"Newt," I whisper beneath my breath. He hangs from the bough, lifeless. Veins pop from his sickly, pale arms, riddling his body. Purple bruises grip his neck from the rope. His cold stare freezes me in place as if somehow accusing me. A lump forms in my throat, an intense burning sensation rising in my chest.

"Newt?" I ask, choking back tears. My lungs rapidly rise and collapse, making it difficult to breathe. My body moves a step closer as I clench my jaw tightly. His glazed eyes stare into me. My heart-beat heightens, increasing every second. Adrenaline floods my veins, kick-starting my brain. Panic surges through me, adrenaline pumping through my body, racing through my bones.

"Newt!" I shriek, my raw voice tearing as I scream his name. I throw my hands around the rope. My fingers frantically tear at it, pulling the knot apart. His body hits the ground with a loud thud. "No, no, no..." I stutter, my knees collapsing to the ground.

"Help! Some-somebody, help!" I cry as loud as possible, scrambling over beside him. I reach for his hand, squeezing it as hard as I can. Tears flood my eyes, and blood rushes to my cheeks. The noise of shouting drowns out in the back of my mind, muffled voices echoing through the Deadheads. I cradle his head in one arm while holding his hand with the other. "Please Newt..."

His hand twitches, ever so slightly, but it is there. "Help, we're over here!"

"C'mon Newt, just hold on, y-you can hold on," I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut.

"What happened?" Footsteps shuffle behind me. Alby kneels beside him, and checks for a pulse, "We need to move him, now!"

A handful of Gladers circle around Newt, one of them grabbing his legs. Alby reaches for his shoulders, wrapping his hands around Newt's arms.

"Quickly!" He says, the other boy and him running as fast as they can. I run beside them as they manoeuvre through the trees, and towards the Homestead.

Jeff dashes out of the med-bay, directing the others inside. "Stay here!" He says, sternly pointing at me.

"I-" My voice trails off, with no words forming. I take a shuddering breath, trying to focus.

"What's going on?!" Gally snaps as he emerges from behind me, flailing his hands into the air.

"I-it's Newt, he-" I stutter, wincing for a moment, "I-I don't know i-if-"

Gally's expression softens, his brows furrowing, "Will he be okay?"

I shake my head. Tears brim in my eyes, streaming down my face, "I-it feels so strange, Newt is one of my only friends, but I don't even know the first thing about him." I pause for a moment, "I just never asked, and now I-I might not get the chance."

I stifle a sob, burying my head into my hands. His arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling my head into him, "He'll be fine, the tough shank that he is."

"Who would do this?" I ask, my throat still hoarse. I wrap my arms around him, muffling the sound of my crying.

The loud crash of a door slamming open startles me. Some Gladers begin to stumble out of the med-bay, Winston pushing past a couple of them. A moment later, Jeff walks out, a white towel hanging from his arm.

"What happened?" I ask eagerly, "W-will he be okay? I can help, just tell me what you need me to do."

He takes a big sigh, wiping a band of sweat from his forehead, "It's a bit early to say, yet. The best thing you can do is to stay here. But, erm, there's something you should know..."

Jeff starts fidgeting with his fingers, scanning his surroundings before continuing, "...look, we all heard the screaming, nothing strange in that, but I saw who all were going in the Deadheads."

"Just spit it out, shank," Gally interjects.

He rubs his head, hesitantly continuing, "We all saw who went into the Deadheads, Zart, Alby, Bill, a couple of others. Point is, someone else came out after, and he didn't go in." Jeff pauses, leaning in closer, "What I'm trying to say is, someone was already in the Deadheads before you found Newt."

"Who?" I ask firmly.

"Nick." He stops momentarily, "I'm only saying this in-case he might have seen something, I ain't accusing anyone here."

"What happened?!" Minho shouts, his voice ricocheting off the Maze walls. Anger flushes over his face, desperation riddling his tone.

Jeff waves his hands around, seemingly in an attempt to calm Minho, "It's Newt, don't worry, he's still alive."

"What do you mean he's still alive?! What did you do?!" Minho charges at him, wrenching the collar of Jeff's shirt.

"Wha-I didn't do anything! Someone tried to kill him, you're lucky he survived at all!" Jeff squirms, Minho reluctantly releasing his grip. Much quieter, he continues, "Is he okay?"

Jeff straightens out his shirt, flicking dirt from off the sleeves, "I don't know yet, but he's unconscious at the moment. If you don't mind, I'll be going back to check on him."

Jeff heads back into the med-bay, muttering complaints beneath his breath. Minho turns towards me, a glint of a tear in his eyes, "Who did this?"

"I have a guess..."