Into the Maze

Chapter 8

Ben looked sick, he was pale and his eyes were wide. He was breathing heavily, fists clutched, as he took a small step forward.

I shot Thomas a nervous glance, and he returned it. We looked back at Ben, what was he doing here? I thought runners stayed in the maze all day.

"Uh, Ben right? I don't know if we ever, uh.." Thomas took a step forward, as Ben's breathing fastened. He was glaring right at us, like he wanted us dead. "Hey are you okay?"

Ben stood a moment, then lunged at us. I took a step back and felt Thomas shove me to the side, as Ben tackled him.

"Get the hell off me." Thomas stated as I hit the ground, landing on my butt. I swallowed hard and looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon.

"It's your fault, it's you, you guys did this. I saw you!" Ben muttered as I jumped to my feet, panicking. I looked around faster as my gaze landed on a branch, one that had fallen from a tree.

I rushed over and picked it up, the weight of it dragging me down a bit. I turned back around as Ben pressed his hand against Thomas's throat, cutting off his air. He gasped for breath as I steadied myself, placing my right foot in running position, then sprinted towards them at full speed.

I yelled as I pulled it back, holding the branch like a baseball bat, and swung as hard as I could. Part of the branch shattered, but I could feel the contact with Ben rumble through me.

Ben was flung off Thomas with a whimper, and I watched as Thomas scrambled to his feet, the boy trying to do the same.

I yelled at Thomas to go, gripping the half-broken branch harder, as the boy got on his feet, and looked back at us. Thomas hesitantly broke into a run, and Ben glanced at me.

I got ready to hit him again, but he didn't charge. He quickly looked me up and down, then grunted, and ran after Thomas. Well that didn't go as I wanted.

"Ben!" I called, trying to not have him chase after Thomas. I knew I had to follow, but the branch would be too heavy to run with. I threw it to the ground and sprinted after them, dodging stumps, and pushing out the question of why he didn't attack me right then and there.

"Hey! Hey! Help!" Thomas was yelling at the top of his lungs, while the adrenaline within me only caused me to press harder. My feet started moving faster and faster, as I caught up closer to them.

Ben shoved Thomas, and they both went tumbling down a hill, as I jumped down it, chasing after them. They both stood up and kept running, but I was closer now, so close that I could have hit Ben if I still had the stick.

They made it just outside of the forest, where the boys who heard Thomas's screams had become alarmed, when Ben jumped on Thomas. He held a thick rock he had managed to get along the way above his head, or maybe he always had it, but he was ready to kill.

I was still running, and without thinking, I used my momentum to tackle Ben, sending him flying off of Thomas. We hit the ground with a thud that rocked my whole body, sending aches down my arms and back.

Whatever strength I thought I had was nothing compared to Ben's muscles and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Within a second I was under him, my back in the grass, but his rock was gone. I must have knocked it out of his hands.

Ben quickly adjusted, now that it was down to it I guess he didn't mind killing me either. He pressed his knee on me to keep me down, and wrapped his hands around my neck, cutting off my air.

"You helped them, you helped them all." He muttered, as I gasped for air, his hands pressing down like a boulder, crushing me. What did I do? "You, and him, and, and.." He stuttered, not really trying to get an answer, just mumbling.

I was pushing against him as hard as I could, but he wouldn't move. He wouldn't get up. My attempts were nothing, and soon, I'd be in the graveyard with all the other boys.

"Hey!" I heard Newt yell and watched a stick with a rock on the end fly over me, slamming into Ben's left temple. I gasped as he was flung off my body, and watched as boys crowded around Ben. "What're you doing?" He asked Ben, holding him down with Gally and Frypan.

"He just attacked us!" Thomas explained and scrambled to his feet. I sat up, as the world around me spun a bit. Thomas rushed over to me and helped me up, panting as much as I was, maybe even more.

I looked down at Ben, who was being held down and restrained, as Alby walked over, eyeing him. There was definitely something wrong with him, he was clawing to be free, fighting against Gally's arms.

"No, no, no, no" He started whining as Alby looked at him. I frowned, watching him struggle and squirm some more, what was going to happen to him?

"Alright lift his shirt." Alby ordered, as the boys holding him down, Newt, Frypan, and Gally, did just that. Under his shirt, there was a hole in his chest, pretty large, and black. Darkened and green veins sprouted from the hole, spreading in all directions.

People gasped and stepped back, as we all examined him. He kept begging and crying, why was he begging?

"He's been stung." Gally informed, as Ben breathed heavily, his pale stomach moving up and down at a rapid pace. "In the middle of the day?" I thought Grievers only hurt people at night, in the maze.

"No, please, please, please just help me." Ben begged, tears dripping down his face at a rapid pace. I had to look away to stop myself from tearing up, or trying to get him freed.

"Put him in the pit." Alby ordered, and pointed to the place I had gone to when I got out of the box. The boys around me shifted awkwardly, as if they all knew something I didn't. "Come on everybody, help put him in the pit." I wasn't going to touch him, I couldn't.

"No, No, No listen!" He started yelling, resisting to go. A few more boys came over and lifted him up, as he struggled and fought. "Listen!"

He was dragged away, screaming, as everyone around me took a deep breath, then went back to what they were doing before.

I sighed, and looked around. I'd been here maybe a day and had nearly been killed, probably gained a billion bruises, and currently have more questions that I started with. This place was messed up, and whoever put us here was worse.