Chapter 20

He stumbled and fell face first through the other end of the Flat Trans. He lay there on the ground, afraid to look up, afraid to hope they were safe. He felt Alex laying next to him shaking from either tears or laughter.

Turns out it was a mix of both. She looked up at him and her hand found his. They lay there together hand in hand, eyes locked, neither wanting to move or break the beautiful silence. Eventually, Newt knew they had to move.

He pushed himself up to a sitting position with a great effort. Waves of pain rippled across his back. He must have been burned at the last moment when her stumbled across the Flat Trans. No, when Alex pulled him through.

"How did you know?" he asked her when she had sat up too.

"Know what?

"Come back. Save me. How did you know to come back?"

She shrugged. "A hunch I guess."

"Thank you. I'd be dead right now if it weren't for you."

She smiled, but he could still see the sadness in her brown eyes. "I'm sure you'll return the favor sometime."

He smiled back. "Count on it." Her eyes broke away from his as she looked around. They were in a small shack of some kind. The wall behind them must have contained the Flat Trans, but it was long gone by now. There wasn't anything else there. Outside he could see a treeline about fifteen yards away. He guessed that they were in a large clearing. "We have to burn it." he said.

"Burn what? This place? What for?"

"Dunno. She just told me to burn it and she hasn't been wrong yet."

"Who hasn't been wrong? The person who told you how to get out?"

"Yeah. Chancellor Ava Paige. She told me everything. I'll explain on the way."

"The way to where?"

"Safety. But right now we need to go."

---

It wasn't hard to get a fire going. The wood was so dry and brittle that all he had to to was light a match and drop it in the shack. They found Gwen looking around in the woods but wisely staying within view of the shack. They stood back watching their last connection with WICKED literally burn away.

Gwen spoke up after a while. "I'm guessing we head north?"

Newt was surprised. "Yeah how did you know?"

She pointed to the horizon where a thin trail of smoke could be seen rising from above the treeline.

Alex looked surprised. "Good eye, Gwen. I never would have seen that."

"I'm just glad to see something other than white." she said.

Alex cracked a smile. "C'mon let's go." Newt led the way as they walked away from the burning shack, towards the north, hopefully, Newt thought, to my friends.

--As they walked, Newt explained his escape plan as he promised he would. He started with when she showed up in his room after he watched their battle in the Glade. "She just showed up and started bloody rambling about how I should trust her. She said she felt bad about what she had done to us and she wanted to help. I didn't believe her but I had no other option. It was at least an attempt to escape so I needed to try. She said the place was a replica of the maze. When I was there I was a runner before my...accident." He said looking down at his bad leg. Alex looked at him skeptically. He wondered if she remembered their conversation on the berg about his limp. He pushed the thought aside and continued. "She told me you two were recovering and they would take me to you if I demanded. Where you were being held was really where the Cliff was. I knew my way from there. She told me the password to make the whole bloody place self destruct and how to get the Flat Trans up. Apparently she was the only bloody shank there who knew exactly where this place was. I blew the place sky high just as Alex pulled me through the Flat Trans." He turned to her. "Why did you come back for me? I warned you not to. You could have died too."

"I don't know. It was just a guess. You weren't coming through so I figured I'd go check if you were okay." she smirked at him. "Apparently you weren't." Her gaze suddenly hardened. "Besides, I wasn't about to let another one of my friends die!" she said sternly, but her voice broke on her last words.

Newt looked down. He didn't know what to say besides, "Thank you. I'd be dead of it weren't for you."

She smiled sadly at him, but didn't answer. They walked on for another few minutes when Gwen stopped short. Alex frowned. "Gwen? What's wrong? We need to keep moving."

Gwen shook her head. "Something's off," she said to herself. She squinted ahead of them. Newt followed her gaze but didn't see anything.

"Gwen I'm sure it's nothing," he said uncertainly. "We should keep moving."

