Thomas (formerlywicked) wrote in freedomtownic, @ 2018-05-02 19:49:00 |
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Newt stared out at the new world in wonder. People walked freely around the city, seemingly without a care while he stumbled along the street, bumping into snarky workers as he tried to get to grips with where he’d arrived. It was unlike anywhere he’d seen before. The Wicked compound seemed tiny compared to this. His chest contracted tightly as another coughing fit reminded him that no matter how incredible this place was he wasn’t in a position to get attached. Newt didn’t know how long it would take the flare to spread but it would, eventually. At least here he wouldn’t hurt his friends. A thought struck him with near-physical force. What if this place was infection-free and he was about to become the vector. Newt couldn’t let that happen. Wouldn’t let that happen! There were too many people here and the flare would spread all-too-quickly without anyone realising what was happening. Wicked were the enemy at home but at least they were trying to find a cure. This world didn’t even have that. He looked at the information he’d been given by the dog. It was an address, which meant there was a place he could lock himself until it was over. Or find a quicker way out, if such a thing presented itself. Newt pushed through the crowds more determinedly, ignoring the annoyed yanks and their bad language. He had to find a taxi and then get the hell off the streets. He saw a yellow cab out of the corner of his eye and threw himself through the crowd towards it. “Shit,” he exclaimed as he ricocheted off a particularly hardy walker who had decided to stand his ground. Newt hit the floor hard which immediately triggered another coughing fit. He looked up, ready to give the man a string of expletives, which froze on his tongue when Newt saw the man looking down at him. “No, no, no!” he said in horror, “you can’t be here! Not now, Thomas, not when I change!” Goddamnit, it was bad enough thinking he might harm other strangers, without knowing his best friend was here too! “Help me up, get me a taxi and get me away from all these people,” Newt begged. “Please, Thomas.” * Thomas had no idea where Brenda had gotten to, but he knew one thing, he didn’t want to stay in the apartment anymore. He had rested enough. He wanted to get out and explore the city some more. They were stuck there, so he wanted to get a better idea of where they would be staying from now on. It hadn’t been very long since Thomas left the apartment building. He had been trying to decide which way to go when somebody practically ran into him. He stumbled, but only a tiny bit before he looked down to see who in the hell had bumped into him. Who he saw, it wasn’t who he was expecting. Because it couldn’t be him. He died back in the Last City. “Newt?” He stared down at the blonde, confusion clearly written all over his face. At first he was just frozen until it clicked that if this was really Newt, he needed to get him off of the street. “I’m saving you this time,” he said as he reached down and helped get Newt up off of the ground. “I know where we can go.” The apartment wasn’t very far and it would get Newt off of the streets as they figure out what to do next. * He nodded mutely at his name and watched as Thomas processed his presence. It gave Newt a little time to deal with the rising panic that was engulfing him and he allowed himself to breath for a moment before taking Thomas’ hand and levering himself upright. “You can’t save me, Thomas,” he understood the situation all too well and without Mary there was no chance of reversing the flare. “It’s too late for me, but it’s not too late for you or them,” he said gesturing to the people around him. “We can’t let it spread to another world,” Newt told him as he allowed Thomas to maneuver him through the crowd. “Wherever you’re taking me has to be secure and you need to be able to…” kill him? Dispose of his body? Make sure no trace of the flare hit this incredible place he wasn’t going to have time to explore? “...don’t let it spread. Please, Thomas,” Newt said softly. * Thomas helped Newt walk through the crowd, not caring if Newt really needed the help or not. He wasn’t going to let go. “But I can,” he said matter-of-factly. He still had the small vial of the cure that Teresa gave him when they were on the rooftop. He was going to use it on Newt this time. There was no way in hell he was going to let him die. Not again. When Newt kept going on and on, Thomas finally pulled him in a small alleyway between two buildings, away from the crowd. “It’s not going to spread in this world. And you’re not dying again. I have the cure. It’s at the apartment. I just have to get you there.” And get a syringe while he was at it because that was the one thing that he didn’t have. “Come on,” he said as he once again started walking with Newt towards the apartment building. * Newt could see Thomas was in serious denial, which shouldn’t have surprised him. He was always going to go to the ends of the earth for his friends, it was just the way he was made. Partly why Newt would follow him, at least, for as long as the flare let him. “Mary’s dead and there’s no Wicked here,” he said matter-of-factly, “and that’s okay. It really is, just as long as it ends with me.” All he cared about right now was being the last infected person on this bloody planet. When Thomas pulled him off the street Newt was