Welcome back! I've missed you guys.

It's been a long enough wait, and I am very pleased to publish the first chapter of Save Me From Myself's sequel, Save Us From Ourselves. If you've read The Scorch Trials, I'm sure you'll understand why it's titled the way it is.

It took me a long time to decide on the title, but even though it's simple, I think it fits. I only really decided the title a week or two ago when I received a review from one of my readers, Wallart Shipper. I think you know why, so thanks for the inspiration!

This was supposed to be released October 2nd, so I'm sorry it wasn't, especially to the people who I reassured that it would be out by then. Also, a very special happy birthday to one of my readers, MateriaGirl16, her birthday was October 2nd and this was supposed to be a birthday present... So, here's a belated birthday present from me to you!

Don't forget to check out the story I beta titled 'Dust In The Wind' by Mrs Frodo Baggins. She'd appreciate the love and it's a great story!(:

I can't wait and am very excited to start this journey with all of you great readers. The amount of love Save Me From Myself has received over the last year has been incredible, so here's the sequel you've been asking for.

This story will be starting off T, but will 99.9% get bumped up.

I do not own Maze Runner, only Sutton and any other wonderful characters I may create.

Enjoy Chapter One!

Reviews from Save Me From Myself, Chapter Thirteen; Before The Goodbye/Current Reviews.

SugarSpice824; I'm glad I made the wait shorter for you! It definitely made the wait shorter for me, as well. I'm already counting down for Scorch Trials! How'd you like the movie? I loved it! Enjoy chapter one!(:

The Genius; Thank you so much! I'm glad you loved the story, so here's the sequel! Enjoy.(:

Guest 1; Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy.(:

SecondarySources (1); You sounded like me when I saw the movie for the first time! I'm assuming you liked the story, so thank you! If not, well.. . Enjoy!(:

WolvesAndNutellaLover; haha, I'm sorry! I really emphasized on Newt and Alby's close friendship throughout the story, so I wanted to make his death really poignant. Enjoy!(:

FireXX; Finished and onto the next one! Enjoy.(:

Wallart Shipper (1); I'm glad you like Sutton's name! I know a few people found it weird, but I like it just because it's so different. Very pretty! No worries, SMFM may be over, but Save Us From Ourselves has just started! Enjoy.(:

UnknownPOV; Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! You know you mean business when you went password searching! Enjoy.(:

DanceDivaAnime; Yay, I'm glad you liked it! Enjoy.(:

MateriaGirl16; Soooo, have you read it yet?! If not, let me know what you think here! But seriously, thank you so so much for all the love! Enjoy the sequel.(:

LostGirl97; Yay, I'm glad! I did the same thing, actually. I was sitting there thinking, "Sutton would be great for this scene," and stuff like that. Oh well.): At least we have her here! Enjoy.(:

MischiefAndFaith (1); Aw, don't cry! If you did, I'm sorry! I'm so happy you loved the story, though, so I hope you enjoy the sequel just as much!(:

Jazzimyn Larsie; I'm sorry to hear that you feel that way! I did not plan for Sutton to be pictured from Indian descent, but if that's how you picture her and it's not what you would prefer, I apologize. And no, Sutton is not my name, sorry.(:

Guest 2; Thank you so much! Hopefully you and everyone else will enjoy part two!(:

Guest 3; Aw, good, I'm glad you love them together! I'm very surprised by all of the Newt love in this story. Very happy about it, though! Newt needs some love once in a while. I love hearing that people binge-read SMFM, it makes me so happy! I understand you not wanting to read the sequel due to Sutton/Thomas, and that's okay! Just knowing that you enjoyed the original is enough for me.(: If you do choose to continue reading, thanks for sticking with us!

January Raines; Yay, glad to hear that! Enjoy.(:

Jenova; I have to say, I love hearing opinions like yours. They aren't the typical Thomas/Newt opinions and I love it. I understand your suggestions as well and will hopefully be able to develop Sutton more in the sequel. Enjoy(:

DelilahRushten; Ooh, you switched! What made you change your mind, I'm curious? Enjoy.(:

Connie/AliveWasHere; Right? When I finished the trilogy a few years ago, I didn't know what to do! It's such a captivating story. Don't worry about the Glader language, it took me forever to figure it out!(: But in all serious, I'm so happy that my story helped you figure that out. That makes me so happy, you have no idea! When it comes to Death Cure, i still have no clue how to end it. I have an idea of how I'll be starting it, but to be honest, I probably won't know up until the moment I write it. It'll definitely be a spur of the moment kind of thing! Enjoy.(:

My New OTP; THE NAME OF THIS REVIEW MADE ME JUMP FOR JOY WHEN I SAW IT. No joke! So thank you just for that! But no worries, Thomas won't be giving up anytime soon..(: For New's POV, do you mean a rewrite of chapter two in Newt's POV or write a future chapter or two in his POV? You wrote 'doing a chapter of two' and since I have my vignette companion series, I wasn't too sure. Enjoy.!(:

JJ; Oh no, don't cry! TO date, that scene is one of my favorites from that story, though.(: And yay to a baby Sutton, eep! And could you imagine cute little Newts and Suttons running around? Eeeeep even more. Enjoy!(:

SecondarySources (2); It gives me palpitations, too! I love the way he talks, what with his 'sweethearts' and 'loves' and all that jazz.(:

