"Somethin big, I feel it happening,
out of my control. Push and pull
and then it's grabbing me, feel it
in my bones like."
—Shawn Mendes; Something Big
CONTROL,
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE ENTIRE TIME Ruby was asleep, her eyes darted around behind her lids — up, down, side to side. She mumbled things that didn't make sense. W.I.C.K.E.D. Thomas. No! Gally, wait! What did you do?
Ruby sat up with a gasp, drinking in large, greedy Hilo's of air. For a moment her vision remained blurred before she rubbed them. Blinking a few times, it was like having a camera snap into focus. Newt, Chuck, and Gally were around her. Thomas was there too, holding her hand.
Alby entered the room with a wet towel, sighing in relief. "You're awake, girl? Good."
Ruby furrowed her brows, feeling groggy. "How long was I—"
"Just two days", Alby said. "Figured it was just somethin goin on with you girls, but the other one is still out."
"You were calling all of us", Newt explained. "Worried ys all pretty bad. Wouldn't shut up till we made Thomas lay with you." He stepped forward, leaning in. "Ruby, what's going on?"
Ruby bit her lip. Things had just gotten significantly weird. It was like... she could sort through some of her memories now, but she couldn't take it too fast. She couldn't force it, or it would just fade away again. "I think whatever they did to my memory is starting to... go away? But if I try to hold onto the memories, they just snap out of reach."
Alby pursed his lips, looking deep in thought. "If you remember anything useful, even the tiniest of things, you better—"
"Tell you, I know", Ruby nodded. "Believe me, I will. None of it makes sense yet, give me some time." She face Thomas a pointed look, and he quickly dropped her hand. She just didn't feel comfortable being touched right now.
"Do you know why we're here?", Gally asked, speaking up for the first time. "Are we, like, criminals or something?"
Ruby quickly shook her head. "We're not bad. I think we're... special?" She pursed her lips, swinging her legs over the bed. "Can I get to work now?"
The boys seemed to be stunned for a moment. Alby eventually shook his head. "No, somebody find Clint and Jeff." Newt left.
The Med-jacks ordered Ruby to rest for a few hours and then see how she felt. Chuck came for visit. He'd brought her food and water. She was grateful for that, but the longer she stayed in bed the more time she had to think. Ruby hated that. Eventually after begging some more, hours after she'd done nothing but lay around, Alby and Clint cleared her. Not without a price though. Gally was forced to babysit her.
Gally nodded, following after Ruby. "You sure you're okay?", he asked as he followed Ruby down the rickety old stairs.
"Totally", Ruby nodded. No. Her head hurt. And she still felt paranoid and dirty. She needed to keep herself busy. She wanted to keep her mind wandering.
She met up with Clint and Jeff, after being instructed to find him if she needed anything, who were eager to work with her. They walked her through what they did and filled her arms with supplies as they went to check on Ben. She hadn't seen the boy, only heard his animal like screeches.
Ben's room was on the opposite end of the hall from her own. The boys went in first. "Morning, Benny Boy", Jeff greeted. "Got you some food and meds."
This was the first time Ruby was seeing Ben, and he looked like something foreign — something alien. Ben's pale chest was bare and his body twisted and writhed awkwardly, painfully. Tight, rigid veins which were a sickly green color webbed across his body and limbs. Purple bruises and red hives and bloody scratches littered his body. His bloodshot eyes locked on her own and that seemed to enrage him. "Yoouuu!", the boy roared, spittle flying from his mouth. "You did this! You and him! It's all your fault!" Ben lunged towards her like a jumping spider, causing Ruby to go flying backwards and land on her ass. "I'll kill you!", he screamed in her face, looking crazed and enraged. "Your fault! Yours and his! Yours and his!" He repeated the words like a sickening mantra.
Clint and Jeff pried Ben off Ruby before he could hurt her, but Ruby was just shocked. Her fault? "Ruby, take a breather. We'll call you when we have something else to do, okay?" Ruby nodded, pushing herself up off the floor and running.
