the maze runner
chapter fifteen

❛❛ i think i knew that new kid before... ❜❜

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"What did you do, Poe? What have you done?"

Flickering images emerged into Poe's dream, flashes of a strange place he's been seeing. From Poe's perspective of an unknown area with multiple monitors and watches over a dozen people on their desks. He sits at his own desk in his own office where he's looking through various files on his desk screen. He finds himself lying down on a gurney as he's being carried away, everything's disorienting.

"This is a mistake" it's the same girl's voice he's been hearing. "You're making a mistake" unsure who she's talking to.

"Wicked is good. Remember, Poe, Wicked is good" says a woman's voice.

Poe wakes up. Slowly opened his eyes and sees the early dawn's light. He slowly blinked, exhaled softly, he shifted around on his hammock and gently sat up. He set his bare feet on the ground, leaned forward, elbows on his lap, face buried on his hands and fingers pressed on his closed eyes. There's a massive pang in his head, a soft ringing in his ears, it's like every time he dreams of his fragment of memories, it's like something is in his head, hitting a hammer against the walls of his skull and sometimes clawing.

What did I do? He asked himself. It's nothing new, his dream is nothing new.

"Another nightmare?" Newt stood in front of Poe, his voice was tired and weak.

Poe glanced up at Newt, "No. Just another weird one." He never told anyone of his dreams. His fragments of memories he's been dreaming about, though they all feel like they're just dreams rather than memories. But Poe knows they are memories. They make no sense at all, it's like they're just scrambling around, scrambling in his dreams, like they're just hints, hints of nothing but of his past. Sometimes he's too afraid to tell anyone about them when he should be telling someone he could trust. He trusts Anton, he trusts Teo and he trusts Newt. Of course the only one he has told is Bark and responded with only whimpers, yawns and a bark.

"Weird as in good or bad?" Newt stretched his arms.

"I don't even know" Poe mumbled, he rubbed his eyes.

Newt sighed sharply as he finished stretching. "Alright, come on, shank" he slightly slapped Poe's arm, telling him to follow.

He put on his boots before he followed Newt to the tower, the sun was still on the edge of the horizon, already spreading it's multiple dawn colours across the sky, slowing consuming the different shades of blues as the stars slowly faded away.

"There's something egging on you, Poe" Newt sat down on the edge of the tower, "is it?"

Poe sat down beside Newt, "More like... bothering" he shrugged. He's only known Newt for a month, he's been a good friend, too good of friend enough to trust.

"If this is about why you've been so glum, you don't have to tell me, I don't want to pressure you"

Poe stayed silent and so did Newt. They both stared at the entire Glade, barely a single person was walking around and that was Minho who was prepared for the Doors to open and go for his run. Poe was brushing his fingers together while glancing at the poor view. He let out a sigh, "It's never the nightmares that bothers me" he paused, his feet dangled over the edge, "it's the memories"

Newt shifted, turned to face Poe, "Memories? You remember something?" There was hint of surprise in his voice.

"No. Not really" Poe shook his head, he kept his eyes on one of the walls, "more like— fragments... like they're just millions of tiny broken glasses scrambled together. They don't make sense at all. If I ever knew what they mean, if I remembered enough, I'd tell all of you. They're all the same"

Newt didn't respond for a moment. "What do you remember?"

Poe shrugged, "To be honest, they don't feel like they're memories, they're feel like a dream. But if I'm able to dream same thing over and over, then they must be memories—" he then thought of Thomas, "I think I knew that new kid before... Thomas. I've seen him too in my dreams, his face is one of them I've been seeing"

"So that's why you were so... glumly of all of sudden yesterday"

Poe nodded. "I hear him talking to me, like he hates me— I don't know why."

Poe went on about his dreams. Explaining them. It seems like there are only at least dozen of memories when he explained them, the rest of them are just the broken pieces to that supposedly connects to each of those dozen memories, when he tries to, they still make no sense.

"Wow..." Newt muttered.