Her eyes suddenly widened. "Run! There's people-"

But her warning came too late. They were surrounded. They just materialised around them. One moment they weren't there, the next they were. They were armed with makeshift bows, swords, and knives. The ages ranged between young teens to adults. A boy stepped forward to address them. He was tall with olive skin and long hair that was jagged and uneven, as if someone had tried to cut it with broken glass. "Who are you people and how did you get here?" he demanded. He seemed more keen to kill them then to listen, but something about this boy seemed familiar. Maybe they had met before.

Alex answered before Newt could. "Calm down! We're immune. We...uh, were sent by WICKED."

NO! Newt thought. Why would you say that! "We escaped from WICKED." he corrected quickly. "We weren't bloody sent here by the shanks!"

The boys eyes narrowed. "What did you just say?"

"We're not part of WICKED," Newt repeated irritably.

"No, no before that. You said shank. You're..." his eyes widened. "Oh my God, Newt!"

Newt was stunned. "How do you know me?"

"Dude it's me, Aris. The one you and Minho didn't trust the whole way across the Scorch."

Realization dawned on him. That's why he seemed familiar. His hair was longer and he was covered with dirt and grass, but it was still him. "So does that mean...?"

Aris nodded, "They're here, Newt. Frypan, Minho, Thomas and a few others. I can take you to them."

Newt's stomach twisted at the thought of seeing Thomas again after their last encounter, but he still nodded earnestly.

Aris lowered his weapon but the others with him still looked skeptical. "Who are they Aris?" said a man to the left of him.

"He's a friend. And they're friends of yours I'm guessing?" he asked, gesturing to the girls. Newt nodded again.

"Lower your weapons guys. Lets head for camp," Aris said. They all did as he said and headed in the direction of the smoke. Aris dropped back to talk to Newt in a hushed tone. "What did she mean when she said you were all immune? I thought Janson told you-"

"He lied," Newt spat. "It's a long story and I'll tell you but I'd rather just tell it once when I meet the others." Aris nodded and hurried to the front of the pack to lead the way. Newt's stomach churned harder and harder with every step he took. He was both elated and nervous to see his friends again. What would Thomas say? Would he back away in horror remembering the last things Newt had said to him? Or would he be happy to see him. Newt tried to push the thought out of his head as he walked after Aris and his group.

---He didn't even realize when they had reached the edge of the camp. Newt hardly noticed anything about the camp. He was focused on Aris's back, partly because of all the strange looks he, Alex, and Gwen were getting because they had never been seen before, and partly because if he didn't focus on anything it would drive him mad.

Aris led them to a large one roomed wooden building in the middle of the camp. He stopped at the door and turned to Newt. "They're inside," he said. Without answering Newt opened the door and walked in.

There was Thomas and Minho, hunched over a table studying some papers. Thomas glanced up to see who had entered and his eyes widened at the sight of Newt. "Oh my God," he whispered. He nudged Minho who also glanced up. Thomas moved around the table and approached Newt. He braces himself for whatever was coming but he was not ready for what actually happened. Thomas crushed him in a bear hug. After a moment of surprise, Newt hugged back. All the stress he felt at the thought of their reunion gone, replaced only by joy.

When Thomas let go his eyes were watering. "I... I though you were... I thought I..." he stuttered.

Before Newt could answer, Minho was there. He also hugged Newt which surprised him because he new Minho wasn't much of a hugger or a sentimental person in general. "What happened to you, ya buggin shank? Decided to skip all the hard stuff and come when everything was nice and calm?"

Newt laughed. There he is. He thought. He was about to answer when he glanced at Thomas. There was something deep in his eyes that pleaded with Newt, that begged him, don't tell him. Please don't tell him. "Yeah. I figured I'd take the long way and let you bloody shanks figure things out before I came. That way I could take a bloody break for once"

Minho laughed. Newt could see Thomas out of the corner of his eye let out a sigh of relief. "Seriously, shuck face, how'd you get here?" Minho's face grew more serious. "I thought you weren't immune."

"The second question is a long story. The short version is, they lied. I am. The first is also a long story, but I didn't do it alone." Newt said. He turned to where Alex and Gwen were standing. Alex was standing in the doorway, hesitant to come in. Gwen looked over Her shoulder trying to see what was happening. "C'mere. Alex, this is Thomas and Minho. Guys, this is Alex." They all just stared at each other for a second before Minho moved. He shook her hand, squinting at her as if he was trying to remember something.