Coincidentally, she ran into Thomas, colliding harshly with the boy's body. "Ooow", she groaned, once again falling onto her butt. "What're you running for?"
"I was taking a walk", Thomas lied. "What're you running for?"
"Ben", Ruby said quietly. "He says this is our fault."
Thomas sighed. "Sure it is", he said sarcastically, helping her up. "Let's go, walk with me."
The two of them walked into the woods near the Deadheads, when something silver, almost lizard like scuttled by. Ruby looked at Thomas to see his wonder filled eyes. "No—" But Thomas was already running after it. Ruby groaned, taking off as well. "I literally just got out of a two day coma, slow down!"
"Or you could just keep up!", Thomas shouted back. Ruby rolled her eyes.
It was dark and she was having trouble seeing, but she managed. Ruby couldn't wrap her head around how dark it had gotten so quickly. It didn't look like there should be so many trees, but they stood tall and proud. The thick canopy of leaves cast a greenish hue with the light, beautiful and slightly terrifying. She ducked to avoid being slapped by a branch, barely keeping sight of Thomas. How far into the forest had they gone? Thirty feet? Forty? She ducked and dodge, trying to keep up, before finally catching up to Thomas. He was staring up at a larger tree, probably where his beetle blade gone. Ruby double over, her hands on her knees, as she struggled to catch her breath. "Did you catch it?"
"No. It went up there." Thomas scowled, kicking at the tree's trunk. "Shuck it", he whispered.
Ruby rested a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get it next time." She tried to sound reassuring, but she failed miserably.
A twig snapped. Then another, louder and closer. Thomas narrowed his eyes. The two of them were gripped by fear. "Who's there?", Thomas called out. The only answer he got was his own echo, bouncing off the trees, and the whistles of birds. Clearly without thinking, he began following the sound.
"What are you doing?", Ruby whispered. "Are you crazy?" Thomas held you a hand, signaling for her to be quiet. He continued to walk, holding branches to let her pass safely.
"Anybody there?", he asked once more, visibly calmer. "It's, uh, Thomas and Ruby." Ruby glared, slapping him upside the head. Why would this idiot tell them who they were? Thomas paused. They'd walked into the graveyard.
"Yeah, okay, let's turn back now", Ruby said quickly. There were several wooden crosses, messily painted white, marking each grave. A boy's name was carved into each one. Instead of leaving, Thomas kneeled down in front of one. Ruby looked around them, feeling uneasy. This one was fresh. His name had been Stephen. There were a dozen other graves, some fresh. It made Ruby sick.
Thomas must have seen something that caught his eye. Ruby hesitantly followed. She didn't wanna be left behind. Not out here. They found a grave that was covered by plastic or glass. It was filthy. Inside the grave was a dusty, rotting corpse. Only half a corpse.
Let this half-shank be a warning to all:
You can't escape through the Box Hole.
Ruby gagged, stepping back. "Thomas, this is creepy. Let's go, please."
Thomas nodded, but they were stopped by a snap. Then another. And another. Closer and closer still. "Who's out there?", Thomas shouted. Ruby stepped closer to Thomas, clutching onto his arm. A boy was limping towards them, attempting to run as best he could. "Who the he—" Before Thomas could finish his sentence, the pale boy had leaped into the air and jumped onto Thomas.
Thomas was ripped out of her hold. Ruby recognized those large, angry eyes. Ben. The boy looked like some horrid beast. Ruby seemed frozen out of fear. It wasn't until Thomas screamed, Ben's teeth digging into his shoulder, did Ruby come back to life.
Panicked, Ruby dropped onto her knees and fumbled around on the ground. She was searching for a thick branch, but came up short. Thomas was able to shove Ben away, but his crazed attacker lunged once more. Finally, Ruby found a branch that would be of use. She stood, holding the branch like a baseball player with a bat. Rearing back, Ruby swung. The branch met the boy's body with a crack, and Ben flew off. He yelped in pain like a kicked puppy.
Ben moved into a crouch, snarling like a rabid dog. He was only wearing a pair of shorts, his skin ghostly white like sun dried bone. That was practically all he was. Ropelike veins still ran along his body, pulsing and green. He looked at them like he was ready to make them his dinner. The boy had pulled out a knife.
