Maze Runner: The Subject Experiment

13 ❀ Stung

Alby, Newt and the greenie sprinted to the open doors where Mihno, Ben and Hank were holding the boy back. Stephen's muscles were convulsing in a horrid manner as he franticly tried to twist out of his captors' grip.

Mihno had lifted the boy's shirt to show black veins protruding from his skin. "He's been stung."

The girl didn't remember ever seeing someone so distressed. Stephen was crying now, blubbering like a child. "No, no, no, please! I'm fine! I can get better!"

Alby looked upon him like a judge passing a sentence. "Take him to the med-jacks."

The runners obeyed, dragging the squirming Stephen away towards the med-jack hut. Newt looked to Alby.

"She needs to see. Finally we have some proof."

Alby nodded. "Come on, we'll show you our last secret."

The girl followed the boys into the hut. Stephen was strapped to a bed with rope and twine. He was jolting and wriggling like a trapped rat.

Clint and Jeff stood watching, awaiting Alby's command.

The girl couldn't stand watching anymore. "Aren't you going to help him? He's ill! He needs treatment!" she shouted.

Alby leaned over Stephen.

"Please, Alby, I didn't mean to-" He thrashed about as Alby put a firm hand on his shoulder. The boy seemed to respect Alby out of fear and tried his best to contain himself. "I'm sorry, I don't want to go, I-" He couldn't stop the tears that were rapidly rolling down his cheeks.

She looked at Newt, desperation in her eyes. "Why is no one helping him?"

Newt's eyes softened, his mouth searching for words to explain. "They can't," was all that came out.

"What?"

"He's going through what we call the changing," Alby declared, still restraining Stephen by the shoulder.

"No, no I'm fine!" shouted Stephen.

"Be quiet!" Alby thundered back.

Stephen instantly gulped back his choking sobs.

She looked helplessly at Newt, "What is he talking about?"

"This is what happens when you're lucky enough to meet a griever in the maze," said Alby. "You get stung, you're dead."

Stephen's crying became hysterical at those words. She couldn't bear it.

"First they stop making sense. The infection spreads. It only ever gets worse." Newt felt sorry for the girl. He regretted his decision to have her watch this.

"There must be some way we can help him." She moved closer to the bed.

Stephen's eyes lit up like fireworks at the word "help". He managed to free one hand from the rope and grabbed her arm with a tight grip, refusing to let go. "Yes! Yes! Help me! You're so kind, so kind, please-"

Fear rushed through her body as his grip got tighter. She yelped in pain.

"Don't bloody touch her!" shouted Newt as he twisted Stephen's arm, pulling the girl free within seconds. Alby grabbed more rope to re-secure Stephen's arm to the bed. Newt grabbed her hand, "Don't go near him." His eyes were wide and pleading. "You can't help him. He's dangerous."

The girl turned to the wailing boy, pity overwhelmed her and she felt guilty for watching him in such torture. "I'm sorry," she whispered to him.

"I think you've seen enough," said Newt, leading her out of the hut by the arm.

It was pitch dark outside. There was no campfire tonight, yet. As they walked from the hut to dinner a million thoughts rushed through the greenie's mind. She slowly reflected on what she'd seen. How the Gladers struggled to control Stephen, how frightening it was that there actually was a real danger out there. Stephen was no actor, nothing that had just happened had a 'logical' explanation. For once, she'd run out of theories. Her rejection of the reality of the maze collapsed. It had to be true. The grievers, they had to be real, that sting was real. Suddenly, realisation swept over her. A horrifying wave of disillusionment flooded her senses. It was all real. Everything. The box, the people that sent them all here, the maze, the grievers, the changing. She felt like she was drowning.

Newt interrupted the silence. "I'm sorry about that. Thought it was something you had to see for yourself but...still, it isn't bloody pleasant, watching them change."

"This has happened before?"

Newt nodded.

"I guess I have no choice but to believe you now."

Another silence followed.

"Is he going to die?"

Newt looked her in the eye, "Not in that bed."

"What do you mean? What's going to happen to him?"

Newt hesitated. "He'll be put in the pit, now we're sure he's been stung. And in the morning..." He could not meet her eye. "...Alby will banish him."

The girl stopped abruptly. "Banish him? Where?"

Newt turned his head in the direction of the doors. She followed Newt's eyes and understood. She gaped at Newt in disbelief. "You can't be serious. Out there? In the maze full of things that caused this in the first place? That's beyond cruel! It's wicked! How could you let Alby do this? He's such a hypocrite! What happened to the rule about not hurting other Gladers?"

"This is different, you know it."

"How?"

"Because if Stephen stayed any longer he'd be a danger to us all."

"We could at least try to help him!"

"Trust me, anything you think might help, we've already tried alright?" He put his hand on her shoulder in his best attempt to console her. "You can't help him. None of us can."

They reached the campfire as it was being lit and Fry began serving food. Alby and the med-jacks were still nowhere to be seen.

Newt's concerned eyes watched the greenie. "Hey, don't worry about it."

She tried to change her worried expression.

They lined up for Frypan's food and she made her best attempt to shake the thought of Stephen from her mind.

"So..." began Newt, "You gonna sit with us today or?"

She smiled at his polite-ish invitation. "Sure."

That night she talked and laughed with Newt, Mihno and Winston, but in the back of her mind she held the image of the weeping boy. As she ate and smiled, secretly, she dreaded what tomorrow might bring.