"Confused?" Poe said, "I would be surprised if you weren't"

Newt sighed, pressed his brows together in confusion. "That makes no sense at all"

"See? It's all pointless, pointless to even tell anyone" Poe folded his arms together and rested them on the railing.

"I always thought you were different, Poe" Newt put his arms together as well and placed them on the same railing. "You really are"

"Sometime I feel like I'm not supposed to be here" Poe admitted.

"Don't we all?" Newt half laughed.

Poe knitted his brows together, "No—" he was cut off by Bark's barking from below. They both peered down over the railing and see Bark standing. The dog was glancing up and barking. "Bark, shut it!" Poe hissed.

The dog can be heard whimpering in response and sat down. The dog must be hungry or he needed something else. "Hey, you know what?" Newt put a hand on Poe's shoulder, "How about we get a reaction out of the Greenbean? See if he klunks in his pants"

Poe raised his brows as he stared at Newt, "What are you thinking about?"

Newt merely smirked then got up. He told Poe to follow and he did. They climbed down the tower and met Bark at the ground. The dog followed the two boys as they made their way back into the camp. Newt stopped Poe before they entered the camp. "Wait here"

Poe waited with Bark, he played with the dog for a moment, making multiple simple commands like "sit", "talk", "stand" and "gimmie paw" which was like their own "give me five".

When Newt came back, he came back with the Greenie, Thomas who was looking very tired who could barely walking properly. Newt gave Poe a smug as he kept walking to the Homestead, Thomas followed him then Poe and Bark followed them. Poe didn't realize what Newt was doing until they reached the Homestead, he was going to show Thomas the window and see how he reacts when he sees the Griever.

"What are we doing here?" Thomas asked.

"You'll see" Newt replied. Poe can picture a smirk plastered on Newt's face when he replied.

When they arrived where the window was, Newt pulled the vines aside from the window. Poe remembered first time seeing this spot, it was Nick who took him to see the Griever the day after coming out of the Box.

"What is this?" Thomas stared suspiciously at Newt then at Poe.

"See it for yourself, mate" Newt gestured at the window.

Poe watched Thomas stepping closely to the window, leaned forward until his nose was inches from the window. A moment later, he looked at Newt, "I don't see anything, what am I looking?"

"Just be patient, it'll show up any moment" Newt assured him.

Moments and moments passed, Poe found himself leaning back against the wall near beside Thomas, awaiting for his reaction, Poe exchanged a disappointing look with Newt. The Griever often show up the same day, same night every once a week at this area where the window was. The maze changes every night they say and they can hear the maze changing throughout the night.

"What the hell—" Thomas breathed out sharply in shock. His eyes widened and mouth agape.

Newt gave Poe a smug.

A moment later, something pounded against the window, making a deep thud noise as Thomas sharply gasped, jumped and fell backwards. Poe and Newt both flinched as Poe uttered "Whoa-ly shit" before letting out a chuckle.

Newt snickered as he and Poe glanced out the window and see the Griever stepping backwards from the window. "Looks like it did not like your face at all, Greenbean" Newt joked.

Poe softly chuckled.

"What's going on here?" Alby's voice rang, he was approaching them.

"Oh you know, watching this poor shank klunking his pants" Newt gestured at the Greenie. "The Griever did a surprise on him"

"Well, you two had your fun for the day, go get yourselves some breakfast, I need to speak with the Greenie" Alby folded his arms on his chest.

"He's all yours, mate" Newt then pat on Poe's arm to come along. He and Bark followed Newt to the picnic area.

When morning went on and it was time to work. Poe realized that Thomas will be starting his trials and he'll be trying out for Slicers to begin.

"Alright guys—" Winston began as they arrived the Bloodhouse, "we know the Greenie's will be with us all morning so, let's take it easy on him. Poe, Teo, you two will helping him with his first slaughter"

"Aye captain!" Teo waved his hand over his head. "Come on, mate, let's go get him a pig" he nudged Poe's arm and they both went inside the barn.

