" WHITE BLOOD " T. MAZE RUNNER¹

twenty-nine.

[CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE]

~

Ben's not dead.

Those words rang through Eleanor's mind for the rest of the day, and they made her feel uneasy- sick, as if someone had just told her that her that he came back from the dead. How the Builder managed to survive an arrow to the head was beyond her knowledge, and the thought scared her; she often times found herself wondering if Ben really had risen from the dead. What scared her even more, however, was what she knew was coming that day at sunset- his Banishment.

Unlike Nick, Alby wasn't afraid to act. He treated the rules as if they were gospel, and he wasn't afraid to punish someone for breaking them. Ben had injured Thomas (the Greenie sported purple and blue bruises across the skin of his neck and face) and had attempted to kill him with a knife. He broke one of the most important rules- the rule that was created because of Eleanor's actions- and now he was going to be Banished for it.

Sunset came far too quick for her liking, and before she knew it, the Gladers were beginning to gather around the East Door. Eleanor didn't want to join them, for she knew the Banishment would surely scar her, though she found herself joining the crowd of boys nonetheless. This was Ben's last night alive- there was no doubt about that, and the thought made Eleanor feel sick to her stomach. Thomas stood beside her, his eyes wide as he watched the boys around him; it occurred to her that he probably had no idea what was about to happen. Eleanor had never seen a Banishment, either, though she was told about the horrible consequence of breaking a rule. The other boys chatted amongst themselves softly, an odd feeling of anticipation hanging over the crowd as they waited- waited to watch the death of a boy they had known for as long as they could remember. Eleanor's gut twisted as she observed the excited faces of some of the boys; how they could be happy to watch someone be pushed out into the Maze to their death was a sickening thought.

Finally, after what seemed like lifetimes of waiting, the Runners joined the crowd of Gladers; Alby had wanted to wait on the boys until they started, and their arrival meant that the Banishment was about to begin.

Eleanor snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Alby's gruff voice bringing the conversations to an end. "Bring him out!" he called, and the Gladers waited in silent anticipation. Eleanor turned around just in time to see three large boys appear from around the Homestead. They literally dragged the limp figure of Ben across the ground, causing a cloud of dust to form around them. The sinking sun caused their figures to be nothing but silhouettes, though there was no doubt of who it was.

As they neared the East Door, Ben suddenly started fighting against the boys' grips, as if only just realizing what was about to happen. It was then that Eleanor finally got a good look at the Builder's appearance; his clothes were tattered, hanging on to his body but only a few strings still attached. His eyes were bloodshot and wide, and a large bandage that was wrapped around his head covered the hole where the arrow had pierced through his pale skin.

"Newt," Alby spoke in a much quieter voice, and Eleanor turned her attention back to the boys in front of her. She didn't want to see Ben any longer, for the sight of the sick boy made her insides crawl. "Bring out the Pole."

Newt's face was pulled into a look of evident discomfort as he started walking towards a small shed used to store the gardening equipment. By then, the boys who had been dragging Ben across the Glade finally reached the Door, and they threw the Builder on to the ground in front of Alby. There, Ben coughed miserably, obviously fighting for breath through his choked sobs. He hung his head, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.