𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 || 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑

𝟏𝟓

"you know, it's not your fault maddy. you couldn't do anything." newt spoke like he read her mind.

madelyn nodded in understanding, he knew her too well for his own sake. "do you think it'll hurt?"

"what?"

she inhaled a long breath not wanting to speak the words she was about to say, the girl fiddled with newts fingers trying to distract herself. "dying."

death had always been a strange concept to madelyn, she thought about dying a lot, she didn't know if it was because something that happened before the glade. did it hurt? where do you go? do you get to be happy in the afterlife?

"yeah, i do. i think it'll hurt for a little bit and then eventually.. all the pain will go away. pain is only temporary maddy, he's not going to hurt forever." newt replied in a saddened tone, ben was his friend to, it wasn't easy on him.

madelyn nodded the words reassuring her that her friend wouldn't be in pain forever. "thanks, newt." she spoke as she looked into his brown eyes, his gaze was filled with sympathy and sadness.

"they're about to do it now, banish him. they want you and thomas to be there." he sighed, he didn't want the girl to be there he knew it would affect her, but he had to listen to albys orders.

madelyn blinked at him in shock, chills running down her at the thought of what she was about to witness. she clenched her jaw and swallowed her feelings, she knew she couldn't avoid this forever. she would have to face ben at some point whether it was seeing him healed or seeing him accept his fate.

the girl slowly stood to her feet and placed her shaky hand around newts arm as he led her out of her comforting room and into the dark atmosphere of the glade. as they walked out she noticed how every boy was standing near the east doors which were about five minutes away from closing. grunting was heard in the distance as she turned her head, her gaze was met with the sight of a struggling ben being carried by four of the strongest boys over to the semi circle of gladers.

madelyn replaced her tear stained face with her usual emotionless expression and let out a shaky breath as they began to walk over to the group, she stood beside thomas who was on the outskirts of the crowd. newt sent the girl a reassuring nod as he continued his way over to the circle of boys, before getting handed a pole and taking his position. madelyn placed a hand on thomas's shoulder letting him know she was there, he looked down at her and the two locked eyes. she couldn't imagine how he felt, the poor boy had only been here a day and probably still didn't know who he was. overwhelmed was probably an understatement. madelyn felt a weird attachment to him, even though she had only known him a day, she couldn't quite describe how it made her feel but every time she was around him it itched something in her brain, it made her feel like she wanted to protect him.

madelyn turned her head back around once she heard a voice echo through the glade, her hair blowing slightly behind her in the breeze that flowed from the maze.

"no, no, no! just listen to me!" ben growled as minho gripped onto him from the rope around his wrists. "just listen to me please! minho!" the boy huffed as they paced through the group waiting on them. "alby!"

minho had brought ben to the center of the entrance as the boys closed the circle and brought down their wooden sticks making sure there was no way of him escaping. minho kneeled ben to his knees and grabbed a small knife out of his back pack before slicing the rope that was restraining ben. ben's arms flew to the floor, now on his hands and knees he began to cough up some black liquid. he glanced up once again and started to freak out once he saw the doors in front of him, knowing his fate was laid out ahead of him. madelyn felt her eyes water as she saw her helpless friend on the floor crying, pleading for them to help him.