Newt was absolutely frantic. His ears were ringing, his vision was blurry and knuckles ached from gripping the headlamp in his hands so tightly. He shone it up and down the tunnel as Frypan cautiously drove forwards. When something caught Newt's gaze, he wasn't sure whether he should be glad or terrified out of his mind.

"Woah woah woah—" Newt whispered slowly, causing Frypan to break immediately, the screeching sound echoing through the tunnel.

To Thomas' right, a Crank slammed it's palm into the vehicles window. Then, another slapping the window relentlessly to Y/N's left and one at Frypans window.

"Fry, we gotta go—" Thomas tried to say as calmly as possible, though it seemed to fail as Frypan was already screaming in pure terror.

"Go right now!" Newt said, also trying to break Frypan from his nightmare. But, it also failed.

Only Thomas screaming "JUST FLOOR IT!" In the former cooks ear seemed to do the trick.

"Hold on!" Frypan hollered at his friends, immediately slamming his foot into the gas, sending them rocketing through the tunnel. One crank remained on the hood of the truck, punching furiously at the windshield like the cure to the flare itself was inside.

Newt reached his hand blindly into the back seat, just to make sure Y/N was still there. He didn't dare look back knowing his attention needed to be on making sure that crank didn't make it through the thin glass barrier, but he also could't think straight unless he knew Y/N was there.

Weaving blindly through the tunnel, just nearly dodging abandoned cars and broken down barricades, the windshield came closer and closer to falling apart. "C'mon, Fry! Shake him!" Thomas cried.

Everyones hearts were beating in their ears. "I'm trying!" Frypan called back. To someone who didn't know the guy, he might have sounded half confident in his ability to get rid of this crank. But, to the ones actually sitting in the vehicle, hanging on for dear life, they could hear the sheer horror and doubt in his higher than normal pitched voice.

The hand Newt held onto fell out of his own when Frypan cranked the wheel to the left. It sent Thomas flying into Y/N, the pair crumbled up in the side of the vehicle. The next thing they knew, Frypan was screaming to hold on and a sharp screeching noise came from the left side of the vehicle. As they sat back up in their seats, relief washed over them since the crank was now definitely gone.

That sense alleviation only lasted a few seconds. By the time Y/N and Newt shared a small look of relief, Thomas was shaking the back of Frypans seat. "FRYPAN WATCH OUT!"

It was too late. Frypan drove over an old, knocked over road block and the vehicle rolled right on top of itself. Luckily for the group, they weren't travelling very fast. But, the not so present seat belts did nothing to stop their heads from slamming into the roof as they flipped.

Once the truck settled along with everyone's violent coughing, Thomas flicked on his flashlight. "Everyone okay?"

Newt grumbled a half-hearted yes along with Frypan and so Thomas immediately began his search for an escape.

"Y/N?" Newt looked around the small cabin of the vehicle frantically, trying to lock his eyes onto the girl. "You alright, love?"

"I'm good," The girl coughed, fighting for breath just like everyone else. If she hadn't responded or wasn't alright, Newt wasn't sure what he'd do. He tried to block the thoughts out of his mind.

This entire trip so far, he'd been reminding himself how awful of an idea it was to have her come along. It wasn't because she was a nuisance, but it was because Newt worried too much about her. He knew they needed her here to help with reading maps and solving problems (she always had ideas none of the boys could possibly fathom), but Newt knew her company could come at a cost, just as easily as Frypan's or Thomas'.

Thomas was the first out of the vehicle, shattering a window and forcing his was out. Y/N followed right behind Thomas, then helping him to pull open the door which was somewhat crushed under the weight of the truck. Newt was the first to topple out, slamming right into Y/N's shins. He sent up a sorry smile and Y/N held out a hand to help him up.

Just as the girl was dusting the glass off of the blonde, a sickly, raucous cry came from further down in the tunnel. A flash flood of cranks came stumbling towards them and ever so hesitantly Newt felt for the gun strapped to his thigh. Frypan took down the first crank just a few feet away with the shotgun. At first, they thought that was it, all until more inhuman screeches came echoing their way.