MischiefAndFaith (2); No need to wait anymore, it's here!(: I love hearing when people don't know who to root for. Let me know what you're thinking after this one! Enjoy.(:

RedTailedHero; Good, I'm glad you enjoyed it! And it may only be thirteen chapters, but some are pretty lengthy! That's a LOT of reading. Enjoy.(:

UnderTheShadows; Here's some more! Enjoy.(:

Guest 4; I'm glad you enjoyed it so shucking much. Enjoy Part 2!(:

Guest 5; Same here. I adore Newt to pieces, he was always my favorite character. I'm glad you think so, by the way! Thanks for all of the support. but no, you're way more awesome! Here's the sequel, so please don't die! I'll try to keep Newtton safe for you. Enjoy.(:

Guest 6; You never know! (Hint; there will be(: ). Enjoy.!(:

Sophia; aww, that's good (sometimes)! It happens with Newt, though, I mean, come on. It's NEWT. Enjoy.!(:

Wallart Shipper (2); Thanks for rereading! I'm happy you love it so much. Your suggestion inspired this title and will most likey (99.9%) be the title for Death Cure, so thank you, you'll be getting all of the credit! Sutton missed you too, enjoy.(:

Niclo121212; Haha, for some people, not at all! Enjoy.(:

Natuk; I'm sorry SMFM is over, but the sequel has just started! And a smut scene will be happening soon, don't worry, they're in the works! Enjoy.(:

Guest 7; Don't worry, you're not the only Thomas fan, there's a lot of you out there!lol, I think you'll be much happier with this sequel than the original if you are...(: Enjoy!

Guest 8; Thanks for the input! Enjoy.(:

Guest 9; Thanks for the input! Enjoy.(:

Guest 10; Thanks for the input! Enjoy.(:

Guest 11; Thanks for the input! Enjoy.(:

Guest 12; Thanks for the input! Enjoy.(:

Ka-Tay's Mind; (Chapter 1): Thanks so much! Glad you enjoy it so far.(: (Chapter 2): Haha, yeah, that's Newt, he's trying his best to be a smooth talker, but he'll get rattled eventually! (Chapter 5): I'm so happy you liked it that much! The kiss was like the cherry on top. (Chapter 6): Yay, thanks so much! (Chapter 7): And just think, it's only rated T! (General): I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. Thank you for all of the great reviews. The person who wants Newt gone will definitely be explored, don't worry! And yes, Thomas kissed her! That will definitely cause a problem, just wait. Enjoy!(:

***THANK YOU to every single amazing person that goes the extra mile to review, favorite, PM, subscribe, etc. You are all amazing, amazing, people. Hopefully this chapter is worth the wait.

Time to listen to my confession

I'm much less than I wanted ot be, wanted to be

You shine a light on my dark side, but you

Don't care what you see.

Overjoyed. Over you. Overnight

But that's what you do.

Why don't you lock me up with joy and kisses?

Lock me up with love?

Chain me to your heart's desire

I don't want you to stop

Lock me in and hold this moment, never get enough

Ain't no way I'm ever breaking free

Lock me up.

"Alright, everyone off the bus. Welcome to your temporary home,".

Our driver had already exited the bus, the only people remaining were being the Gladers and one of the women who had saved us, Lorraine. We all stood up in the aisle of the long bus, some stopping to stretch before exiting the vehicle. When I reached the steps to exit, I felt Newt's hand on my back as guidance, even though we were now within what seemed to be safe walls, a garage of sorts. Must just be habit.

We were in a 3-car garage with a door on the other side of the room that led to the inside of the large building. Upon entering the garage, we had been able to see the mansion for miles, all of the Gladers slack-jawed just by the sight of the house. Finally entering the house, I saw a larger-than-life living room, adorned with three couches and two armchairs, a fireplace and a wet bar.

"My heart is breaking over the fact that this is only our temporary home!" Minho hooted from across the room where he was checking out what looked to be like a bathroom.

I couldn't help but smile at the looks of happiness and shock on everyone's faces. For some of us, life in the Glade had lasted two years. Me, on the other hand, it had only lasted a few weeks. After finally escaping the Glade and its Maze walls, filled to the brim with Grievers, we were finally, finally, safe.

"We did it," Newt said appreciatively from beside me, shoving his hands into his pockets as he surveyed the room.

There was a sort of twinkle in his eyes, a joy emanating from him that I had only seen maybe once or twice from in the Glade.

"I know you all must be very excited and tired, but you also probably have a lot of questions. I'll try to answer as many as possible before dinner is ready and then you we'll leave you to relax," Lorraine explained as she entered the room, her voice thick with authority.

Just by listening to how she spoke, it was easy to see that she was the head honcho of the group.

The promise of actual answers, something that wasn't very common in the Glade, had us nodding as all of the Gladers headed over to the couches and chairs. The two smaller chairs were occupied in a matter of seconds, what with Minho flinging his body across the one while Teresa took the other.

By the time I reached the couches, the only available spot was in the middle of the second couch, next to Thomas. Shooting him a small smile, I sat down next to him only to have Newt plop down beside me. Glancing back and forth between the two, I felt a rosy blush start to creep up my cheeks. Well. This Thomas/Newt sandwich was very awkward. When Lorraine was satisfied with our seating arrangements, she began to speak.

