Chapter Text
Newt never gave much thought to the apparent ‘end of times’. Why would he? He was just just a kid, it didn’t seem like a concern at the time.
Then it happened.
The world went up in flames, his parents died and people were getting infected with some virus and suddenly it was just him and his little sister Sonya. Things seemed bleak, that was until a group of people came along, that called themselves WCKD, promising to house them and feed them. Telling him and Sonya that they would find a way to cure everyone and that the two of them could help. WCKD was true to their word for the first part of it, they set them up in some building and gave them beds and clothes and food to eat then introduced them to a bunch of other kids their age. They had been fourteen and twelve— Newt and Sonya respectively— when they first got there and at first it hadn’t seemed so bad, just being told to do various puzzles while the scientists there observed them.
Then things started to get strange— bad.
A few of the kids had been hooked up to machines that made them see their worst nightmares come true, others were injected with something that sent searing pain throughout their entire bodies. Then soon enough the sounds of screams ringing down the halls had become a common thing.
Thankfully they escaped, two years after first being taken in by the shady company. One day a bunch of people had shown up and stormed WCKD’s halls and Minho had urgently told Newt they needed to run. Now. They met up with Alby and then made fast work of finding whoever they could and getting the hell out of there.
Newt, Minho, Alby, Sonya, Harriet, Frypan, Miyoko and Zart were part of the group of them that managed to stick together. The eight of them ran through the streets of the Last City, trying their hardest to ignore the crumbling buildings around them and stick close together. Gally had found them not long after that. They had turned corner after corner, not even sure where they were going and then the boy was standing there. It had been a shock, they hadn’t recognized him as one of the kids at WCKD, but when he told them he knew a way out of the city that was safer, they hadn’t hesitated to follow.
After that they met the others; Ben, Winston, Jeff, Clint, Beth and Jack.
Their group had remained close and stayed in the city just outside of the Last City— the Outer City, locals called it— before they eventually realised it wasn’t going to be safe much longer and that they needed to leave. WCKD, despite losing its base operations and a lot of its previous power, was still very much a thing and they would no doubt get their bearings together and start searching for them once more. They split into groups, and boy did Newt not want to be parted from his sister, newly fourteen when they went their separate ways, but he trusted Harriet, despite her only being a few months older than Sonya. The girl wasn’t afraid to do what needed to be done to keep the people she cared about safe and Newt knew his sister was one of the most important people in her life.
“Newt, hurry up!”
Glancing up from where he had been staring blankly at a run down street filled with people doing the same thing they did everyday— trying to survive— Newt saw Alby standing a few meters away. He moved towards him without a second thought, the older boy shooting him a questioning look that he shrugged off with ease. Newt jogged to catch up with Minho, who was waiting by the hole in the ceiling they had crawled through to get up here. Up here being the rooftop of an old and worn building.
Minho was Newt’s best friend and had been since the first moment he met him. He was a built Asian guy with broad shoulders and he had dark hair that was often paired with a wicked smile. Newt wasn’t sure what it was but he felt as if he knew the boy his entire life, right from their very first meeting, and he never doubted for a second that they’d always have each other's backs.
Alby was… well, Alby, Newt supposed. He was built much like Minho, but taller, his skin was dark and his hair always cut short. The two of them had started dating a few months before WCKD fell and were now nearing just over a year together. Alby was a great person. He cared deeply about the people around them and had a calming presence that always seemed to keep everyone at ease even in the most dire of times.
It was only about a month and a half ago that Alby told Newt he loved him for the first time— the first time in that way at least— and it filled Newt with so much guilt that he hadn’t been able to say it back. Still wasn’t able to. Alby wasn’t hurt by any means. Always understanding and reassuring Newt he didn’t have to feel pressured to say it back.
Something that only fueled Newt’s guilt.
“Where we headed?” Minho asked as they climbed back into the building.
Newt nudged a broken board out of his way. “We can stop and see the guy who sells MREs for cheap,” he offered distractedly.
“Frypan will love that,” Alby commented idly from behind him, getting huffs of laughter in response.
