We dashed out of the treehouse to a buzz of panic bouncing from boy to boy. Snatches of words more prominent than others as we too circled around Ben.

He was groaning, snarling almost animalistic. Having each limb pinned down like a museum's butterfly collection. The needles being Gally and Newt.

Ben's breathing slowed, finally an end to his heaving had come. Only to have it snatched away when Alby stepped forward, squinting at the boy.

"No no no no." He rushed. "I didn't-" he cut himself off, eyes flicking around the crowd. Thomas held his chest, looking like he was still recovering from something. Alby's face fell grim already knowing what to expect.

"Alright lift his shirt." He ordered. "Lift his shirt." Why would he ask him to lift off his shirt? Why was Ben acting like this? What was going on?

"No no no. Please! Please..."

Ben's pleas were ignored, replaced by the stripping of his clothes. Then we saw it. A sight to make your stomach twist, like someone grabbed hold of your stomach and tore it out. Guts and all.

Something had been plunged into his pale abdomen, something sharp from the mark of the wound. Bloated spider veins scittered across the area, bulging to surface against watercolor skin.

I clapped a hand across my mouth, struck in absolute horror. What the fuck did that to him?!

"No no no. Please..." Ben fussed, pleading for freedom as he writhed around. Gally held fast. A confused look riddled his face.

"He's been stung." He turned, looking around for some kind of clue. "In the middle of the day?" Stung? It all made sense now.

A griever.

A griever that was supposed to asleep during the day. Inactive.

"Put him in the slammer." Alby looked down, disdain written across his face. Particularly his eyes. "Come on everybody help, take him to the pit!"

Ben erupted in. "No! No! No! Please don't do it!"

"Medjacks!" Newt directed, acting quickly. The boy was kicking around, thrashing. Leaving me to tape my mouth shut with a hand, arm crossed over my stomach for useless protection. It didn't matter though.

It comforted me.

"Ben. Calm down Ben!" Gally managed to say even as he tried to hold him down. "Ben, calm down." A team of boys helped Gally lift Ben up. Each grabbing a stray limb. He was taken away then, still yowling his pleas. Leaving, just like the rest of the boys did after the grand show. Then I was alone.

Standing in the very same spot Ben had revealed his sickness. No Gally, no Victor, no Thomas. I was alone.

____________________________

"So what happened to him?" Thomas asked quietly, rushing our silence away. Much too soon for my liking. Him, Chuck, and I all sat in a row by the boys hammocks. All of us had a little piece of the puzzle, trying to tie everything together.

"I-" After starting to answer the question I realized that I didn't exactly quite know myself. I needed questions answered. Why did Ben 'attack' him. Observant, caring, quiet Ben. It was certainly a stark difference from his usual behavior. "Chuck knows more I think."

"Yeah, but not much." Whittling some strange little figure, Chuck answered him. "The stuff I know is mostly from Nick. He got stung too."

"But why was he acting like that?" I asked, needing to jump in myself. "Ben would never-"

"It's because it's not Ben anymore y/n." Chuck said solemnly. "He's gone. He's changed."

"I don't believe that." I scoffed, locking each arm across the other. "He wouldn't just do something like that for no reason. He's Ben."

"He attacked me." Thomas murmured. "That kid attacked me by all those weird graves and bones. He said he saw me. That this was all my fault." Turning to look straight in my eyes, his voice no higher than a low rasp he asked. "How could this be all my fault?"

"I dunno." Shrugging, I broke away from his stare. Glad to be rid of it. "Doesn't make sense."

"He was stung." Chuck butted in. "Nothing Ben said could make sense."

"What's going to happen to him?" Thomas was curious. I guess he had the right. Just as I did. My stomach was sick from having a faint inkling of the answer.

"Banishment." It was Gally who said this. He must've snuck up behind us. As angry as I was at him Ben's life became more important. A human life was not something to toy with. I couldn't let anyone else get hurt. I wouldn't allow it.

"No." My response came out sharp. Like a blade anxious to meet skin.

"What?" I don't know who asked but didn't matter. My answer stayed the same.

"No." Standing up I stated it again. "I'm not letting anyone harm a hair on Ben's head."

"Y/n this isn't an option." Gally pressed, reaching out for my shoulder. Swiftly, I avoided his touch. Making my way to the slammer. Gally followed. Per usual. As we neared he tried desperately to knock any sort of sense into me. "He'll hurt you." No response. Gally got in front of me, blocking me with his arms stretched out. "He's dangerous!"

"He's our friend!" The rest of my fiery lecture spewed itself up. "He's the boy I ate dinner with every day. He sat at our table and joked with us. Fucking laughed with us. He runs with Minho every single day trying to get us out of here." Newt entered the scene from the corner of eye just as I wrapped things up. "So don't stand there and equate him to a wild animal. Don't stand there and tell me he doesn't deserve at least a shred of respect!"

"Y/n, I think it's best you're not here for when it happens." Newt placed a hand on my back, attempting to soothe me.

I could see him. Just over Gally's shoulder. His fists wrapped around those familiar bars. The ones that caged me when I said my goodbyes to Chuck. When I thought I was going to die. Just like him now.

I could hear him crying. The hoarseness in his his nearly blown out voice. Smell the salt off each tear. Deja vu was not kind to me. How could they do this. How could they stand to inflict pain on the boy they called a friend just a few hours ago.

"If you do this..." I bound my words with a single promise. "I will never speak to you again." Gally slowly lowered limbs, the threat pushing them down. "Any of you."

Silence loomed over the three of us for a spell.

Newt enveloped me into a hug, scrunching up the back of hair. Was he going to say Ben could stay? Yes. We'd beg the creators for a cure. Treat Ben till he was healed. Keep him away from Thomas. Do anything to make him better.

He pulled away, Adam's apple bobbing as a gulp dipped down his throat.

"Gally, take y/n to the treehouse and don't let them out till it's over." Newt ordered, pushing me into Gally's hold.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to make him see the truth. I wanted to save Ben.

Why couldn't I save him?