Echoes And A Maze

Chapter 5

I woke up and remembered that Thomas heard the voices too. It was weird that we were the only ones who heard them. ''We have to go in the maze but in the night. The voices are only there in the night'' Thomas said to me ''I'm waiting already a month for a good moment, but it will be pretty suspicious if the only girl and the new greenie are already gone.'' I said ''Yeah, you're right. Anyway. We'll find something'' Thomas said and I nodded. Thomas didn't have a real job here yet so he would help Chuck, Newt, Zart and me. Thomas kept asking questions and didn't help ''You're gonna help?'' Newt asked. ''Yeh, sure,'' Thomas said. Newt threw a bucket at him ''Go grab some fertilizer in the little forest.'' Thomas almost dropped the bucket and went into the forest.

After 10 minutes it seemed to take a bit longer before Thomas returned, then we heard someone screaming from the forest. Thomas came running out of the woods with Ben behind him. Everyone ran to them and Gally and another boy stopped Ben. Ben looked like he hadn't slept in days and haven't eaten in days...'' Lift his shirt'' Alby said. Gally lifted Ben his shirt. We all saw a sort of black wound and his veins around it were also black and turning black. ''I thoughts so,'' Alby said. Thomas looked confused. I didn't know what happened either. ''Get him in the pit'' Alby commanded. 6 boys lifted Ben and brought him away. ''Thomas, you come with me,'' Alby said. ''Everyone back to work. The show is over people.'' Newt said and everyone listened to him and went back to work. I think a lot of people knew what happened to Ben. Why didn't someone explained it to me? I decided to ask Newt. ''Newt. What just happened to Ben?'' ''He... He got stung.'' Newt said. His face had turned white. ''By what?'' ''Uh, A griever. It's one of the animals in the maze.'' ''I thought you said that those animals would only come out at night?'' ''We thought so too until now. It's weird since Tommy came into the maze. Something changed.'' Newt turned around and continued silently. 

It was in the afternoon when Alby announced that everyone had to come to the maze doors. After 10 minutes we were all there. Some small-time later Gally came with Ben. Ben was chained and he was crying. He seemed to know what would gonna happen. Chuck too ''I'm sorry. I can't look at this...'' He said and turned around. I kinda expected what would happen. I hoped it wouldn't. When Gally dropped Ben he looked even more horrible than when after he attacked Thomas. He looked like some sort of animal and he only coughed up some black subsistence. ''The sticks!'' Alby yelled. 8 boys including Alby himself lowered the long sticks they were carrying and they pushed Ben every time a meter into the maze. Then we started hearing the maze closing... They would capture Ben into the maze. Ben started crying even more. You saw the pain in the face of many boys. They must have been close to Ben. I understand why Chuck just walked away. When the maze was almost closed Ben was on the other side of the doors, inside the maze. ''He belongs to the maze now,'' Alby said. 

That evening there hang a sad mood in the glade because of the loss of Ben. Gally and 2 others went to a closed-door nearby the maze and seemed to carve a stripe through Ben his name. We ate in silent, Frypan wasn't in the mood to cook a big meal. He made some bread with soup for everyone. 

We all went to bed at around 7 PM. I wasn't that tired yet but I wasn't in the mood to read so I talked with Chuck and Thomas about what happened today. When Chuck fell asleep Thomas turned to me and said: ''Tomorrow, we are going into the maze. I know that we will have a chance tomorrow.'' I nodded ''Okay.'' 

~The next day ~

Today Thomas and I would go into the maze whenever we had the chance to go. I'm so nervous because what if neither of us hears a voice tonight, then we are in big trouble...

That morning Thomas woke me up and said: ''Look Minho goes with Alby into the maze.'' ''Why? He isn't a runner?'' I asked. ''I heard Winston talking yesterday that Minho found a dead griever yesterday and Alby wants to check it out.'' ''Sounds okay to me,'' I said. 

The day happened in a blur. It was really normal, everyone worked. We had lunch, continued with work and finished around 5:30 PM. There were some boys standing worried at the maze doors. I walked to them with Chuck. ''Hey, Newt. What's wrong? Why aren't Alby and Minho back yet?'' I asked. ''I don't know. They should have been back an hour ago. They don't have long until the doors close.'' Newt was right. They only had like 10/15 minutes. Normally they would be here like 30/40 minutes before the doors close. ''You think they're alright?'' Chuck asked. ''Dunno. If it takes this long.'' In the meanwhile, all the gladers were standing in front of the doors. ''Can't we send someone to look for them?'' Thomas asked. I see where he was going. ''Against the rules,'' Newt said.

We heard some cracks and the doors started closing. ''Hey. They are there!!'' Chuck said and pointed at Minho pulling Alby. ''There's something wrong.'' Thomas said, ''Of course there is, otherwise Alby would just be able to walk!'' I said. Everyone started yelling at Minho that he was almost there. They had like 20 metres and the doors were 4 metres apart. Thomas nodded at me. We would go help Minho and Alby out of the maze and would make sure we stayed in the maze. ''Now.'' Thomas lipsynced. Thomas and I started running ''Thomas, Steph! Stay here!!'' Newt yelled. ''Come back!!'' Chuck yelled. Thomas and I grabbed Alby on his arms and feet that Minho could walk on his own. The doors were 3 metres apart. We were also 3 metres apart from the doors.. 2 metres, 1 metre. We were so, so close to the doors!! They closed with a hard smash... Dang, it... We were in the maze, but without having saved Minho and Alby. 

''Congrats... You just killed yourselves'' Minho said and sat down to catch his breath.