DEATH WAS SOMETHING EVERYONE ON THE GLADE WAS USE TOO. Once you lose one too many friends too it, it starts to not effect you. Almost like your numb. It's something you Can't stop and something you can't forget. Everyone on the Glade has lost their fair share of friends, the grief swelling the walls of the maze after a banishment or even a immediate burial hard to shield.

Grieving is no longer a thing it seems like anyone does in the Glade anymore. After a burial they just go back to work, like it never happened or the person never existed. When it was brought up it was shrugged off by everyone.

Mitch wasn't big on grieving. He never cried or showed signs that he wanted too. He wished he could feel the sense of numbness everyone seemed to feel, the sadness in his chest only making him feel weaker then the rest of the gladers.

If he was being honest, he didn't know how to feel at the moment. He wants to grieve for his friend but he also wants revenge on whoever put them here and was the cause of his deep feelings for the people here.

Sometimes when mapping the maze a thought comes into his head. A thought that seems to come too him everytime he steps in the maze. What if he just didn't leave the maze? Why come back out and suffer through the same process again of working to survive only for some not to survive?

Why should they sit on their asses and wait for the same people who help them thrive to kill them off one by one? That's obliviously the plan these insane people have, right? Put a few kids in a heavily guarded area and wait for a griever to kill each and every one of them or for them too kill each other.

Did he want to escape? Yes. But, is losing his life worth it? Hell no. He didn't owe these people anything and he especially wasn't about to get himself killed for a few strangers sick enjoyment.

"Are you just gonna sit on your ass for the rest of your life?"

Mitch glared at the boy hovering over him. Gally raised a brow, doing a single hand Signal after mitch didn't reply.

"Wow. You really know how to up my spirits, Gally."

"Thanks, i've been working on a new technique." Gally sarcastically comments, bending down too the boys level. "Alby wants to see you."

"I didn't start another fight."

"Surprisingly."a small, but visible grin starts to form on Mitch's lips at the reply, "On a side note, are you positive you can go through with the banishment? We don't need you running off on us."

Mitch rolls his eyes, "why would i ever want to run from you?" It was gally's turn to roll his eyes at that. Mitch then stands too his feet, followed by the latter, "I'll be able to handle it."

Gally nods, patting the boy on the shoulder before yelling something to two younger Gladers who were sitting down, both of their eyes widen at the sound of his voice, immediately taking off while Gally ran after them.

Mitch watches as the two boys weave through people to try and escape or fall out of site of Gally. He stands there for a moment, stepping out of the way when they ran straight towards him. He turns, nearly jumping out his skin when Thomas was suddenly standing in front of him.

"Alby needs you. He said now."

"I didn't realize you got designated to Messenger boy. Stole Newts job now did we?" Mitch mockingly grunts, tredging towards where Chuck was aggressively waving too him.

Thomas turns on his heel, following. A dumb look on his face as he moves untill he was side-by-side to mitch who gave him a look of judgement from the corner of his eye, "Does this make us-" he immediately got cut off.

"You aren't even close to being an acquaintance, let alone my friend." Mitch said as if Thomas sounded insane for even suggesting that.

"You helped me. That means something."

"No, it doesn't. I helped you because I wasn't about to watch someone die under my watch. It's called good morals, got any?" Mitch snaps, shoulder checking thomas as he sped up his walking.

Thomas narrows his eyes, his mouth starting to form the same words Mitch said, mocking the boy. He held up his hands before mumbling a continuous cycle of ' blah blah blah ' from behind Mitch's back.

"I saw that."

Thomas quickly puts his hands too his side, slowly drifting off to the side once they got too where Alby was.

"Mitch," Alby acknowledges, gesturing too the open spot beside him, "sit."

"Do i have a choice?"

"No, Not really."

"Well then, i guess i'll just sit then." He went to sit beside Alby, sighing in obvious annoyance when Thomas stops in front of them before squeezing his way between Mitch and Alby.

He sends a glare Thomas's way before happily sitting beside Chuck who was in his own little world, silently using his pen knife to carve a small figurine.

"Wanna use mine?" Chuck looks towards Mitch, eyes going towards the blade mitch was holding out towards him.

"I don't know- What if i lose it?"

"Then I'll have to hunt you down." Mitch jokes while Chuck's eyes go wide like saucers, not realizing the playful tone behind mitch's words. Mitch realizes the expression on Chucks face, quickly changing his sentence, "i have plenty more. Keep it."

"Really?" Chucks eyes light up, still hesitant to take the blade from Mitch's hand.

"I insist." Mitch gives the younger boy a Fond smile, which was rare coming from him. Only a smile that Chuck gets to witness, seeing as the boy is the only kid on the Glade Mitch doesn't want to strangle with his bare hands.

Mitch's expression changes from a smile too a grimace as he snaps his head towards thomas, "If you wanted to sit in my lap, you could've asked."

