Disclaimer:

I do not own The Maze Runner, but Dylan O'Brien hasn't been confirmed for season five of Teen Wolf yet due to filming TST and I just

EDIT: HE IS NOW GUYS DONT PANIC

-✼-

My breath hitched in my throat. A dead Griever? What?

Alby's reaction was way different than mine. He looked like someone had told him pigs could fly. "Ain't a good time for jokes."

"Look." Minho was still very excited about his discovery, no matter how exhausted he was. "I wouldn't believe me if I were you, either. But trust me, I did. Big fat nasty one."

I cringed at the memory of the Griever jumping at the window. I cringed even more thinking about it being a big fat nasty one.

"You found a dead Griever," Alby repeated slowly.

"Yes, Alby." Minho was obviously annoyed at Alby's lack of an excited reaction. "A couple of miles from here, out near the Cliff."

Alby looked out toward the Maze for a moment, then back at Minho. "Well...why didn't you bring it back with you?"

Minho snorted. Apparently Alby's question was dumb. "You been drinkin' Frypan's saucy-sauce? Those things must weigh half a ton, dude. Plus, I wouldn't touch one of them if you gave me a free trip out of this place."

Alby was starting to sound like Thomas with the flood of questions that poured out of his mouth like verbal diarrhea. "What did it look like? Were the metal spikes in or out of its body? Did it move at all- was its skin still moist?"

I was disgusted with the image that came to my mind. My memory of the Griever wasn't as bad as they actually were, apparently.

"Slim it, man," Minho sighed. "You gotta see it yourself. It's...weird."

"Weird?" Alby echoed, confused.

"Dude, I'm exhausted, starving, and sun-sick. But if you wanna haul it right now, we could probably make it back before the walls shut."

Logic told me that they could definitely not make it back before the walls close. They had to run a couple miles, find the Griever, inspect it, then lug it back all the way here. If Minho's assumption was right and the Grievers really did weigh half a ton, there was no way they'd be able to make it back in time if they decided to bring it with them.

Alby looked at his watch, then up at the sun in the sky. "Better wait till the wake-up tomorrow."

"Smartest thing you've said in a week." Minho stood with the help of the wall, hit Alby on the arm, then started walking toward the Homestead with a slight limp that reminded me of Newt's. "I should go back out there, but screw it. I'm gonna go eat some of Frypan's nasty casserole."

Alby turned to Thomas with a sharp look in his eye. "If you know something and ain't telling me..."

I furrowed my eyebrows. Why did he keep accusing Thomas of knowing something? Alby should know that with all the questions that could come out of Thomas's mouth in a single day, he was just as clueless as the rest of us.

Surprisingly, Thomas looked Alby square in the face and asked, "Why do you hate us so much?"

The look that came over Alby's face was a strange mix of anger, confusion, and shock. "Hate you? Boy, you ain't learned nothin' since showing up in that Box. This ain't got nothin' to do with no hate or like or love or friends or anything. All we care about is surviving. Drop your sissy role and start using that shuck brain if you got one."

Anger flared inside of me, building up in my chest and threatening to burst through my mouth in word form. How dare Alby say that to him? So what, Thomas was a bit too curious for his own good, and he didn't like being in the dark about anything. He wasn't like Chuck, who was too afraid of Alby to even stand up for himself. He wasn't like Minho, who didn't take anything from anyone and could get away with it. He wasn't like Newt, who, aside from a few minor questions, could take something as it was with a smile. Thomas was Thomas, and he wasn't anyone else, and Alby needed to get that through his head.

Just as I was about to explode, Thomas stuttered, "But...why do you keep accusing-"

"Cuz it can't be a coincidence, boy! You pop in here, we got two girl Newbies, a crazy note, Ben goin' off on you two, dead Grievers. Something's goin' on and I ain't restin' until I figure it out."

"I don't know anything, Alby." I was seriously proud of the heat in Thomas's words. "I don't even know where I was three days ago, much less why this Minho guy found a dead thing called a Griever. So back off!"

I was starting to wonder if Thomas always had this in him, or if he was spending a little too much time with me.

Alby was obviously a little surprised from Thomas's jab at him, but he recovered quickly. "Slim it, Greenie. Grow up and start thinkin'. AIn't got nothin' to do with accusing nobody of nothin'. But if you remember anything - both of you - if something even seems familiar, you better start talking. Promise me."

I wanted to roll my eyes so badly, but I restrained myself from doing so. "Sure. Whatever."

"Just promise."

I really did roll my eyes that time. "I promise."

Alby turned and walked away without another word.

-/-

I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Newt had assigned me to work with the Builders for the remaining work hours, which irked me more than anything because I had to be working with Gally as my boss. Part of me wanted to pretend to be horrible at it so I wouldn't have a chance at getting the job, but I was too angry to fake at anything. Every syllable that came out of Gally's mouth made me want to smash a brick in his potato-sized nose, and that was getting more and more tempting as every minute passed.

He had me start with the basics- hammering nails, sawing wood, etc. Then, after he thought I had that down, he had me do some harder things such as putting the wood together and making it sturdy enough to support the weight it was meant to.