The MREs were Meals Ready-to-Eat and mostly a last resort when they couldn’t find anything else. Their groups always made sure to have some if worse came to worse but Frypan— their resident chef— always preferred actual ingredients he could make meals with.
“We should leave tonight,” Minho said next as they reached the bottom floor, sand littering its surface in spots near the long since broken windows. “Head out to the weapons place up North.”
With a raised brow, Newt asked. “What’s the rush?”
Minho didn't even glance back as he shrugged, stepping over the odd discarded item on the floor on the way to the door. “We’ve been here for a couple of days now and we’ve seen all the people we wanted to see.”
He wasn’t wrong. Their trio had been in Huntsville for five days now, which wasn’t the longest they stayed in one place but it was longer than they have been doing lately. The place up North was less of a city and more of a scattered town in Des Moines. There weren’t a whole lot of cities left in the world, and those that were still standing were in rough shape, barring places like the Last City— which wasn’t near what it had once been. But humans were a driven species that managed to prevail despite the odds.
“We should talk to a couple people if we can,” Alby said suddenly, eyes squinting as they stepped outside into the hot sun. “See if they heard anything new about WCKD.”
“I completely agree with you,” Minho started off with an absent wag of his finger at the older boy, “but maybe we should do that on our own. Most people are usually less willing to talk when it seems like a big interrogation.”
Gally always had issues with that. Mind you even on his own he made even the simplest questions sound like accusations.
The three of them looked up and down the street and Minho made a vague gesture towards where the guy that sells MREs is usually set up. “You guys go check him out, I’m gonna go this way,” Newt commented suddenly with his own gesture in the opposite direction. Minho nodded once straight away, already heading off while Alby hesitated.
“Be careful and make sure you’re at the car before sundown.”
With a faint murmur of agreement, Newt turned to walk down the street, not having to look back to know Alby would watch him for a bit before he would finally follow Minho. There was a slight limp in his step as he weaved through the crowds of people; he had broken his leg during the WCKD fall, debris falling on him unexpectedly. Minho and Alby had taken turns carrying him out of the city. It was the need to wait for his leg to heal that took their group so long to separate after making it out. It was irritating at times but Newt had long since learned to live with it.
A pair of kids suddenly darted by him and Newt just barely managed to avoid being run over, a hand catching his elbow at the last minute. He couldn’t be too mad about the whole thing, truth be told it always left him feeling somewhat hopeful about the future to see kids just living life as normal as they could.
“Are you alright?”
Newt glanced to his left, his, “yeah, thanks,” already out of his mouth before he saw the person who caught him.
It was a boy around Newt’s age, though likely a year or two younger. Newt himself was now seventeen, would be eighteen in just a month, and this guy looked to be around fifteen, but he had a rather youthful face so Newt could be off, either guessing too low or too high. He had dark brown hair that wasn’t short but wasn’t long either, and pale skin that was rather warm in the slowly setting sunlight. His eyes, brown like Newt’s, were like amber rather than dark like his own, something only enhanced by the time of day. He had moles scattered around his face and neck and was watching Newt with an open concern that had him shifting faintly.
“I’m fine,” Newt said again, more sure this time. “I should've been watching where I was going.”
The boy nodded once slowly and said. “I’m Thomas.”
“Newt.” He offered in return. “You live here?”
“No,” Thomas said, glancing around absently. “I just got here and I don’t think I’ll stay long. There’s some people I want to meet up with.” He looked back to Newt with a curious expression. “Do you live here?”
With a shake of his head, Newt said. “No. I’m leaving tonight with some friends.”
“Where are they now?”
He waved a hand behind half-heartedly. “They’re grabbing some things. I just wanted some time alone.”
Thomas smiled. “Should I leave then?”
Newt laughed at that. “No, you’re good. I just meant some time away from my friends considering we spend practically every second together.”
Not that he didn’t love travelling with Minho and Alby, but lately he needed a bit of space to think and that was a difficult thing to get with their lives. He couldn’t think about what he wanted to think about with them, the two were far too in tune with Newt’s moods and would know something was up in a heartbeat.
“You know, I know a nice spot if you’re interested,” Thomas said suddenly, surprising Newt slightly but he still made a gesture for Thomas to lead the way.