Thomas takes note of the instant voice change, awkwardly laughing under Mitch's stare.

"move."

"Sorry." Thomas quickly says, Shuffling away from the boy who's unsettling glare didn't leave him untill Chuck let out a laugh, causing his smile to return.

"So, what happened to Ben?" Thomas decided to ask Alby, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"It's called the Changing." Alby sighs, "It's what happens when someone gets stung."

"It shouldn't have happened to ben." Mitch grumbles, his eyes trained onto Chuck as the boy goes back to carving the figurine.

Alby gives the blonde a look of sorrow, feeling for the boy because everyone in the glade knew how close Ben and Mitch were.

Thomas' opens his mouth to reply with another question, but nothing comes out.

"Listen. We haven't been able to get a clear word out of Ben since it happened." Alby says, repositioning himself before looking at Mitch, who's gaze was now on the floor, "You know, he's not making any sense. And it's only gonna get worse."

It was silent between the four, mitch letting out a hum of agreement too the leaders words, getting the other three too look at him. "He isn't safe to be around while infected, he's unpredictable and there is nothing that will help him."

"Did he says anything to you?"Alby questions the two boys, lowering his head to get a better view of their faces.

Mitch licks his lips, staying silent while his eyes gestured for Thomas to speak since Ben had alot to say about him.

"He spoke to me." Thomas takes notice of the gestures, looking towards Alby,"Uh, he said he saw me and that this is all my fault. How could this be my fault?" His voice breaks slightly.

Alby's eyesbrows furrow for a second before he clears his throat, snapping out of whatever trance he seeped into,"Mitch," He stands up, giving Thomas a single pat on the back before ruffling Mitch on the head, signaling for the blonde to follow him.

"Alby?" Thomas calls, raising his voice so he can be heard, "What's gonna happen to him?"

"Banishment." Mitch stands up, the other two copying his actions. "As we speak." Thomas and Chuck both frowned at the tone of his voice, following after the blonde who seemed to be taking his time to walk towards the doors, his feet practically dragging like he wanted to do nothing more than turn the other way. Chuck seems to catch on, going to the side of the boy. He peered up at Mitch's face to see his eyes were glued too the floor. Thomas soon joins them, going too Mitch's other side as they approach the large crowd of Gladers.

Mitch grits his teeth, jaw clenching when he felt every single pair of eyes land on him as he walked through people. He swears it seemed like they all went silent. Chuck departed from the boy, going off too the side too stand beside Jennifer who was watching Mitch.

Mitch goes towards Gally who hands him a large pole with a stick tied across the top to form a T shape. "Don't even ask. Im tired of hearing it." He spoke up, knowing exactly what they were gonna ask seeing that both Newt and Gally were staring at him.

Gally held a hand up in false surrender while Newt just said a few words too Thomas before asking him to stand back, not wanting him to interfere.

They all Turn as Minho Leads Ben across the Glade. Minho stares straight ahead, expression stony as he tries his best not to let Ben's pleas effect him. Once through the crowd of Gladers, he kneels the boy down in front of the open doors, keeping a firm grip on the back of his neck. Some of the Gladers wealding spears, move forward and lower their spears too push in and create small circle around Ben, so he couldn't escape.

"No, no, no. Please, please don't do it." Ben begs, looking up at minho who didn't even bat an eye in his direction, "Please, Minho."

Alby gives a nod too Minho, who understood it. He throws a small bag of supplies and food into the maze, causing Ben's pleas to grow louder.

Minho then turns towards Mitch, holding his hand out expectantly. His eyes stay on the blonde boy as he pulls another knife from his waist band, passing it over. He proceeds to use the blade to cut Ben's ties that kept his wrists bound together, causing him to fall forward.

The maze starts to rumble, wind beginning to blow down the entrance. Ben cowers back once free, eyes staring at the empty maze with fear.

"Poles!" Alby shouts as soon as the ropes that bounded ben were off. The rest of the Gladers lower their sticks, the end pointed at ben who backs away from them.

Ben pushes himself up off the floor and starts to move around, not being able to balance himself to stand in one place.

"Move in." Alby bellows.

Mitch's fingers tighten around the handle of the pole as they all step forward with the command, strinking the space around ben.

"No, no, no! Please, please!" Ben begs, his eyes landing on the surrounding faces. Once his eyes fall onto Mitch, thats when the latter felt guilt well up inside his chest. He has done many banishments and seen many suffer through the actions of a griever but too see his favorite person suffering wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. He wanted to do nothing more then too run forward and reassure the boy he would be okay, but he would be lying.

But everything about the way Ben's posture was and how his eyes were an empty, black void, prevented his body from moving a inch.

"No! I can get better! Please! Just listen to me!"

