Lost hope¹ | Maze runner

Four

Cara woke up the next morning hungover a bit later than usual but so did everyone else. She actually did not wake up at 2 am throwing up and waking up Newt, she woke up at 3 am throwing up and waking up Newt. But it was fine because everyone else did too.

Cara changed into her slicer shoes and made her way to the animal pens letting the sheep and pigs run around. She went into the chicken coop collecting eggs and carefully placing them in a basket, which had a thin layer of hay at the bottom. She threw a handful of seeds towards the chicken and watched them all scurry pecking on the seeds. She gave the eggs to another slicer who took them to Frypan in the kitchens. Cara was cutting up meat for about an hour or so, when she was done she made her way over to the crate where the sloppers filled everyday with clean towels, but there were none. Guess everyone is slow from last night.

Cara went to the wash house still covered in animal blood, as she made her way over she saw Chuck carrying a wagon with Thomas.

"Hey Chuck," Cara greeted. "Do you have a clean towel or anything?"

"Oh yeah there in - "

"Oh My God. You're covered in blood!" Yelled Thomas.

"What? Oh this don't worry it's not my blood." Cara told him, then she realised how much worse that sounded. "Wait no that makes it sound worse, I'm a slicer. It's just pig's blood!" Cara reassured Thomas that she didn't murder someone. "Didn't I tell you that last night?"

"No, you were drunk," Thomas said, still shocked.

"Oh well now you know," Cara replied laughing along with Chuck who handed her a clean towel from the wagon. "You should go to the gardens. Newt will be waiting for you there," Cara said before Taking the other handle of the wagon and going back to the blood house with Chuck and the clean towels.

While she was rounding up the sheep with Winston she heard screams and people yelling for help outside. She ran outside to see Ben attacking Thomas. Newt hit Ben off with a shovel and held him down with the help of Frypan and Gally. Cara helped Thomas up making sure he wasn't injured.

"Calm down Ben."

"Yo, what the hell happened?"

"He just attacked me!" Shouted Thomas brushing the dirt off himself.

Alby walked up to Ben, Ben looked pale, his veins were black and purple on his neck and wrists. He also had blood dripping down the side of his head from where Newt hit him.

"Lift his shirt," Alby told Gally. He lifted his shirt up to reveal a black spot on his stomach with the blue and purple veins coming out of it. He had been stung.

"No, no, no. I didn't mean it," Ben cried.

"He's been stung. In the middle of the day?" Questioned Gally, looking up to Newt and Frypan as they held down Ben struggling to get out of their grip.

"Help please, please help me," Ben cried, as his eyes darkened.

"Put him in the pit," Ordered Alby. More boys helped lift Ben to the pit, while everyone talked over each other.

"You good?" Cara asked Thomas sitting down on a wooden bench next to Chuck. He shrugged and turned to Alby.

"So what happened to him," He asked Alby.

"It's called the changing, It happens when someone gets stung." Alby sat down next to Thomas, inhaling deeply before continuing. "Listen, We haven't been able to get a clear word out of Ben since that happened. He's not making any sense and it's only going to get worse. What did he say to you?"