A/N: Please forgive any errors you may find. I'm running on few hours of sleep at the moment and my editing may suffer a tad because of it.

Third person POV

As the walls collapsed around them, Jorge yanked Minho and Newt back towards him and out of harm's way. Newt's frantic gaze shifted up and he watched the ceiling crumble above them.

"Let's go!" Jorge yelled running down the hall without a second glance.

Aris, Fry Pan, and Teresa immediately followed but Minho and Newt both hesitated, their eyes staring at the spot their friends were just sitting. Now, there was only a giant pile of rocks, sealing them off from their loved ones.

Minho sighed, placing his hand on Newt's shoulder. "Come on, I'm sure they got out."

Newt nodded solemnly before following Minho. His body performed the action while his mind raced with thoughts that would forever haunt him. Images flashed through his mind of all the moments he could remember of Clara. When he first saw her in the box terrified and injured and even then his heart clinched just looking at her. He thought back to the night she got stuck in the maze because she refused to leave Alby behind. He remembered how long and terrible that night was, still the absolute worse night of his life. And when Thomas carried her in the next morning; she looked dead then. He grimaced as the images continued dancing through his mind and even just thinking about the possibility of losing her, his heart ached. To never see her smile again, to never hear her laugh, would be the darkest thing to happen to him in his existence. He shook his head, finally being pulled from his thoughts when Minho pulled him out of the way of falling debris.

"Keep your head with me and we'll see her again, okay?" Minho spoke with such intensity that Newt found himself absently nodding although he didn't even comprehend the words Minho spoke.

The building was trembling with the amount of force from the shock and it took Newt and Minho a moment to realize that there were bodies everywhere. Jorge's men were scattered around the floor, including Brutus, the one that started it all. Gunshots rang through the building, breaking the tense atmosphere seeing the bodies had created.

"Go! Run!" Jorge called out to the group of gladers. His eyes raked across the intruders and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the WCKD emblem. Of course, he thought sardonically. His eyes shifted to the desk against the window and inspiration struck. He flipped around to the group, eyes scanning over each one in turn. "Stay here. Wait for my cue."

He quickly made his way to the desk and set up the trap he'd been waiting forever to set. The song started playing, echoing through the speakers in the abandoned building he had come to know as home. "That's the cue!" He called out to the gladers. He then turned and ran towards large windows, peeking out to see the helicopter circling above. He could only pray at this point that Brenda somehow managed to get away from the crushing debris in time. Turning around he noticed the group anxiously watching him, waiting for further instructions.

As his eyes scanned the group he couldn't help notice that something appeared off. He knew right away that Thomas appeared to be the leader of the group, always watchful and protective of the others. But the girl, it was the girl he thought that they really missed. He had witnessed firsthand how much they all cared for her and how much they felt propelled to protect her. His mind wandered to the bounty Jansen had placed on her and he couldn't help but think, why? What was so terribly important about this one girl that all of these kids would do everything it took to keep her safe while WCKD, the corporation that dumped them all there in the first place, did everything it took to retrieve her. Sure, the others were worth a good chunk of change but the twins and Thomas, they were worth a fortune. What made them different then? And right now their fates were unknown. They could already be crushed under the crippling building or they could even be cranks. He immediately dismissed the thought assuming WCKD wouldn't risk such precious cargo if they weren't immune.

"Jorge?"

He turned at the thick accent, an arch in his brow.

Newt glanced around then, confusion settling on his features.

There was an undeniable pain in his voice and on his face that Jorge's cold heart clinched for the boy at having to already suffer such a loss at his young age. His mind wandered to Brenda once again when he thought about loss. She had suffered too. He shook his head slightly and gestured to the window. "Our exit."

Minho stepped forward and grabbed the rope, eyes following the rope to the anchor on the other end. Once he seemed satisfied he quickly looked over the group, his gaze finally settling on Newt. He nodded to the blonde before throwing himself out of the window with such force it took everyone by surprise.

"Minho!" Newt yelled out, an instinct driving his fear for the boy. He watched Minho sail through the air, only looking away to view the helicopter circling above them.

"They're on the third floor! I repeat, third floor!"

Chills shot down Newt's spine when he heard the voice, his voice, and an intense hatred stirred in his gut. Jansen. The man that tortured Clara and then later acted as if he only cared about her. Newt's eyes narrowed as he watched the helicopter hoping it would crash.

"Newt! Go!"

