in another life; the maze runner

☆six☆

Mae sat by herself under a tree, contemplating what had happened to her just minutes before. Newt told her to take the rest of the day off instead of trying jobs while the Keepers discussed what they were going to do with Ben.

Her hands shook, her heart thudded in her chest, and her arms were wrapped around her knees so tightly she could feel her fingernails digging into her own skin. She was breathing hard, really hard, almost to the point where she was hyperventilating.

What is he talking about? Did he know something I don't? I don't even know who I am, or what I've done before the maze. How could he know-

"Mae?" Her racing thoughts came hurdling to a stop when she heard Thomas's voice. She glanced up at him, her eyes filled with anxiety and panic.

"Are you ok?" He lowered himself to sit next to her, scanning her face in concern. Mae was silent. Thomas looked down to see the grip she had on her legs, and frowned slightly. He reached out to her and softly lowered her hands from where they had been latched onto her skin, allowing her to sit with her legs flat in front of her.

"He mentioned you," She muttered, finally turning to look him in the eyes. "He said it was our fault." Mae said quietly, recalling the things Ben had told her.

"What was our fault?" Thomas questioned with a puzzled look on his face. The girl just shrugged in response, turning her gaze to the huge stone walls ahead of them. Thomas accepted the fact that she didn't want to talk and did the same, squinting through the sun as he stared past the maze.

"He said something about a sister, too." Mae added. She took a minute to search her brain for something, anything that could indicate what Ben had been rambling on about. All she could think of was the girl she had seen in her dreams. As if he could read her mind, Thomas turned to look at her.

"Have you been having these odd...Dreams? Almost as if they're not dreams at all, more like they're..."

"Memories." Mae finished, staring at him intensely and trying her best to remember each detail of the dream she had last night. Thomas nodded, deep in thought.

"I see a girl. She has dark hair, and blue eyes. She's always telling me everything is going to be ok. And- these doctors. Wearing lab coats," She went on. The brunette watched her as she spoke, his breath catching in his throat as he listened.

"Mae, I saw her too. And the doctors," He uttered, his voice lower than usual.

The girl quickly turned to look at him, her eyes widening at the words he said. Just as she was about to respond, Chuck interrupted, bending down to catch his breath as he'd been running toward them.

"Hey guys," He breathed, raising his hand to his mouth to cough a little. "Are you ready to see the Banishment?"

Mae looked to Thomas with a puzzled expression, but he just shrugged in response, clearly not knowing what the boy meant either. Chuck glanced back and forth between them, then face palmed himself in realization.

"Ugh, no one told you what that was yet. They're banishing Ben into the maze," He explained. Mae felt her heart sink a little bit. She couldn't help but think that she was the one who had determined Ben's horrible fate.

"They can't cure him?" She asked. Chuck shook his head and Thomas looked to Mae with an apologetic expression.

"When you're stung, there's not much the Med-jacks can do for you." Chuck sighed, taking a second to think about Ben and the unfortunate thing that had happened to him. He quickly realized he had to keep the conversation going and snapped out of his trance, gesturing for the two to stand up.

"Come on, they have to start before the doors close,"

Mae stood up slowly and brushed herself off, although it didn't do much good. Her clothes were covered in dirt and grime from rolling around in the grass. She made a mental note to herself to ask Newt if there was a change of clothes for her after the Banishment was over.

Mae and Thomas stood a ways away from the rest of the Gladers, watching in anticipation as they prepared for the infamous event. Each of them were holding large wooden poles with an attachment at the end that created a hammerhead- like appearance. They all had solemn and grim looks on their faces as they stood in front of the doors, awaiting the dreaded task.

The girl felt her stomach churn in anxiety. Even though she barely knew Ben, or any of the Gladers for that matter, she really didn't want to see him shut up in that hell hole they called the Maze. From what she had heard, there were beasts in there called Grievers, that you definitely didn't want to come face to face with, let alone be trapped with.

Everyone turned to watch as a stone-faced Minho dragged Ben past those holding the poles and dropped him on his knees right in front of the opening of the maze walls.

"No no no... Please don't do this please," Ben pleaded and whined, tears staining his face and blurring his vision as he begged for his life. Nobody reacted, except Mae, who tried her best to fight the tears brimming in her eyes.

Minho reached into his running pack and pulled out a small knife, bringing the edge to Ben's neck and cutting a clean line just below his ear. The crazed boy let out a yelp in pain, and fell forward, sputtering out a vile black liquid. Minho stared straight ahead and threw the bag he'd been holding forward into the Maze. Ben continued to whine and cry, begging for someone to help him. But the Gladers knew their place, so no one dared leave the formation.

Mae brought a hand to her face to cover her mouth so she couldn't make a sound. Her heart ached to help him, to stop the Banishment, but she thought that if she tried to interrupt their plan it could be her who ended up pleading for her life next.

Alby gave the Keeper of the runners a curt nod and he moved away from Ben, through the line of boys standing with their poles at the ready. Alby shouted something to the others, (although Mae couldn't make out what he said due to the wind) prompting them to lower the poles toward Ben, closing in the space between the Glade and the Maze.

"Please! Alby you know me don't do this!" Ben screeched, more black liquid seeping from his mouth as he brought his hands up to shield himself from the boys. But it was no use, he was pushed all the way into the maze as the doors closed slowly. His screams could be heard piercing through the air until the maze walls finally shut, leaving the Gladers trapped in the stone box once again.

She hadn't even realized it, but Mae looked down to notice she had taken Thomas's hand, and probably squeezed it pretty tight. She quickly ripped her hand from his and wiped a stray tear from her face, keeping her attention forward. Thomas stood beside her awkwardly, watching the group of boys disperse.

The girl saw Newt walking toward the Homestead with a scowl on his face and she started moving toward him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Is that what you guys have to do every time that happens?..." She croaked, her eyes darting to her right as Minho passed them. Newt's expression softened seeing Mae so distraught, and he choose his next words carefully.

"Don't worry. Minho and Alby are going to go into the maze tomorrow to make sure everything's alright. We're not letting anyone else get stung," He assured her, his brown eyes scanning her anxious face. Thomas had approached them as well, listening to what the blonde had said.

"But Alby's not a runner?" He questioned.

"Doesn't matter. Something went wrong out there with Ben, so as the leader, he's gotta check it out before he sends anymore runners back in," Newt explained. Hoping to lighten the mood, he took hold of Mae and Thomas's shoulders, pushing them forward.

"Go get somethin' to eat. You shanks have had a long day,"

Sorry for the delay on this update! Also, Thomas asks so many questions AHAHSHA I love him.