"Ben!" Alby stood there, an arrow ready to fly. "Ben, stop right now or you ain't gonna see tomorrow." He nodded towards Ruby, looking disappointed. "Drop that stick." Ruby did as told, raising her palms.
Ben started angrily at Alby. "If you kill me", he shrieked as he stood, far too close for comfort. His breath was rank. "You'll get the wrong guy. He's the shank you wanna kill. Him and his girlfriend!"
"Don't be stupid, Ben", Alby warmed calmly. The arrow didn't waver. "Thomas just got here, Ruby too, ain't nothin to worry about. You're still buggin from the Changing. You should've never left your bed."
Ben almost looked hurt. Ruby almost pitied him. Almost. "They're not like us!", he roared. "I saw them— they're... they're bad. We have to kill them! Let me gut em!"
Thomas took a step back, pulling Ruby with him. He didn't know why, but he wanted to protect her. Make sure she wasn't hurt. Alby still didn't move the bow. The arrow remained pointed at Ben's face. "You leave that to me and the Keepers to figure out, shuck-face. Right now, back your scrawny butt down and get to the Homestead!"
"He'll wanna take us home!", Ben cried out. "He'll wanna get us all out of the Maze! Better we all jumped off the Cliff! Better we all jumped off the Cliff! Better we tore each other's guts out!"
"What's wrong with going home?", Ruby asked hesitantly.
"Ruby", Alby said warningly. He was warning her to keep quiet. Don't agitate him.
"What are you talking—", Thomas started. Ruby was so sick of feeling weak and helpless.
"Shut your face!", Ben screamed. "Shut your ugly, traitorous face!"
"Ben, I'm gonna count to three", Alby stated.
"They're bad, they're bad, they're bad..." Ben's chant was whispered now. He was tossing his knife back and forth, hand to hand.
"One."
"Bad, bad, bad, bad", Ben grinned. His teeth stood out in the dull light, greenish in hue.
"Two." Alby raised his voice in warning.
Thomas made the mistake of speaking. "Ben, I'm not... I don't even know what—" Ben gurgled out a scream, leaping through the air, swinging his blade around.
Ruby quickly stepped in front of Thomas, as if she could shield him. "Shut up, dipshit", she hissed.
"Three!", Alby shouted. The arrow whished through the air, a sickeningly wet thunk echoing when the arrow found its mark in the sick boy's jaw. Ben's head snapped violently to the side, twisting his body until he landed in his stomach. No sound escaped him. The arrow stuck out from Ben's cheek, blood seeping out like a stream. His finger's twitched. "Come on. Baggers'll take care of him in the morning."
Ruby turned to Thomas, gave him a half smile, and took his hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze. "You'll be okay", she promised. Thomas nodded. He allowed her to lead him home. Somehow, he knew this wasn't the first time she'd been his guide back to the light. Thomas was limping and grabbing his bleeding shoulder. Ruby refused to let him go. Her arms wrapped around his middle, she guided him every step of the way. When Thomas's knees gave out, she went down with him and rubbed his back while he emptied the contents of his stomach.
Frowning, Ruby leaned him back against the tree. He blinked tiredly at her. "Thanks for sticking by me, you don't have to", he whispered.
"I want to", Ruby said simply. "I'm gonna go get you some water. Stay here."
Ruby had wanted to stay with Thomas all day, but eventually she retired to her own room. The next morning Alby gave her a pass. You've seen two horrifying events in about two days. You're only gettin a pass cause you're a girl, don't expect no more. You've gotta start pulling your weight round here eventually.
Her intentions were to follow Gally around like a lost puppy, but she'd discovered that Leo, the boy who took care of her after she was thrown in the Slammer, was a Builder and spent her time with him. She'd even helped out. Alby had caught her a few times, but didn't argue. If Ruby was alive and well, she could work just fine.
