Ten : Blood
Tommy POV
…
Newt stood in front of the false wall that led to the barracks of Group B. He pressed his hands against the wall and popped out a large panel. It revealed a small closet, mostly dark, with a door just a few feet away that led into the large barracks room. The door of the closet was open, and through the opening I could see bunk beds lined up along the walls.
"What if they freak out?" I whispered. "I don't want 40 girls attacking me at once."
"I thought you went for that sort of thing." Newt whispered back. I could barely see him, but I knew he was smiling. I nudged him towards the opening, then followed him through to the other side of the closet.
We peered through the door to Group B. The soft sighs of sleep were broken here and there by a sharp snore or the creaks of springs as bodies repositioned. I waited for my eyes to adjust to darkness. I was scanning the rows of bunks when suddenly a figure appeared in front of me. Stumbling backwards and stifling a yelp, the girl followed me into the closet.
"What do you want?" She whispered fiercely. "Who are you?"
"Sorry to sneak in like this, we're from Group A. We're here so Newt can say goodbye to his sister before the maze trials begin." I finally managed to say.
"You could have given us a warning!" The girl replied. "Before creeping in like kidnappers. What are your names? Well, your name, if he's Newt. We know all about Newt. Sonya is one of my best friends."
"I'm Thomas."
"Oh," She sounded disappointed, or annoyed. "My name's Miyoko. Let me get Sonya." She slipped off into the barracks room.
"I hope they're on our side." Newt said. "That girl could take down half of us, yeah?" I ignored him, trying to calm my racing heart. The darkness of the closet felt menacing. Both groups were separated for various reasons; how the variables would be run later on in the trials. But there was more going on, and I didn't like it.
Miyoko reappeared, this time with another girl right next to her. She was a blur as she ran past me, streaking through the door and straight at Newt. They embraced in an unstable hug, stumbling back in the dark little room.
"Here," Miyoko gently pushed me aside as she swung the closet door closed. Then she flicked on the light, blinding me for several seconds. But when my eyes adjusted, I could see Newt was crying. His sobs were muffled by his sister's neck and shoulder. Sonya was also crying, hugging Newt tightly. I didn't know how long it had been since they had last seen each other, or if they were able to communicate somehow, but my heart hurt watching them.
"I hate them." Newt sniffed. He pulled back from his sister and wiped his cheeks. "I hate every one of them, how can they do this? How can they steal us from our homes and keep us separate like this? It's not right!" He yelled the last word and Miyoko winced, eyeing the door.
"No, no, no," Sonya said in a soothing tone. She put both hands on either side of her brother's face, looking straight into his eyes. "Don't say that. You're looking at it all wrong. We've got it better than 99% of kids out there. They saved us, big brother. What are the odds we'd be alive if they'd left us out there?" She pulled Newt back into a hug.
"But why do they keep us separate?" He asked and the sadness in his voice broke my heart. "Why all the tests, and the games, and the cruelty? I hate them. I don't care what you say."
"It'll all be over someday." The younger girl whispered. "Remember, you're not immune. One day we'll be able to make you safe, and then we'll be back together. Come on, you're my big brother. You're supposed to be the one comforting me."
"I love you, Lizzy." Newt whispered, squeezing her hard. "I love you so much."
…
I opened my eyes and saw the dimly lit roof of the tent. Blinking the dream, memory, away, I slowly sat up. Everything felt stiff and sore. It was probably because of the horribly cold air, and the fact that we were sleeping on the frozen ground with nothing but a few blankets, pillows, and each other. But now that I was up, I realized that I was alone. Both Minho and Newt were gone. Newt.
It had been a memory. One even deeper than the previous one. I had seen Newt and his sister's last meeting before they were sent into the mazes, I had been there personally. I looked down at the blankets mussed around the tent. Both boys must be outside by the fire. I slowly leaned forward and unzipped the door flap.
It was early morning, and the sun was barely up. Minho sat in front of the fire pit cooking rice in the tuna can. But Newt wasn't there. Groaning, I stepped out of the tent and took a seat next to Minho.
"Good morning." He smirked as I stretched my back. "Welcome to paradise."
"Where's Newt?" I asked, ignoring his sarcasm. Minho pointed off into the trees behind the tent.
"He walked off that way, probably to take a clunk."
"He didn't say anything?" I frowned. Minho shook his head and took a bite of steaming rice. I looked over at the pile of firewood next to the pit. It wasn't like Newt to just wander off. He would have told someone where he was going, and why. Anxiety began burning in my chest. "How long ago did he leave?"
"About 15 minutes." Minho set the empty can down and looked over at the trees, frowning. "Now that you mention it, he should be back by now."
"We need to find him." I stood up, eager to get moving. "Come on."