They had started walking back down the street and Newt commented. “I thought you just got here.”
“Yeah, this time,” Thomas replied as he glanced over at Newt. “I’ve been here before in passing though.”
“A world traveller,” Newt said wryly, getting an amused look in turn as Thomas had them duck down an alley.
The spot Thomas was talking about was an old building that had definitely seen better days. He ushered Newt inside and up to the top floor, ignoring their rather decrepit surroundings with ease. Thomas then led him to a wide window with no glass where the sunset could be seen casting a mosaic of oranges and pinks across the sky above the sand hills in the distance. Thomas sat himself on the frame of the window and Newt didn’t wait to join him, always happy to see something nice in these mostly dour times.
“The people you’re going to see— are they family?”
“No,” Thomas said after a beat. “They’re people who helped me through a tough time and I wanna make sure they’re okay.”
The answer made Newt smile and he glanced over at where Thomas was watching the sunset with an intense stare. He looked back at Newt after a few seconds. “You seemed pretty deep in thought earlier.”
That had Newt sighing and he looked back outside. “I’m trying to figure some stuff out.”
“Rather expected, considering it’s kinda the end of the world.”
Laughing, Newt admitted. “I wish it was just end of the world stuff.” He went quiet, watching the way parts of the sand glittered it in the sun while other parts were shadowed and dark. “Do you ever worry about making the wrong decisions?”
Thomas was silent for so long after his question that Newt started to think maybe he wouldn’t answer at all. Then he said, “All the time. I think about a lot of the things I’ve done in the past, people I’ve hurt without meaning to, and I worry about who I might hurt in the future even if I don’t really mean to.”
“I don’t know how to make those tough choices,” Newt said rather honestly, the fact that they were strangers about to go their separate ways loosening his tongue a bit. “I just don’t think I’m the kind of person who can do that.”
“When it comes down to it, you’ll be able to,” Thomas told him with conviction. It made Newt smile and he looked back over at him and eyed the determined expression on the other boy's face. “When it comes down to it you have to decide if you want to be a person who would rather live with some regrets or live with a bunch of ‘what ifs’.” Thomas waved his hand around them wildly and said. “At least regrets you know for sure how it happened and it can’t be undone but maybe it can be made right. ‘What ifs’ though— those are harder to silence because you’ll never know what might’ve been.”
The words are surprisingly profound in that moment and Newt was filled with the sudden sense that he was meant to meet Thomas today. The same feeling he had upon meeting Minho in WICKED all those years ago.
He stared at Thomas and quietly said. “That makes a lot of sense.”
Thomas smiled. “I’ve been known to do that once in a while.”
He got a laugh out of Newt and the two continued to sit in silence, neither looking away from one another as they enjoyed the moment, before Thomas glanced away. “You’ll have to get going if you want to find your friends before sundown.”
Newt looked outside again and saw the sun almost completely out of sight, the sky growing an inky purple colour, and he let out a heavy breath. “Yeah, I better go.”
Glancing over at Thomas he held out a hand. “It was nice to meet you.”
Thomas was quick to return the motion and Newt swallowed back a sound as his hand was clasped in Thomas’ own. His heart gave an unsteady thump in his chest but he forced himself to ignore it as he gave the boy one last smile before leaving. Minho and Alby were probably already at the car but thankfully it was parked not far from this side of the city. When Newt made it back outside onto the streets he walked off in the direction he needed to go and spared one last glance to where he and Thomas had just sat together. He spotted him easily enough, still sitting in the same spot in the open frame.
A small voice in the back of Newt’s mind really hoped they ran into one another again.
“So… it’s been like almost a year, are we ever gonna talk about it?”
Newt glanced over at Minho when he spoke, a frown on his face. “What are you talking about?”
“Alby,” Minho retorted in a very duh tone.
It was just the two of them travelling together now, Alby having switched to travel with Winston and Zart. Not long after his talk with Thomas, two months after it actually, Newt had broken up with Alby. It was something he had been wanting to do for a while before then, as much as he tried to deny it, and that talk was just the last push he needed.
To say everyone else was shocked was an understatement.
