the mood in the Council Hall to go from bad to worse. Even Newt looked tenser. "For three years, we have coexisted with these things. And now," Gally turned around to point at Thomas, "you've killed one of 'em. Who knows what that could mean for us?"

Despite Hope wanting to stay on Thomas' side, she had to see the logic in Gally's words. Plus, now that she'd come face-to-face with an actual Griever, Hope knew how horrifying those things were. If they got into the Glade, they could easily kill every single of them. And they'd be super angry after what Thomas had done.

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Newt eventually asked, making Gally shrug nonchalantly.

"They have to be punished."

While Thomas' and Hope's eyes widened, the Gladers had a more verbal response.

"Woah, woah!"

"Come on!"

"No way, man!"

"He killed a Griever!"

"And Hope just wanted to help Minho and Alby!" Chuck added. "Why should she be punished for that?!"

"Chuck…" Hope muttered out his name. "I-I appreciate the care, but I don't know if-"

"Minho," Newt interjected Hope's easy compliance. He himself knew that Gally had a point, but he also didn't want Hope to do a Hope thing and simply agree to being punished. Moreover, Chuck had a valid point as well. "You were with them. What do you think?"

"...I think, in all the time we've been here," Minho said after collecting his thoughts, "no one's ever killed a Griever before. And no one has ever shown as much bravery as Hope did last night. I don't know how to explain it, but they ran that maze like they had been here for years. And when they were faced with a Griever, neither of them froze or gave up. They were smart, and they protected Alby." Minho then let out a long sigh. "Now, I don't know if they're brave… or stupid. But whatever it is, we need more of it."

In response, Hope and Thomas shared a simultaneous look, and somehow, they knew exactly what the other person was saying without a single word. Both of them still couldn't believe that they were alive, but looking into one another's eyes made it all the more real. Last night, they had shown a partnership that shouldn't have been possible: they barely knew each other, and yet through that entire night, they were always on the same wave-length. Hope helped Thomas, while Thomas would help Hope back. They were, surprisingly, a good team. And since Minho noticed this as well, he wanted to use that strength.

"I say we make 'em Runners," Minho acknowledged, and the entire Council Hall… went crazy once more.

"A Runner?!" Frypan shouted. "But that's…!"

"Say what?!" another yelled.

"He's gotta be crazy…"

"Definitely."

But it was then that it happened: Newt snapped his head over at Hope, and Hope snapped her head over at Newt. While everyone else was either arguing or cheering the two on, Newt and Hope shared a meaningful look. It wasn't like the one between Thomas and her, though, since this one was much more… intense. When Hope saw the conflict in Newt's eyes, she felt a pain course through her veins. She barely even thought about Minho's crazy idea, because the only person in Hope's mind at that moment… was Newt. And she saw… In his eyes, Hope saw…

"...You were scared, weren't you?" Hope whispered under her breath, causing Newt's eyes to widen slightly. "You were miserable."

GRUMBLE! BOOM! Before Newt could respond, however, an infamous noise shot through the Glade. But this infamous noise… wasn't supposed to be happening. Not at that time, anyway. The noise had come from the Box, and even a two-year-old could understand that it hadn't been a month, which was when the Box was supposed to come up again. Even someone who had only been in the Glade for a few days knew that that Box wasn't supposed to be alarming of a new arrival. It was supposed to be dormant for another month, and yet… the entire Glade heard it. Hence, that entire Glade ran out of the Council Hall to sprint toward the Box, where they all saw it opening up. Gally and Newt were the first ones to reach the Box, to which they each opened it up. Then, once everyone else had crowded around, Newt jumped into the Box to get a better look.

"Newt, what do you see?!" Frypan asked, but when the Cook actually reached the Box, his eyes widened upon seeing the singular thing within it. "Wait…"

"No way…" Hope said and then leaped down into the Box as well. Her and Newt kneeled down on either side of the thing, slowly looking up at one another once they'd fully digested the scene below them. "I-It's another girl."

"Yeah." Newt nodded without looking away from her eyes. "Looks like you weren't just a fluke after all."

Hope gulped. "But why isn't she awake? She's totally out-of-it."

"What's in her hand?" Gally suddenly questioned from above, making Hope and Newt immediately turn back toward the girl. Finally, they noticed something white lying within her hand - it looked like a piece of paper. Newt was the one who reached over to take said paper, carefully unfolding it once he held it in front of his face.

"'She's the last one… ever,'" Newt read aloud to everyone. "...What the hell does that mean?"

Gasp! Unexpectedly, the girl woke up and took in a deep, loud gasp. In response, everyone jolted back, not knowing what to say or what to do. However, maybe, despite her dazed-out eyes, the new girl did know what she was doing.

"T…" The girl gasped again. "Thomas."

The girl then shakily closed her eyes… and fell asleep again. But, naturally, the entire Glades' eyes slowly found Thomas, who looked just as baffled as everyone else. It was true that things were really changing, but… why were they changing so fast?

"Huh," Gally huffed, "do you still think I'm overreacting?"

No one had a response to that one.


A/N: Well... that happened.

And a reminder that I do not own 'Maze Runner' books, the 'Maze Runner' movies, nor any of its characters.