Chapter 9-16: Banishment Too

For an odd moment, the whole Glade was quite. Alby broke the silence by yelling "Med-Jacks." Med-Jacks are the doctors in the Glade. One of them is Clint, and he examined her and said she was in a coma. Alby made it clear that if anyone would touch her, they would be banished. When I saw her face, she seemed familiar, but it seemed so impossible. Jeff, other Med-Jack, and Clint stretched her up and took her to the room next to Benny. Newt asked me if I knew her in anyway, so I lied because I wanted to get my thoughts together first. Alby said he is going to hold a Gathering. Chuck told me that this meeting is held with all the Keepers of the jobs to discuss when something weird or strange happens. After that, Chuck and I went to get some food. I asked a bunch of more questions. Why were we put in here? Were we criminals? Where the electricity comes from? When can I be a Runner? Chuck said, "Just accept it and don't think about it." Chuck told me some interesting things about the Runners though. He explained that when they come out of the Maze they put their maps in a concrete building. The thought of running for two years and not finding anything, made the Maze seem impossible. I was told that the walls change, so that changed my mind. After eating some food, I walked around the Glade until I saw a Beetle Blade. It's like a metal lizard with a camera to watch what we do in here. My mind told me to follow it. Just before it started moving I saw the word "Wicked" in blood letters on its back. Racing after it for awhile, I lost it in the forest leading to the Deadheads. In the clearing I could see about a dozen of graves from all the dead bodies found... Then I heard a noise in the forest, but I thought it was nothing. Looking at the graves I found one with the top half of a body on top. The grave said, "Let this half-shank be a warning to all: You can't escape through the Box Hole." After I looked up, I heard a snap! A Glader jumped out of the forest and started to attack me. It was Benny trying to kill me. He crouched on the ground with a knife in his hand, but before he could do anything, Alby showed up with his bow. He shot Benny, just missing his heart. At least I had Work to help get the image out of my mind. Tomorrow evening, I saw a Runner limping out of the maze, so I called for help. Alby came quick and let me hear their conversation. Minho, Runner, exclaimed that he saw a dead Griever, so they were going to look at it the next day. That night came with a surprise. Benny was being banished for trying to kill me. Banishing means they put your neck on a collar attached to a long metal pole. The pole is pushed out into the Maze at the time when it shuts. Benny was screaming, but the scream was cut off by the booming sound of the Maze doors closing. Newt woke me up the next day late because he said I need the extra sleep from the last few days I had. Also, he told me that I would work in the garden today, so I told him I wanted to be a Runner. Newt said I have to be elected first. After a hard long day of gardening, after eating, and finally meeting Frypan I saw Newt again. This time he looked worried, and he told me Alby and Minho is dead. I asked him if we could send a search party, but he said we would be throwing lives away. The night was creeping on us as we waited for them to come back alive, so Newt went back to the homestead. When he was inside and me stilling waiting at the entrance of the Maze, I saw Minho dragging Alby, and I shouted as loud as I could for Newt to comeback. I was persistent, so I walked in the Maze. The last split second after I went in the doors, they shut with "the echo of its boom bouncing off the ivy-covered stone like mad laughter."