Shadow of the Maze | Maze Runner [1]

THREE

[ ELECTRA ]

❧

Climbing up the ivy wall, Electra's thoughts ran wild with the possibilities for the night ahead. A boy named Ben was about to be Banished, and Banishments were relatively scarce among the Gladers. She forcefully pushed the thoughts of the previous Banishments out of her mind, but they slowly began creeping back in as she climbed higher.

Reaching the top of the wall, she could hear the murmurings of the boys below her. Staying far from the Glade edge, she paced back and forth while biting her fingernails. The memories of previous Banishments now consuming her thoughts.

There'd only been three Banishments during her time in the Maze, but each time their screams tortured her throughout the late hours of the night. The most recent one had been specifically brutal, and Electra physically cringed when remembering the events from that night.

It had been a little over a year ago. A boy named Alfred had gotten Banished for conspiring to kill their former leader, Nick. Alfred's plan failed miserably, and his punishment was Banishment. The Gladers took no chances when it came to maintaining order. The second somebody tried to invoke chaos, they were either put in the Slammer or outright Banished.

Electra remembered his Banishment. How Alfred pleaded for anyone to help him, how he apologized profusely while tears soaked his clothes. She simply watched as the Keepers pushed the boy out into the Maze and to his death while he struggled every inch of the way, screaming until he couldn't scream any longer.

The worst part was always the night after the Banishment. Electra remembered Alfred running down the corridors, latching onto the ivy and trying to climb up. The boy was not immune to the vertigo and holograms like Electra was, so he inevitably fell all the way down the wall, landing with a big splat. Electra remembered the cracking sound, and his scream of terror after seeing his own leg bone sticking out of his skin.

She couldn't do anything but watch; remain unseen. She didn't want to face punishment for helping a boy she wasn't supposed to help. She kept repeating to herself that this boy tried murdering another boy in the Glade, and how the Gladers Banished him with the intent of him being killed. If the Gladers themselves wanted him dead she wouldn't be the one to interfere with their wishes.

Then she remembered the gory image of Alfred screaming over his own broken leg. Looking down at him from the top of the walls, careful to not be seen, she stared at him as he rocked back and forth in pain, tears streaming down his face. Especially now after he'd injured himself there was nothing she could do to help him. If she were to even try helping she would only be putting herself in danger, and above all would risk suffering the wrath of the Creators for breaking the voice's rules.

She heard Grievers approaching the boy, slowly stalking their prey. Electra remembered turning away right before the Grievers got to him but could still remember the sound of his body being broken apart while he screamed for help. She remembered the second his screams stopped and the wave of relief that washed over her afterwards.

Electra shivered at the memories of the previous Banishment as she stood on top of the walls, peering down at the Door to her left. She hoped tonight would be relatively painless.

She watched as the Gladers clustered around the Door she was standing above, none of them even looking up. Electra saw Thomas out of the corner of her eye, standing awkwardly with the younger boy from the night before still by his side.

She tilted her head as she remembered how Ben had attacked the new Greenie. Why did the Banished boy attack Thomas? Ben had just gone through the Changing, which therefore meant he'd recollected some of his memories. Did his memories involve Thomas, and the attack had been in a rage of remembering something Thomas had done? Or had it been a wrong place, wrong time scenario? Ben had simply gone mad and Thomas just happened to be there when he snapped. Electra narrowed her eyes at Thomas, suspicious of the possibilities.