"I just want to start everything off by saying I'm glad you're all here. We weren't sure if we would be able to get you out of there, but when we saw that you had already escaped the simulation, it was a relief,".

"Wait, the simulation? What simulation?" Frypan asked from his spot, eyebrows furrowed.

"Ah, I'm sorry. The Maze, or, Glade as you call it?" Lorraine replied, waiting for a nod or some sort of response before continuing, "As most of you all know by now, you were all put in the Glade as a test. A sort of trial," Lorraine, spat, her nose crinkling up at the thought.

"I'm sure the people from W.I.C.K.E.D. explained some of what's been going on the last few years, but I'll get into it a bit more. Many years ago, probably before most of you were born, a series of unprecedented sun flares ravaged our planet. At first we were told not to worry, that they wouldn't be bad, but clearly, scientists were very, very, wrong,".

"When you say 'sun flare', do you mean—,".

"A sun spot that basically explodes, releasing over ten million ergs per second, along with large amounts of radiation? Yes. Think of a megaton hydrogen bomb when it explodes, for example. Now picture millions of 100-megaton bombs going off at the same time. The energy that was released on this planet was ten million times greater than a volcanic explosion... Needless to say, be glad you missed it," Lorraine continued, sadness washing over her features.

Everyone sat in silence as we waited for Lorraine to continue, until Minho spoke up.

"Dude, I am so confused with all of the science terms," he groaned, dropping his head back against the couch.

Even Lorraine chuckled lightly at the comedian of the group, even if Minho wasn't trying to be funny and was genuinely confused.

"Anyway," Lorraine sighed, "These sun flares destroyed all of our satellites, along with millions of people in a matter of days. Where millions upon millions used to live, there are now wastelands filled with radiation and death,".

"That's horrible," I shivered, not even wanting to think about it.

"How could W.I.C.K.E.D. just throw us into the Glade with all of us this going on?" Winston asked angrily, shaking his head.

"After the sun flares, a disease deemed the Flare came about. Between the disease and the remaining radiation from the flares, our ecosystem collapsed and there was just no way to contain the disease. Everyone was too scared, just fleeing everywhere like chickens with their heads cut off," Lorraine explained, her body cringing whilst speaking of the disease.

"Surely there has to be a cure, right?" Teresa suggested from her chair but Lorraine shook her head no, sighing.

"Sadly, no. Only a treatment that only the richest can afford can prolong the effects of the Flare, but no, no cure. That, however, is where all of you come in. There had been talk of children that were apparently born immune to the Flare and clearly, W.I.C.K.E.D got a hold of you. You are all immune to the Flare. Congratulations," she said, her voice flat. "W.I.C.K.E.D raised you to be incredibly bright, putting you through severe tests to try and figure out something, anything, to find out why you're all immune. That damned maze was one of those crazy tests. You're all very lucky, however. The Flare, it... It lives in your brain, takes full control of you. I'd rather die than get caught with it. Sure, our world is far from perfect, but we needed to get you out of there, no matter how safe it was. You're all geniuses, sure, but you're still children; children shouldn't be subjected that kind of torture.. Ah! Dinner's ready," Lorraine sat up smiling, looking toward an opening door.

The depressing tone of the conversation picked up immediately at the smell of pizza entering the room.

"Shut up," Frypan said at the sight of full pies getting ready to be served to us.

"I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy dinner and then take some showers. I'm sure none of you have truly bathed in a long, long time. Use as much hot water as you'd like. Goodnight," Lorraine smiled, getting up and leaving the room.

We all remained seated as a few men and women dressed in normal clothing served us our dinner, steaming plates of cheesy pizza. Taking a bite, I sighed happily.

Heaven.

"Not as good as your cooking, Frypan," Thomas mumbled through a mouth full of food, making everyone laugh.

"I wonder what they're thinking back in the Glade," I sighed after a few bites, thinking back to the few Gladers that had chosen to stay behind.

"All we can know is that they're okay. W.I.C.K.E.D reset the simulation of the Glade after we escaped, so they have plants, sun, and animals, just no new supplies coming in. They should be okay," Newt explained what the Creators must've told them after whisking me away.

Just thinking about it made me shiver, so I rested my head against Newt's shoulder.

"You okay?" I whispered against him, to which he nodded.

"Like I said, love, I will be. Alby, he..." Newt replied, struggling to get his words.

"We'll talk about everything later, okay? In private," I told him smiling.

Fighting through his emotions, Newt smiled back, kissing my shoulder lightly. In a sudden flash of movement, Minho had jumped off his chair, making a beeline for the bathroom.

"I call first shower!".

None of us had many supplies or luggage after escaping the Glade, so unpacking wasn't an issue. Everyone was exhausted, yawns could be heard all around the main room as we all picked out our beds for the night. There were no rules for sleeping except one, girls in one room, boys in another. Newt hadn't been very pleased, especially after sharing a bed with me for quite some time now, but he had kept his mouth shut.

"Top or bottom?".

"Huh?".

Teresa shot me an annoyed look before replacing it with a smile.

"Top or bottom bunk?".

Glancing over to her, I saw her pointing toward the bunk bed on the other side of the room.

"Oh. I'd prefer top, if that's okay," I said, smiling back.

Shrugging, Teresa made her way out of the room, "Go for it,".