"You look strangely familiar," Minho said uncertainly. "I know it's probably not possible but... have we met?"

For once Alex was at a loss for words. She glanced at Newt with a look that said, help! Say something! "Um, Minho, this is Winston's sister..."

Minho's eyes widened then he laughed. "I should have guessed." He said smiling. "Minus the monster acne you look exactly like him!" Alex managed a smile. "Who's the one hiding in the doorway?" Minho asked noticing Gwen for the first time. She was indeed half hidden by the doorframe and was blushing furiously.

"That's Gwen." Newt said, beckoning her forward. "You three should get acquainted better. I'll be right back."

Minho's head snapped toward Newt. "Where the shuck are ya going now?"

"I need to talk to Tommy for a second." Newt said, glancing at Thomas. He suddenly looked very nervous, but nodded anyway and followed Newt outside. They walked a short way away, still in sight of the building, but out of earshot of Minho and the girls. "Tommy, tell me every bloody thing that happened after you... uh, left the city." Thomas looked startled again. That wasn't the question he was expecting. But he started talking anyway. He talked very quickly so only a few things stuck out in Newt's head. Gally not dead and here with them (he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Teresa dead (that was unexpected. And that they had been here for a while. They all thought he was dead. Thomas never told them how, just that there was an accident. At that statement he trailed off and looked away. "Tommy? You okay?"

"No!" he burst out. "You were my friend! You are my friend and I shot you for shuck's sake!" Newt smiled. "What are you smiling about!" he yelled.

"You still sound bloody ridiculous when you talk in Glader terms." he chucked.

Thomas was astonished. "How can you be so calm? You should hate me! When I did it you were..." his voice dropped to a whisper "you were crazy Newt. You looked like you were going to claw someone's eyes out. What happened? How are you here right now?"

Newt's smile melted. "It was WICKED. They lied. I was immune. They wanted to see how it would affect you guys. I guess...the thought of slowly going insane, was actually driving me insane."

"I could have killed you," Thomas said softly.

"Yeah we'll you bloody didn't and that all that bloody matters. I don't blame you for anything that you did. I told you to do it. But it's in the past and we can forget it along with every bloody thing that WICKED did to us. I never even want to hear the bloody name again. Deal?

Thomas stared at Newt for a second. He looked like he wanted to argue. Maybe to tell Newt that he should hate him. But he seemed to give up on the idea and just broke into a smile. "Deal," Thomas said firmly. They walked back silently to the building where they found Minho and Gwen sitting side by side, shoulders brushing against each other, Alex was sitting across from them. They were laughing and talking like they were old friends. It made Newt smile to see Gewn that happy. When Minho saw them walk in he stood up. "You shuck faces all done with your tea party? Or should I bring some crumpets as well?" he asked. He tried and failed miserably so mimic Newt's accent with his last sentence.

"Yeah, Minho." Newt said, rolling his eyes. " We're done. But I'm starving. Where's Fry's kitchen? He's got to have one by now. The shank can't bloody survive without one."

Minho laughed. "Yeah he's got one. We can go eat. But you're gonna tell me how you made it here because I need to know."

"Food first. I'll tell you when we eat."

"Okay fine! Buggin' stubborn shuck," Minho grumbled as he got up, but Newt could see the grin he was trying to hide.

The five of them left the building and walked towards the center of the village. As Newt walked, he realised something. He was finally, truly, happy. He looked around at his friends. Minho and Gwen were walking next to each other. They were still talking. Thomas walked silently next to Newt. He could see the grin plastered on Thomas's face. Alex walked on the other side of Newt. The sunlight was turning her hair golden brown and their hands brushed gently as they walked. She seemed at peace. Maybe not happy, but at peace, like she knew that this was where she was meant to be. Somewhere along the way, Brenda joined them. She greeted Thomas with a kiss. When did that happen? Newt wondered. He didn't ask though. There was no need to rush, no need for quick talks. There was no need to worry about anything now.

He was finally home.

The End