Newt's eyes shifted to Jorge before returning to where Minho had landed on the other side. Jorge grabbed another piece of rope and shoved it into the boy's hand. "Go!"

Newt nodded before jumping out of the window, following Minho's lead. The air in his face felt refreshing but it did nothing for his morale. Instead of looking around at the destroyed city he found himself staring at the collapsing building. He shuddered as more images of Clara flooded his thoughts but was slammed back into reality when his body collided into Minho's. "Newt! You gotta stay focused!"

Newt's gaze skimmed over Minho briefly before he shifted back towards the window in time to help Teresa land safely. Aris and Fry Pan were getting ready to make the dive themselves when his voice claimed Newt's attention once more.

"Get them! We need them all!"

Minho helped the others in and they only had to wait for Jorge. A slow, agonizing moment crawled by until finally Jorge landed safely in front of Minho.

And then the building exploded.

They all watched with wide eyes before Jorge pushed them away from the blast. The helicopter rocked slightly from the force of the explosion and Newt's eyes darted upwards praying to see Jansen come flying out. He was pulled back before he could watch to see if the helicopter crashed. Minho's grasp tightened on his arm and they quickly followed Jorge out of the building.

The trek was long through the buildings but apparently it was safer than trying to survive in the city. Once again Newt's thoughts drifted to Clara. What if she got separated from everyone else and tried to get back to him through the city? What if she wasn't immune and got bitten by one of those bloody cranks? His thoughts started turning darker down a path that he knew would end him if he continued down it. They stopped in order to take a break and Newt collapsed against the wall and let himself slide down to the ground.

"I get it, kid. It's tough losing someone but you listen to me and you listen close."

Newt's gaze flickered up to Jorge as the older man leaned closer to him.

"Brenda will get them out safely. Try having a bit of hope, will you?" Jorge's gentle features were presented in a way to be calming but Newt found himself recoiling at his words. Anger started rising within him and he couldn't seem to bite his tongue fast enough to keep the words from slipping out.

"She is my hope! Without her there is no bloody hope!" He pushed the older man away from him before rising to his feet. He began pacing along the wall, running his hand through his hair gripping it tightly as he did. His chest heaved up and down as he struggled to breathe properly but even the random habit of pulling his hair had his thoughts trailing to her. The way she smiled every time she ran her own hands through his hair made him not even want to touch it. It was perfect the way she left it.

A solid body stepped in front of him and prevented him from pacing any further. Hands grasped his shoulders tightly in a firm grasp, hands that became familiar to him in his dark days before she made it to the maze. Hands that often pulled him back from the edge when his mind spiraled out of control. A broken sob stuck in his throat and his downcast gaze focused on the floor, unseeing. "I can't lose her Minho."

Those hands pulled him into a tight embrace, patting his back in a soothing manner that only worsened the feeling he felt while lacking a different embrace that he so desperately needed. He missed everything about her. And while he had seen her within the last few hours or so it seemed like years had passed since he didn't know if she was even still breathing. The not knowing, the unknown, something everyone feared at some point caused his blood to run cold.

"You need to get a hold of yourself. I know how you feel right now, I do. I get it. You're terrified of those thoughts running through your mind and if they're true..." He shook his head before dropping down to Newt's line of sight. "Well, they're probably not. It's Clara. She's not alone either. Even if she was, Newt, you have to have faith in her. I saw her that night in the maze. I saw what she's capable of. She's absolutely remarkable." He smiled up at Newt, his features softening when Newt's gaze lifted to his. "You have to believe that she'll survive because that's who she is. To say she's a fighter is weak. She's more than that. She's always been a survivor and you of all people should know that."

Newt's gaze cleared of the tears he'd been holding back and he nodded at Minho in response. "You're right. She's bloody impossible to stop. She can...she'll survive out there." His gaze shifted to the wall they leaned against before another thought crossed his. "Well, come on then. We have to go find her."

Minho nodded and rose to his feet. "That's my boy. Let's go, let's go get her." He patted Newt on the shoulder before they rejoined the group.

Jorge glanced up at the two before continuing his conversation with the other three. "Brenda will have taken them through the south tunnel, that's the only one they'd be able to access from where we were." He was holding a stick and setting up the scene in the dirt on the ground. There were only a few different lines and Minho couldn't help but wonder what they'd miss. "That tunnel will let out over here by this building." Jorge drew a square in the dirt, his gaze flickering over Minho back to Teresa. "And then she'll take them to Marcus." He grinned at the possibility of seeing his old "friend". "We'll find them there. Now, the problem with this scenario is that all of this is clear across the city. We can't go now, night time is extremely dangerous out there so we'll have to stay hidden in here until then. They won't get us here."

