Newt stood in front of me, hair slightly dishevelled, and cheeks flushed red from running. His eyes were boring holes through my head, sending searing aches down into my chest. We stand there, just staring at each other, catching our breath.

I feel the need to just walk away, but I can't bring myself to leaving him here. All I've been told since I got here, is 'don't go into the Maze' and 'no one survives a night in the Maze'. I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened because I left.

"Wha-what are you doing here? Why are you here?" I ask, stuttering my way through the question. He doesn't answer just starts to pace and look around, which is kind of beginning to scare me a little. I walk up to him, and that's when I hear it. He's mumbling something to himself.

I step in his path and speak to him. "What? Newt, what are you saying?" He doesn't answer, avoiding my gaze at every opportunity. Worry begins to burrow deep inside of me, latching its claws onto the sides of my stomach/

Shaking, I carefully lift a hand up, and lay it on his cheek.

"Are you okay?" I whisper.

He immediately snaps to his senses, grabbing my wrist and shoving it away from him.

"What the bloody hell have you done?" He shouts. "The doors are shut, and we're inside the Maze!"

I take a step back, slightly overwhelmed by the sudden noise, echoing throughout the halls of the Maze.

"Yeah, I realize that Newt" I reply, trying to keep a calm demeanour.

"What were you bloody thinking? No one survives the night out here, Lori!" He raises his arms, gesturing all around us.

"I was thinking, that I needed to be out here, because I feel that there is something out here I need to see" I admit, but then an anger washes over me, and I retaliate.

"You know what, Newt? I shouldn't have to be taking all the blame for this. Yes, I came out here. Me. On my own. But guess what! I didn't make you follow me!" I shout, making his eyes widen noticeably.

I take a deep breath, before continuing "And I thought that no one was allowed to follow someone into the Maze? Something about 'trying not to lose more lives'? So, I ask you, why did you follow me out here?"

Newt steps back until he reaches one of the ivy infested walls of the Maze. As he slowly begins to slide downs its surface, I walk over and sit down in front of him.

"I- I don't even know. I was chasing you, and I thought I would stop at the doors. But I didn't. Obviously. I don't know, I just couldn't stop myself from running in after you" he shrugs, as if it's no big deal.

"Well, thanks for joining my on this death trip. Would've been a real snoozer without ya Newtie" I give him a small smile. One side of his mouth crooks up for a second, before deflating.

"So, I'm going to try and find what I came in here looking for. Wanna join me?" I ask as I hold out a hand after standing up.

He grabs hold, and I do my best to hoist him up, but frankly, he did all the work. "What exactly are we looking for?" Newt pats the dirt off of his pants as we begin to walk.

"I, actually, have no idea whatsoever."

"Good to know" he says as he pulls out a large knife from his sheath sort of thing. He then pulls a smaller version out of his pocket, and hands it to me.

I thank him, and he replies "No worries. And if we get out of here alive, you can keep it, shank. A bit of motivation there for ya." I laugh at his comment, and immediately slap my hand over my mouth, remembering where we are.

"Good that. Let's go."

He grabs my wrist, asking me to wait. I turn to him, still smiling.

"Lori, you understand that I'm just trying to protect you right?" He asks, sincerity lining his words. I nod my head, waiting for him to start walking.

"Lori, I don't want to see you get hurt. I- I care about you. Okay?"

"Yeah. I care about you too" I smile. His eyes widen in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's like you said, we're friends, and that's what friends do." His face droops back into disappointment, as he nods and begins to walk.

What was that all about?

Did I miss something?

////////////////

Hours later, Newt and I have slowed our run to a walk, and guess what we've found!

Zip. Zilch. Zero.

We have found absolutely nothing. I feel despair, grief and guilt overcome me, and I just collapse to the ground, giving up on my little quest.

Newt stops to kneel beside me, separating the curtain of hair shrouding my face.

"I'm so sorry" I whimper on the verge of tears.

"What are you talking about?" He sighs.

"If I-" I sniffle "If I hadn't run out here, you wouldn't have followed. And if you hadn't followed, you wouldn't be delaying your death like we are just walking around the Maze."

"Lori? What do you think we do in the Glade?" I look up, confused by his question. "We have been here for two years, and have found nothing. We decided that there was no way out, but we continue to search. Just delaying the inevitable."

"This whole situation is klunk. I just" I take a moment to think over my words, "I want to leave here, and find who I was before all this. My family. My friends. My never-ending happiness."

"Well, the truth is Lori, none of us in this bloody situation are ever going to have that." I feel my heart whither slightly at the words.

"How can you think that? We all have a life out there, we just need to be brave enough to go and find it!" I cry, trying to inspire a sense of hope inside of him. He frowns.

"I'm sorry, I just don't believe in an everlasting happiness. No matter how much we want one" he looks into my eyes, and mine drop, a blush gaining pigment in my cheeks. Luckily, the Maze started to grow dark about an hour ago.

