Running Accident

Chapter 4: Ben

(Third Person)

Alby wakes up early one morning, with the intention of waking up Thomas so he can carve his name into the maze wall. He quietly walks around all the boys sleeping, trying not to wake them up. He gets over to Thomas and covers his mouth with his hand. He lets out a quiet "Thomas" and shushes him. He takes his hand off Thomas face and asks him to follow him. Thomas quickly gets up and follows him.

While Alby and Thomas Walk towards the maze wall Alby decides to tell him a little snippet about how it was in the glade. "It's peaceful, isn't it? I know it's hard to believe, but it wasn't always this way. We had dark days. We lost a lot of boys to fear, to panic. But we've come far since then. Established order, made peace."

"Yeah, why are you telling me this," Thomas says still looking confused as always.

"Because you're not like the others, You're curious. But you're one on us now. You need to know what that means," says Alby while placing a knife in his hand.

He points at the wall behind Thomas to show him the names of the other Gladers, some crossed out for obvious reasons, but Thomas still looks concerned.

"What happened to them?" Thomas asks and points at the names crossed out on the wall.

"Like I said dark days, Thomas," Alby says with a little crack in his voice, as if he was reliving horrible memories.

Thomas takes a few steps closer to the wall and holds up the knife to a free space at the wall and starts to carve his name, like he's finally become a real Glader.

(Y/N's Perspective)

I was sitting in the Med-Jack finishing wrapping up a slicers hand after he damaged it. I let him go knowing that he's going back out to continue working hoping that he doesn't cut it up again. Clint and Jeff are also in the Med-Jack hut helping bandage people up. I decide to clean up the place a little, but before I could get to it, I hear someone yelling help from outside. I look at Clint, Jeff and their patients and they all have their heads looking at each other as well. I immediately start to panic. Last time I heard someone screaming out for help was when Newt had his accident.

I rush out the door and look to see where the sound is coming from. In the distance I see a group of boys near the Gardens. I start running over to see the commotion with a bit relief that it wasn't a situation like Newts. Once I get over, I squeeze through some of the boys to see that situation. Ben on the ground with Gally, Newt and Frypan holding him down.

"Yo, What the hell happened?" Asks Frypan.

"He just attacked me," Thomas says while quickly getting up and wiping dirt off himself. Alby walks over and Ben has a look of some sort of realisation in his eyes.

"No, No, No," Ben starts wriggling around. Alby notices that something is off. "Alright, Lift his shirt."

"I didn't mean it," Ben screams out as Newt lifts up his shirt to reveal a nasty sting. My hand covers my mouth immediately. I can feel everyone around my move back a little, quite obviously scared.

"He's been stung, in the middle of the day," Gally points out and Alby crouches down beside him. It is scary to think about that. No one had ever been stung in the day before, which I think had everyone a little on edge.

"Help me, please. Please. Please, just help," Ben cry's out. I can tell he's in a lot of pain by the way he's keeping his eyes closed tightly, his whimpering and rapid breathing. Right now, there is no time to worry about his pain, it's clear he's going to be banished for trying to attack Thomas.

"Put him in the pit. Come on, everybody help," Alby says, and everyone starts to back away while Gally, Newt, Frypan and Jeff carry him away while everyone walks back to work.

(Third Person)

Everyone is gathered around the opening of the Maze door with their sticks. "Just listen to me. Just, please, listen to me. Please Minho," Ben growls out while Minho walks him to the front of the Maze door and in the middle of everyone. Minho forces him down onto his knees and cuts the rope that was holding his hands ties together. Thomas and Chuck are watching this from the outside the circle.

Ben is sitting on his knees coughing and crying. "No, no please. Please don't. Please don't do it," Ben cry's out. Minho throws in Ben's pack and then the maze door starts rumbling signalling that they're going to start closing.

"Poles!" Alby calls out and everyone faces their poles towards Ben. "Move in," Alby calls out again and everyone starts inching closer to Ben. By this point Chuck has walked away leaving Thomas to watch this all by himself. Everyone start pushing Ben closer in while the door is inching closer and closer.

"No. No, no, no. Please. No. Please. Please. Please don't! No, I can get better! Please! Just listen to me!" Ben continues to cry out for help as the boys continue to push him into the Maze. The boys fully push him in and now he as no other choice. He either has to be squished by the maze doors or go inside the maze.

"I'll get better! I'll get better!" Ben screams out desperately. Ben takes one last looks inside the Glade before the maze doors fully close of him.

Everyone stands in place without saying a word. Alby looks around at everyone until his eyes land on Thomas who has an upset look on his face.

"He belongs to the maze now," says Alby before walking off. All the boys and Y/N lay their poles against the maze walls and also walk off.

(Y/N Perspective)

Later that night I'm laying in my hammock trying to get to sleep. In the distance I can see Gally crossing out Bens's name on the wall, with a couple of the other boys holding fire so he can see properly. It essentially lights up that whole corner of the Glade.

"Do you think he might make it?" Thomas Asks Chuck. Thomas is sitting down on his hammock also watching Gally, While Chuck is laying down in his hammock.

"Ben? No. No one survives a night in the Maze. You just gotta forget about him," Chuck replies to Thomas. It's pretty solid advice. No one is ever going to see Ben ever again; we all know it and there is nothing anyone can do to change it. Chuck rolls over facing away from Thomas.

"Go to sleep, Thomas. He isn't going to come back," I say to Thomas.

He turns and faces me, then nods his head before laying down in his hammock and falling asleep.

(1155 words)