Checking the clock on the wall told me that it was 11:37, late enough to mean I was losing good sleep. Heading over to the clock, I debated setting an alarm for the new day, but decided against it. I'm allowed to sleep in tomorrow.

Sleeping in.

I could've passed out just thinking about it. The door shut behind me so I turned, expecting Teresa to be getting ready for bed.

"Hey, is everything okay?" I asked as a determined Newt strode across the room.

Strong hands pressed against my shoulders and pulled me to him, his lips pushing against mine. My body melted around his touch, his legs guiding me back towards the wall.

"Newt.." I whispered against his protests and he nodded.

"I know. I'm just glad that we're both here, safe. We lost a lot of good people back in the Maze, we lost...".

I waited patiently for him to continue speaking despite the hard time he was having.

"We lost Alby. I watched it happen and just sat there," he growled, shaking his head back and forth furiously with closed eyes.

Grabbing him by the shoulder, I pushed him back slightly so I could see him fully.

"Hey. There was nothing you could do to save him. If you hadn't had jumped to the side..". My voice cracked just at the thought of Newt being in Alby's position. "If you hadn't jumped to the side, you wouldn't be here, and that would've meant I broke my promise,".

For some reason, Newt's curious look shook me, made me sit down on the floor and pull my knees to my chest. Newt followed me down to the floor, resting his chin on my knees.

"What promise?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Newt, he.. He's a great guy, you know that. He's like my brother, but he's known for being a loose cannon sometimes, and I think him hitting Gally proved that,".

"He was provoked," I insisted, standing up for the boy that wasn't even here to defend himself, but Alby dismissed me with the wave of a hand.

"Either way, he's still known for losing it once and a whole. I need you to promise me that if something happens to me, you'll take care of him,".

My eyes narrowed in on Alby's while he spoke.

"Nothing's going to happen to you,".

"But if something does, I don't want Newt falling off the edge. He's come close, before you arrived, and if I'm not here to bring him back, I fear that you're the only one who can," Alby explained, running a tired hand down his face.

"Alby, nothing is going to happen," I urged, but Alby was persistent, just like Newt.

"Promise me. Promise me you'll take care of him,".

"I promise,".

"I made a promise to Alby back in the Glade and I intend to keep it, no matter what; Newt, Alby was broken. We all knew he secretly didn't want to leave the Glade. It was his kingdom, his paradise. Especially after the Changing, he wouldn't have made it out here, and I think you know that. Don't feel guilty over something you couldn't control—and don't say you didn't try to save him you did—I saw it," I told him, shuddering over images of Newt scooping up Alby's bodily organs in a last-ditch effort to save his best friend.

Newt's eyes closed, his body shook when he sighed.

"I guess. It's just that I see it all the time—when my eyes are closed, when I'm sleeping... Not that it matters, but he gave us his blessing. He really liked you, Sutton," Newt said, smiling at the thought.

It made me smile too, tears welling up in my eyes.

"He may have been a hard-ass, but I liked him too," I giggled, making Newt laugh quietly.

Behind us the door creaked open and Teresa popped her head.

"Am I interrupting or can I go to bed? Sorry," she apologized when she saw Newt's face, but I shook my head.

"He was just heading to bed, right Newt?".

"Slim it," Newt smirked, shooting me a wink as he pushed off my knees to stand.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I yelped as he crossed the room.

I made a beeline for him, jumping into his arms praying he would catch me. He did (barely), kissing me back as I wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing ever so lightly. The kiss was sugar and a scent only Newt had as his lips pulled away from, tugging on my bottom lip.

"Goodnight," I whispered against his lips, his tongue graving quickly over my mouth.

"Night,".

Help me.

My eyes shot open in the darkness, taking in my surroundings the best I could. The words echoed in my head like an alarm, never leaving.

Help me.

The words were spoken, they were there, but it was like the words were miles away. That was when I heard the noises. Thumps, clangs, screaming that pierced my ears. My stomach felt like it was crunching in half as I tried to stand up, to move period.

I couldn't move.

My body was stuck in a comatose state but my mind was just fine, that part of my body, luckily, was working just fine.

"Teresa?" I called into the darkness.

More thumps, more clangs, more screams.

No Teresa.

Help me.

The voice was louder this time, going from far away to right next to my head, yelling, belting out at me to help. My jaw strained as I tried to open my mouth to speak but nothing worked.

HELP ME!

The voice was hurting my ears now, shooting pins and needles into my brain, screaming for help. Between the screaming and the random voices outside in the hall I was panicking, only able to hear the cries of someone or something. There was a loud banging at the door and it was as if something, a weight of some sort, was lifted off of my chest and my top half flung forward, sitting up in a rush.

I took in a choked breath, coughing at the unexpected inhale. Looking around in the darkness, all I felt was terror, fear, horror. What's going on? Glass from the window next to my bed shattered all around me in one loud blast, a loud shriek entering the room. I screamed at the top of my lungs, throwing my arms over my head in cover.

"Death! Death, I need it!" the voice outside the window screamed as it banged on the bars that thankfully covered the windows.

Uncovering my eyes, I almost vomited at the sight of the man outside the window.

A piece of glass was stuck in the man's right hand, blood pulsing around the jagged shard. His eyes were bloodshot, hair in thick tufts around his scalp. His skin was covered in sores, bruises and blood, he missed almost all of his teeth.