It wasn't until two hours into my job that I realized Gally was no longer waiting to see if I understood what I was currently doing before moving onto the next thing. However, I was actually holding up pretty well, and all the work I was doing distracted me from my anger. I was cruising through all of it, and I think that was what made Gally so mad.

I was helping Theo and some other kid repair something when Chuck came running over, curls bouncing around his anxious face.

"Dylan! Dylan!" he shrieked as he ran, Thomas following after him.

"Hey, no disturbing the Greenie's work!" Gally scolded sharply, eyebrows pulled together.

"This seems muy importante, Gally," Theo said, setting down his saw. "I'd let them tell her whatever it is."

Gally seemed to listen to Theo and allowed Chuck and Thomas to come closer.

"What is it?" I asked as I wiped sweat from my forehead with the back of my wrist.

"Ben isn't dead," Chuck said, breathless.

I dropped the hammer I was holding onto my foot in surprise, causing sharp spikes of pain to shoot up to my brain. "Ow, shuck. Wait, he's what?"

"Ben's alive, Dylan," Thomas repeated.

My jaw dropped and terror replaced the confusion, sinking deep into my veins. "How?" I picked up the hammer off my foot, setting it down on a workbench near me. "How can he not be dead? I saw the arrow. I watched it-"

"The arrow missed his brain," Chuck explained. "Med-jacks patched him up."

"There's nothing to worry about," Thomas assured me, noticing the horrified look on my face. "He's locked up in the Slammer."

"The Slam-"

"Basically like a jail cell," Gally cut in, sitting down on a large rock. "He ain't gettin' out anytime soon if that's the case."

"I can't even...how is that possible..." My mind was whirring. Would Ben be released from the Slammer? If he did, would he try to attack us again? I was reminded of the lump on the back of my head from when he had thrown me up against the tree. It stopped hurting and the swelling was going down, but the mention of Ben being alive sent a wave of panic through me, making its way up to my head and the lump pulsed with pain.

"Are you okay?" Chuck asked worriedly, eyes filling with concern. All of the Builders had stopped working, not really knowing what do to. They were all watching us with mixed emotions on their faces.

"I'm fine," I asserted, my voice strong and sure. I looked up from the ground. "I'm fine."

"Get back to work," Gally snapped at the other Builders, and they did so immediately.

I was standing still for a moment, still trying to process everything.

"Well, if that's it, you can get the klunk out of here," Gally snapped to Thomas and Chuck, mouth pulled into a deep frown. He looked like he was debating on saying something else, but that didn't stop the sourness in his voice.

"Dylan!" I looked in the direction of the voice to see Newt jogging up to us, looking disturbed. "Gotta tell you something. Ben-"

"Chuck and Thomas already told me," I informed, stopping him from going further.

Newt huffed. "Well, if you already know about the Banishment and all that, I'll be off."

"Wait." I prevented him from leaving, confusion lacing my voice. "Banishment?"

"I knew you guys should've told her," Gally grumbled at my friends, face stony and eyes hard.

"We may have forgotten that part," Chuck admitted sheepishly, looking down at his feet.

"Ben's being Banished tonight," Newt explained, an unreadable expression clouding his features. "That means he'll be-"

"No," Gally cut him off, a weird sort of smile on his face as his eyes drifted to me. "Let her see for herself what it means to be Banished."

That night, Newt and Alby rounded up every single soul in the Glade by the East Door about half an hour before it was supposed to close. I stood impatiently with Chuck and Thomas, tapping my foot as we waited for the Runners to return from the Map Room. I was tired from everything that had happened today, and the last thing I wanted was to be standing around for twenty minutes, not knowing what was going to happen after that time period was up.

Newt was nowhere to be seen in the crowd, no matter how hard I craned my neck and stood on my toes.

"You're too short," Chuck laughed. "I'm almost taller than you."

I rolled my eyes at the boy and lowered myself to my normal height. "Thomas, can you see Newt?"

Since he was pretty tall, it was fairly easy for him to see above the heads of others. After looking around for a few seconds, he stopped, his face directed toward the Door. I felt stupid because we were literally a few feet away from Newt and I couldn't even see him.

"Uh, yeah, but he's-"

The Runners came back and Thomas instantly submerged into silence as well as the rest of the Glade.

"Bring him out!" Alby shouted, startling me.

Thomas's breath hitched and he moved me in front of him so I could see a bit better. Three of the larger boys in the Glade were dragging Ben from around the Homestead. His clothes were shredded, barely holding onto his frail, thin body. A thick, bloody bandage covered half of his face and head. He was blatantly refusing to pick up his feet or help them in any way, feet skidding along the ground and creating a grating noise. He basically seemed dead except for his eyes, which were wide and filled with sheer terror.

"Newt," Alby said in a much quieter voice. "Bring out the Pole."

I could see Newt nod, already moving toward a tool shed on the side of the Gardens. It was clear he had been waiting for that order.

I directed my gaze toward the ground until Ben was dragged in front of Alby. Ben's head was hung low, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Shame was evident on his face.

