How It All Goes Down
- While he is still pouting under the tree, Thomas sees a metallic object with red lights scurrying in the branches above him. Maybe something like this?
- Little pudgy Chuck appears and says that they're called "beetle blades," and they're only dangerous if you touch them. Good to know.
- Another scream comes from the dilapidated building and Chuck explains that it's coming from Ben, who is sicker than a dog because "they" got him. More mysterious foreshadowing… okay Dashner, we're on the edge of our seats already.
- Whew. Finally. We find out from Chuck that Ben was stung by the "Grievers." And it sounds like Ben will be okay because he made it back to the Glade in time to get the "serum," but it still hurts. A lot.
- Chuck estimates for Thomas that he is about sixteen years old, and Thomas is shocked because he feels much older than that. Don't we all, though?
- Then we discover that Chuck was the last Newbie before Thomas, and he'd only been in the Glade about a month. Gee, thanks for the experienced guide, you guys, couldn't you have found someone who knew even less? But the common thread is that all the boys showed up there knowing not much more than their first names.
- In a burst of anger, Thomas yells at Chuck for not giving him any answers, and barges into the house to find Alby and Newt. The house is super run-down: peeling, faded wallpaper, boards missing from the floor, and the only decorations consist of a dusty vase on a three-legged table and an antique photo of a woman dressed in white. Creepy.
- Thomas encounters the kid who gave him the death-stare outside, who continues antagonizing him. He says that Newbies aren't allowed to see someone who's been "taken" per Alby's orders.
- The kid explains why he hates him: he's seen him before, in a hallucination triggered by a Griever sting. Ah ha, that explains the hostility… a little.
- Thomas insists on going upstairs to see Alby and Newt, so the mean kid facetiously encourages him to do it. He's the real leader, you see, so call him Captain Gally. He's really ugly, and suffers from a serious case of halitosis (that's fancy for bad breath).
- Upstairs, Thomas opens a door to find something out of a bad dream. Ben is writhing in pain, swollen, battered, with sickly green veins.
- Alby is pissed, and throws him out. Thomas has witnessed "the Changing," and he wasn't supposed to.
- Thomas realizes that Chuck might actually be his only friend in this strange place, and retreats to his tree.