How It All Goes Down
- Ben stills looks like he did in his sickbed: pale, thin, and covered with pulsing green veins (a.k.a. super gross). He crouches in preparation for another attack when Alby comes out of the woods holding a cocked bow and arrow.
- Ben says that if Alby kills him he'll have killed the wrong boy. He's seen him in his Changing, and yells deliriously that Thomas will want to take them home, get them out of the Maze, and they'd be better off dead. Ben is utterly convinced that killing Thomas is better for everyone in the Glade.
- Alby counts to three as a warning, but Ben begins attacking again, so Alby shoots him through the cheek, killing him instantly.
- Alby says that the Baggers will take care of the body in the morning, and leaves.
- Thomas is left feeling sick to his stomach, and that night he can't sleep a wink. Can't say we blame the guy.
- The next morning Thomas is so tired he feels like he's a zombie (we've all been there). Chuck drags him through the morning routine, and then Newt brings him to the Blood House for training with the Keeper Winston, a Slicer.
- On the walk over, Newt informs Thomas that there's been no change with the girl. She's still in a coma, being spoon-fed soup by the Med-jacks.
- At the Blood House Thomas learns the ins and outs of how the animals are cared for, and Bark the dog follows him around. Now he's got two friends.
- After he watches Winston slaughtering a pig for lunch, Thomas vows to never eat pork again, and realizes that he doesn't want to be a slicer even though he'd thought he wanted to work with the animals.
- When he's done with training, Thomas is walking past the Box when he sees a Runner come in from the West Door who looks exhausted. Thomas wants to talk to him while he has a chance, but before he can open his mouth, the boy collapses.