"You brought this on yourself, Ben." Alby shook his head before looking in the direction Newt had gone. I turned just in time to see him exit the shed, holding several aluminum poles that connected at the ends to make a long shaft. He grabbed something odd at one of the ends and used that to drag the entire contraption toward the group. The only sound was the metallic scrape of the pole on the ground as Newt walked.

He stopped in front of Alby and handed over the end of the pole he was holding. Now, up close, I could see it was a collar. I watched with a sickening curiosity in my stomach as Alby unbuttoned it and wrapped it around Ben's neck. The poor, skeleton-like boy looked up just as the collar snapped into place. Tears glistened in his eyes and snot oozed from his nose. No one said a single word.

"Please, Alby," Ben pleaded, his voice so soft and pathetic, so frightened that it was nearly impossible to believe that he was the same kid who had tried to bash my skull in. "I swear I was just sick in my head from the Changing. I never would've killed them- just lost my mind for a second. Please."

Memories flashed through my head. Ben pouncing on me while I was alone in the woods, him choking me, biting Thomas, the thunk of the arrow as it lodged itself in Ben's head. I rather would've had him killed by the arrow than watch this.

Alby ignored Ben and walked along the long pole, picking it up and off the ground. His fingers slid along it until he reached the end. He looked up at the crowd with bloodshot eyes and his face twisted in anger. I huddled closer to Thomas. Alby suddenly looked evil.

He spoke in a loud, clear voice, looking at no one and everyone at the same time. "Ben of the Builders, you've been sentenced to Banishment for the attempted murder of Thomas and Dylan the Newbies. The Keepers have spoken, and their word ain't changing. And you ain't coming back. Ever." There was a long pause during which not a single sound was heard. "Keepers, take your place on the Banishment Pole."

One by one, boys stepped out of the hoard and stood by the pole. I recognized Minho, Frypan, Zart, and Gally, all with their faces blank and their lips pulled into thin lines. I was surprised to see Newt among them because he wasn't a Keeper. However, he was Alby's second-in-command, so I guess that was why he was there.

Once all of the Keepers were in place - all ten of them evenly spaced between Alby and Ben - the air grew more still and silent than it had ever been. Ben's muffled sobs made my heart clench and I forced the feeling down, masking my face so it looked emotionless. I would've been dead because of him. Did that make me a bad person; that part of me wanted this to happen? At least I wouldn't be in danger of him attacking me again, but did I really want him to be Banished?

I really, really, wanted this to be done and over with.

"Please," Ben begged, his voice rising as he grew more desperate. "Plllllleeeeeeeeaaaassssssseeee! Somebody, help me! You can't do this to me!"

"Shut up!" Alby roared from behind.

Ben ignored him, pleading for help while pulling on the collar around his neck. "Someone stop them! Help me! Please!" He glanced from Glader to Glader, desperation clear in his eyes. Everyone looked away. I made the mistake of not doing so in enough time, and Ben's eyes glued to mine, tears rolling down his pale face. My skin prickled and I broke my gaze away from him, knowing that image would haunt me forever.

"If we let shanks like you get away with that stuff," Alby muttered, "we never would've survived this long. Keepers, get ready.

"No, no, no, no, no," Ben mumbled, half the words under his breath. "I swear I'll do anything! I swear I'll never do it again! Pllllllllllleeeeeeeeeee-"

His shrill cry was cut off by the screeching, rumbling noise of the Doors starting to close. The ground shook. I braced myself, knowing now what was going to happen.

"Keepers, now!" Alby shouted.

Ben's head snapped back dangerously as the pole jerked him forward, the Keepers working to push him into the Maze. A strangled cry erupted from the depths of Ben's throat, working his entire being into the words. It was louder than the Doors themselves.

"Nooooooooooo!" Ben shrieked, spit flying from his mouth as he thrashed, trying to rip the collar off of him. The combined strength of all the Keepers was way too much, forcing him closer to the closing Door. "Nooooo!" he screamed over, and over, and over again.

I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to watch as Ben neared the Door. I didn't bother covering my ears because nothing could drown out the sound of Ben's mangled cries. My body shook and part of me felt his pain as it wrenched deep into my heart and settled in the bottom of my soul.

I felt Thomas jump a little from behind me, and I was glad I wasn't looking. Thomas put his hand on my shoulder comfortingly, and I guessed he couldn't see that I wasn't going to open my eyes again until this was all over.

"Hold!" Alby roared, the grating sound of the Doors drowning his voice out a bit.

Ben screamed then, a sound so piercing and heart-wrenching that it caused tears to fall from my squeezed eyelids. There was no way the scream didn't rip Ben's vocal cords to shreds. It convinced me that this was the right thing to do, and he was just apologizing out of desperation, out of the overwhelming desire to live.

I heard the walls close with a terrible boom, and even though the ground wasn't shaking anymore, I was. My body was its own earthquake and I found no more relief in closing my eyes because Ben's face was plaguing my memories. I wondered if I would ever get over this terrible night as I turned and hugged Thomas tightly because he was the only other person that would understand.

gif is the banishment

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holy crap this is long. wow. i actually fit two chapters of the tmr book into one, that's why.

happy 2015 and may the odds be ever in your favor

until next time, you beautiful idiots

-kristyn