"Mkay, gotta go," Thomas sounded, grabbing his friends by the arms and dragging them towards what he assumed was the exit. Frpyan continued to shoot round after round, but there were too many cranks gaining too much ground on them. In seconds, they were surrounded, blocked off in both directions. That was when Newt took out his gun. He didn't have many bullets and wasn't the best shot, but it would be enough to cause a diversion so at least his friends could escape. If this was where his journey ended, he wouldn't be upset as long as his friends made it out alive.

Frypan was out of bullets and the cranks were getting closer. With each inch they gained on the group, Y/N was sure Newt grabbed her arm twice as hard. But, it wasn't long before he was forced to let go so he could have both of his hands on the gun.

Y/N and Newt had always worked so well together it was almost unfortunate. And today, it truly was. Y/N strode forwards to thrust a lead pipe at a cranks abdomen who was sprinting towards them, but Newt shot at the same time. The crank went down, Y/N still remained standing, but a sharp whimper left her lungs.

"Oh, shit!" Newt put away the gun as quickly as his shaky hands would allow. He knew pulling it out was a mistake in the first place and he also already knew what he'd done. Y/N's arm was seeping blood, her face placid with shock. "Y-Y/N—I—"

"It's ok," She managed a half-hearted smile despite the panic and the feeling of fire on her skin.

Suddenly, the rumble of another vehicle reverberated off of the walls of the tunnel. It came straight for the group, plowing down the row of cranks behind them. Luckily for the group, it was a rescue team. Brenda and Jorge. There was no mistaking the dark haired girl who stood up in her seat, firing away mercilessly at the cranks they'd failed to take down with the truck.

Newt grabbed Y/N and forced her into the vehicle as quickly as he could, making sure she was the first inside. Everyone else scrambled in and helped to push cranks off that clung onto the sides. Jorge was screaming something entirely indecipherable as he plowed through the mob of cranks which blocked his way to the exit.

Newt, on the other hand, was whispering curses to himself as he scrambled to find anything to stop the bleeding on Y/N's arm. He was glad when they finally exited the tunnel and light shone down into the truck. But, the now clear sight of Y/N's arm made him sick. It wasn't the blood, but it was the knowledge he'd done this to her.

"I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't mean for this to happen—I just—I panicked." Newt held Y/N's arm firmly against his chest as he tried desperately to stop the bleeding. Newt was acting like it was a life or death situation, but Y/N knew it wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be. The bullet had grazed her arm, that's it.

"Newt," Y/N stifled a laugh and stole her arm back, able to look after it herself. "Don't beat yourself up. It's basically a scratch."

"Yeah, caused by my bloody bullet." He snapped, darting his eyes around trying to avoid hers. Back in the Glade, he'd hated himself for three weeks straight because he'd accidentally elbowed Y/N in the face while gardening. It had left a bruise on her cheek and any time he looked at her, it made his heart ache. Now she'd probably have a permanent scar on her arm and it would remind him everyday of the stupid error he'd made. Above all else, he was angry at himself because this surely wasn't doing anything for his chances with her. He'd be trying to build up the confidence to tell her how he feels, but something like this always seemed to get in the way. Maybe for the normal person, they'd see this as an opportune time to make their feelings known. But, Newt was more bashful than most.

"I promise, It's ok." Y/N nudged his shoulder and tried to make him smile. It seemed to fail and all Newt could do was wrap an arm around the girls back and pull her into his chest, trying to calm his heart. She was alive and that was what mattered to him the most.

"Are they a thing yet?" Brenda asked Thomas, squinted her eyes, eyeing the pair curiously.

"Nope," Thomas' face fell in disappointment. "I've tried to convince him to say something. He just won't."

"Damn. That's a shame." She scoffed and turned back around to look out the front window.