While they were getting the pig into an isolated small pin where they usually slaughter animals, Alby was coming to the barn with the Greenie. Poe and Teo locked the pig in the pin, Teo made sure the machete was sharp for Thomas to use when he slaughters the animal while Winston was touring him around the Bloodhouse and introduced every Slicers.

"And finally, this Teo and Poe—" Winston gestured at the two Slicers, Poe swore Thomas gave Poe a dirty look for a second when he saw him. Thomas probably didn't appreciate when Poe and Newt showed him the Griever this morning. "Teo's our next in line to become the Keeper after me if anything happens. So did you guys get it ready?"

Poe nodded while Teo replied, "Yes sir" he grabbed the machete from the holster and hand it to the Greenie, "this one is for you. Lady's all sharp and nice and ready, mate"

Poe couldn't help but to snort at Teo for prefer a machete as a lady, but he then cleared his throat and forced let out a cough. Teo rolled his eyes at Poe.

Thomas was very reluctant when he slaughtered the animal, it took him very long moments to finally swing the machete, but it wasn't enough to finish the animal, poor pig let out piercing screams and Thomas just dashed out of the pin instantly. The three Slicers sighed disappointedly at Thomas, Winston told Teo to finish off the pig while Winston and Poe left the pin. They found Thomas retching outside of the barn and puking out the breakfast he had this morning.

When the morning was done and it was time for lunch break. During lunch, everyone were surprised to see Minho and Ben being back into the Glade this early, of course they weren't allow to go and ask them why they're back. Only Alby and Newt could. When Newt came and join Poe's table, he told them that Ben wasn't feeling well and Minho said Ben was acting strange.

After lunch, work continued, it was the usually noon, get the animals back into their own pins in the barn then feed them before work is done for the day then leave their food that will last them for overnight. They refilled animals' tanks with water where they can drink.

Then something happened.

While Teo, Poe and Winston were outside of the barn, cleaning themselves, they heard screaming. Coming from the Deadheads. Someone was screaming, and even shouting for help. The dog was barking away for full minute. As the three Slicers were jogging towards the Deadheads, before they got there, Thomas was running full speed out of the forest while screaming for help. Someone was behind him, chasing him.

It was Ben. Ben caught Thomas, he jumped onto the Greenie and trying to attack. Newt got to them first before the Slicers did, he knocked the Runner with a shovel across his head. Gally and Newt got Ben pinned against the ground. Every Glader were in the area and surrounding Ben and Thomas.

"What happened?!" Gally demanded.

"He just attacked me!" Thomas answered.

Ben was trying thrash around but Gally and Newt were gripping him down and held him down by his arms tightly. "Calm down, Ben" Gally said.

Alby came into the crowd and approached Ben. The Runner looked already scared when he found the sight of the leader. "No—no!"

"Lift his shirt" Alby ordered.

"I didn't mean to!" Ben exclaimed in an almost cry.

Gally pulled Ben's shirt up and exposed his stomach. To everyone's shock, it was a some sort of a bloodied hole by the rib cage, with dark blue-ish and black veins spreading around the wound. The similar wound that Nick had.

"He's been Stung" said Gally, "in the middle of the day?"

"No wonder he and Minho came back so early" Teo whispered to Poe.

"Help me, please!" Ben begged. "Please, please just help me!"

Alby was hesitant, he got up before ordering everyone, "Put him in the pit"

"Come everybody, help us out" Gally said. He, Nico, Newt, Teo and Winston all tried to lift Ben as he began to try and fight them off.

"No! Please, don't!" Ben began to cry out as he continually put up a fight.

Poe couldn't help to think about Nick and it's only been a month since the last Glader got Stung. What happened to Ben and Thomas same thing happened to Poe and Nick. He can't help to think about that day, how Nick, his once best friend tried to kill him.

"Hey, Poe" Anton came and nudged Poe's back. Snapping out of his daze and turned to the kid. "Come on, man. Let's go" of course, the kid knows what Poe was thinking and knew what he was feeling.

He and Anton left the area with Bark and they both went to the picnic area. They knew what this means, they knew what happens next...

Banishment.

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