Never Going Back {The Maze Runner}

Chapter 1

The only thing I could feel was the pounding of my heart, and the cold ground underneath me. I quickly sat up, breathing heavily as if I had just awoken. "What the hell-" I mumbled as I frantically looked around and slid my hand over the surface I was sitting on. I had no memory of how I got there, or who I was. What is my name, who am I? I glanced down at my hands, arms, and legs to hopefully get a better understanding of who I could possibly be. I started getting aggravated and scared when I couldn't remember. My head couldn't wrap around the idea that I was in an unfamiliar place without a clue who I was. My first instinct was to run until I found something- anything to help me understand. I quickly jumped to my feet and looked around at my surroundings. There wasn't much to look at except stone walls with a few vines covering them. The walls were soaring into the air. I squinted my eyes as I took in my surroundings. I took a shaky breath and followed along the side of the giant walls. My slow steps turned faster as the creaks and mechanical noises filled my ears.

I broke into a sprint as I turned down different paths and alleys, which looked exactly like the last. I felt the urge to break down into tears. The unbearable wait of confusion and fear made me feel like I was losing control, but I focused on one thing: getting out of this strange maze. I kept running and I didn't stop. Even when my legs went numb and my lungs felt as if they were on fire, I wouldn't let myself stop now. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew that I didn't want to be anywhere near here.

I took a sharp turn to my left as I felt a blunt force crash into me straight on. I squeezed my eyes shut as I fell hard into the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of me. I slowly opened my eyes as a person scrambled off of me. My first instinct was to fight- hit- kick- anything that I could defend myself with, but I realized that he would be my only source of answers. "What the hell... Who are you?" said the man, with a voice which sounded as if he was in his late teen years. He looked incredibly confused. I quickly sat up and moved backwards until I hit the stone wall, which sent shivers down my spine. My eyes widened as I looked at the person, only looking about 18 years old. He was an Asian with short black hair and a muscular body. His sleeves were rolled up just above his elbows, revealing his built figure. His clothes were dirty and the man was glistening in sweat. His eyes were full of terror as we made eye contact, like he just ran into an alien.

"I-I don't know." I said, quieter than expected. I felt the fear rise throughout my body, squeezing my chest, and I started to panic. "I can't remember anything." I said as I forced the tears to refrain from falling down my face. The man stayed quiet for a moment, processing what just happened. After realizing I was practically harmless and even more terrified than he was, he responded.

"Shhh, just calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." The boy said with a calming tone in his voice. "My name is Minho." He inched a little bit closer to me, careful not to startle me. I stayed quiet as I wiped the slow falling tears from my eyes. "Just follow me, okay? I'm gonna take you back to the Glade." Minho said as he stood up. He then held out a hand for me to take. I hesitated and wondered if this stranger could be trusted. I cautiously accepted it as he pulled me to my feet. "Stay close." He turned around and his walk turned into a jog, then into a sprint. I followed right behind him, not wanting to know what would happen if I was left out here all on my own. Every few minutes he turned back to make sure I was keeping up.

Eventually he slowed down, and so did I. The sun was starting to go down now and the air got cooler, making me shiver under my long-sleeved white shirt and blue denim shorts. We walked into a giant field with a few wooden buildings. This must be the Glade. My eyes skimmed the entirety of the area, seeing plenty of people, boys, living in what they must call home. The fear creeped throughout my body again. There were so many things running through my mind, but nothing that gave me any real solid answers. "Hey Alby, Newt!" Minho called to a few of the boys. Two of the boys lifted their heads and stopped what they were doing. Their expression changed to confusion when they saw me standing next to Minho, the same facial expressions that Minho had when he first encountered me. They exchanged glances to one another and ran over. Their movement caused other boys in "the Glade" to also lose their focus on their tasks at hand, and quickly come over to see what was happening.

"Minho, who in the world is this shank." A man with dark skin and short hair asked before he could even stop running. I crossed my arms and observed all the boys who gathered around. Their presence surrounding me made me feel small and as if the world was closing in on me. I was stressed and scared, but my curiosity and confusion kept me alert.

"I don't know who she is. She was out in the maze, I couldn't tell you why." Minho said as he turned to me, looking deep in my eyes as if he was trying to read into me. "Sure you don't remember anything? Not even your name?" He asked me with the same calming tone like our first encounter. I shook my head and looked towards the ground. I felt everyone's eyes upon me, making me slightly uncomfortable.

"We will figure this out in the morning, don't want to put too much stress on her right away. It's getting late anyways, and everyone needs to get their rest. Minho, get her set up for the night." Said the dark skinned boy. "Oh and by the way, the names Alby." He said with a slight smile, enough to provide me with a small sense of comfort. Maybe I will be okay here. I stayed quiet and only nodded. Alby looked at the surrounding boys, giving a hint with his eyes that I needed some space. The boys turned, small whispers bouncing between them, and they walked away. Minho gently took my arm and led me further into the Glade. I followed him into a building made completely out of wood, which looked like it was hand made.

"You'll be sleeping here tonight with some of the other keepers. I know you have a lot of questions. I promise that they will be answered by tomorrow. Just try to get some rest, okay?" Minho said.

"Yeah, okay. Thank you." I said keeping it short and quiet. I sat down on one of the hammocks, pulling my legs to my chest and trying to get comfortable.

"I will come check on you shortly, I have to go over to the map room with the other runners." Minho said. I'm sure he saw the confused look on my face, because he then followed with "Don't worry about it, I'll explain in the morning." I nodded, not having a single idea of what 'map room' or 'runners' he was talking about. He took one final glance at me and eventually broke the gaze. Minho turned and walked out of the building. I was left by myself, again. Within the next 30 minutes or so, more of the boys- or "keepers" came into the room and found their hammocks. We exchanged small glances, but not a word was spoken. I changed from sitting to laying on the hammock and waited for sleep to come, but it never did. I stared at the wooden ceiling above me, the stars creeping in through the small gaps of the logs. My mind was running crazy, frantically searching all of my nonexistent memories. Series of questions flooded my brain but I had no way of getting answers, for now at least. The silence was broken a short time later when Minho entered the room, the door making a slight creak. He laid down in a hammock a few down from mine, the rest being occupied with other boys. I felt a slight bit of comfort with him close by. I finally was able to keep my eyes closed, and before I knew it I was in a deep sleep.