"Oh my God," I whimpered, jumping off of the bed and toward the bedroom door.

"God can't save me! Crank! Crank! I'm a Crank!" the man screeched, bashing his head into the bars on the window.

It was a repeated motion, his callused hands threw his head into the bars, a thick squishing sound filling the room as blood dropped onto the metal bars.

"Stop, stop it!" I yelled, pulling on the doorknob to escape.

Locked.

"What?" I muttered, pulling on the doorknob again.

"Death! Death!" the voice continued, but this time it was barely recognizable, his voice too marbled, his mouth to filled with his own blood as his face continued to be smashed against the window.

The door was a no-go and there was no way I could bring the door down. I glanced around the room for a weapon of some kind but found nothing, only left with my alarm clock that was blinking like the power had gone out. Running over, I ripped the plug out of the wall and took the clock, even though it most likely wouldn't do klunk. Back at the door, I took the clock and smashed it up against the doorknob. The clock made a large cracking sound but the doorknob didn't budge, making me curse under my breath.

Before I could swing the clock again, the screaming behind me went quiet. Forcing myself to turn around, I squeezed my eyes shut when I saw the poor man's gory face slide down the bars. Trying my best not to think about the dead man, I gave the doorknob a few more hits until I gave up and just started banging on the door.

"Help!" I called out, praying someone would hear me. I gave up on that after a while, too—where was everybody?

"Sutton?!".

"Newt?" I asked in a sigh of relief.

"Yes, love, it's me. Is the door locked?" Newt's voice was shaking but I could tell he was trying to sound calm for me.

"Yeah, I tried smashing the lock but I can't get out,".

"Okay, stand back, Sutton," Newt said before his presence disappeared.

Heading his warning I stepped back, folding my hands in front of my mouth. There was a countdown on the other side of the door and on one a loud crash against the door, the hinges rattling.

"Again!" a voice called before the countdown started once more.

Pieces of wood on the splintered in random directions, forcing me to hide my face from the flying rubble. On the third hit the door flew open, slamming against the wall behind it. Newt, Minho and Thomas stormed into the room, stumbling over each other. If it wasn't for the situation we were in, I totally would've laughed. In seconds I was wrapped inside of Newt's arms before he pulled away, checking me for cuts and bruises.

"Are you okay? You hurt?" he asked in a hurry, lifting up my shirt to check over my stomach.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I insisted, pulling his hand away and leaving it in mine.

"Thank God," he sighed, eyes widening at the window behind me.

"Sutton, did he..".

"I'm fine, he did it to himself," I explained, refusing to look at the scene with the boys.

"Have you seen Teresa?" Thomas came up beside me, scanning the room with his eyes.

"No. The last time I saw her was when we went to sleep. It's like she just disappeared," I shrugged, rubbing my arms.

Gently pushing me to the side, Thomas entered the room and began looking around, I guess just to make sure.

"I'm not lying to you, Thomas," I sneered, annoyed that he didn't believe me.

"I believe you, Sutton, but trust me when I say that a lot stranger has happened in the last twelve hours," Thomas replied, glancing over his shoulder at me.

Just then I was hit with a foul, pungent smell that threatened to knock me off of my feet.

"Oh my God, do you guys smell that?" I gagged, leaning into Newt's shoulder to plug my nose.

"Yes, love, we've been smelling it for quite some time, now," Newt nodded, pulling away from me so he could try and force the now-broken door back into place.

"Why are you shutting the door? What's out there?" I asked, stepping around him to reach for the door.

Newt's hand shot out to grab mine, pushing me away from the door.

"Sutton, don't. Please, you don't want to see what's out there,".

I yanked my hand out of his grip, glaring at him to take him by surprise.

"Yes, I do. Stop sheltering me from whatever world we live in now,".

Backing down, Newt sighed, stepping to the side and allowing me room to exit the dormitory. The lights were a sharp contrast of the darkness from my room, so I threw my hands up against my eyes to brace the impact.

When I bumped into the dead, fleshy body hanging from the ceiling, I understood why Newt had insisted of me staying in me room.

"Oh God..." I cried, dropping to my knees.

Newt and Thomas hadn't followed me back into the living room, but Minho, Frypan, and other Gladers were spread out amongst the carnage, inspecting bodies while some were huddling in corners vomiting. There were at least a dozen dead bodies hanging, all strung up by their necks, as if hung. Some of the ropes twisted into skin after being bumped into, turning the dead, pale skin into a dark purple color. Cheeks were puffed out and bloated while some fingers still twitched from nerves ending. My gaze passed over all of their open eyes until I found her wide-eyed look of horror.

Lorraine's body hung limp only a few feet in front of me, swaying back and forth lightly.

That was when I realized that these bodies, all of these poor, innocent people, were the ones who had rescued us not even a day before.

"Yeah, well I don't care if you call 'em pussy willows, just find me something to get the bloody creature away from the window!" Newt's voice shouted from inside of my room, making Minho sigh.

Stepping into my room, Minho pulled Newt out by the shoulder, "Those things aren't getting past those bars, trust me, dude,".

"How is she going to shucking sleep in there with those things banging on the damn windows?" Newt snarled, looking back at Thomas, who nodded and headed over to the window to deal with the Crank, or whatever it was that they seemed to call themselves.

