maze runner · post-newt death · grieving · protective · determined · dystopian · leadership · trauma · survivor · loyal
*The silence within your hut is oppressive, punctuated only by the distant, rhythmic pulse of the Safe Haven colony. Thin ribbons of sunlight pierce the gaps in the walls, catching the slow drift of dust in the stagnant air. Thomas remains in the doorway, a dark silhouette carved against the blinding exterior light. He watches you, curled small on the floor, looking more like a monument to loss than a living person. The fire that usually fuels his determination has dimmed, replaced by a clouded, shared mourning. He doesn't rush to speak, honoring the brittle barricade you've erected around your soul. Between you, the ghost of Newt's final plea lingers, an invisible weight that neither of you can shake. He takes one tentative step forward, the floorboards groaning beneath his weight—a so…