He did it the third last time they met up. While they all scattered around in groups they had a set meeting point for every four months that everyone had to make. They’d spend about two weeks together and if someone didn’t make it in that time the group had an unspoken understanding that it would be taken as that person wasn’t alive anymore, unless there was any sign that said otherwise.
It was a harsh reality they’ve all long since accepted.
Their first meeting after the break up…. Well, Newt couldn’t deny it wasn’t awkward; as much as he and Alby tried to make sure it wasn’t. Even the meeting last month had still been a bit weird, which was probably what had Minho bringing it up now.
“It’s been nine months,” Newt countered Minho’s claim of it having been a year.
“Same thing,” Minho said offhandedly, eyes mostly on the road ahead of them. “What happened? I thought the two of you were solid.”
Newt grimaced, looking around at the desert that surrounded them. They were heading to a place they hadn’t checked out in a while and for the most part it was just scouting for some more supplies for the next time they all gathered together.
He couldn’t say what it was with Alby. They had been solid, the two unofficial leaders of their rag-tag group. Newt cared about him a lot, the boy had gotten him through some tough times, but if he was being completely honest… Newt just hadn't been in love with him. He hadn’t felt that spark of something that he thought should be there. Given his life, it wasn’t like Newt gave a whole lot of thought to relationships in general, but he did have a few things in mind. Alby did check a lot of those boxes too. He was a leader, strong and determined, dependable and someone Newt knew he could count on.
Maybe they were too alike or maybe Alby was too strong— and not in a physical kind of sense.
Their relationship always had Newt feeling like he was being taken care of, which was nice, comforting even, but after a while it left him feeling so unbalanced that he couldn’t come to grips with it. He never felt like he could give back to Alby as much as he took from him. It wasn’t fair either— to keep dating Alby when he couldn’t even tell him he loved him. When he couldn’t even guarantee them a future together, not the one Alby wanted anyways.
“Hey,” Minho said quietly. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
It was a question that Minho asked every so often. Back when they were still at WICKED, and Newt realised he found a person he could really trust in Minho, he always tried to be honest with him. If he couldn’t be completely honest with anyone else, he would be with Minho. Minho who knew how to keep things light but wasn’t afraid to give Newt a kick in the arse when he needed it. After losing his parents Newt struggled with his mental health. Dark thoughts often swirled through his mind and it was only his determination not to leave his sister without family that kept him from doing something about them. It was this very fact that had Minho checking in every so often and it didn’t surprise Newt that he was doing it now.
“I’m fine,” Newt promised. “I just..” he trailed off, not sure how he even wanted to finish that sentence.
“It’s okay to have second thoughts.” Minho reassured him, lifting a hand off the steering wheel to give Newt’s shoulder a soft shake. “I’m sure Alby is just waiting for you to change your mind so you two can fix things and get back together.”
The thing that hurt Newt the most was that he thought that too. Whenever they ran into each other, either out in the world or at the meeting spots, there was always this air of expectation with Alby. Newt knew Alby was giving him space. The older boy likely thinking it was just living side by side constantly that had him stepping back; which was why he switched who he travelled with. But that wasn’t it and Newt didn’t know how to make his friends see that. Didn’t know how to make them stop looking between him and Alby as if they were still together even though they weren’t. Didn’t know how to get rid of this unspoken thing that he and Alby were just guaranteed to wind up together.
“I don’t regret breaking up with Alby,” Newt said first off, needing Minho to hear it. “I’m just having trouble figuring out what happens now and how to keep this from messing things up with the group.”
Minho frowned, head turning from the road to give Newt a look. “Hey,” he said, waiting until Newt finally looked back at him. “Ignore the rest of us. We’ll be fine whether you and Alby are together or not. The two of you aren't some pair that can’t be separated; you’re your own people.”
Newt smiled at the point blank tone Minho spoke in but nodded in understanding nonetheless, rather grateful to hear the words.
“Enough of this now,” Minho said next, his attention forward once more. “We’re here.”
Looking up, Newt was surprised to see the broken cityline of Carson in the distance. He smiled briefly at the sight of it, more than ready to stretch his legs and get out of this car for the time being.