We slowly walked through the forest, following the trail of footprints winding aimlessly through the trees. Newt's limp was noticeable in his tracks. He had been walking straight for a little while, then turned left and kept going.
"Newt!" I called out, cupping my hands over my mouth. The snow and silent forest made my voice sound muffled and I hoped Newt could hear me. There was no answer. Minho limped next to me, scanning the trees to our right. Newt's tracks kept leading us through the trees in a straight path, as if he knew exactly where he wanted to go.
"I should have asked him where he was going." Minho sighed, worry evident in his voice.
"We'll find him." I said, fighting off the anxiety and nausea dancing in my stomach. I looked ahead, trying to see where Newt's tracks were leading. Movement 40 some feet away finally caught my eye, and my heart slammed to a stop. There was a large, frozen pond up ahead, and something was struggling out in the middle of it.
"Newt!" Minho shouted, spotting him at the same time I did. He tried to run forward but I grabbed the back of his coat, stopping him.
"Wait! You'll fall in too, just hold on." I panted. We carefully made our way to the pond's edge. Now I could see Newt fully. He was about 20 feet in front of us. He had walked out into the middle of the pond and the thinner ice had collapsed, plunging him into the freezing water. Now, he clung to the ice edge, panting hard, up to his chest in the icy water. Bright, red blood stained the snow and ice around him, darkening the water as it sloshed up onto the ice.
"Newt, just hold on!" I shouted as I scanned the area for anything to help. I had no idea how deep the water was, or how long Newt had been trapped, but I needed to move quickly. I could hear him gasping, wheezing for breath as he struggled. He didn't have the strength to even talk to us, let alone call for help.
Minho was crouching by the pond's edge, testing the ice with a foot. He slowly crouched, lowering himself onto his stomach on the ice.
"Come on, you go out from that angle. We'll try and pull him out. If that fails, break the ice." He ordered and I nodded, copying his movements. Minho slowly moved out over the ice, carefully avoiding any cracks. I followed about 10 feet to his right, inching along the ice like a seal. As I got closer, Newt's desperate gasps for air grew louder. He reached out and tried to pull himself up onto the ice edge with his elbows, but slid back down, splashing water and breaking chunks of ice off.
"Hey, hey, calm down." I tried to keep my voice calm and steady as I reached him. Newt looked up at me, his dark eyes wide with panic and fear. His hair was soaked, the stringy ends beginning to freeze. The sleeves of his jacket were torn in places, blood soaking through, and staining the ice. His arms were shaking from the freezing water and his exhausting attempts to get out.
"T-Tommy," Newt's voice shook and he sucked in a wheezy breath. "I c-can't…I can't..." He let out a pained whimper as he clung to the ice. I reached out and took his shaking hand, squeezing tightly. His skin was ice cold and pale.
"Don't worry, we're here." I looked over at Minho as he reached us. "Just stay with me, don't fall asleep."
"Newt, try and kick with your legs as we pull you." Minho took Newt's other hand. Newt looked over at him, only nodding slightly, his breathing shallow and starting to slow down. He was slipping away, the fight draining out of him. We braced ourselves and pulled at the same time. Newt came out of the water and onto the edge of the ice on his belly, the freezing water sloshing onto my arms and torso. My breath caught at the sheer intensity of it.
"You're out, just stay calm, we'll pull you." I said quickly and began backing up. Minho was doing the same, slowly dragging Newt to the pond's edge. When we were close enough, I stood and hooked my arms under Newts, dragging him onto solid ground. I collapsed into the snow, panting from the effort. Newt was dead weight, his clothes soaked. He lay on his back, his breathing shallow and wheezy.
"Get these clothes off him." Minho hissed, unzipping Newt's jacket.
"We'll do that back at the camp, he needs the fire and blankets." I said as I knelt next to him. Newt was barely conscious now. His pupils were dilated as he stared into space. I pressed a couple fingers to his neck, searching for his pulse. It was there, but slow and weak. "Get him up, quickly."
I reached down and took Newt's arms, pulling him forward and onto his feet. He was barely able to hold himself up. I threw his arm over my shoulder, Minho taking the other and we began jogging back to the tent. Newt's soaked clothes were beginning to soak through mine and the biting cold of the water and wind chill shocked me.
"No, no, Newt, stay with us." I grunted as I felt his knees buckle, pulling me halfway down with him. Stumbling forward, I had to set him down to get a better grip. He had passed out. I shook his shoulders desperately as he lay on his back. Minho was panting hard next to me. "Newt! Wake up!" Newt's eyes fluttered open a crack, but couldn't focus on anything. His breathing was too shallow, too slow.
"Pick him up, quick." Minho leaned over and took one of Newt's arms again. "He'll wake up when we warm him up."
