|If I told you what I was, would you turn your back on me? And if I seem dangerous, would you be scared?

|Song: Monster, Imagine Dragons

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Dawn's P.O.V.

My heart hadn't fully recovered yet from my encounter with the little girl, but we had reached the bowling alley and I had no more time to think about it. Taking a deep breath I walked up to the others, my eyes scanning the surroundings.
The bowling alley didn't have any doors. Just a large wooden sign that hung above the entrance, the words faded away.

'He's in there,' the guard with the mustache said. 'Now pay up.'

Minho stepped past him to the empty doorway, looking around. Then he turned back to us. 'I can see him in the back,' he said, worry written on his face. 'It's dark in there but it's definitly him.'
I took a shaky breath, suddenly not so sure I wanted to go in there anymore.
'We want our money,' the guard repeated.
'You'll get double if you make sure we get back to our Berg safely,' Jorge spoke.
The two guards consulted for a moment and I shifted my weight from leg to leg, biting my tongue.
'Triple. And we want half of it now.'
'That's a deal, muchacho,' Jorge spoke and he handed the guard the money.
'We'll wait right here,' the guard spoke once they were finished.
'Come on,' Minho spoke, walking inside without waiting for a response.

My eyes scanned the room. I didn't remember ever even touching a bowling ball but I did know it shouldn't look like this. The lanes where people had once bowled were now completely torn up, most of the wood panels ripped out or broken. Sleeping bags and blankets filled the floor. In the nitches where the bowling pins used to stand, several fires burned. The smell of burning wood filled my nose and it wasn't even unpleasant. It was far better than the human odor back in the open area we had just crossed. The only problem was the smoke. My eyes were already itching.

Minho pointed to the far left lane, about a hundred feet away. Not many people were over there and I spotted Newt immediately. His blond hair seemed to light up in the fire.
And I suddenly felt myself thinking back at our time in the Maze. We had our first fight by the fire. He had been mad at me for going in the Maze and not being honest to him about the reason why. It felt like a life time ago now...

None of us bothered to be silent as we made our way past the sleeping bags towards him. With every step I took my heart seemed to crumble.
We were about ten feet away, my heart completely gone from my chest, when Newt suddenly spoke. His voice loud and echoed off the dark walls. 'I told you bloody shanks to get lost!'

Minho, who had been walking ahead of me, suddenly came to a halt and I almost walked into him.
Thomas gasped behind me and I was at loss for words.

'We need to talk to you,' Minho said, moving a bit closer.
'Don't come any closer,' Newt answered, his voice was soft but full of menace.
A shiver crawled down my spine. I hadn't known what to expect when we would find him. But this, this wasn't even Newt talking.
'Those bugs brought me here for a reason. They thought I was a bloody Immune holed up in that shuck Berg. Imagine their surprise when they could tell I had the Flare eating my brain. Said they were going to make a lot of money with catching me.'

My thoughts raced for something to say, something to do but my mind was completely blank.

'Why do you think we're here, Newt?' Thomas spoke up from behind me. 'I'm sorry you had to stay back and got caught. I'm sorry they brought you here. But we can break you out, it doesn't look like anyone gives a klunk who comes or goes.'

Newt slowly turned around to face us and my heart broke. He had a Launcher in his hands and looked ragged, like he'd been running and fighting and falling down cliffs for three days straight. But despite the angry scowl on his face, I could see in his eyes he hadn't completely lost it...yet. He was just pretending, to scare us away and the worst part was that it didn't even surprise me.
'Whoa, there,' Minho said, taking a step back. 'Slim it and calm. There's no need to point a shuck Launcher at my face while we talk. Where'd you get that thing anyway?'
'I stole it,' Newt answered, sending another shiver down my spine. 'Took it from a guard who made me unhappy.' Newt's hands were shaking slightly, his fingers hovered over the trigger of the weapon.
And I felt myself become sick as I realised I had subconsiously drawn an arrow.
Newt his eyes landed on my loaded bow before going back to the others. He was either ignoring me, or so far gone he hadn't fully seen me.
'I'm not well,' he said. 'Honestly, I appreciate you buggin' shanks coming for me. I mean it. But this is where it bloody ends. This is when you turn around and walk back out that door and head for your Berg and fly away. Do you understand me?'

