𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗧𝗛, gally (tmr)

Chapter Twelve

Banishment.

The cruellest form of punishment in the Glade. But it was inarguably necessary.

There was nothing else they could do for the boys that ended up getting Stung. Seeing it happen to Ben only solidified Ada's fears of the Maze, and she firmly decided that she would never go inside - unless it was to escape. This vastly contrasted from Thomas' growing fascination with the Maze.

Despite everything he had seen and been told about the Maze, he still seemed so intrigued by it. Even when one of their very own was about to get Banished to it.

Ben was dragged out from the Slammer by a number of boys. None of them could look at the boy, the scene paining them far too much. Ada, in contrast, couldn't take her eyes away. It was like a horror movie: she just couldn't stop watching, not matter how awful it got.

And it was about to get really awful.

The boys were crowded around the entrance to the Maze, forming a wall in which someone - especially an infected Ben - would find great difficulty in trying to get past. The Keepers were inside this formed wall, all holding long wooden poles with a horizontal log at the end bound to the stick with rope. It would clearly be used in shunning Ben inside the Maze.

Ada pushed her way into the crowd, found herself beside Jeff, who was frowning at the sight in front of him. Leaning towards her, he explained, "I've only seen two Banishments in my time here. I think this is gonna be the worst one."

And due to the horrified look on Minho's face, Ada could safely agree with this statement.

The Runner was the only Keeper not holding one of the poles - he had seemingly been replaced by Newt - and instead he was stood just to the right of the Maze's entrance, holding some bag that Ada didn't know the contents of. As Ben began to plead for his life, Minho exhaled a pained breath and hurled it inside the Maze.

On cue, the walls of the Maze began to rumble and groan into action. Alby yelled out for the Keepers to raise their poles - simply just shouting the word "Poles!" - and then they all began to advance towards a cowering Ben in the middle of the circle. And then a few boys brandished long sticks from where they were stood at the sides of the crowd, blocking Ben's already impossible way out either to the left or the right. 

Ada found herself backing away, suddenly scared by everyone's lack of emotion in what they were doing. The only person showing a sliver of despair was Minho. The boy looked like he was in immense pain as he watched Ben being forced back through the closing Maze doors and to the outside for the night.

And then the doors slammed closed, sealing Ben's fate with the gust of wind that blew through the Glade from the Maze.

The girl was naïve for thinking it, but she would be internally hoping that he somehow survived the night and made it back to the Glade. If she echoed the thoughts out loud, she'd be laughed at. 'No one's survived a night in the Maze.'

Well, someone's got to be the first, right?

But even Ada had doubts about Ben - despite being a Runner - being able to make it through the night with a Griever Sting coursing through his veins. It was never going to happen.

When Ada crawled into bed that night, she found her mind imprinted with the image of Ben getting trapped inside the Maze. She knew it had to be done, but at the same time, it felt so wrong.

This coupled with the shrieks of the Grievers inside with Ben, was stopping her from getting a single moment's rest. She couldn't close her eyes without the image of Ben haunting her mind.