the maze runner
chapter sixteen

❛❛ he belongs in the maze now ❜❜

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After what happened with Ben and Thomas, the Keepers called for the Gathering immediately. Everyone else knew where this was going.

The Keepers have decided to have Ben banished, it was no surprise at all for Poe because everyone already saw this coming before the Keepers announced it. They had gathered together by the Doors just moments before closing time.

It's been only a month since the last banishment, Newt mentioned once that they only had few banishments the last three years, Gladers get Stung rarely and all of them were Runners. Neither of them survived through the Changing and only one Glader that got Stung was left in the Slammer then eventually died.

Poe was standing with Anton and Teo as they glanced ahead towards the Keepers. There were sounds of struggle from Ben, there was Minho dragging Ben to the doors. Same way how Minho dragged Nick. "Please, just listen to me!" Ben begged, his voice was raw and dry, "listen to me, please! Please, Minho!"

Minho kept pushing Ben to the doors and passed the Keepers. In the middle of the Keepers, that's where Ben was on his knees, Minho untied him, and Ben began to sob out and retching out at the same time. Minho threw a bag into the maze for Ben to take while he's in the maze.

"Please!" Ben cried and sobbed at the same time.

The metal groaned and howled loudly, signalling for the doors closing to begin. Minho moved away and went between the Gladers. Once the winds came through the doors, into the maze that's when Alby yelled out "Poles!" The Keepers drew the poles at Ben and start marching towards Ben to push him into the maze.

For some odd reason, Poe found this less difficult to watch, he never tore his eyes away from the scene this time, maybe it was because he couldn't watch his best friend being forced into the maze while Ben who he barely even knows was less harder to watch. He spotted Thomas walking in closer behind the Gladers and watched in horror as the Gladers draw Ben into the maze.

"I'll get better!" Ben continually cried, "I promise I'll get better! Please!" He was in between the doors as they were five feet from closing in each other making Ben to hurry down into the maze.

With the last inches from the doors closing, Ben let out a crying scream before being cut off by the doors closing shut.

Then it was all silent.

It was a moment of silent, no one spoke, Alby glanced at everyone before he breaking the silence, "He belongs in the maze now" with that, he left.

Poe heard Anton sniffling while Bark softly whimpered. Poe turned to Anton, put his arm around the kid's shoulders then guided him out of the area and lead him back to the picnic area.

When night consumed the dusk and everyone were getting ready to sleep. The Builders were at the wall that had Gladers' names on it, crossing Ben's name, it's as if that's their way of saying their farewell to the fallen Gladers.

Poe was walking Bark around the Glade before they go to sleep, it was just the two of them for a while until Newt approached them. "You hanging alright there, mate?"

"Are you?" Poe asked him. Newt looked he was trying to smile but couldn't and Poe felt the same. "Just another one of the darkest days, ain't it?"

"It's the Glade" Newt said, "Place has it's dark days and cheerful days"

"Sorry about Ben" Poe muttered.

"I think you should be sending your condolences to Minho instead" Newt implied.

The two boys and a dog were passing by the Deadheads and were making their way to the camp. "It's just— you've been here from the start" Poe began, "you've been practically watching Greenie to Greenie coming out of the Box and then watch them go. Like you've been watching your children being born until they're gone"

Newt couldn't help but to let out a soft chuckle.

"I wasn't trying to be funny" Poe murmured.

"I know. I just never thought things like that before, that's all"

As they were near the camp, Newt halted Poe, putting a hand on Poe's chest and looked at him.

"So listen, earlier today, during the Gathering, while we discussing about Ben—" Newt began, he let out a sigh before he went on, "We also discussed about who should take Ben's position. I assume Nick had once mentioned that you'd be the next in line to become a Runner"

Poe's heart was beating. He was already in shock and already knew what Newt is about to say.

"When Nick was here, he and Minho and Alby were discussing about you once and said that if either Minho or Ben were gone, you're taking over the spot"

Poe swallowed, he had mixed thoughts about it now.

