maze to her heart ~ newt¹✓

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔽𝕠𝕦𝕣 | stung

STUNG

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Before the sun rose the next day, Rae had to get up to get the runners situated. She met Minho and the other runner by the doors. While Rae had sunken bags under her eyes from the late festivities yesterday, Minho looked fresh and ready to run. Rae wondered how she used to wake up this early and run the maze. But that was over two years ago.

"Where's Ben?" Rae asked Minho, who shrugged as a response.

"He's probably passed out from all the partying he did last night," answered Minho, lightly jumping up and down, ready to run.

"Alright. You guys know the drill." The doors creaked open, which echoed through the Glade, probably waking up the other Gladers as it did every day. The doors signified the start of the day. When they opened, it was the runners' turn to delve into the twists and turns and it marked the time when you were supposed to start your work. Rae watched Minho and the rest of the runners head into the maze. After she couldn't see them anymore, she turned her back on the doors and went to find where Ben was.

At that point, everyone else was starting to wake up to start their work, but Rae had to go find Ben. Maybe he was feeling sick or accidentally slept in. Either way, she was going to find him and make sure he got to work as soon as possible. Rae made her way across the Glade to the hammocks. After inspecting each one, she concluded that Ben did not sleep in. He was around the Glade somewhere.

Rae eventually got to the garden where Newt usually was, but this time, Zart and Thomas were helping him. "Hey, Greenie, how's your first day of work?"

Thomas looked up from digging and made eye contact with Rae's green eyes. "Yeah, yeah, it's going good."

"That's good. But don't get too comfortable with this job. I don't think you were meant to garden. We might have you switch." Rae neared Newt as Thomas got back to work. "Did you happen to see Ben at all?" she whispered to him.

"No. Is something wrong?"

"He didn't show up this morning."

As Rae was talking, Newt threw Thomas a wicker basket and told him to fetch some fertilizer. Although Thomas wanted to object, he felt Rae stare at him, so he obeyed and left the two. Even though it was only his second day, Thomas saw the connection Rae and Newt had. He didn't just see it, he could feel it. It's the type of connection only best friends would have, but having become friends with Newt, Thomas also knew that Newt felt something stronger for the redhead. Thomas hoped he could feel that way towards someone one day.

"Did you check the whole Glade yet?" Newt asked Rae.

"Not yet--"

"Well, maybe that's why you can't find him."

Rae just scoffed at the blonde boy. She always found him intriguing. The way he could be flirting with Rae one second, and then the next be educating her on the different vegetables he grew this month. No matter his many attempts, Rae never gave Newt the satisfaction that his flirting was working. But deep down, she liked it. 

Before Rae could continue to search the rest of the maze, she heard a faint scream coming from the woods. She turned to Newt, who had the same expression on his face. He heard it, too.

Running out of the woods, Thomas screamed, "Hey! Hey! Help!" while someone was chasing after him. Rae cursed under her breath as her and the rest of the Gladers ran to the Greenie. The chaser jumped at Thomas, tripping him and climbing on top of him, before Newt used a shovel to hit the Glader on the side of the head.

As Rae shouted out to the Gladers to pin the boy down, Thomas scrambled to his feet, his heart racing with fear. When the Gladers finally were able to hold him down, the boy started to calm down. Ben was sickly pale and had dark bags under his eyes. A nasty gash on his temple from where Newt hit him started oozing out blood.

"What the hell happened?" yelled Frypan out loud, but it was directed to Thomas.

"He just attacked me!" Thomas sputtered, still trying to recollect himself.

As soon as Rae moved closer to get a look, Ben whimpered, begging. "Lift his shirt," Rae said. Gally pulled up Ben's shirt to reveal a blue-purple sting that was spreading across his abdomen. Rae knew that wound well enough to know what had happened to Ben, but it didn't make any sense.

"He's been stung. In the middle of the day?" Gally asked the question everyone was thinking.

"Help me, please," whimpered Ben, struggling against the grip of the other boys. 

Rae stood up. "Put him in the pit," she ordered. As Clint and Jeff and a few others tried to hoist Ben up, he started fighting against them, but they were able to pick him up and move him to the pit.

As the Glader's started to disperse, Rae turned to her second-in-command. "I need to talk to him."

Alby gave the redhead a puzzling look. "He won't make any sense, Rae."

"None of this makes sense. I have to try." Rae made her way to the pit where Ben was. He was huddled in the corner, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his forehead, muttering to himself. Rae couldn't even imagine the pain Ben was in.

"You want to tell me what you saw?"

The vein in Ben's neck pulsed once. "Thomas. He's the reason we're in here," Ben growled, saliva dripping from his mouth like a rabid dog. Rae didn't answer. Alby was right that Ben won't make any sense. Before Rae could get up and leave, Ben muttered, "He's the reason."

Rae made her way to Thomas and Chuck who were sitting in the shade of the Homestead. "So what happened to him?" asked Thomas as Rae sat down next to Chuck, ruffling his curly hair.

"It's called 'The Changing.' It's what happens when someone gets stung. Listen. I wasn't able to get a clear word out of Ben. He's not making any sense. And it's only gonna get worse. The infection is spreading. He's dangerous. What did he say to you?"

"He said he saw me... and that this was all my fault. How could this be my fault?"

"It's not. Just... get some rest."

"Rae? What's gonna happen to him?"

"Come. You'll see."

Thomas and Chuck followed Rae, but she told them to wait with the other Gladers by the gate while she headed to the pit where Ben was. She opened the gate, letting it swing open. At first, Ben was huddled in the corner, but the next second, he lunged at Rae, which she sidestepped and then grabbed his shirt from the back. His arms were tied up in some rope and Rae led him to the doors of the maze. The other Gladers stood in a semicircle with long poles that had a shorter stick tied parallel to the end of it. They made space for Rae to enter.

"Just, please, listen to me! Please, Rae!" Ben cried out. Rae knew she had to shut his voice out so she could continue. She forced Ben to his knees and then pulled out a knife from her belt, cutting the ropes that bound Ben. Ben fell to the ground on all fours, wheezing from the infection that was rapidly making its way to his lungs. 

"No, please. Please, don't. Please, don't do it," Ben begged. Rae ignored his attempts as she threw a bag in the maze. The gears churned and the walls started to close. "Poles!" said Alby. The Gladers pointed the spears at Ben. "Move in!" They started closing in on Ben as he continued to whine and beg. Rae had to look away as Thomas watched closely. The doors were about to fully close and Ben was still in between. With one final push, Ben went fully into the maze as the doors closed.

Rae turned to face the other Gladers, who were all staring down. It was never easy losing one of their own. "He belongs to the maze now."

~~~