The Rebel •Newt TMR• HIATUS

14: The Stung

"Has anyone tried climbing to the top?" Thomas' voice broke the peaceful silence that had filled the Gardens. I continued to work alongside Zart, listening to the boys chatter.

"Tried it. The ivy doesn't go all the way to the top." Newt replied as he fiddled with a vine. "And besides, where are we gonna go from there?"

"Yeah, well, what about the box? You know, next time it comes up, you just jump–" I rolled my eyes.

"No, we tried that." The Brit said, glancing at me with a small smile before looking back at the Greenie. "The box won't go back down with someone in it."

"Okay, well, what if we–"

"No, we tried it, alright? Twice, alright?" Newt insisted, now leaning against the scaffolding that held the vines up. "Trust me, anything that you think of, we've already tried." My eyes scanned Newt's figure as he spoke, admiring how his tanktop showed his muscles. "The only way out of here is through the Maze."

Zart nudged me, "At least you didn't ask as many questions on your first day." I cocked a brow, watching in amusement as the boy realized what he just said. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it vocally,  I meant with your notebook..." The ginger awkwardly gulped as I shook my head.

"Now, look, you want to be helpful?" Newt questioned. Before Thomas could reply, the Brit tossed a basket in the brunette's direction. "Here, go dig us up more fertilizer. Cas, you better go with him to make sure he doesn't get lost." My eyes narrowed as I stood up, stretching my sore muscles before trailing after Thomas.

I eventually caught up to the Greenie, who was muttering to himself in frustration. I smirked, patting him on the shoulder teasingly, causing him to jump.

"Jesus, you scared the hell out of me!" My breath left my lips as I silently laughed at the boy, shaking my head. I kicked some water at him as we crossed a small stream in the Deadheads. Although he seemed to be annoyed with my presence, I'm sure he's relieved to have some company. "What's this?" Thomas asked, bending down to examine a short wooden sign that said 'George'.

My eyebrows raised in surprise, I had never found any of the deceased Glader's headstones before. I sighed, bowing my head at it in respect before the Greenie stood up and turned on his heels.

"Oh." Thomas stopped short, making me bump into him. Ben, a fellow Runner, stood in front of us, breathing heavily. My eyes widened as Thomas began speaking to him. I shook Thomas' arm anxiously, attempting to pull him back to the Glade.
"Ben, right? I don't know if we, uh, ever... Hey, are you okay?" Ben was twitching violently, his teeth gritted viciously as I mentally screamed at Thomas.

At this point, I was literally hitting Thomas' arm until he turned to look at me. I desperately tugged him in the direction of the Glade, circling my finger by my head to warn him that Ben wasn't the same. Suddenly, Ben launched at us, knocking me away and hovering over Thomas, yelling loudly. I silently cursed, grabbing my machete from the holster on my back.

"Get the hell off me!" Thomas shouted, struggling under Ben's weight.

"It's your fault. I saw you. You did this! I saw you!" Ben growled, pinning the Greenie's arms down. Thomas screamed as I tackled Ben off of him, landing a punch on his cheek. I glanced at Thomas, shooing him off quickly with my hand. The brunette hesitated, unsure if he should obey me. Ben headbutted me, rolling me onto my back as hell yelled in my face.

My vision was dizzy as I lifted my machete and sliced at his arm, throwing him off me. I scrambled to my feet before kicking the Glader hard in the face and running away. I was hot on Thomas' trail, who had took off as soon as I had gotten out of Ben's grip. The Greenie screamed for help as we sprinted back to the Glade, Ben's footsteps getting louder and louder. When we got to the edge of the Deadheads, Ben lunged at me, knocking me into Thomas and sending all three of us to the ground.

"HELP!" Thomas' voice yelled as he tried to pull me away from Ben, who had a firm grasp on my ankle. At this point, I was shaking violently as I panted heavily, shoving Ben off with my foot.

The thundering footsteps of fellow Glader's filled my ears as the boy had managed to get to Thomas once again, holding him down.

"I'll kill you!"

The clank of metal hitting Ben's skull brought me peace as I stayed lying on my back, wiping sweat and tears from my face.

"Hold him down. Calm down. What are you doing?!" Newt, who I could only assume was the one who saved us, said sternly. I watched the scene, catching my breath as I tried to control my shaking limbs.

"Yo, what the hell happened?!" Frypan exclaimed, helping Newt and the others hold Ben down.

"He just attacked us!" Thomas replied.

"You okay?" Chuck questioned Thomas, who merely nodded. The curly-haired boy jogged over to me and crouched down. "Are you alright, Cassie?" I let out a shaky breath, feeling a bit light headed. Shaking my head slightly, I allowed Chuck to help me up.

Alby pushed through the crowd of boys, staring down at the Glader. "Alright, lift his shirt." The leader commanded.

"Please. I didn't mean it! No! No. No, no please, please!" Ben begged, sounding like he was about to cry. Everyone sighed sadly as Newt tugged his shirt up, revealing a dark purple wound on his ribs.

"He's been stung." Gally confirmed.

No shit, Gally.

"In the middle of the day?" Gally, Alby and Newt exchanged confused looks. The other Glader's faces were covered in shock as the Runner continued to beg for help.

"Put him in the pit." Alby demanded, standing up. "Come on, everybody help. Take him to the pit."

Ben started fighting against the hands that held him in place, screeching loudly at them. A hand found mine, grasping it gently and comfortingly. I glanced down at Chuck, who had his eyes glued on the group that was now beginning to disperse. My eyes landed on Thomas, giving him a sympathetic look before following Chuck in the direction of the Homestead.