"So, congratulations, you've been promoted as a Runner" Newt didn't sound happy at all when he said it.

Poe was speechless, he glanced down at his dog, Bark was looking up at him, his ears raised tall as he softly whimpered. "Wow—" that's all Poe said. Who's going to take care of Bark now during in the middle of the day? Will Winston and Teo able to keep the Bloodhouse in place without him? Who's gonna watch over Anton?

"You know—" Newt said, "you can say no if you want, we're not forcing you—"

"No, I mean, I can try" Poe replied, looked at Newt, "I still want to be Runner. I'd like to see the maze like I've wanted to" does he? Does he still wants to go into the maze and explore it? He got so used to being a Slicer and liked being around with his friends.

"Good that" Newt nodded weakly, he pat softly on Poe's arm, he found Newt odd of how he didn't sound happy at all and rather looking and sounding like he was disappointed. "I'll go find Minho and Alby and let them know" Newt pursed his lips before walking away.

Poe stood there for a moment as he watched Newt walking away. Is this really what he wanted? He wasn't really the same curious Glader few months ago who was keen to go into the maze and egging himself on.

Poe didn't have a courage to tell Anton about being promoted of being a Runner, he was afraid that he might hurt the kid, Teo and Winston were already sound asleep when he went to go see them.

He spent the rest of his night laying on his hammock and stared at the night sky. When Newt came to go to his hammock, he didn't even looked at Poe or he just assumed that he was already sleeping. Moments later, Poe attempted to try and fall asleep which took a while to fall into a dreamless sleep.

In the earliest morning, he was woken up by Minho who gave him a slight kick on Poe's dangling feet. Minho looked stern as he looked down at Poe. "Time to get ready for work, princess" said the Keeper of Runners. "Come on, follow me"

Poe sharply sighed, rubbed his head then his eyes before he got up. He put on his boots then his dirty sleeved white shirt before he went to follow Minho. Bark attempted to follow them but Poe ordered him to stay with Anton.

He followed Minho into the forest, where Poe had seen him and Ben going in every twice a day, where no one isn't even allowed to go. Poe never realize how this part of the forest was big, almost bigger than the Deadheads.

With dawn nearly breaking, the woods were dark, barely the early dawn's light from the sky illuminated the forest, Poe could barely see where he's going and he just followed Minho's footsteps. As they passed the creek, they found Alby standing by a small hut, there is a hut in the middle of the forest, Alby had a small torch in his hand.

As Minho and Poe reached the hut, Alby went inside the hut. "Alright, Poe—" the leader began, "the only people that are allowed to come to this place is the Runners, including myself and now you"

When Poe went inside, there was a large table in the middle of the room, when he got close, he quickly realized it was the map. A map of the entire maze. "Whoa" Poe was stunned. "Jesus, man, how long this took you to finish this entire map?"

"A year and seven months" Minho replied, "that's how long it took me to study the entire maze"

"Shit" Poe murmured softly as he stared down at the map. He noticed the stones that were labeled in numbers in every edge of the map, about eight of them and eight numbers. "What's with the numbers?"

"They're sections of the maze. Every night, the maze changes, closing all seven sections except for one. Today, section three is open and that's where we'll be going" Minho explained. "Tomorrow will be seven. There's a sequence that happens every night. Section to section, same sequence for the past three years and nothing ever changes"

"Terrific" Poe said softly. Same thing he always says when he finds something that's so fascinating to him.

"So—" Alby began, "today is your first day of being a Runner, I wanna see how you do so that's why I'm coming with you two into the maze"

"Is this an audition?" Poe questioned.

"Sort of" Alby answered, "I just want to see how serious you are to this job. Being a Runner is something else, it's not easy"

"You're gonna have to keep up, Poe" Minho added, "I've been doing this for three years and it's never easy, understand?"

Poe wasn't sure if he understands, but he just nodded.