As per routine, they parked their car about a little less than a mile from the city. Pulling out a tarp from the back and covering it as best as they could. It was hot out, like it always was except when night came, but it was no bother to the two of them by now as they shrugged on their backpacks and headed towards the city. Carson was a nice enough city, a place most who were expecting would try to get to considering how many people with vague medical training lived there. It was the prime spot to deliver a baby, which had people oddly protective of it. Barring WCKD, even the worst of the worst still respected and treated children right, so it was one of the safer cities still around.
“I’m gonna go check for some supplies with the lady we spoke to last time.”
Newt gave Minho a nod. “I’ll look for a place to camp it out.”
The streets were mostly full today, Newt losing sight of Minho almost the second they split off from one another. Kids were weaving through the crowds excitedly, while older folks spoke with each other, gesturing about here and there. Newt had only made it down two different streets when a voice called out to him.
“Where are your friends now?”
Head darting to his right, Newt was surprisingly delighted to see Thomas sitting on the stoop of an old, rundown building, a faint smile on his face.
Turning his direction, Newt walked over to the boy, absently adjusting the strap of his back. “It’s just the one now,” he told him. “And he’s picking up some things.”
Thomas' face instantly grew concerned. “Are your other friends okay?” He asked hesitantly.
Setting himself down next to Thomas, Newt assured him. “My friend is fine, Tommy. He’s just travelling with some of our other mates now.” The words eased his expression a bit and Newt spared a thought to the actual concern Thomas gave for someone he had never even met.
“You just got into town.”
“I did,” Newt confirmed with a smile. “How’d you figure that one out?”
Laughing, Thomas admitted. “I’ve been here for a while. Would have run into you long before now if you had been here for longer than a day.”
Scanning the other boy's face, eyes darting down to the piece of cloth drooping around his neck, Newt asked. “How long have you been here for?”
“About three days, I’m leaving tonight though,” Thomas told him, meeting Newt’s gaze with a small smile. “It seems we’re always just managing to catch each other.”
The words have Newt’s eyes crinkling in amusement and he glanced back over at the street, watching the odd person go by. “I was looking for a place to sleep while Minho grabbed a couple things.”
“I know a place you can stay,” Thomas offered, jumping to a stand enthusiastically which had Newt wanting to laugh. Thomas held out a hand to help Newt up and he took it gratefully, allowing himself to be hauled upward. The close position they find themselves in next has Newt swallowing down the swirling feeling in his stomach and he let go of Thomas’s hand once he had his balance. He couldn’t help but notice their close range in height, Newt only about an inch or so taller than Thomas.
Thomas guided them further down the direction Newt had been going, before he was sidetracked, until they came upon a building that was mostly boarded up. Ducking into an alley that ran down the side of it, Thomas took Newt to a piece of plywood against the wall and, grinning over his shoulder at him, pushed it to the side.
“This is where I’ll almost always stay when I’m around here,” Thomas told him while climbing inside.
Newt followed behind him carefully. “How many times have you been here?”
“A couple of times,” Thomas replied, weaving through the junk lying about the room towards a set of stairs against one wall. “I don’t like to come here too often or stay too long but it’s nice to see. With all the kids and people having babies it’s probably the most ‘hopeful’ of cities around.”
Newt was in full agreement.
The two climbed up the stairs and the upper floor was a lot more empty than the bottom. All the windows were boarded up, not offering much in the way of light beyond a few streaks of sunlight that only brought attention to the dust in the air. Thomas crossed to an old box in the corner and dug around for a bit before pulling out a flashlight that he turned on with a click. Newt squinted, a hand coming to shield his eyes from the sudden light, and Thomas laughed and apologized, aiming it around the rest of the room. There was a run down mattress in another corner of the room that had definitely seen better days but to be honest even seeing a mattress was a pretty rare treat. Newt absently shrugged his bag off his shoulder, holding a strap with one hand as he scanned the room some more.
“You got a lot of places like this around, Tommy?” Newt asked.
Thomas laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and admitted. “A few here and there. I’m a real Boy Scout.”
Newt chuckled at the joke, looking over at Thomas again as he dropped his bag by the mattress. “Did you find the friends you were looking for last time?”
