Different | The Maze Runner / Newt ¹ ✓

{1.0}

Disclaimer:

I do not own The Maze Runner, but if I did, I would have included the 'Teresa throwing things at the boys' scene in the book because #iconic.

-✼-

"Ben," Alby repeated firmly, a clear warning in his tone. "Stop right now, or you ain't gonna see tomorrow."

Ben? Wasn't that the kid who was screaming in the Homestead; the one who Chuck said the Grievers had done something to him? I wondered if it was enough to make him crazy. No wonder Thomas had felt unsettled after seeing him.

"If you kill me," Ben shrieked, spit flying from his mouth like he was a vicious mutt, "you'll get the wrong guy." His gaze snapped to Thomas and I. "He's the shank you wanna kill. And she could've stopped it all!"

I felt something wet in my hair, so I reached up and touched the back of my head. When I brought my hand back down, blood was covering my fingertips. My vision swam at the sight.

"Don't be stupid, Ben," Alby said calmly as he continued to aim the arrow. "Thomas and Dylan just got here- ain't nothing to worry about. You're still buggin' from the Changing. You should've never left your bed."

"He's not one of us!" Ben insisted loudly. "I saw him- he's...he's bad. We have to kill him! Let me gut him!"

Me and Thomas both took a step backward and my hand instinctively went over him. "Not on my dead body you won't."

Every syllable I spoke made more pain flare in my skull. Spots danced in my vision. I was going to pass out soon- again.

Ben seethed and growled at me, his eyes narrowed into thin slits. Green veins bulged out of him and he was extremely thin, but obviously, that didn't get in the way of his strength. The Griever sting must have given him some sort of power. But, then again, he was trying to kill us. Of course the goal would make him stronger.

"You leave that to me and the Keepers to figure out, shuck-face." Alby still hadn't moved his weapon an inch, ready to fire at any moment. "Right now, back your scrawny butt down and get to the Homestead."

"They'll wanna take us home," Ben continued on as if Alby hadn't said anything at all. "They'll wanna get us out of the Maze. Better we all jumped off the Cliff! Better we all tore each other's guts out!"

"What are you talking-" Thomas began, but he was cut off.

"Shut your face!" Ben screamed at the top of his lungs. "Shut your ugly, traitorous face!"

"Hey!" I protested. "Only I get to call him ugly!"

The words surprised both me and Thomas. They had slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them, almost like I was used to saying it. It had felt like the most natural thing to say in the world, yet I didn't get why.

"Ben," Alby said calmly. "I'm gonna count to three."

"They're bad, they're bad, they're bad..." Ben was whispering, almost chanting what he was saying. He rocked back and forth, his eyes glued on me and Thomas.

"One."

"Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad..." Ben smiled and his teethed seemed to glow green in the faint light.

I wanted to get out of there. I wanted to run, to find somewhere safe to stay. But where? Where was safe?

My body was frozen in fear. My hand somehow found Thomas's and I squeezed tightly, my heart beating so fast and loud I could hear it in my ears.