surprised and if he hadn’t been being helped along he’d have fallen on his arse right there. He frowned as he tried to take in what his friend was telling him. “There’s a cure?” he said with a smidge of confusion, “how is that possible?” Then the rest hit him. “I died? At home, I died?” Well he should have expected that, but it still came as quite a shock. “Did I hurt anyone, Thomas?” he asked, his hand moving to the cord around his neck for comfort. “Tell me, I have to know?” Newt asked as Thomas moved him back out into the foot-traffic. How far away was the apartment, he wanted to know, but given the way he was being hurried it didn’t seem a good idea to put pressure on his friend. No, he didn’t think he could be cured, even if they did get there in time. * “There’s no Wicked at home anymore either,” he pointed out. Newt wouldn’t know that, but he does now. He shook his head. Thomas really did wish Newt would stop talking like that. “Things are going to be different this time…” He nodded. “There’s a cure,” he repeated. “Teresa. She figured it out. I’ll explain everything to you once we’re not surrounded by people.” He glanced over at Newt as they walked. Oops, maybe he shouldn’t have let that slip. It was too late now to take it back. It was already said and Newt now knew what his fate had been back at home. “You tried to hurt me, but you also kept stopping yourself. You fought with it until the very end.” Newt wanted to know and now he knew. Another ten minutes of walking and they finally reached the building. A few more minutes and he was opening the apartment door and ushering Newt inside. * ”You beat them?” Newt asked in wonderment, “I knew you’d do it,” he said smiling with relief finally. “So it was all worth it,” he said meeting Thomas’ eyes and giving him a small nod of approval. Maybe things would be different now, but perhaps not for him, he thought, and it was still worth it to know that no other kids would be tortured and killed the way they were. “Teresa’s here?” he asked through a fog of thoughts. The name jumped into his head, wondering just what would happen if she was here too. He wanted Thomas to just tell him everything now, he didn’t know how much time he had left and didn’t want to miss out on anything. He let out a breath of relief, “I was so scared I’d hurt someone, Thomas,” he confided softly. “Not of dying, or becoming something other but just of hurting someone,” and spreading the flare even faster. Newt couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like for Thomas to have to fight him, but at least he now knew he’d have some semblance of control to the end. “Thank you for ending it,” Newt didn’t have to ask if his friend if he’d dealt the killing blow because if he hadn’t Thomas wouldn’t be here to tell him about it. Newt didn’t have time to muse on everything he’d been told. It was a lot and there wasn’t room in his head for the emotions he was experiencing. Everything they passed was new to his eyes and something he wanted to explore more, but that wasn’t going to be possible, as the coughing testified all too well. Soon Thomas was fumbling with keys and opening the doors to an apartment, “the locks are strong, right?” he asked nervously. He wanted to be sure. Cranks were bloody strong and they had to be certain he couldn’t escape. * Thomas nodded. “It was worth it.” Wicked was forever gone. At least in their own world. If Newt could show up, who was to say that somebody from Wicked couldn’t show up here next? He hoped that didn’t happen, but now it was going to be something that he kept an eye out for. “No, Teresa isn’t here. Brenda is, though.” And now so was Newt. It was just the three of them so far. “You didn’t. And you’re not going to hurt anyone here, either.” He thought he should throw that out there just in case Newt started to think that he might. When Newt actually thanked him, he looked away. “I didn’t do it. You did.” He was trying to save Newt. He wasn’t trying to kill him. That had been the last thing that he wanted. Once they were inside the apartment, he closed and locked the door. “The door survived Brenda kicking it. I’m sure it can handle a lot.” Not that they needed to worry about that. Newt was getting that damn cure. He made Newt sit on the couch and then told him to hold on. Thomas went into his room and came back a minute later. He sat down next to Newt on the couch and held up the small vile that held the cure. “I meant it when I said that I was saving you this time.” * Alright then, Newt nodded again, he could live with that. No more Wicked was a price worth dying for in anyone’s book. Winston and so many others had gone before him, it was a well-worn path from the Maze-kids. “Good,” he said softly, “you need someone to keep you out of trouble. Brenda can handle that,” he told Thomas. Hell, she could get him into some trouble too, Newt imagined and that would help him after. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Thomas, unsure whether his friend was just trying to spare him the gory details of his untimely demise. The way he looked away told Newt he was telling him the truth. “Good. That’s how it ought to be,” he said a little more content, “let’s see if we can make the double, hey?” he said with a wry smile. Better that than leave blood on Thomas’ hands. “Good. Sturdy doors are what we need,” Newt said approvingly as he looked around the apartment, wondering if there were weapons he could use. All he needed was for Thomas to leave him for a moment and he’d find a way to end this before it got any more ugly. As he slumped onto the sofa he eyed the windows, quickly discounting the notion of a drop. Too messy and too much opportunity for infecting the people below. Newt was about to make a try for the kitchen, where he would bet any number of sharp objects lived, when Thomas came back into the room. “You weren’t kidding, were you?” he said in wonder, taking the tiny bottle from his friend’s hands and squinting at the blue liquid contents. “Is this really going to work, Thomas?” Newt asked, the first slow kernel of hope drifting into his mind, “because if you’re not sure, stop this now.” It wasn’t right to give him a possibility of a future if it wasn’t assured. * Thomas didn’t say anything else about Brenda and he wanted to move past the whole death talk, but he couldn’t. Not with what Newt had just said. “Let’s not.” Once had been hard enough and he didn’t want to go through it twice. He was pretty sure that by now Brenda had weapons of some sort stashed around the apartment, but he wasn’t going to tell Newt that. Not when he’s in this whole “I gotta die” mode. “I really wasn’t kidding,” he said as he lowered his hand since Newt took the vial from his hand. “It’s really going to work. Look at Brenda. Remember, a Crank bit her, Mary gave her the serum using my blood and she hasn’t turned. That, right there,” he pointed at the cure, “will do the same for you. I just need to get a syringe.” * Newt narrowed his eyes at Thomas’ response, seeing hurt and pain in his eyes. Right. Wallowing now. He had to remember this was the second time around for him, even if the dying was new to Newt. He didn’t want to cause his friend pain - quite the reverse, in fact. No words were needed, just an understanding nod between brothers-in-arms. He didn’t quite trust himself to speak when Thomas explained what was in the vial. “So what the bloody hell are you waiting for?” Newt finally managed to growl between clenched teeth. “Now would be a really good time to find a syringe. What are you still hanging around for?” he said as he pulled himself to his feet, “there has to be a chemist around here somewhere. Let’s go!” Newt lurched towards the door with renewed vigor. He knew deep down it was just an act. Something to keep his friend concentrated until the infection ran its course. If it helped Thomas deal with his death, so be it. Newt trusted him to deal with the aftermath appropriately if they didn’t make it to safety in time. Thomas knew, better than anyone, what would happen if this thing entered the population. “You destroyed Wicked and now it’s time to save me, Thomas. Get moving or I’ll have to kick your arse!” * Before Thomas could reply, Newt was already up, which made Thomas jump. “I wanted to make sure you would be okay…” was all that he managed to get out as he watched Newt head for the front door. “Wait,” he reached out and grabbed Newt by the arm. “Maybe you should wait here.” He was thinking he could go out alone. Find the syringe and run back. But Newt seemed pretty gung ho about going out there with him. “Okay, okay, but first,” he grabbed the cure out of Newt’s hand and pocketed it. “Just in case you lose control…” he explained. “Okay, let’s go.” * “I’m okay,” he answered firmly, knowing he was far from that, “so check that off your list of worries. We’ve collected the cure and now we need a syringe,” Newt said, trying to concentrate Thomas on the job at hand. He knew his friend was probably right, but he also knew there was no way he could just sit here waiting for Thomas to (maybe) come back with help. Newt would more likely deal with this on his own terms and that would hurt his friend far more than anything else. “I’ve followed you this far, Thomas,” he said with conviction, “let me go the final lap?” That didn’t mean he was happy about leaving the nice strong door with it’s firm locks behind and to emphasis the point Newt gripped Thomas’ shoulder firmly and locked eyes with him. “If I loose control, you know what you have to do,” he told his friend, “and I’d do the same for you. Let’s not have it come to that.” Newt let go of the vial and nodded as Thomas tucked it safely away and he opened the door and headed out the way he’d come. Too many people. Too many unfamiliar sights. “Which way?” he asked, feeling lost and small in this vast city of noise and light. * Not worrying about Newt was easier said than done. Thomas was going to worry until Newt had to cure running through his veins. Until then, he had to keep an eye on Newt. he knew how this played out before. And he didn’t want to do it again. Once had been enough. “Okay.” As much as he’d rather have Newt stay behind, he had a point. Plus it just meant that he could give Newt the cure much faster if he were with him. “I’m not killing you. I wasn’t going to do it the first time and I’m damn well not going to do it a second time. If it even came to that.” Which it wasn’t. He hoped. Once Thomas had the cure pocketed, he was out the door right after Newt. “This way,” he said as he took lead. He still didn’t know where everything was. But he had a better idea than Newt since he barely arrived. * Thomas’ face was easy to read and Newt knew there was nothing he could do or say right now that would stop his friend worrying. Frankly, he was pretty bloody worried himself. He also knew Thomas wouldn’t fight him when he asked to go. Perhaps that was fighting dirty. Newt