I still couldn't speak, it was like my tongue had swollen in my mouth. It was like my body refused to believe this was actually happening and reacted by shutting down.

'No, Newt, I don't understand,' Minho said, the frustration in his voice rising. 'We risked our necks to come to this place. You're our friend and we're taking you home. You wanna whine and cry while you go crazy, that's fine. But you're gonna do it with us, not these shuck Cranks.'

Newt suddenly lifted the Launcher and pointed it at Minho.
'I am a Crank, Minho! I am a Crank! Why can't you get that through your bloody head? If you had the Flare and knew what you were about to go through, would you want your friends to stand around and watch? Huh? Would you want that?' He was shouting by the time he was finished, his hands shaking even more.
My eyes started itching and I was sure it wasn't just the smoke anymore.
'Newt of course we know-' Lisa started but he interrupted her. 'Shut up! You were suppose to keep her away from here, and you drag her right along with you!' Lisa turned pale and I felt my heart shrink as I realised he was referring to me. He had wanted them to take care of me and they had taken me right to the last place he'd wanted me to see him.
'And you, Tommy,' he spoke, his voice lowering. The once friendly nickname now sounded as a downright insult. 'You've got a lot of nerve coming here and asking me to leave with you. A lot of bloody nerve. The sight of you makes me sick.'

'What're you talking about?' Thomas asked, his voice slightly trembling.

Newt didn't respond, just kept staring at him with hardened eyes, his arms shaking and the Launcher pointed at Thomas's chest. But then he stilled and his face softened. He lowered the weapon and looked at the ground.
A sting went through my stomach as I watched the internal struggle painted on his face.

'Newt I don't get it,' Thomas persisted quietly. 'Why are you saying all this?'
Newt looked up again and I let out a breath of relief when none of the biterness that had been there just seconds ago had returned. It felt like finally looking at him again.
'I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry, but you need to listen to me. I'm getting worse by the hour and I don't have many sane ones left. Please leave.'
When Thomas opened mouth to argue, Newt held up his hands. 'No! No more talking from you. Just...please. Please, leave. I'm begging you. I'm begging you to do this one thing for me. There's a group I've met that are a lot like me and they're planning to break out and head for Denver later today. I'm going with them.' He paused and I bit my tongue. 'I don't expect you to understand, but I can't be with you guys anymore. It's gonna be hard for me now, and it'll make it worse if I know you have to witness it. Or worse of all, if I hurt you. So let's say our bloody goodbyes and then you can promise to remember me from the good old days.'

At the mention of the "good old days" my body seemed to come alive and I took a deep breath. His name left my lips as a whisper and he turned to look at me, really look at me for the first time since we came here. His eyes were burning straight into my heart and I could see the pain behind them. Pain I knew had always been there, even when we were little kids.

Pain I had grown to love.

'I can't-' I stopped talking, my voice suddenly shaking too much as tears appeared in my eyes. 'I'm trying to stop, like you told me, to stop-' I couldn't even get the words out of my mouth but I saw in his eyes that he understood. 'I can't, Newt, please come back with us.'

He turned away from me and it felt like the last chance I had of reaching him had slipped away with that movement. And suddenly it was hard to breathe.

'Newt, no matter what you say, I can't shucking leave you here,' Minho tried.
'Shuck it!' Newt suddenly yelled, making me jump. 'Do you have any clue how hard it is to be calm right now? I said my piece and I'm done. Now get out of here! Do you understand me? Get out of here!'

And suddenly I wanted to. He was right, I couldn't watch him go insane and I couldn't safe him.

Suddenly I felt someone standing close behind me. Turning around I stood face to face with a Crank. A quick glare around showed me they had surrounded us.
'I believe our new friend asked you people to leave him alone,' a tall man with long, greasy hair, who stood face to face with Thomas, spoke.
'This is none of your business,' Thomas replied and I felt my stomach twist with sudden anger. 'He was our friend way before he came here.'
The man slicked his hand over his oily hair. 'That boy's a Crank now, and so are we. That makes him our business. Now leave him alone.'
Minho spoke before Thomas could. 'Hey, psycho, maybe your ears are clogged with the Flare. This is between us and Newt. You leave.'
The man scowled and my shoulders tensed. Then he brought up a hand to show a long shard of glass gripped in his fist. Blood dripped from the tip making my stomach twist. 'I was hoping you'd resist, I've been bored.'