His crys were left ignored as he was shoved and shoved, moving him closer too the maze doors that were closing.

"Push him in!" Alby instructs. Mitch hesitats to move forward, his legs not being able to move another inch. He feels relief wash over him when he feels someone grab the pole from his hands, noticing his hesitation. Minho takes his place in the form, knowing that the boy wouldn't be able to go through with the banishment, even if he was confident he would be able too.

The doors start to get closer too fully shut and Ben finally stops struggling and instead tries to stop the stony walls. Everyone falls silent as the clicking of the doors shutting echoes around, silencing Ben's screams.

Mitch was the first to break away from everyone, anger replacing his sad demeanor just like that. He angrily pushes people out his way, knocking one to many too the floor.

"Mitch!" Alby shouts, helping a glader who happened to be in Mitch's way off the ground. Mitch just barges past, a string of curses falling off his lips.

Jennifer looks at Minho, both of them having a silent conversation before minho goes through the crowd, following after mitch who was nearly half way down the glade.

Minho cups his hands around his mouth,"Mitch!" He calls, trying to get a look from the boy who just continued walking.

Minho Heavily sighs, running too try and catch up too Mitch who was lost in thought, trying to control his anger. "If i'm correct, i would think your trying to outrun me." Minho tried to lighten the mood once he was next too the blonde, only getting a sharp, hostile glare in reply. "Don't look at me like that."

Mitch didn't speak, staring at the grassy field below his feet instead untill the dark haired boy gently nudged his side, giving him a classic boyish grin, "You know you can talk to me."

"Shouldn't you be yelling at an innocent glader right now?" Mitch asked, almost monotonously. He didn't mean for his sentence to be spoken with such spite followed by a flat tone, but it was too late to change it as his friend merely rolled his eyes at his bluntness.

"I'll leave that too Gally. He seems to enjoy it more." Minho moved closer untill there hands were brushing against each others with every move. He leaned forward, studying him like a unfamiliar land. Mitch caught him from the corner of his eyes, he cracked a small smile but still stayed silent bringing a loud heaved sigh out of Minho.

Mitch was taken by surprise when he was suddenly shoved into the glade homestead, the sound of a door closing behind him causing him to finally turn around. Minho gestured too the chair, only getting a deadpanned look from mitch.

"Sit."

"No."

"Sit, please."

"Are you begging right now?"

Minho inhaled a breath, throwing his head back at his friend's stubbornness. He ran a hand down his face before looking back to the now grinning, chuckling Mitch.

That was all it took for Minho's lips to form into a smile, scoffing under his breath as Mitch threw a hand over his mouth to cease his laughter.

"What is so funny?"

"Nothing. Nothing, I'll sit now." Mitch grabbed hold of the chair and took a seat, instantly leaning back.

Minho grabbed another chair, taking a seat in front of Mitch who just stared at him with an expecting look, "What?"

"Well? Did you drag me in here to talk or is locking people into forts your new kink?"

"Look, i know sharing isn't your thing-" Minho starts.

"I hate this already."

"Can you-" Minho holds his hand up, making a silent movement with his hands.

"Oh, sure. Anything for you." Mitch winks causing Minho to Face palm, debating on walking out and not looking back.

"Why are we friends again?" Mitch pulled a face, but went silent and stopped his comments to give Minho a chance to speak.

"As i was saying. I know sharing isn't your thing but do you wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what? I got nothing to talk about about. Are we done now?" Mitch stands up, only getting shoved back into the chair.

"Mitch."

Mitch stared at his friend, his mood punctured and emptying back into its previous state. He wasn't Fully prepared to talk about how Ben's banishment effected him seeing as it just happened and he was use to everyone brushing things off.

Minho was expecting him to share his feelings, but how would he even start? Yes, watching Ben get shoved in the maze made him want to do nothing more then too run into the maze and protect his best friend from the painful death that was soon to come or at least so he wasn't alone.

Mitch just opened his mouth, no words came out though. He couldn't form any. He never shared his feelings with anyone and never planned on it. Mitch did the only thing he usually did in these kind of situations, go silent which minho caught on to easily but said nothing.

At the end of the day, It was Mitch's choice if he wanted to open up not. Which by the Expression he had on his face and the way he was avoiding any and all contact proved to Minho he didn't want too. So with that, Minho decided to change the subject.

"Did you hear about how Jennifer chewed Gally out earlier in the day for eating her food?" Minho felt pleased as Mitch cracked a smile, there eyes locking.

"Surprised I haven't. But, it's not shocking." Truth be told, Mitch heard about it. Frypan and Winston told him almost instantly. He remembers he was sleeping until Jeff ran in and yelled incomprehensible words while Frypan and Winston were yelling about Gally and Jennifer. But he decided to let Minho have his moment and listened too the boy describe the story, his eyes going too Mitch now and then as he tried to get the details on point.