The Maze Runner Rewrite

Part 2

It took seven minutes in total to reach the very top, and I was surprised to feel more energized than worn out. From up here, I could see everything better. Everything except whatever was beyond that wall. Thomas and I leaned against the wooden railing, staring at the space between the walls. The opening was too dark to see into from here, and it made me all the more curious.

"This is all we have," Thomas said. I was very aware of his arm and shoulder touching mine, but I didn't dare move to stop it. The touch felt oddly familiar, but I wasn't sure why. "If Alby were here, he'd tell you to respect this place. It took them a while to build up. It's home to them, you know?" I nodded, turning my head to look at the side of his face.

He had a profile that made me want to stare forever, but that wasn't possible because he looked at me, too. His eyes seemed to pause over every feature I had. He sighed and said, "I wish I knew your name. I don't want to keep calling you Greenie."

"What do you want to call me then?" I laughed, shaking my head as I looked back out at the expanse. From my peripheral, Thomas smiled and licked his lips.

"I had a name. It came to me when I saw you, but I don't know why."

"What is it?" I wondered if he had the same feeling I'd been having since I saw him.

"Minx."

I burst into laughter at the randomness of the name, and he laughed with me. "Minx? Why?"

"Not sure. This is going to sound weird, but it doesn't feel like the first time I've said it." His words confirmed my suspicions, and I got the feeling that it wasn't my first time being called that. Instead of confusing myself even more with the thought, I sighed and changed the conversation.

"What do you think is out there, Tommy?" I asked without thought.

He answered with equally as little thought, like the name was a normal use between us. "I'm not sure."

"Have you not asked?" It struck me as odd that he wouldn't, considering he seemed like the inquisitive type.

"I asked Alby the first day. You know what he said to me?" He turned, leaning against one arm so his body was angled towards me. I looked at him, waiting for him to tell me. "He said we only have three rules. First, do your part. There's no time for any freeloaders. Second, never harm another glader. He said none of this works unless we have trust."

"Is that why you said no one would hurt me?"

"Partly. Also because..." Thomas trailed off and furrowed his eyebrows like he thought what he was about to say was stupid. "The third rule was to never go beyond those walls."

Alby's voice called Thomas' name from down below, and we peered over to see him standing with a little round chunky boy with a brown curls plopped onto his head. The boy couldn't have been over 14 years old, which seemed odd compared to everyone else who looked to be around 16 or 17. I assumed that boy was Chuck based off Newt's words.

I sighed, my curiosities once again going unquenched. Thomas went down first, and I followed shortly after. It was strange climbing down a ladder instead of up, and I just tried not to look down too much. Seeing how much farther I had left to go only made me want to jump down to get it over with.

Once I was at the end and about to take the last few steps to get to the ground, Thomas' protective hand landed on my back. I looked back to the split in the wall as they guided me towards the living area while Alby explained that Chuck was going to make me a bed.

I stood against the wooden pole, half watching Chuck, half staring at the wall, as Chuck tied the ends of a hammock to two columns.

"Okay," Chuck said, breathing heavily from his effort. "This is your bed. No one else sleeps in your bed except for you, and anything you keep here won't be touched by anyone. That's the rules."