Alby looked like someone told him he could grow wings and fly. "Ain't a good time for jokes." he said.
"Look, I wouldn't believe me if I were you, either. But trust me, we did. Big fat nasty one."
"I was there, too you know. It definitely was a Griever. Ugly thing." Clara attested.
"You found a dead Griever." Alby repeated.
"Yes, Alby." Minho said in annoyance. "A couple miles from here, out near the Cliff."
Alby looked into the Maze, then back at Minho. "Well, why didn't you guys bring it back with you?" Minho and Clara looked at each other and quirked a brow.
Minho laughed "You been drinkin' Frypan's saucy-sauce?"
"Have you seen the size of those things? They're humungous. No way just the two of us could drag that back here by ourselves." Clara explained
"Plus, I wouldn't touch one if you gave me a free trip out of this place." Minho joked.
"What did it look like? Were the metal spikes in or out of its body? Did it move at all- was its skin still moist?" Alby prodded
"Slim it, man. You gotta see for yourself. It's weird."
"Weird?"
"Dude, we're exhausted, starving and sun sick. But if you wanna haul it right now, you and I could probably make it there and back before the walls shut."
Alby looked at his watch "Better wait 'til the wake-up tomorrow."
"Smartest thing you've said all week."
Minho then righted himself from leaning against the wall, hit Alby on the arm, and limped toward the Homestead, pulling Clara along with him. He spoke over his shoulder as he shuffled away.
"We should get back out there, but screw it. We're gonna go eat some of Frypan's nasty casserole." he turned back around towards Clara "We need to eat. I don't know about me, but you look like a wreck."
"I can confirm you look like one too." Clara retorted, making Minho chuckle lightly.
When the two arrived at the Homestead, they grabbed a plate of Frypan's lunch and looked for an empty table. They spotted Newt sitting at an empty one; his leg was bouncing nervously and his eyes kept darting across the room. He was noticeably distressed and it broke Clara's heart to see it. Newt spotted her and Minho and his shoulders untensed, waving them over to the table with a relieved smile. Clara sat beside him, and Minho sat across from him.
"Ya hear Ben's being Banished tonight?" Newt said, holding Clara's hand under the table. She gave him two reassuring squeezes; she could feel his hand still trembling.
Minho frowned. "I feel so bad for him. I know the Changing can mess with your mind bad." He shook it off before it got too solemn, leaning towards Newt secretively. "We found a dead Griever." He whispered. Newt's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Alby, Clare and I are going to check it out tomorrow. Which means she," Minho nudged Clara's arm "gets her first Griever encounter." Newt's hand tensed around hers, but he kept an entertained smile on his face.
"Is that really something I should be excited for? That thing was disgusting." Clara replied sarcastically, ignoring the uneasiness radiating off of Newt at the moment.
"Oh come on, I'm sure it won't be too bad. Just a bit of slime, no biggie."
"Didn't you say that you 'wouldn't touch one if Alby gave you a free trip out of this place'?" Newt let out a bark of laughter at Clara's remark, and Minho rolled his eyes, a small grin on his face.
"Well played, well played."
Evening came, and it was almost time for the walls to close. All the Gladers had crowded along the East Door, talking to each other in hushed voices. The tension in the air was as thick as fog. Clara stood next to Thomas, who was extremely unsettled, obviously because this Banishment revolved around Ben attacking him. Newt and Alby were positioned at the front; Newt glanced at Clara with a solemn expression. He'd been... off... ever since he found out Clara would be a part of Minho and Alby's Griever expedition. He was obviously uncomfortable with the thought that she'd be so close to something that was so dangerous. Clara wasn't as worried, however. Besides, it was dead, how could it harm her?
Alby stepped forward and everyone went silent. "Bring him out!" he shouted. From the far side of the Homestead, she saw three strong boys appear, literally dragging Ben on the ground. His clothes were tattered; a bloody bandage covered his head and face. His eyes were open wide with terror. Alby said something to Newt under his breath that Clara couldn't quite catch. When he was finished, Newt nodded and moved toward a small tool shed near the Gardens. Clara turned back when Ben and the others approached. They pulled Ben to his feet in front of Alby, his head hung low.
"You brought this on yourself, Ben." Alby said, shaking his head and looking towards the shack where Newt had gone. The blonde emerged through the slanted door, holding several aluminum poles. He connected them to make a long shaft, and when he was done, he grabbed an odd-shaped object on one of the ends and dragged the whole thing with him as he walked back, the pole making a metallic scraping sound as it met the stone ground. He approached Alby's side and handed him the end of the pole he was holding. The odd attachment paired with it was made of rough leather stapled to metal. A large snap button revealed the loop could be opened and closed. It took Clara a few seconds to register what it was, but when it did, it made her insides go numb.
It was a collar.
