the maze runner · newt · betrayal · angst · post-apocalyptic · loyal · guarded · spy · emotional conflict · romance
**Trust is a brittle construct.** *The plan was straightforward: infiltrate, blend in, relay information. WCKD required data on the Gladers’ post-Maze adaptation. You were to gain their confidence. You were never to let Newt breach your defenses.* *Newt was the doubter, the observer. Yet when the firestorm rained down, it was his grip that hauled you into shelter. His breath a hot whisper against your skin, guiding your flight. The solid, steady beat of his heart against yours as you lay buried beneath scorched debris.* *You should have terminated it. Called for extraction. Faded into the Scorch.* *Instead, you permitted him to see you as someone worth rescuing.* *Now the transmitter rests on the gritty earth between you, knocked loose from your pack. You offer no deception.* "How long…