Leo was like an angel, almost. The boy had a square jawline, but his features were soft and he had heart shaped lips. His eyes were a sparkling green, and his curly grown hair had grown out well past his shoulders. Ruby braided it while they talked. He was undeniably sweet. He was also oh so gentle.
But then there was some kind of commotion outside. When the name Minho was shouted, the boy wasted no time in leaping up. Ruby recalled that he was Leo's boyfriend. She hadn't had the opportunity to meet him yet. The Runners were always out when she was awake. Ruby ran too, if only out of curiosity.
When she caught up, Leo was babying the Asian boy on the ground. He was well built and had inky black hair that was cut short. Ruby couldn't help but to smile at Leo's fussing. The boy, Minho, seemed to turn into a big baby in his arms.
"This is your friend?", he asked, turning his dark eyes to Ruby. Leo nodded. "Nice to meet ya, I'm Minho."
"Ruby", she said, shaking his hand.
Minho grinned. "Thanks for keeping my boy company. I think he gets lonely when I'm not around."
Leo looked offended, swatting the boy's arm. "I do not!"
"Do too!" Leo huffed. In response, the tall, lanky boy stood. Minho's head hit the ground with a hard thunk. "Ow!"
"Serves you right", Leo scowled. Ruby snickered.
Thomas seemed unimpressed and bored with the conversation. "Did you find anything today?", he asked, changing subjects.
Minho massaged the back of his throbbing head, but turned to Thomas. "You know what, Greenie? That's usually the dumbest shuck-faced thing you could ask a Runner." He closed his eyes. When Leo sat back down, he returned to resting his head on the boy's lap. "But not today."
"What do you mean?", Thomas asked.
Ruby rolled her eyes. Somehow, she felt responsibly for is actions. "Sorry about him. He's too curious for his own good."
"Just wait till the fancy admiral gets back. I don't like saying stuff twice. Plus, he might not want you to hear it anyway."
"Well, at least tell me why you look so tired", Thomas insisted. "Don't you run out there everyday?"
"Yeah, Greenie, I run out there every day. Let's just say I got a little too excited and ran extra fast to get my bee-hind back here", Minho answered flatly.
"He's got no shuckin sense", Leo snorted, his accent thick.
Thomas opened his mouth to speak once again, but this time he was interrupted by Ruby. "Shut up, Thomas!"
"Okay", Alby said once he made it back, handing Mino a large plastic cup of water. "Out with it. What happened?" Minho raised a brow, nodding towards the others. "They're fine. I don't care what these shanks hear. Just talk!"
Minho struggled to stand with Leo's help. "I found a dead one", he said cryptically.
"Huh?", Alby asked, for once just as confused as everyone else. "A dead what?"
Minho smiled. "A dead Griever."
"This isn't a time for jokes", Alby responded. He looked like someone had just told him they'd seen a real life flying monkey.
"I wouldn't believe me if I were you either, but trust me, I did. Big fat nasty one", Minho argued. Ruby thought about the thing that had stared at her earlier and suddenly felt sick. It was dead? Why did that upset her?
"You found a dead Griever", Alby repeated, dumbfounded.
"Yes, Alby", Minho responded, clearly annoyed. "A couple of miles from here, out near the cliff.
"Why didn't you bring it back with you?", Alby asked, looking out towards the Maze.
Minho laughed, a deep and throaty sound. "You been drinkin Frypan's saucy-sauce?" Ruby didn't evening wanna know what that was. "Those things must weigh half a ton, dude. Plus, I wouldn't touch one if you gave me a free trip out of this place."
Alby began bombarding the poor Runner with questions. Meanwhile, Ruby mentally did the math. She was surprised to know that she could calculate something like that so quickly in her head. Was that why they were sent there? Were they all crazy smart? Too smart for the outside world? Hah, so smart is her they were locked up like freaks, sure. And yet... in the back of her mind she saw herself, a younger version of herself, sat at a table across from a blonde woman. She was doing calculations on a clear dry erase board, none of the black writing making sense to her now. Equation after equation stretched across the board and continued. Maybe she was crazy smart.
Well, you beautiful big brain of mine, she thought to herself, I wish you would start back working so we can get outta here.
