𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 // The Maze Runner

𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

"HELP" Thomas darted from the trees, someone was behind him, Echo knew the boy as Ben, she had talked to him once or twice, but now she watched as he ran after Thomas.

Echo and Newt turned to him and went up to help, her mind was running faster than her legs. More gladers had begun to surround Thomas, Newt hitting Ben with a stick that had thrown him to the ground. She glanced at Ben; he had the same look in his eyes as the boy who had attacked her a month ago. She pulled Thomas's arm back, away from Ben.

"What the hell happened?" She asked abrasively.

"I don't know, he just attacked me!" He shouted to the boy on the ground, Ben was being held in place by several other gladers. "What's wrong with him?" He looked around frantically for answers, and some part of Echo knew what had happened.

"Lift his shirt," Alby spoke.

"no, no, please!" Ben shouted, his eyes were bloodshot and he was mumbling words to no one in particular. She had seen it once before.

Gally lifted it to reveal a painful mark on Ben's stomach, his veins were dark and something was spreading from the place he had gotten hit. Echo cringed slightly at the sight of it.

"He's been stung," Newt spoke, his eyes wandering through the glader's and then to Alby who had gotten closer to them all.

"In the middle of the day? Again?" Gally spoke, kneeling beside him.

All the other boys were whispering to each other, most looked alarmed, and the others looked disquieted, concerned. Thomas was stood in front of Echo, watching Ben with horror-stricken eyes.

"Take him to the pit," Alby stood up, his arms flickering to other gladers for them to help.

"No, please just, help me, NO!" Ben was tried to shake himself out of the boy's grip, he was still pleading for help as the others took him away, Newt along with them.

Thomas's breathing steadied and Echo watched as Ben was taken, the other glader's had started clear away, leaving just the two of them.

"Come on," She looked back at Thomas who took a few seconds to break his gaze from Ben.

"What happened to him?" He asked as they walked over to Homestead, towards the kitchen with Frypan.

"He got stung," She replied.

"By what? how did it-"

"I'm not sure okay? I just know what Newt told me, something about if a griever pricks one of the gladers they get stung and need this kind of serum to allow them to heal," She continued, "But I must have missed the part on what happened to them if they didn't get the serum in time." Thomas nodding subtly.

They entered the kitchen, grabbing some food that had consisted of some biscuits and water. Frypan had given a sympathetic look towards them. Echo hadn't been in the glade for long but she could tell they all treated each other as some type of family, and it was disheartening for them to see what had happened to their friend.

They walked out of Homestead with their food, walking a few more paces to the hammocks where Chuck was sitting. They sat down on some wood, Chuck besides Echo.

"What will they do to him?" Thomas turned to Echo.

"Probably will be sent to the maze," Chuck spoke.

"So the serum won't work?" She asked.

"Alby can tell you," Chuck mentioned while fiddling with a piece of parchment in his hand, as her eyes flickered to Alby who had come to sit beside Thomas.

"No, the serum won't work. It's called the changing," Alby spoke looking at the two of them.

"When a glader gets stung and the infection starts to spread, we can't help them, he's only going to get worse," He stated, neither Thomas nor Echo said a word, and waited for him to continue. "What did he say to you." He looked at Thomas.