"I doubt any of us are going back to sleep after this," a Glader from across the room muttered, but got quieted when Newt glared at him.

"Has anyone found Teresa yet?" Thomas asked, emerging from the room once the deed was done.

A chorus of 'no's' entered the room.

"We have to find where they took her. For some reason they only took her and not Sutton, which is weird,".

"Do we even know who this 'we' group is?" Newt asked, finally walking over and helping me to my feet.

"Well at first I assumed it was W.I.C.K.E.D, but they didn't take Sutton, and they clearly wanted her back at their base," Thomas shrugged, playing with his fingers.

"Wait, wait! Look!" Winston, Keeper of the Bloodhouse, shouted from beside my bedroom door.

We all ran over, my hand in Newt's, to see Winston pointing at a small sheet of paper hanging next to my door.

"How have we not seen this?" Thomas asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Pulling it off the wall, Thomas read it out loud. "Teresa Agnes. Group A, Subject A1... The Betrayer,".

"What in the bloody shuck is that supposed to mean?" Newt growled, pulling it out of Thomas' hands to read it, as if he didn't believe it.

Just then, a toilet started to flush from inside of the room Teresa and I had shared. Hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight at the noise despite Thomas' relaxed demeanor. Thomas took off towards the bathroom, calling Teresa's name, but Newt stopped him.

"What are you doing?" Thomas asked, annoyed that Newt wasn't letting him near Teresa.

"Thomas, that's not Teresa. We checked that bathroom over not even five minutes ago,".

"Shut the door and take whoever it is by surprise," I suggested, pulling Newt out of the bedroom, who pulled Thomas out.

Nodding in agreement, Thomas pulled on the door and let it click into place as quietly as possible, just in time for whoever it was to exit the bathroom. We all stood huddled together around the door, waiting. Newt's hand landed on my shoulder and pulled me behind him, making me jump. When the door popped open it nearly fell off its hinges from the boys trying to break it down earlier, but revealed a boy that was wearing the exact same pajamas as all of the boys.

His was dark and short, almost nonexistent it was so short. He jumped backwards in surprise at seeing all of our faces waiting for him outside of the bedroom.

"Whoa!" he gasped, throwing his hands up in defense.

"Who are you?" Thomas snapped, his lip curling defensively.

I'd never seen Thomas so angry and it was quite the interesting look—I kind of liked it. The boy snorted obnoxiously, crossing his arms.

"I could ask all of you the same thing,".

Clearly not liking the sarcasm, Newt reached forward and pushed the boy back a few feet, knocking the smirk clear off of his face.

"I suggest you give us the answers we want to know,".

As the conversation continued and the threats flew, I took in his short black hair, his olive skin. I almost wanted to reach out and touch him, he seemed so familiar. Then again, I'd felt the exact same thing with half of the other Gladers so I couldn't say for sure. I was surprised at how much he looked like Thomas, actually.

"Name's Aris. What are you guys doing standing here like you all want to kill me?" the boy, Aris, asked, standing on his toes to look over our heads.

He was clearly counting how many of us there was, preparing to take us all on if necessary.

"Maybe because you're in my room and one of us is missing," I growled, stepping out from behind Newt.

Aris' eyes lit up upon seeing me, shooting me a toothy smile.

"This is definitely not your room, honey. I would've known if I was sharing a room last night with someone who looked like you,".

The smirk that had been on Newt's face dropped and a good amount of Gladers let out a sigh, a warning.

"Shouldn't have said that," Newt said simply before lunging, taking Aris to the ground.

Chaos broke out and Minho jumped into action, reaching down to pull the two apart. Louis, one of our old Med Jacks, jumped in as well and Thomas was by my side in a second, pulling me away from the fight.

"You okay?" he whispered in my ear, rubbing my shoulders.

"No," I whispered back, but my eyes were only on Newt.

Aris threw a punch and I cringed, not wanting Newt to get hurt. Thomas could clearly sense that I was itching to step in and help Newt, so he put a stop to that immediately.

"You know Newt wouldn't want you getting involved. Sure it's rash, but he's only trying to defend your honor,".

"He could've just taken it as a compliment," I told him, raising an eyebrow as Minho finally pulled Newt off of Aris.

Leaning forward, Newt spit at Aris, but let Minho drag him away from the stranger.

"We good?" Minho breathed, exhausted just from pulling Newt and Aris apart.

"Are we good? No, we're not bloody good! Can someone explain to me how this prick apparently slept in the same room as two our own, not to mention two or our females, without them knowing it?" Newt argued, finally pulling out of Newt's grasp. When nobody responded it was only adding fuel to the fire, so he continued. "Sutton, did you see him last night? See anything?".

He looked at me with pleading eyes, as if begging me to say yes so that'd he have a reason to hurt him.

"No, Newt. I didn't. You know I would've said something if I did,".

After a moment of silence, Newt nodded.

"I didn't see her or this other girl that you're talking about, guys. Swear," Aris spoke up, making me look at him.

Blood dribbled out of the corner of his mouth, his bottom lip split from one of Newt's punches.

"That's a shucking lie," Newt snarled, lunging for him again, but Minho was quicker, grabbing him and pushing him against the nearest wall.