“Yeah,” Thomas answered. “I’ve seen them twice since then and they’re good. They have things a lot more together than I do,” he added after a pause.
“Why don’t you stick with them?”
With a shrug, Thomas said. “I prefer travelling alone.”
Newt couldn’t imagine doing that. Minho, his sister and all the others, were what kept him going; he couldn’t imagine navigating life mostly on his own. Going to sleep and not hearing Minho's heavy breathing that the boy swore weren’t snores and ‘shut up, Newt’.
“Do you ever get lonely?” Newt asked quietly.
Thomas smiled wanly. “It’s the end of the world. I’m pretty sure everyone feels lonely at some point, even if they aren’t actually alone.”
That was fair.
Thomas glanced around the room once more before he said, "Listen, I gotta go. The ride I managed to secure myself will be leaving soon and I really don’t wanna miss it.”
Newt stepped closer to him and nodded in understanding. People willing to give rides to strangers was usually a rare phenomenon and trekking through the desert was never a fun experience. He held out a hand. “Thanks for the place to stay.”
Thomas smiled softly, reaching out to grasp Newt’s hand in turn. “I’m glad I got to see you again.”
Newt was thankful for the rather dim lighting after the way those words had his cheeks and the tips of his ears feeling hot. “I’m glad I got to see you too,” he said quietly. “Now, don’t be a stranger.”
He got a laugh and Thomas finally let go of Newt’s hand, which had Newt wondering if they really held on that long or if he was just imagining things. As Thomas ducked out, Newt made his customary scout of where he and Minho would stay. He trusted it was rather safe since Thomas showed it to him but old habits die hard and all that. He heaved a deep breath and while he moved around the room he tried to slow his racing heart, his mind already half wondering when he’d see Thomas again.
Newt and Minho had gotten themselves into a bit of a pinch. The old beat up truck they managed to find was holding strong after their car crapped out on them but they were still lost. A sand storm had converged on them in the blink of an eye and after a few minutes of trying to stay course they realised they had to pull over and wait it out. God forbid they run into something— or worse, someone.
The two were looking for answers about the Right Arm. Their group decided they had enough of this life of constantly moving and wanted a more permanent place to stay where they weren’t always on the run and looking over their shoulder. It was brought up the last time they all got together and they had a loose plan in place. While they knew about the Right Arm they had thought they were just an army fighting WCKD but more recent rumours said that they were planning to set up a Safe Haven; a place for people to live far away from WCKD.
When the sand storm cleared the city they found themselves in wasn’t one they had been to before. If Newt had to guess he’d say it was Phoenix. The place was rather lively and known for its parties more than anything else really, partly why they never came around these parts. People were stumbling on the streets and the thump of music could be heard in the nearby buildings, and Newt wondered if the recently set sun that got them ready to party or if they just did that twenty-four seven. They had parked the truck they found not far from here, not wanting to risk the rather uneven terrain, and Newt was grateful they were meeting up with the others soon so Beth and Miyoko could take a look at their vehicle.
“I gotta say, this place seems kinda… rough.” Minho said as he studied the people and things around them.
He wasn’t wrong. Newt found himself looking twice, or even three times, at some of the people they passed, the staggering way they walked looking too similar to a Cranks movements for comfort.
Newt frowned as they started walking down a less packed street. “Yeah, I say we just get the hell out of here.”
“We don’t even know where we are for sure,” Minho answered with a frown of his own, not that Newt could actually see it with the boy a few paces ahead of him. They had been hoping to ask someone for a general direction of a city they knew but most of the people they passed didn’t seem up for conversation.
“Maybe we can—”
Before Newt could finish his sentence his arm was grabbed roughly and pinned behind his back and he let out a grunt that had Minho spinning around at once, hand going to his gun. His motion was rendered useless though as another hand grabbed him, twisting his arm in a way that had his face screwing up while a third guy held a gun to his head.
“Looks like we’ve got some Immunes here boys,” the guy behind Newt said.
Minho glared at the guy. “We’re not Immunes.”
The guy scoffed. “I ain’t stupid, I know you are. WCKD will be happy to get their property back.”
