Marooned | Maze Runner | Minho

23. 𝒫𝒶𝓊𝓁𝑜 𝒞𝑜𝑒𝓁𝒽𝑜

Paulo Coelho -- "Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time".

------------------------------

The maze doors creaked closed like they always did. Viya could hear them rumbling in the distance, she had completely lost track of time, and she was still quite far from her room. She used to panic when she'd get late, but she didn't anymore. She wasn't going to start staying out late on purpose, but she didn't feel like running for her life either.

She exited the section she was in, and she was about to pass by the maze doors when she heard something.

A scream.

A scream from inside the maze.

Viya's heart started to race, this had happened before, and this time she was determined to save whoever had been banished.

Viya jogged towards the small hallway that led to the glade. She first peeked around the corner, and she could see a short haired blond boy pacing around. The same blond boy that she had seen getting chased by that griever.

Oh.

Viya took a step out, she wiped her sweaty palms on her shirt, she was oddly nervous.

"Hello." She said, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice.

The boy whipped his head around, his brown eyes wide in fear. Viya recognized those eyes. They were the same eyes that belonged to the greenie, from when she was banished.

"Ben?" She asked quietly.

The boy grunted and took a step back.

"Hey...hey..." Viya said as she took a step forwards to close the gap between them. "I can help you."
Ben shook his head aggressively.

Viya walked towards him, "You can't stay out here, we both know what will happen."

"You're not real..." Ben muttered.

"I know it doesn't seem like it...but I am." Viya debated.

"No..."
Viya placed her hand on the boy's shoulder, "I can save you, just come with me." She pleaded.

She couldn't let him die. She couldn't let another boy die because of her neglect. She had to help him.

Ben smacked Viya's hand off of his shoulder and let out another angry grunt.

"Ben. You have to follow me." She said sternly.

"No...no..." Ben repeated.

Viya aggressively placed her hands on the boy's shoulders and shook him slightly, trying to get him to act rationally.

"No!" Ben shouted as he pushed the girl back.

And in an instant, almost all of Viya's compassion left her. She would not be pushed around, no matter how unstable the person was.

"Ben. You either come with me and live, or you stay here and become griever dinner." She said sternly, trying to get the boy to understand her words.

"You're not real!" Ben shouted again.

Viya went to walk towards him and try to break him out of his trance, but before she could get a chance Ben shoved her to the side and bolted into the maze.

"Ben!" She shouted after him, but he was already gone.

Viya started to run after him, but as she turned the corner she heard the worst sound imaginable. The clicking of a griever.

Viya ran faster, in a final attempt to save the boy.

She just wanted someone to talk to. Someone to live with. She should've known better than to let herself get excited, but she had already let hope spark in her chest.

She turned another corner, and as she did, she heard a griever yell, and shortly after it was followed by Ben's scream.

Viya didn't need to continue through the maze to understand what had happened to Ben.

It was painfully obvious.

She had been so close to a companion, yet so far at the same time.

Maybe she was better off alone. It seemed that is what fate wanted for her.

Maybe she was destined to be a single crow circling a grey sky for all of eternity.

—---

Minho led Ben towards the maze doors, trying to ignore what the boy was saying. Ben had his hands bound behind him, but he still tried to move them in one final escape attempt.

They were getting closer and closer to the doors and the dread was building in Minho's stomach, he wasn't even the one being banished.

Minho pushed his way through the crowd of boys that huddled at the entrance to the maze. He placed Ben onto the ground, a little more aggressively than he should have.

Minho took a step back, he wished he could look away, but he couldn't.

Minho felt a predictable feeling of déjà vu, he knew why, this wasn't the first time his best friend had been banished.

It had all happened before, with Viya and now Ben, they even had the same look in their eyes. Minho glanced away, he just wanted to get it over with.

He regretted not stopping Viya's banishment, and he had tried so hard to stop Bens, but he was outnumbered each time they voted. He couldn't blame the other keepers, they were just doing what they thought was right, but he loathed their cruelty. Ben wasn't himself, it was the griever sting that had made him this way, they could help him.

The wind blew down from the maze and the doors started to creak. It was time.

Ben looked at the gladers, studying their expressions, his eyes landed on the greenie, a tall brunette who looked horrified. It was the same look that Ben had stared at Viya with. Who would've guessed that they'd both be banished, eerily close to the same date too.

"Poles!" Alby announced.

The gladers lowered their sticks and slowly started to walk forwards.

"No...no...please" Ben pleaded, but his begs met deaf ears.

Minho squeezed out of the circle, and he made his way to the back of the crowd, he didn't want to watch, he couldn't watch. Not again.

When Minho had first found out that Ben had been stung all he felt was dread, it was as if he could sense what was coming. He told himself that the boy would recover, but something in his gut knew the truth.

Even through the hoard of boys, Minho could still see glimpses of Ben. His clothes were dirty and tears stained his face. Minho had to hold himself back, he had no power, he could only watch.

As Ben struggled against the gladers poles, Minho selfishly could only think of Viya, every time Ben moved it reminded him of how Viya had fought.

They both just wanted to live.

Soon, Ben was pushed between the closing doors, Minho held eye contact with his friend for the last time. Minho blinked once, and suddenly Ben was gone, and only the cold stone doors were there.