The Lost Glader || A TMR Fanfiction

Chapter 20 || Banishment

The day seemed to pass by painfully slow, as I anxiously awaited to find out Ben's fate. They had gathered the Keepers once already, but then decided to wait for Minho to come back so they could have the full vote of all of them.

I avoided any other Gladers, I needed the solitude, I was too afraid I would snap at anyone who came too close. Any other day, I would have been in the deadheads, but it held one
bad memory too many.

As I was walking towards the gardens, I spotted Thomas not far away and quickly redirected my course towards the newbie. "Hey." I said and he looked up at me eyes wide. "Uh.. Hi." He said and I put on my best smile as I sat down next to him. "So, how are you doing... After yesterday?" I asked and watched as his whole body stiffened in remembrance, and he cast his eyes away.

"I don't know... It was... I just..." I breathed a laugh, nodding. "Yeah... I agree." I felt him look over at me, as if studying me. "We're you two close?" He asked and I tilted my head, lips pressing together, as my shoulders rose and fell in a lazy shrug. "Not especially. He was my friend of course, but we were never super close."

He cocked his head to the side, eyebrows raising slightly. "Really? The way you reacted..." I half smiled. "That's a different story." I turned my head, fully looking at him. "You've had quite the first couple of days here." He groaned, a deep sound in the back of his throat. "Tell me about it... I thought waking up in that box was going to be the weirdest thing that would happen to me."

I laughed softly, nodding in agreement. "Trust me when I tell you, I know how that feels. Well... Maybe not trying to be killed... Unless you count the death glares I got from Gally." A smirk tugged at my lips and Thomas snorted. "He hated you too?" My head bobbed in agreement. "Thought I was working for the Creators, just because I'm a girl."

"He seems like a great guy..." He groaned. "He only gets better." I added, the sarcasm clear in my tone. Thomas chuckled, which almost surprised me, seeing as I hadn't seen the shank even crack a smile ever since he arrived. But honestly, who could blame him.

Before either of us spoke, I caught something out of the corner of my eye that made me start, quickly standing up. It was Minho, running out of the Maze. I took a glance at my watch, confirming that it was much too early for him to be back yet. And then he collapsed.

"Minho!" I yelled out, leaving Thomas behind and running over to the fallen runner. Some of my panic lessened when I saw his chest rapidly rising and falling. Finally stopping next to him, I sighed, seeing his eyes open, grinning at me. "Well look at you, all worried about me."

"Yeah you know me, lost without you." I rolled my eyes, and he chuckled but still stayed in his sprawled out position on the ground. "What are you even doing here now?" Suddenly his expression changed to one of confusion. "Who are you?" He asked suddenly, and that's when I became aware that Thomas was standing behind me.

"Do you always sneak up on people like that?" I mumbled, having jumped a little. He shrugged at me before looking at Minho. "I'm Thomas. The uh new guy." A look of understanding flashed across his face. "Oh yeah. The newbie. You and the chick."

I took a step forward, in an attempt to regain the conversation. "You look awful, what happened out there." It was true, sweat heavy on his brow, making his hair stick to his head. Exhaustion, weighing heavily on his body.

The sound of approaching footsteps made me turn and exhale in exasperation. Alby came to an abrupt halt, anger painted all across his face. "What are you doing back, Minho? What happened?" The runner groaned and struggled to sit up. "Calm down, man. Why don't you make yourself useful, and get my some water. I dropped my pack out there." My eyes wandered to the open Maze doors directly in front of me, as I began to wonder what caused such a speedy return.

Alby kicked Minho in the leg, his stance never wavering as he repeated his question, only this time with more emphasis. "What happened?"
"I can barely talk, slinthead! I need some water!" He yelled, scratchiness coming into his voice." I noticed, his slight smile, and shook my head. I would never understand their relationship.

As Alby ran off, I looked down at Minho, eyebrows raising in question. "Well?" I finally said when he remained quiet. "Nope." He shook his head. "You have to wait as well." I rolled my eyes, punching him in the arm as I slid down the wall, and plopped down next to him.

I half listened, as Thomas pelted Minho with questions, while the later continued to give his classically sassy responses. "...Wait for general Alby!" Minho said finally throwing his hands up, causing me to start paying attention, as I realized I must have missed more than I expected.

"Fine, I'll shut up. But make sure Alby lets me hear the news too." Thomas said with barely a seconds pause. Minho stared at him for a moment, as if reading him, before turning and giving me a look. I shrugged my shoulders, a smile beginning to tug at my lips. "Okay, you da boss."

It wasn't much longer after that, that Alby finally arrived, handing off a big cup of water to the exhausted runner, who chugged it all in one. "So..?" I asked already impatient.

Minho looked at each of us in turn, building the anticipation, making me want to punch him again. "I found a dead one." He told us and my eyes widened. "Wait you mean..."
"A dead what?" Alby interrupted and a smile rose on Minho's face. "A dead griever."

To say the least, the news was shocking. Never had it happened. I should have been curious, possibly excited, I don't know. But all I felt was dread. First Thomas, who may or not be working with the creators. Then that girl, who told us things were going to be changing. Then Ben... And now a dead Griever... More and more klunk was happening, and I wasn't so sure it would all have a happy ending.
*
*
*
Heart break... I never understood the phrase until I felt it, like my heart was shattering into a million different pieces, like I myself was breaking apart. That's how I felt, when Newt told me what was to be Ben's fate.

"Nicole." He said and I looked up, tears blurring my vision. It was hard to read his expression. "I'm sorry, but it had to be this way, and I think you knew this was going to happen." He was right. Deep down, I always knew that banishment, would be his punishment. He tried to kill Thomas. But even with these concrete facts, it didn't stop the guilt gnawing at my stomach. But also, I was losing a friend.

"It was unanimous..." He added, and I wasn't sure if that was to make me feel better, but it almost made me feel worse. "Is it all over? Is there anyway to change the vote?" My voice cracked as I spoke, and Newt looked down, slowly shaking his head.

"It's official. We don't go back, when it's a consensus." My shoulders slumped, and tears began a knew as I continued my attempt at blinking them away. "But it's not his fault! It was the changing!" Newt's eyes met mine again as he sighed. "That's the thing, he was out of the Changing. His actions after that, were all his."

"But that wasn't like Ben!"
"You know how it is, they're never the same after they go through it."
I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing that it was all just a bad dream, but as they fluttered open, and I had to come to terms with the fact that, Ben really was about to be dead.
*
*
*
Gathered around the East Doors, the mood was somber, no one spoke as we waited for the inevitable. I stood far back in the group, wishing I didn't have to be there in the first place.

Minho was the one that brought Ben out. Half of his head covered in a bloody bandage, but his good eye flicked around, filled with insanity. I could hear Alby giving his speech, but I just continued to stare at Ben, my friend, the one who saved my life.

"Poles!" Alby yelled, and all of the Keepers lowered their poles to the level of Ben's chest and began to push forward. "No! Please!" He began to scream, and the guilt in my chest began to build with each of his desperate cries. Every part of me wanted to reach out and help him, but I knew there was nothing I could do.

"Nicole!" My eyes went wide as Ben looked directly at me, calling my name. "Please stop them! It wasn't my fault! It was the changing!" The next thing I had to do broke my heart. I looked away. I continued to hear him scream for help, but I couldn't watch any longer.

The resounding boom, of the maze doors, signaled that it was over, that Ben was gone...for good.

Everyone remained quiet, as if to honor the dead, and the only sound I could pick up, was my choked sobs,
I didn't have anymore tears to cry.