"You need to calm down, Newt," Minho ordered, fighting against Newt's struggling body.

"There's something he's not telling us, and you're all okay with that?" Newt asked, exasperated.

"Okay, man, calm down. If Sutton's positive and not worried, you shouldn't be either," Thomas said.

Glancing over, Newt's body went stock still, enough to have Minho release him.

"You're telling me that you're okay with the fact that some guy, some stranger was locked in the same bedroom with Teresa, Tommy, and there was nothing we could about it? Not just Teresa, but Sutton? You're okay with that?" Newt asked quietly, stepping up to look Thomas directly in the eyes.

"Newt.." I began, but Newt shot a hand out, telling me to slim it.

Looking in Newt's eyes, I saw anger, but a very different kind of anger. The look Newt was giving Thomas was one of accusation, but not for the past night's events. It was for something else.

"Because if you're really, truly, okay with that just because Sutton isn't freaking out, then you're whipped, man. You're so wrapped around her finger you can't even think straight and she's not even your girlfriend," Newt exclaimed, shooting his eyebrows up suggestively.

My eyes rolled, my head shook. Must he always do this? Rub things in Thomas' face?

"No, I'm not okay with it, Newt. And I'm not whipped, just some of us can't get everything we want. We all know that if our positions were swapped and I was the one greeting her into the Glade, not you, this situation would be very, very, different," Thomas said simply, smiling.

The room went silent, everyone waiting with bated breath for Newt's next move. Newt's a loose cannon, even Alby had said so, and just by the look in Aris' eyes, I knew he was just thinking of something to rile Newt and Thomas up even more.

"Okay, that's enough. Seriously, where is this coming from? Don't be shanks, it's over" I told them, my voice firm as I put my hands on Newt's chest, pushing him away from Thomas.

"Yes, it is," Thomas replied, shooting me a smile before heading back over to where Aris stood, rooted to his spot.

"All I know is that when I went to sleep, I was the only one in the room," Aris eventually spoke when Thomas gave him the floor, shrugging his shoulders at us.

My hand was a Newt's back, rubbing my thumb up and down across his soft back. The look in Thomas' face was something I hadn't seen before as well, his hands were balled up into fists when he spoke.

"See this? This was on the wall right next to this door. Teresa, Teresa Agnes. This is her room. Don't see any mention of a shank named Aris, anywhere around here,".

The joking look on Aris' face left in a millisecond and a look of fear replaced it. Finally, Aris knew we were not joking around, no games—his hands flew up in surrender.

"Guys, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any harm, really. Last night, this was the room I was given and assigned. I slept in that bed—," Aris explained, pointing to the top bunk of one of the pairs of bed.

"No, you didn't. I slept in that bed," I stepped in, interrupting his speech.

"What?" Newt growled, fierce eyes landing on Aris.

Aris shot me a look as if telling me I wasn't helping.

"I'm positive, I slept in that bed, alone. It was dead silent all night, woke up about five minutes ago, and boom, here you all are,".

At this, nobody knew what to say. Both Aris and I seemed to be telling the truth, but nothing was adding up. There was no way in hell we had both slept in the same bed all night without realizing it.

Thomas eventually looked over at Newt, who shrugged, making me balk at the two. One minute they're ready to rip each other's heads off, the next they're working together. When push comes to shove, the two clearly understand that they need to push their problems aside.

If only they could do that 24/7.

"If that's really what happened, who put you in there last night?" Newt asked, leaning back into my shoulder as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Shit, if I only knew, man," Aris sighed, throwing his hands up in the air, "A bunch of people rescued us, gunned 'em all down before telling us that we're safe,".

It was like the room had frozen over when every Glader shivered upon hearing his explanation. How could his night sound so familiar to ours?

"What did you have for dinner?" I asked him.

It would normally be a pointless question, but this one... This time, it was important.

"Pizza. Why?".

"Oh my God," I gasped, leaning into Newt's neck.

"Guys, what are you getting at? You're all freaking me out," Aris stuttered, nerves wracking his features.

"Rescued you from what?" Thomas dared to ask, goosebumps covering his arms and legs.

At Thomas' question, Aris shivered, casting a glance towards the ground for a moment before finally looking back up to answer us.

"From the Maze, man. From the Maze,".

"What the hell was that, Thomas?".

"What was what?".

"You know what. Newt knew what he was doing and you just had to say something, didn't you?".

Aris had agreed to talk to Newt about his past experiences before arriving in the dormitory and Newt had reluctantly, surprisingly, allowed Thomas to keep an eye on me.

"I know your intentions, but I know that that means you'll protect her, too, no matter what," Newt had said before kissing me on the cheek.

"Oh, so beating up the new kid was okay? That was justified?" Thomas asked, scoffing under his breath.

"Sure, that was a bit much, but Minho would have gotten through to him! You don't always have to defend me,".

"Defending you and sticking up for are two different things," Thomas argued, pointing at me with one finger.

I batted it out of my face immediately, making him chuckle.

"Stop that,".

"Stop what, laughing?" Thomas asked, eyebrows raising.

"Yes, laughing. It makes it seem like everything going on right now is okay, and it's not. It's far from it," I sighed, my voice shaking.

Thomas watched me for a moment, eyes grazing up and down my body, taking in every part of me. I didn't like, it made me feel naked. Like he could see right through me.