It happened in a blink of an eye, his arm flashed out, the glass slicing toward Thomas's face.
Thomas ducked toward the floor and reached up with his hand to deflect the blow.
Minho ran forwards to help him but fell untop of a woman in a sleeping bag.
She started screaming and kicking. And soon Minho and the woman were fighting and wrestling.
I raised my bow, already loaded, and let the arrow fly. It hit the man right in his shoulder.
He roared with anger and pain before dropping the glass.
I stood before him in a matter of seconds. 'Good thing I was bored as well,' I snapped, my voice ice cold.
His eyes widened as I reached out and pulled the arrow out of him.
A scream left his lip as he clutched at his shoulder, blood dripping through his fingers.

'Now, back off,' I hissed.

'Stop it!' Newt yelled. 'Stop it now!'
I froze and turned around.
Newt had his Launcher raised again.
'Stop or I'll start shooting and not give a buggin' piece of klunk who gets hit.'

The man I'd just shot pushed me out of the way and stumbled backwards, kicking the woman who had been holding Minho in the ribs as he did so. Minho got to his feet, scratches covering his face.
The electric sound of the Launcher charging filled the air. Then Newt pulled the trigger. The grenade smashed into the Greasy Hair's chest and lightning immediately covered his body. He fell to the ground, screaming, drool foaming out of his mouth.
'I told him to stop,' Newt half whispered. Then he aimed the weapon at Minho, but it was shaking because his arms were. 'Now you guys leave, no more discussion. I'm sorry.'

Minho held up his hands. 'You're going to shoot me? Old pal?'

'Go,' Newt said. 'I asked nicely. Now I'm telling. This is hard enough. Go!'
'Newt let's go outside...' Minho tried again, his voice filled with desperation and pain.
'Go!' Newt stepped closer and aimed more fiercly and then I raised my bow at him. The arrow pointed right at his heart. For a second I thought to see surprise flash on his face but then it was gone.

'Dawn-' Thomas whispered.

'He aims at us, I aim at him,' I answered simply, my voice still odd and far away. I stared straight at Newt and realised then and there I would have no trouble shooting him. I wouldn't be shooting Newt after all. I would shoot a shadow of the boy I used to love. A shadow that stood there in front of me, trembling and eyes free of any sanity. He had lost it, completely.

'Let's go,' Thomas suddenly spoke from behind me. 'Come on.'
'You can't be serieus,' the Asian boy spoke, his voice shattered.
Thomas only nodded.
Minho's shoulders slumped and his eyes fell to the floor. 'How did the world get so shucked?' The words barely came out, low and full of pain.
'I'm sorry,' Newt said, and there were tears streaming down his face. 'I'm- I'm going to shoot if you don't go. Now.'
'And I will shoot if you do,' I spoke. Something sault touched my lip and I realised I was crying as well. Though my hands weren't shaking like Newt's. My bow was completely still.
'We're going to leave and if you even think of shooting us this arrow goes through your heart,' I spoke and even though I was crying my voice wasn't tembling, just ice cold.

Thomas grabbed Brenda by the hand. Lisa took Minho by the upper arm, tears streaming out of her eyes as well. She whispered something in his ear and Minho seemed to break. Then she dragged him along to the exit. Jorge followed them, a grim look on his face. Soon they were all standing by the exit.
It was just me now, with my bow raised and my arrow pointed at Newt.

'Go,' he whispered.

I stared at him, not ready to let him go yet. My eyes stared at him, taking in every detail of his face so I would never forget. I tried to burn this image into my mind and keep it there, like a photograph.
Then I lowered my bow, my heart racing in my chest.

'I'll try,' I said softly.

And I meant it. I had to try and stop loving him. For this was goodbye, it would all be gone after this. Then I turned on my heels, taking a shaky breath as another tear rolled down my cheek.

'Me too,' I heard him whisper, his voice barely loud enough to make out. But somehow I did and as my feet carried me towards the exit, I wished that I hadn't.