The Maze Trials: A Gally Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty Two

I stood in the doorway of Alby's small office. Where he did his lists of supplies and tasks. I also came to learn that he wrote a journal. He made at least one entry a day. Right now he sat at his desk scribbling away on some paper.

"Knock knock" I said softly to get his attention.

He looked up at me. His eyebrows were still knit in concentration. He glanced down at the paper for a moment then slowly sat his pencil down.

"You alright?" I asked him.

He sighed then rubbed a hand down his face.

"As much as I can be considering." He sounded exhausted.

I couldn't imagine the weight on his shoulders. He was the very first one in the Glade. He survived an entire month alone. In that time he started to work the plan out for what the Glade is today. The weight of being our leader. The one we all look to for answers and guidance when something happens.

"I can't imagine what's going threw your head right now but I just wanted you to know that what you are about to do we all understand. It's not the first time. Some may not understand but most of us who have been here for awhile do understand. There's nothing else we can do but protect the majority. It sucks like hell but..." I trailed off unsure of what else to say.

"Thank you Emi. I appreciate that. Could you tell Gally and the other keepers that I need to have a counsel meeting please." Alby gave me a small forced smile.

I nodded then quickly left to inform the keepers. Outside the Homestead was a circle of boys. I went straight over to them.

"Hey boys, Alby needs you in the counsel hall." I said as I grabbed Gally's hand.

They all looked at me then nodded. They knew what to do. All the keepers were among the boys who'd been here the longest. Gally squeezed my hand then placed a quick kiss on my forehead before following the rest of the keepers. I noticed Chuck and Thomas sitting in the hammocks so I made my way over to them.

"Hi Emi" Chuck said with a large grin.

"Hi Chuck" I smiled back as I sat next to him.

"Thomas, how are you doing?" I asked the greenie.

"I'm confused mostly" he chuckled lightly.

"I was too the first time I saw the changing." I informed him.

"The changing?" He asked arching a brow at me.

"It's what happens when someone gets stung. They go threw the changing. There's no cure. Before I came here they had others stung but after trying everything they had and none of it working Alby decided banishment was their best option." I explained.

"Banishment?" Thomas questioned.

"You'll see later after the counsel meeting. Just remember we don't want to do this but we have to." I turned to look at Chuck.

I grabbed the young boy's hand and squeezed it gently. He hasn't witnessed a banishment yet but I know some of the older boys have told him about it. Thomas looked very confused and worried. He glanced behind him into the Glade which was empty now. Usually at this time the Glade would be full of gladers working. It was eerily quiet with the pending banishment hanging over all our heads.

Thomas, Chuck, and I sat in silence until the doors to the counsel hall opened. All the boys looked defeated. We watched them as they gathered what was needed. Each keeper getting their one long wooden polls. I learned they were used to actually push the glader out. The rest of us would have to grab our own spear. The only ones that weren't expected to be apart of this was Chuck because he is so young and Thomas because this is only day two for him.

"Emi" Gally shouted from a few feet away.

He was holding his poll in one hand and a spear in the other.

"I'll see you guys later" I said to Thomas and Chuck then went to Gally.

I took the spear from his hand then followed him over to the entrance of the maze. The gladers slowly filled in where they were needed. The keepers in the middle of the group. Chuck and Thomas were standing to the back of the group. All of us stood quietly as we watched Minho in the distance pull Ben out of the pit. He guided Ben threw the Glade to where we all stood.

"Please listen to me! Please! Minho!" Ben said threw clenched teeth.

He seemed to growl as Minho stayed silent.

"Alby" He growled as he walked past the leader.

As Minho passed the other keepers they moved to get in a line behind him. Minho pushed him onto his knees then cut the ropes binding his hands behind his head. He grabbed the bag of minimal supplies tossing it into the maze.

"No, no, no, please, no, please" Ben cried to Minho.

The sounds of the maze starting to shift and close told us it was time. The wind rushed into the Glade making Ben try to crawl backwards from it.

"Posts!" Alby shouted.

All the keepers moved to hold their posts out in front of them. Ben turned himself around to face the keepers as the rest of us gladers held our spears out to keep him from running back into the Glade. I noticed Chuck turn and walk away leaving Thomas to watch alone. Ben got to his feet then started to try to find a way threw us.

"Move in" Alby ordered.

The keepers walked forward using their posts to push Ben back.

"No! No, no, no!" Ben said frantically as he tried to push the posts away.

Ben tried to push back against them but he didn't stand a chance. He was frantically screaming no as the pushed him closer and closer to his death. They finally got him into the doors pushing him far enough so that his options were to go to the other side or let the walls crush him. He made his way to the other side of the doors. He stared at us threw the small opening until it closed and we could no longer see or hear him. The eerie quiet settled in around us once more.

"He belongs to the maze now." Alby said after leaning his post against the stone.

The rest of the keepers did the same with their posts. Most of them went back to the Glade. A small group of the builders along with Gally and myself went to the wall of names. I held one of the torches as Gally gathered what he needed to mark out Ben's name. We stood silently as Gally worked the chisel. This was what we did every time we lost someone. They carved their name when they got here and Gally marked it out when you died. We had to have something to always remember our friends, brothers, and family that we lost here in the Glade and in the maze. Maybe one day we wouldn't need this memorial anymore because we'd all be safe but for now we do what we can.