The sun had reached the horizon and the doors were opening. Poe, Minho and Alby had quick breakfast and packed up the snacks and water for the lunch. Newt was with them the whole time and Alby was discussing the plans with Newt for today for the Gladers. Alby will leaving the Glade, leaving Newt to be in charge of the Glade. Poe was almost saddened that he's leaving the Glade for most of the day, leaving Winston, Teo, Anton, Bark and Newt. There was a part of him that does not want to be a Runner and just stay in the Glade for the rest of the days.

Poe wanted to go see Anton, Teo and Winston and say his byes to them, tell Anton about being promoted as a Runner. He wasn't sure if Anton would be angry or happy for Poe, or even Teo. Winston probably knows already since he's the Keeper and he and the rest of the Keepers had discussed about Poe becoming a Runner.

Once the doors opened, Newt quickly said to Poe, "Good luck out there, mate. I shall see you later"

"Yeah, I'll see you later" Poe assured. Alby nudged Poe's arm that it was time to go and Minho was already jogging into the maze. Poe quickly turned to Newt and said "Watch Anton for me, alright?"

Newt nodded, "Yeah, will do"

Then Poe followed Minho and Alby into the maze.

As they were running in the maze, Poe couldn't help to stare up in awe in every corridor to corridor. That same familiarity feeling that he had months ago when he arrived in the Glade, that same feeling when he first saw the Glade, the giant walls and when he saw Thomas. If he feels that he's been here before, then he must've had.

"Come on, Poe! Keep up!" Minho ordered. Of course, Poe keeps falling behind as he's busy falling in daze and sometimes he doesn't realize that he wasn't jogging anymore.

This was something new to Poe, not really new, a whole new familiarity feeling, he had an urge of wanting to remember, like he had to remember something but he just couldn't. It's like the maze was provoking him or encouraging him, the maze was like trying to tell him something, it's like these giant walls were screaming at him but the loss memories were blocking them all out. Some cloudiness or a wall blocking between the loss and the memories.

"Poe, keep up!" Alby yelled, "Come on!"

Poe snapped out of daze again. It's been hours and maybe it's been all morning since they left the Glade.

They arrived a strange place, not strange to Poe anyways, there were these some sort of pillars formed in lines as aisles, about hundreds or thousands of them. "What the f—" Poe gazed at the area.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Minho said.

Poe pressed his brows together, "Not the word I was thinking of"

"Let's take a look around, see if we find something, in an hour, we'll meet back here then head back to the Glade, alright?" Minho asked Poe and Alby.

The two of them nodded.

"Poe, you go to the left side. Alby, you go the middle section and I'll take the right. Remember, one hour, 'kay?"

Poe gave him a nod again before the three of them split up. They wouldn't prefer it as splitting up, they could still see each other in the distances.

When Poe reached the end at the left side of the area, that's where he began to walk around to see if he could make any sense out of this place, see if anything ticks him, that could maybe trigger his memories, if that's possible.

Everywhere he looked, there was nothing. Every turns and every pillars near him, nothing. There was surely something about this area, something was trying to tell him about this place, he just couldn't quite figure it out. With a strange place like this, there has to be something around here, he was sure of it. He was sure there's something around here and he has to find it.

He found himself squatting down, glanced ahead of the long mile of aisle, trying to contemplate it.

Then there was something ahead, not something. But someone. Not Alby or Minho. A familiar figure just walked across the aisle, walked toward the end where Alby was exploring. This figure wore all in black with white clothing underneath and had blonde hair like Poe's.

Now this place is already making him go crazy. Is he going crazy?

He followed where the figure had went, but he was gone. Already gone. Instead he found Alby ahead, standing still.

"Hey, guys!" He yelled out, "Come here now! Hurry!" His voice echoing the entire area.
Poe hurried where Alby was standing and there was Minho far ahead, running to Alby as well. The leader was standing still and was still staring at the end.

When Poe reached him before Minho did, he wasn't sure how to react to what Alby was seeing. Poe stood in froze of both shock and fear like Alby. When Minho finally came, he uttered, "Holy shucking hell"

It's a Griever.

A dead Griever.

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