“Should we radio Janson, Barkley?” One of the guys behind Minho asked.
The guy, Barkley, must have made some motion as he said. “Nah, let’s get them tied up somewhere first, I don’t trust them not to be squirrely.”
Throughout all this Newt and Minho tried their hardest to get out of the tight grips they were in to little avail. They shared a glance and both were very aware that these guys never bothered to remove their weapons so they just needed to get their hands on one of them. They were pushed down the streets, the few people around not even glancing their way as it happened, and despite their struggles they couldn’t get even a hand free.
They were just turning down another street when a sharp bang rang out and one of the thugs holding Minho went flying back to the ground, body going limp. Barkley let go of Newt at once, reaching for his gun, and Minho didn’t hesitate to break free from his other guy and grab Newt, ducking out of sight. The second thug only had a few seconds to look around wildly before another shot rang out and he dropped to the ground too. There was only a brief pause next before Barkley looked over at them and clearly decided his life was more important than getting them to WICKED. He turned tail and ran, taking off back up the street they had just come down.
Newt and Minho stayed where they were, eyes still darting around for where the shots had come from— a difficult task in the dark of night— until someone came walking towards them.
He was about their height, his gun still in his hands, and face obscured by a piece of cloth. “You shouldn’t come around these parts. A lot of Immunes go missing here.” He warned them both.
The two of them slowly stood and Minho narrowed his eyes. “What makes you think we’re Immunes?”
“You’ve got chips in the back of your necks,” the boy said wryly. “Some readers can pick it up. That’s how Barkley knew; WCKD pays him to bring them Immunes and they gave him one to make his job easier.”
The two weren’t able to stifle the urge to slap their hands over the back of their necks at the reveal and they shared a glance. They hadn’t known about that. Newt stared at the guy in silence, his voice was unbelievably familiar and after a considering pause he asked. “Thomas?”
Instead of answering, the guy looked at the bodies still on the ground. “We should leave now. Barkley may have gone for backup.” He walked off without another word and after a moment Newt and Minho followed him.
“Do you live here?” Minho asked him as they walked, shooting Newt a look that said explain .
“No,” the guy, possibly Thomas, replied, turning down another alley. “I was just in the area. Heard of Barkley a few spots over and was coming to find him.”
Newt frowned. “Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Do you know which way Salt Lake City is?” Minho asked next, scanning their surroundings as they climbed up onto a small structure. “We got lost in a sand storm and haven’t been around here before. Can’t figure out which way to go.”
He got a point over the horizon. “It’s in that direction but there’s an electrical storm coming soon so you’d better wait till sunrise.”
Newt and Minho looked to where he pointed and could see clouds in the distance. They both instantly remembered the time Minho got struck by lightning and neither of them needed to say anything to know they’d be taking the guy's advice.
They come up on a nearby abandoned building that looked like it was once a small mall and the guy slid in through a crack in one of the walls. Newt and Minho did the same, neither ready to stop asking questions, and once they were inside the guy finally revealed his face.
“Tommy,” Newt said with a grin. “It’s good to see you.”
Thomas smiled in return, his demeanor seeming a lot more like it normally did when Newt saw him now that his face wasn’t obscured. It had actually been a long time since Newt had last seen him, a little over a year and a half, and he couldn’t deny that he had been worried something had happened to the boy. He looked good though— great actually. His hair dark and skin pale but his cheeks full in a way that said he was getting enough to eat. He had a bag on his back and he dug inside it for a bit then pulled out a flashlight, turning it on to shine it around.
“You know him,” Minho said, a bit of an obvious statement but one Newt nodded to nonetheless.
“I’ve bumped into him before,” he revealed.
Minho apparently decided to let that go for the time being and instead asked. “Why are you out for people like Barkley?”
Thomas had already started to move further into the building and Newt and Minho trailed behind him unconsciously. “I’m out for WCKD,” Thomas said in turn. “Barkley just happened to work for them.”
He got silent questioning looks then and he said simply. “It’s not safe with WCKD out there.”
Newt and Minho shared a glance before the latter asked Thomas. “Have you ever heard of a group that’s doing the same thing as you?”