"It's just-" but before I can continue, a clicking, whirring down finds its way to my ears. I look up at Newt, eyes wide.

"Please tell me I'm hearing things" I whisper. Newt just shakes his head and grabs my forearm, pulling me down a corridor.

We run as face as possible, but I can hear the Griever gaining ground. Newt is still holding my arm, shouting at me to run faster. I do, and we begin to lose the feared creature.

We run non-stop for a good ten minutes, before turning a corner, to find a Griever waiting. Newt quickly spins me around, only to find another Griever behind us.

They're hideous creatures. Almost like a slug; except for the hairs growing all over its slimy body, and the large mechanical appendages extending from many angles. The appendages consist of needles, spikes, saws, and all that kind of fun stuff.

I turn back to Newt, to see him standing in a fighting position, blade at the ready. I pull the smaller knife out of my belt, and point it at a Griever, finding no logical way that I can actually pierce the flesh, without it impaling me first.

Behind me, I hear metal on metal as Newt begins to fight his way past one of the Grievers. I turn back towards the other one, and run straight at it. I slash towards the flesh, swinging as much as possible, and no positive end result.

I turn for less than a second, to see if Newt is okay, only to have the Griever grip around my neck with a claw-like appendage, and lift me above the ground. By instinct, I scream, causing Newt to turn towards me.

Just as his eyes meet mine, his Griever stabs him in the side with a large needle, injecting him with a posion I'd imagine. I let out another scream, and scratch at the claw that is slowly tightening around my neck.

The Griever turns its appendage so that I am facing it instead of Newt, and it holds up a small needle. It pricks my arm, sending a numbing coolness through my veins. A paralytic substance? Why not do what they did to Newt?

The claw release me, and I fall to the ground, rolling until I am almost beside Newt, but I am facing him. I try to move my arm, hand, finger, anything.

I immediately stop trying, when I feel something prick the back of my neck. After the first needle, I feel myself dozing off. And eventually I fall asleep, but not before hearing one of the Grievers shriek loudly, and a loud thump as it hits the ground. Dead.

////////////////

I wake to something shaking my arm. I scream, bolting upright, waiting for a Griever to attack. I slash at the thing that woke me with my knife, and hear it shout. I stop screaming. Grievers don't shout.

I snap my eyes open, to find Minho in front of me, looking bewildered.

"You're alive" he laughed under his breath.

I take deep breaths and relax back against the wall, "I don't know about that."

I realize it must be morning, or Minho wouldn't be here. The doors are open!

Finally, me and Newt can- My eyes go wide in shock as I stand up. I look around and see no sign of Newt. I hyperventilate, taking in my surrounding. This isn't right. This isn't where they attacked us. I walk past Minho, and around a memorable corner.

Once I turn, I really regret it. Newt is laying on the floor of the Maze, bruised and bloodied. Closer examination shows a large wound where the Griever 'stung' him, paper white skin, and veins that almost look like green vines trailing up his arms.

"Minho!" I shout, only to find he is right beside me. We both run over to Newt, and I grab his shoulders, trying to shake him awake. Minho takes my arms away, shaking his head.

"It won't work. The venom is already in his veins. We need to get him back to the Glade, to the Med-Jacks. They have the Grief Serum." I agree with his plan, as we both out an arm around our shoulders. Minho said we need to get him back as soon as possible, before he begins to fight back.

///////////////

Seeing Newt thrashing around, strapped to a table, had petrified me. I had been with them the whole time. Once we had gotten him back, he was immediately taken to the Med-Jacks to be treated. He went into the next phase, and began screaming, kicking, trying to escape the room. Eventually, Cliff and Jeff had to strap him down, as I just stood there, jaw dropped in shock and fear.

Minho says that when someone is stung by a Griever, they go through the Changing, which is where they see some of their past life. I asked why they don't all just go through 'the Changing'. He replied, that some don't make it out alive, some go completely nuts, and the lucky few, get to keep their last remaining shards of sanity. He said one of those people, is Gally. I beg to differ.

I sit in the chair beside Newt's bed as he sleeps. This is all my fault. He followed me in to keep me safe, and he ended up being injured. I feel a few tears slide down my cheeks as I lay my head down on the mattress

After a few minutes, fatigue slowly creeps up on me. But not before something touches my cheek. I sit up in shock, to see Newt awake, eyes shining as if he is about to cry.

"Newt?" I say slowly.

He grins, as he lays his head back down, comfort and calm washing over his features.

"Good" he whispers.

"What? What do you mean?"

He mutters something I cannot translate, as he is slowly drifting off.

"Good? What are you talking about?" I don't hear his answer, so I move closer to him, leaning over, my ear next to his mouth so I can hear him this time. My throat tightens. Please don't let it be WICKED he is talking about. The name WICKED had remained at the surface of my thoughts ever since the memories.

"Newt?" I begin, "Newt, what is good?"

He sighs as he answers once more, "You're safe. That's good."