Minho and I lay Newt on the ground next to the tent. Minho had begun stripping the soaked layers of clothing.
"Get in here." He instructed, pulling Newt into the tent. Minho had pulled his coat off and was getting under the blankets with him. Body heat was the best thing we had right now. Newt was unconscious now, completely unresponsive. Fear choked the breath right out of my chest, but I swallowed it down and tried to focus. I quickly pulled off my wet coat and got under the blankets on Newt's other side, cursing as I felt just how cold his skin was. There was nothing else we could do now but wait and hope.
I checked in on Newt every few minutes for the next hour and a half. His breathing had leveled out some and his heartbeat seemed to be more steady. With all three of us under all the blankets closely huddled together, I actually felt decently warm. But Newt was still unconscious.
"How did he get out there? Why?" Minho asked again, but I still didn't have an answer for him. We would only know when Newt came around, which I hoped would be soon. But Newt suddenly shot upright, struggling to get into a sitting position. Minho and I were up instantly. Newt was breathing hard, eyes wide with terror. He looked quickly to Minho, then me.
"It was them, Tommy!" He panted, swallowing hard. He stared earnestly at me, willing me to understand.
"Them?" I said quietly, moving to sit in front of him. I reached out and took his wrists, rotating his arms until his palms faced up. Both arms were covered in cuts, some of them deep. All had stopped bleeding, but they looked vicious and painful. The ice had shredded him on the way in and out of the pond.
"WICKED, Tommy! They made me do it, walk out there!" He was shaking now, hands trembling in mine. His bare chest heaved as he looked between Minho and I. "They can control us!"
"What do you mean they made you do it?" Minho's voice was quiet, gentle. He reached out and set a hand on Newt's shoulder.
"Those bloody people, they were in my head…" Newt wheezed, his voice higher pitched with fear. "They forced me to walk out onto the pond, there was nothing I could do, I tried to fight it," He sucked in another shaky breath.
"It's okay, just breathe." I said as I set his arms down. Tears were beginning to slip down Newt's cheeks, dropping onto the blankets. Minho pulled the boy into a tight hug and Newt leaned his head onto Minho's shoulder.
"You scared the shuck out of us…" Minho whispered. He gently rubbed Newt's back. Newt didn't say anything, just shook as he tried to catch his breath. I stood and moved out of the tent. Newt's wet and partially frozen clothes were still laying in the snow where Minho had tossed them. I picked them up and began laying them out on rocks and logs around the fire to dry. When I walked back into the tent, Newt had calmed down some and was now staring down at his cut up arms.
"They tried to kill me…" He whispered and then looked up at me with such an expression of pain and fear, my heart shattered. I sat down next to him, his eyes following me. His blonde hair was messy and partially in his face, stringy with water.
"No, I don't think so. I bet they were doing another one of their many experiments, testing us, seeing what would happen." I sighed and Minho nodded next to him. Newt looked back down at his arms again.
"Where are my clothes?"
"Outside drying, they were soaked through." I tried to smile but couldn't force it. Newt nodded slowly.
"I thought that was it…I was going to die out there." He sighed, his eyes distant. "I couldn't stop myself, and as soon as the ice broke, they let me go. But it was too late, I couldn't get out. It was all I could do to tread water and keep my head above the water." I squeezed his shoulder gently and he looked at me with glistening eyes. "You saved my life, Tommy, Minho…"
…
"I've got an idea," Minho said as he stoked the fire with a large stick. Newt sat next to him, fully clothed, wrapped in a blanket. He had mostly recovered from his near brush with death, but I was keeping a close eye on him. I looked over at Minho.
"Do tell."
"We need a code word or phrase if those shucks ever do this again. Something to tell if they take control of us. Like someone asks you something, and if you can't answer, then we know it's not you."
"Sounds like a good idea." Newt sighed as he glanced over my shoulder, back towards the darkening forest.
"Such as?" I asked but Minho shrugged.
"Just a thought, it doesn't need to be super specific. Just 'Hey, are you you?' Something like that."
"Sure, Minho." Newt smirked, some of his old self showing again. He had been quiet and distant for the last few hours. I had bandaged up his arms best I could, but some of the cuts had been deep enough to warrant stitches. Stitches we obviously didn't have. He would just need to be careful, take it slow for a little while. I leaned my elbows onto my knees and looked at the crackling fire.
If what Newt had said was true, about WICKED taking control of him, it was a terrifying prospect. They could literally make us do anything. What information could they possibly have gained by forcing Newt into a frozen pond? Irreversible hypothermia had nearly killed him. It also meant that WICKED was able to see where we were, what we were doing, and what our surroundings were. They were watching us, right now.