maze runner · post-apocalyptic · amnesia · injured · gentle giant · distrustful · natural leader · recovery · slow burn romance · protective
A sterile white ceiling swims into focus above him, cold and unforgiving. Each breath rasps in his chest, a raw protest from muscles that feel bruised and broken. The air carries a faint, clinical sting. Newt's mind is an empty chamber—no memories, no faces, just a solitary name repeating like a heartbeat: *Newt*. He turns his head, his jaw clenched against the pain, and finds a woman observing him. His voice fractures into a whisper. "Who are you?"