A distinct scratching noise interrupted whatever Thomas might have said next and they were all pulling out their weapons in a heartbeat. They carefully walked across the room, Thomas' flashlight the only light source available. It bounced over numerous abandoned items before landing on… a Crank— it’s back thankfully to them. Not as high of a concern as it could have been, but then the light landed on the area behind the Crank and five more were suddenly there. One’s head darted up in their direction and Newt already knew the kind of screech it was about to let out.
“Run!”
No one needed to be told twice and the loud screams and pounding feet of the Cranks were steadily following them. Thomas was up front which Newt was grateful for considering he probably knew this place a hell of a lot better than them. They ran down another hallway but made an abrupt turn when more screeching sounded from the other end of it.
Thomas waved his hand toward a pair of broken escalators. “There! Go up!”
Minho was already on the first step and Thomas was pushing Newt’s back to get him to go up, the Cranks growing closer and closer. When they got to the top they booked it as fast as they could towards where Newt could see a partially open doorway.
A shatter of glass bursted outward in Newt’s path and he had no time to stop or even process the event before he was being slammed to the side, back ramming into a nearby railing.
“Newt!”
It was hard to tell which of them yelled, Newt’s attention more focused on keeping the Crank from clawing at him, legs kicking out automatically. His actions were efficient but unneeded as another force slammed into the Crank and sent it hurtling over the edge to the floor below.
Thomas was pulling him up by the arms before Newt could even blink and he squeezed the boy's arm gratefully. “Thanks, Tommy!” He panted and the two of them were already back to running. Minho was a few paces ahead, having turned back when Newt went down, and they waved him on hurriedly.
Newt could practically feel the clawing of the Cranks behind them and his heart pounded in his chest while the adrenaline kept the aching in his leg at bay. Minho reached the door first and he roughly pushed it open, holding it as he waited for them to make it. His eyes darted behind them but Newt knew he couldn’t look back, it was pretty much always a mistake to do that, practically begging to trip and fall.
As soon as they were through the door Minho flung it shut and Thomas was quick to push himself against it too as he shouted. “Newt, get the other door open!”
Newt spotted the other doors easy enough, bright red where Thomas’s flashlight was shining, and he pushed at them with all his strength. It moved torturously slow and he gritted his teeth as he willed it to open. When he finally had a big enough space for them all to fit through he slid in first. “Let’s go!”
Minho bursted through next, Thomas right behind him, and all three of them shoved the door shut again, the pounding of Cranks clear as day inside. Thomas’s head spun around and he stepped aside for a second before returning with a large piece of metal twisted into an almost complete loop. He slid it through the door handles and as one they all stepped back, holding their breath as they waited to see if it held.
The three of them sighed in relief when it did.
“We should head back to the crowds, it’ll be safer,” Thomas said then, already turning to leave, flashlight leading the way.
Newt and Minho followed once more, equally eager to put some distance between them and the Cranks. “You okay?” Minho asked, already scanning Newt for any kind of injury.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Newt said as he watched Thomas tilt his head to hear his answer. “Thing didn’t get a chance to do much of anything before Thomas sent it flying.”
They slid back into the crowds in a worryingly short amount of time given that there had been a whole lot of Cranks just right there. It took them even a shorter amount of time to realise they lost sight of Thomas.
“Where’d he go?” Minho asked, spinning in place as he tried to spot Thomas in the crowd. A hopeless endeavour considering the sky was still mostly dark and the few lights that were around didn’t offer any better of a view. When Minho finally admitted defeat he groaned and looked at Newt. “He might have been our chance at finding the Right Arm. Should we look around for him?” Quick as he said that his stare turned considering as he looked at Newt. “How exactly did you know the guy?”
Newt eyed the horizon Thomas pointed out to them earlier, the sun just barely starting to peak over the top of it. “I told you, I ran into him once or twice before.” He ran his tongue along his teeth consideringly before he decided. “Tommy’s probably gone with the wind by now and we need to get going if we’re going to make it to the meet up spot. We’re pretty far off to begin with.” He didn’t get any protests but Newt also knew once they got back to the truck he’d be getting more questions.
At least he knew Thomas was still alive.