The point was, Ruby knew that it would take Minho at least an hour and a half to drag that thing back to the Glade. At least.
When Ruby finally stopped over calculating things, she noticed that Alby and Thomas were bickering. Ruby tsked, stepping between them. "Will you two shut your shucking holes? We've got enough to figure out without you two acting like idiots at each other's throats! Cool it."
Alby scoffed. "Ain't takin orders from no girl", he spat.
Ruby's lips turned down into a scowl. Her face turned slightly red as she glared at Alby, stepping closer to him. "Listen here Albert, I don't give two shucks if you think you're the president of the damned United States. Calm. The fuck. Down. Thomas doesn't know shit. You don't know shit. I barely fucking know shit! And you know what's not gonna help anyone know shit? Bickering with your heads up your asses!"
No one responded. They had attracted the attention of passing Gladers. Alby opened and closed his mouth a few times. Finally, he spoke. "How'd you know my name was Albert?", he asked dumbly. At least someone had broken the silence.
Ruby shrugged, shaking her head. "Like I said, I remember things slowly... you're named after Albert Einstein. Need time to figure things out and make sense of it. Just let me have that, please."
Alby nodded slowly. He cupped his hands around his lips to shout. "Listen here: nobody bother Ruby! She don't ask for ya, don't ask for her! Make sure everyone knows!" He turned to her accusingly. "You better be willing to spill when you figure shit out."
"What if it's my fault?", Ruby asked, as if that thought just occurred to her.
"Won't hurt ya", Alby said, looking her straight in the eyes. "If you can undo it."
With that, he turned and left.
After the incident, Ruby was sat next to Thomas. He looked tired, and she was deep in thought. Then Chuck came running. The poor kid was struggling to catch his breath. "What's up, Chuck?", Ruby asked.
Chuck was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. "Ben... Ben... he isn't... dead."
Thomas jumped up immediately. So much for being tired. "What?"
"He... isn't dead", Chuck repeated. "Baggers went to get him.... arrow missed his brain... Med-jacks patched him up."
"How the hell do you survive an arrow to the face?", Ruby grumbled. "What? Did that shit give him super powers or something?"
Chuck shrugged. "He's locked up in the Slammer, a huge bandages covering half his head."
"Is it gross?"
"Ruby!"
Chuck laughed. "Every day she's in here, she becomes more like one of us." One of us. Ruby didn't like those words. It made her seem like an outcast. Like she was something different.
"Well, what are they gonna do with him?", Thomas asked. Ruby understood his worry. Ben had attacked him.
"Already had a Gathering of the Keepers this morning, like they did for Ruby— made a unanimous decision by the sounds of it. Looks like Ben'll be wishing that arrow had found a home inside his shuck brain after all."
Ruby tilted her head. "What do you mean, Chucky?"
"He's being Banished tonight, like Martin, for trying to kill Thomas", Chuck explained.
Ruby felt sick. Another person would be banished?
That night, the two leaders had gathered every single Glader at the East Door, half an hour before it would close. The Runners has just returned and entered their Map Room. Hushed murmurs went around. Ruby was stood on her tip toes, looking for Gally. She couldn't find him. "Bring him out!", Alby shouted, making Ruby drop down off her tip toes to look at him.
Three large boys came from the Homestead, dragging poor Ben by his tattered clothes. A thick bandage coated with blood covered his head and half his face. He looked dead. She would have thought he was dead had his eyes not been wide open, filled with fear.
"Newt", Alby said, speaking softer now, "Bring out the Pole."
The blonde boy was already on the move towards the Gardens' tool shed. Ruby looked back at Ben. He didn't even try to fight, seeming resigned to this fate. He just let them drag him along the dirty courtyard, head hung low. They reached the crowd and pulled Ben to his feet in front of Alby. Ben still didn't look at anyone. "You brought this on yourself, Ben", Alby said sadly. He shook his head, waiting for Newt to come back.