"Who?"

Jorge's gaze met Minho's and his features hardened. "The cranks. They won't come up this far at night. No, at night they're in the underneath."

"Where Brenda will be with the others?" Newt asked, voice wavering in pain.

"Yes. She's smart and crafty though. You have to believe they will be waiting for us at Marcus' because it will happen. She knows those tunnels better than the back of her hand, I promise you that." Jorge's eyes lit up as he spoke about the younger girl and for once since being separated from Clara, Newt felt a small spark of hope flutter in him.

"We stay here tonight, safe from cranks and tomorrow we'll be reunited with them and on our journey once again."

No more words were spoken after Jorge wrapped up his end of the conversation and they all settled into their own space for the night. Fry Pan sat beside Jorge, discussing the city in detail while Newt just slid down the wall beside Minho.

"Do you remember the night of the first bonfire after Thomas?" Newt whispered, eyes distant as he thought back to that night.

"When we all got hammered and played truth or dare? Hard to forget." Minho replied with a smirk on his lips.

Newt ran a hand through his hair, a small smile turning up the corner of his lip. "That was really the first night we noticed what a difference she made on us all. Alby daring Chuck to pants Winston." His voice was soft as he reflected on that night.

"And Thomas daring Clara to hit Gally with that stick only for her to throw it right back at him instead."

Newt chuckled lightly, resting his head against the wall. "She hit him right in the face, felt terrible the rest of the night for it too."

"How about the time that Chuck chased the lone chicken around the pen for hours before Clara finally just opened the gate and let it free? He was so distraught that it took off that she helped him chase it after." Minho shook his head before his eyes shifted to Newt. "We weren't meant to be without her. I know that. She's more than just our hope, Newt. She's our light and peace and everything good too. We can survive everything this hell hole has to offer as long as we get her back. Which we will." His signature cocky grin appeared and he nodded. "She's probably already chilling at that Marcus guy's house, sleeping in a comfy bed, wondering what's taking us so long. Just boosting her ego and making her think she's better than us, again." He shook his head at the thought and slowly exhaled. "She is better than us though. Shuck she ran faster than me when she first arrived and I was supposed to be the fastest. The keeper of the runners. She ran that glade the moment she arrived."

Newt watched his friend speak, letting the words sink in. He wore a small smile the entire time wondering the exact moment Clara changed their lives. His thoughts then shifted to Thomas, one of his best friends. If Thomas was with Clara he was confident that she would be safe. Thomas wouldn't let anything happen to her, of that Newt was sure. It became confirmed in his mind the night they lost Chuck. There was something different in Thomas' gaze after that, every time he looked at her. He was different after losing Chuck. They were different. Newt hadn't known about the pact the two made to get Chuck out of the maze until well after his death but that's when things made sense. They had experienced the hardest loss to bear and they had experienced it together. They had a different bond than he would ever have with anyone else, even Minho. He'd never witnessed two people loving one another the way that Chuck's death had done to Thomas and Clara. He didn't know in which way they loved each other and it didn't matter to him. He trusted Thomas with his life, with Clara's life, and knew the boy wouldn't do anything to hurt either of them. Even if he questioned everything else, he knew that he would always have his best friends and Clara. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that even if he no longer lived in this world that Clara would find a way to move on. He couldn't say the same for himself. Without her, he'd be nothing. She had everyone whereas Newt only had her. Yes, he had close friends that would miss him but no one would die without him. He felt peace knowing that. He felt peace knowing that Clara would still find love without him, that she would find happiness. She would know pain too though and that's the last thing he wanted for her. If he did nothing else the rest of his days, he would make sure she remained happy. He would make sure she remained pure. And he would keep her sane in this crazy world of pain, death, and insanity. He would make sure she knew how loved and treasured she really was. And above all, he would make sure she remained Clara.

A/N: I really struggled with the feels this one gave me. I wanted at least one chance at showing Newt's side of things from where he stands with Clara. I felt like there as a lot of Clara/Chase/Thomas in the past few chapters (definitely intentional) but I missed Newt and the feelings that he has for her. I hope you all liked this one as much as I liked writing it :)