saw the moment when his friend caved and also saw a mad flicker of something he didn’t recognise flash across Thomas’ eyes. Fear? “Less talk, more running,” he said stoically as he turned in the direction he’d been pointed in. “You’ll do what you have to, Thomas,” Newt told him as they moved among the people, “because this world is alive and vibrant and, most importantly, Crank-free,” so far. Just the smells in the air were enough to sate Newt’s curiosity as they bustled their way along the streets. He felt strangely light and content knowing that Thomas and Brenda would be making their lives among these scents. The street food mixed with the smell of thousands of people going about their lives in blissful ignorance of what could be about to happen to them. “You’re going to be happy here,” he said with a soft sigh as he aimed a smile Thomas’ way, “if this doesn’t work, promise me you’ll never look back? Just enjoy everything this place has to offer.” Almost giddy now, Newt could feel himself beginning to slip away when the crowd parted in front of him to reveal a large building with ambulances pulling up in front and delivering their broken and battered wares. “There,” he pointed ahead of him, “I’m not imagining this, am I?” He wasn’t sure if he’d pushed through the fog in his brain and hit hallucination. All they needed was to scoot inside one of the vehicles whilst the crew were delivering their goods. “They have to have a syringe, right?” he asked Thomas with a lifted brow. And if not they’d have facilities for containing the flare. “You’re on,” Newt told him with a gentle push, “make this one count.” * Thomas glanced back at Newt as they made their way through the crowd. Would he do what he needed to do if Newt lost control? He couldn’t the first time. What made him think he could do it a second time? He sighed when Newt started again. “We are going to be happy here.” It was going to be the three of them and any of the other Gladers if they were to show up. “This is going to work, Newt.” He wasn’t going to make any other kind of promises. When Newt pointed, Thomas looked. It was exactly what they were looking for. “No, you’re not imagining it. It’s real.” He looked at Newt, getting a little more worried. “Stay here.” Thomas could run over, get what he needed and run away long before the paramedics came back. If Newt is beside him, they could get caught and they didn’t need that right now. “I mean it, stay put.” With one last look at Newt, he took off towards the ambulance and jumped into the back. After a few minutes of searching, he found what he needed and then made his way back to Newt. * Newt knew from the way Thomas looked at him there was no way his friend was going to help end this infection, which left the burden firmly on his shoulders. He could live with that, if he had to. There was plenty of traffic on this busy street and along with the ambulances there were lorries and vans aplenty. All it would take was to step off the curb at the right moment and it would be over. First, though, he would give Thomas a chance to do this his way. Newt still didn’t know if this ‘cure’ was a pipe-dream or whether Teresa really had found the answer to their nightmares. “Sure, we’ll be happy,” he said with a nod. He had to admit it would be good to see Brenda again and this world was a beautiful thing to behold. “I was hoping you’d say that,” he said with a smile towards the hospital, “though right now I’d believe just about anything.” Newt listened as Thomas told him what was going to happen next. He didn’t have the strength to argue and instead simply pulled himself towards the closest wall and propped himself up against it. “I’ll be here,” Newt said with a nod. Whether he’d still be standing was another matter. He watched as Thomas ran towards the hospital and the urge to see what the rest of this world offered took over. Newt took out his phone and started glancing at the streams of conversations going on in the network. After a moment he jumped in, feeling the need to simply connect to something or someone - perhaps warn them of what was about to come. After a moment Brenda spoke to him, which seemed unreal and foggy as he responded. How was this possible? He felt a racking cough hit and had no choice but to give in to it, feeling as though everything that he thought of as Newt was drifting away. He sent Brenda one last message and felt the phone slip out of his hands. * There was no time to think. Only react. Thomas quickly caught Newt before he could hit the ground. “Newt, wake up.” He shook him a bit, but it seemed a little useless. He glanced around before spotting a spot where he could drag Newt to and give him the cure without being interrupted. It wasn’t easy. Newt was pretty much dead-ish weight, but Thomas had managed to drag him to the somewhat secluded spot and set him down. The pain in his own stomach was letting him know that he probably shouldn’t have done that, but he had no choice. Newt needed this. “Things are going to be different this time…” he said as he grabbed the cure out of his pocket. After breaking off the seal on one end, he filled the syringe with the blue liquid. Once that was done, he grabbed Newt’s arm, pushed the sleeve up, gave him one last look before sticking the needle in and pushing the plunger down. * Newt thought he felt himself being lifted, pulled and pushed and then a scratch on his arm that made his mind drift in a hundred directions all at once. For a