Ruby felt sick watching this all. He just looked so pitiful. Newt finally came back. He was holding several connected aluminum poles, maybe twenty feet long altogether. The metallic scrape of the pole made the whole thing seem more eery. Perhaps because it had gotten far too quiet. Newt handed the pole over to Alby and Ruby finally caught sight of what dangle down off it. A leather collar with a large button snap that even Bark would have rejected.
Alby fastened the collar around Ben's skinny neck, and the boy finally looked up. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and snot dripped down his chin. It was grossly disturbing, but Ruby couldn't look away. No one said anything. Ruby wanted to cry. "Please, Alby", Ben begged in a shaky voice. He sounded so pathetic that Ruby wanted to embrace him. "I swear I was just sick in the head from the Changing. I never would've killed him — just lost my mind for a second. Please, Alby, please."
Alby didn't respond. He almost looked cold. Almost. Ruby could tell that he was absolutely torn up inside. She would have been too. She didn't know how long Ben had been there, but she knew these boys treated each other like family. It must have been like sentencing a brother to die, one of your own that you had grown to love.
Alby picked the pole up as he went before reaching the end, turning to look at them all with a stone face. His eyes were bloodshot and his face wrinkled in anger as he breathed heavily. He looked almost sinister. On the other end was Ben, shaking and crying. She wondered if that collar was too tight. The thought made her think of fingers squeezing her own neck days prior. The pole dipped a little in the middle, just a little. "Ben of the Builders, you've been sentenced to Banishment for the attempted murder of Thomas the Newbie. The Keepers have spoken, and their word ain't changing. And you ain't coming back. Ever." Alby's voice boomed over the crowd. He looked everywhere and nowhere all at once. There was a long pause. Ruby wondered how Gally mush feel, losing two of his men nearly at once. "Keepers, take your place on the Pole."
One by one, the Keepers took their place. Newt was with them, piquing Ruby's curiosity. Just who was this boy? All ten of the keepers took their place on the Pole like they were going off to war. Everything got deathly quiet. Even the wind had shut its mouth. Ben eventually became to sob again, rubbing his nose and eyes. He twisted his neck every which way, trying to get a look at the boys behind him. "Please", Ben cried out desperately. "Pleeeeease! Somebody, help me! You can't do this to me!"
"Shut up!", Alby roared. Ruby jumped in fear.
Ben didn't stop. He continued to cry out for help, pulling on the collar. "Someone stop them! Help me! Please!" He looked at each person. Everyone turned away... except Ruby. There were tears in her eyes when hers met his. She wanted so badly to help him.
"If we let shanks like you get away with that stuff, we never would've survived this long", Alby said. His tone was cold and definite. "Keepers, get ready."
"No, no, no, no, no!", Ben repeated, thrashing around. "I swear I'll do anything! I swear, I'll never do it again! Pllleeeee—" Ben's pitiful cries were cute off by the rumbling crack of the East Door starting to close. Sparks flew from the stone, the rock groaning as he it made its way.
"Keepers, now!", Alby commanded.
Ben's head snapped back as he was shoved forward, the boys pushing him towards the Maze. Ruby whimpered, stepping forward. Thomas grabbed her shoulder, shaking his head. A strangled cry rumbled up from Ben's throat. He fell to his knees, but the Keeper up front, a large boy with black hair, jerked him back up just as quickly. "Nooooo!", Ben screamed. He tore at the collar like a rabid animal now. The strength of ten boys was too much, shoving him forward. "Noooo!" He tried to plant his feet, but he was only forced to stumble forward.
Ben was successfully forced into the Maze, deeper and deeper still. He continued to jerk around in an attempt to escape. Somehow, mere seconds before the doors would close, Ben twisted around to face them all. He looked insane. "Hold!", Alby yelled. Ben screamed. It didn't even sound human. She knew his throat wouldn't survive that. At the last second, the snarling boy in front jerked the pole back, loosening it from the one attached to Ben.
Ben's screams were cut off when the walls sealed shut with a decisive boom.
DECEMBER 12, 2019
this is the most muse i have had for
this fic in a looooong time. extra
long chapter here. i need to stop
combining things before i end up with
a book that's far too short. 😅