"It'll be okay" Thomas said, making me laugh.

"Teresa is gone, Thomas. You said so yourself, this is not okay. We have Cranks trying to break into the house, whatever a crank is, the people that saved us are dead. I mean, what else could possibly make things worse?".

After my rant, I felt a tear slip down my cheek and Thomas saw it.

"I have a couple ideas," he muttered, running a thumb over his bottom lip.

"A couple ideas?" I asked, reiterating the question.

In a flash, Thomas was pressed up against me, holding my body up against the wall.

"Yes. A couple ideas of what could possibly make things worse," Thomas managed to utter, his breath hot against my lips.

"Stop," I whispered.

"But I'm not doing anything," his voice was against my temple now, coating the shell of my ear.

"You're doing a hell of a lot and I need you to shucking stop,".

"Why? Tell me why and I'll stop," Thomas breathed, one hand pinning mine next to my head, the other running down my side, stopping at my hip.

"There's nothing to tell,".

My body jumped as his lips swooped down, ghosting over my collar bone.

"Okay," he whispered as his fingers wrapped in my long hair, pulling playfully.

The door swung open, pushing Thomas' body away from me like a flash of lightning. Instinctively, I crossed my arms around my body, but I could feel the heat creep up my cheeks. Thomas cleared his throat, throwing his hands to his hips as Newt looked between us for a second before shooting a hand into the living room.

"Aris wants to talk to you, mate,".

Nodding, Thomas left the room silently, not before sparking a glance over his shoulder at me. The look passed by in slow motion his eyes twinkling with curiosity, his lips curved into a smile.

"You okay?" Newt asked me, watching me carefully.

Snapping out of my trance, I looked at Newt, taking in his strong arms, strong jawline, strong everything. When I didn't answer, his eyebrows furrowed, he shut the door.

"Sutton?".

"Please stop talking," I told him, stepping forward, grabbing him by the collar.

Pulling him against me, his mouth crashed into mine, taking Newt by surprise. He wasn't opposed, however, he made it clear through his rough kisses, his rough gropes and my waist.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what's this for?" Newt grunted when my leg wrapped around his hips, pulling him closer to my body.

Reaching for the hemline of his shirt, I yanked it up and over his head before pulling his lips back to mine.

"Something in my head just told me to,".

"Good that," Newt replied, smiling against my lips.

His mouth tasted of sugar, even after just waking up. Images of the dead bodies hanging out in the hall flashed through my mind, but the moan escaping his lips pushed it away, brought me back.

Taking a step toward him, his back hit the wall with a grunt, his fingers reaching down to tickle me lightly.

"Not while I'm concentrating," I giggled, licking a strip up his chest.

Newt groaned, his head hitting the wall, his body shivering against mine. His hips stirred against mine before we were ripped away from the wall and my body was thrown onto a bottom bunk mattress, his body following in hot pursuit. Newt landed atop me with a loud 'oof!', but seconds later, my nightshirt was being thrown over my head and chucked across the room, discarded somewhere in the darkness.

"Be quiet or someone will come to check on us," Newt muttered when I mewled pleasantly under his ministrations.

Raising an eyebrow, I rested my hand against the waistband of his long pajamas pants, to which he sighed, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"I don't hear you complaining,".

Newt began to shift against me, roll over so I could be seated in his lap when we heard loud shouts coming from the living room. From under the shut door, we could see that the lights had been shut off for some unknown reason.

"Find the light switch!" a voice shouted as the sounds of Gladers bumping into tables and each other could be heard.

"We should probably go check on that," I sighed, running my nails up his stomach, his chest, his neck, to rest at his cheek.

"Just because we should doesn't mean I'll be letting you leave my lap anytime soon," Newt growled, finally managing to flip us over.

I laughed, running a hand through his shoulder-length hair. Smiling, Newt pulled me down by the shoulders, planting a wet kiss on my mouth. Someone had bumped into something expensive, for a loud string of curses filled the air when whatever it was that had been hit fell to the floor, crashing to pieces.

"Dammit," Newt growled, pulling me off of him and leaving me alone in the bed.

"What was that you said about not 'letting me leave your lap anytime soon'?" I quipped, crinkling my nose in annoyance.

Newt turned on his heel and leaned in, kissing me hard, biting at my bottom lip before heading for the door.

"Don't move. I'm checking on this and coming straight back,".

"Yeah, sure, you will," I snorted, already knowing what would happen.

Something bad would happen and we would be interrupted, forced to go see what was going on.

Newt shot me a look, his eyes piercing mine before glancing down at my legs.

"No, not this time. I'm going to fixing this, then come back here and rip off every single piece of clothing left on your body,".

Okay, there you have it! Chapter One of Save Us From Ourselves.

What did you guys think? Let me know in the comment box down below.

Feel like chatting, feel free to PM me, blah blah blah. Y'all know the drill by now.

Best way to reach me is by twitter, my handle is: XoStasiiXo.

Don't forget to let me know, #TeamThomton, #TeamSutton, or #TeamNewtton down below. Much appreciated, helps curves the story!

Can't wait to see you all for Chapter 2. Let's get this story rolling!

Sutton loves you.

"You're the mistake. You've always been the mistake,".

Song; Lock Me Up. Artist; The Cab. Album; Lock Me UP (EP); 2014.