Panic.
He sprinted down the length of the maze, one arm pinning the wailing child to his chest. He felt as if his heart was about to pound out of his skin, and burst. His lungs were heaving the last bit of air he could muster. His legs felt as if they were about to break. He had to get out of this, for her.
Pounding and grumbling of a large beast was following behind him, roaring louder as it approached. He could feel the creature's breath on the back of his neck, overheating his skin and increasing the fear in the air. Throughout this though, he kept running. He would be a fool not to.
Shooting up in a daze, Newt's eyes shifted in the dark of the night. The shine of the stars illuminated the rest of the sleeping gladers' faces, faint snores settling amongst the dead air. Newt glanced down to the sleeping infant beside him in his cot, sighing sleepily in relief.
Lamb had been growing each day. She had outgrown the one outfit she arrived in, and was now living in oversized shirts that the boys received each month, tied at the crotch to keep everything covered from the heat and harm. Her thin baby hair had started to thicken and increase in length. She had even started to sit up and stand on her own. She had gained more weight too, so she didn't look so small anymore. Well, Lamb would always be small — but, she wasn't as little as she used to be.
Newt had rarely let her out of his sight since Stephen attacked, which had been a few months ago. He had morphed some straw and fabric to make a sling for her. Newt backpacked her everywhere.
Things had calmed down since then. The screams had stopped. The chaos subsided. The nightmares hadn't though. He still found himself up half the night, fearful and alert. He allowed his eyes to drift back to Lamb, who had started to stir a bit. Eventually, those big blues peeled open, looking up to Newt with a sheepish and innocent grin. He gave her a smile back, before quickly pulling her into his lap. Lamb immediately started playing with the buttons on his shirt, rubbing her small nails against the pattern. She started doing that for some comfort. Buttons and zippers kept her occupied. Newt didn't mind. He found so much peace when Lamb was there. She brought him so much happiness. The fear of the unknown never phased, and heaven and hell were just words to him.
She had all the boys wrapped around her tiny fingers. Lamb had become Princess of the Glade, as Alby called her. Even Gally had a soft spot for her. That was a shock to everyone.
As the echoing of the maze rattled in the distance, Newt caressed the infant's head in one of his palms, gently brushing over her hair with his finger tips. He tried to keep his voice low as he started to hum beneath his breath, giving the baby a smile. Though he wasn't too thrilled that she woke up, Newt was thankful to have some company in the night. It made his terrors subside, at least for a moment of nirvana.
"…Now you know it's past your bedtime, little one."
His voice stayed soft, so no one else would awake.
Babbling, the child tugged at Newt's shirt for a moment, trying to fight the sleep that he was trying to bring back.
"I think you're trying to persuade me— you know that's not going to work, Lamb. It's time to sleep."
He gently played with her tiny curls. They were starting to form at the bottom of her brunette colored wisps. Lamb was going to be beautiful one day. Newt knew that for sure.
Lulling her back to sleep with sweet nothings, he allowed his eyes to snap to the moon, keeping his grasp in the infant as she slept.
Where did she come from? Why was she sent here?
"Thank you for agreeing to meet me here. I hope you both know how this will positively affect the cause", Ava Paige nodded, her legs crossed under her desk. The older woman offered a tiny smile to the two teenagers across the table, "With your DNA's combined, we think it can be the first breed of protected DNA. That puts us one step closer to finding the permanent cure."
A group of doctors entered the office, giving the commander a nod.
"Thomas… Teresa… They're ready to start the procedure."