moment he tried to speak, ask questions, find out what was happening to him but his body refused to respond. The pain in his chest began to subside and he wondered if Thomas had actually managed to pull it off. His breathing slowed and his body shut down, leaving only peace. He didn’t know how long he was out but when he opened his eyes the surroundings were familiar. “Strong locks,” Newt murmured with a small smile of approval. Good. Just in case things weren’t quite as they appeared Thomas had taken precautions. “Is it over?” he asked, knowing that his friend wouldn’t have left him alone. Newt couldn’t see him without lifting his head from the sofa, which felt like a lot of effort off the bat. He’d work up to that, he thought blinking in the light of the room. “I...feel different,” he said, trying to pin down what had prompted the comment. Newt felt as though he was fully inhabiting his body once more, not fighting the desire to let go. It also meant that he could feel the trauma his body had gone through in its entirety and it wasn’t a comfortable feeling. “Fuck, it hurts,” he said under his breath as he finally hefted his body to turn over and look towards the room and Thomas. “You can probably start acting smug now,” Newt said as he gave his friend a tiny nod. “Thank you,” for not giving up, even when he should. * Having to pick up Newt and drag him around until they were back at the apartment had taken a bit of a toll. But Thomas ignored the pain and sat in the chair and watched as Newt slept on the couch. He sort of dozed, but not really. All he really wanted to know, right now, was that the cure was working. But he couldn’t tell. He had to wait for Newt to come back to the world of the living before he could find out how he was feeling. “It should be over now,” Thomas replied as he sat up a little straighter in the chair. “How do you feel different?” He was hoping the way Newt was feeling was a good different and not a bad different. “Hurting isn’t such a bad thing.” It meant something. Like, he wasn’t turning. “I could, but I won’t.” He did smile a little. “You’re welcome.” If he could have done this back at home, he would have. Being here with the cure and having Newt show up as well…it felt like a do-over. The way things should have gone. “Are you feeling any better?” * Should be over? Of course, Thomas couldn’t know for sure, not yet. “I feel like I came back from the dead,” Newt answered his voice mild but sarcastic as he felt his way back from the edge. Breathing hurt, but that was to be expected given the coughing fits he’d been subjected to prior to the injection. Talking hurt too, but how could he not when his friend had turned his life around? “Means I’m alive?” Newt asked with a small smile. “It didn’t hurt before - not really. It was like a dream. Looking down, watching everything happening to me but not quite feeling part of it,” he said looking up at Thomas. “You shouldn’t have risked it, but I’m glad you did,” he told Thomas softly. More than anything he wanted to explore this place and see what living really meant. Thomas looked almost as relieved as he felt, which was understandable given what he’d been through already. Newt finally saw the stress-lines beginning to soften as he gave a nod and then shook his head. “No, not really, but I will,” he said with confidence. “This all feels like a mad dream,” he said as he pulled himself into a sitting position. “How about you? You look tired,” Newt said with a frown of concern. “You know what,” he shot a grin towards his friend, “I could really murder a burger about now. The smell of cooked onions out there really got to me but I hadn’t realised it until now. What do you say?” Newt asked, “street-food round two?” He figured if they could survive the flare and Wicked they could probably handle anything! * “It means you’re alive,” he said out loud instead of just thinking about it. “Are you forgetting who you are talking to?” He was told not to go into the Maze and what did he do? Went into the Maze. Thomas took risks if he thought they were the right risks to take. And saving Newt…it was a huge risk that he would make over and over and over again. “It might feel like a dream, but it is real.” Newt wasn’t completely wrong; he did feel a little tired. He was doing far too much for someone who had been shot only a few days ago. “I’m fine,” he lied. He didn’t want Newt to worry. He needed to get better. At first he wanted to say that they should wait for Brenda, but they could talk to her after they came back. “If you’re up for it, let’s go get something to eat then.” * How could Newt forget that? It was part of what had made him follow Thomas to start with - he didn’t give up on his friends. Or back down from his enemies, whatever the personal cost might be. “A stubborn bastard who’ll never give up?” he answered with a wry smirk. “Which is one of your better qualities,” Newt wasn’t about to start buttering him up now. “I think this might be a really beautiful dream,” he told Thomas as he pulled himself to his feet, “can’t wait to check out what real life feels like, because Maze-life was pretty dreadful.” And now it was over. Really, truly over and that felt… unreal, but in a very good way. “I can’t remember when I last ate properly,” and now the flare was retreating Newt’s stomach was rumbling all the more. “C’mon, we can hold each other up,” he told Thomas with a broad grin, “saviour of mine,” he teased as he headed for the door. |