Destiny | Gally ~ Newt ~ Minho ~ Thomas

CHAPTER 20

Excerpts from The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

NOT EDITED

231.01.01

He began his new life standing in the cold darkness and stale, dusty air. Metal against metal.

A tremor shook the floor below him. The sudden movement knocked him over and he dragged himself back on his hands and feet. Despite the cool air, beads of sweat covered his forehead; his body seemed to be burning from the inside out, as if an internal fire was trying to tear him apart. His back hit a hard metal wall; he slid down it until he reached the corner of the compound. Feeling broken inside, he sank rendered in the corner and pulled the legs tight against his body, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

With another jolt, the cubicle jerked upward like an old mine elevator.

Discordant sounds of chains and pulleys, such as factory machinery old steel resounded through the compartment, bouncing on the walls creaked off and tight. The dark elevator rocked from side to side as it went up, making him nauseous; a smell like burning oil saturated his nostrils, making him feel worse. He wanted to cry, but he felt like he was choking and he had no tears; all he had to do was sit there, alone, waiting.

"My name is Thomas", he thought.

That was the only thing he remembered about his life.

He couldn't understand what was happening. His brain was working perfectly, trying to assess where he was and what his situation was.

All the information he had invaded his mind: facts and ideas, memories and details of the world and its workings. He pictured snow-covered trees, running down a leafy path, eating a hamburger, swimming in a lake, the pale reflection of the moon on the meadow, the bustle of a town square. However, he did not know where he came from, how he had ended up inside that shadowy forklift, or who his parents were. He had no idea what his last name was.

Images of faces flashed through his head, but he did not recognize anyone, and their faces were replaced by sinister spots of color. He did not keep in his memory any familiar face or remembered a single conversation. The realization of this only increased the heartbreaking feelings further and he clenched his hands tightly to avoid hurting himself as an outward sign of the pain he was feeling; he desperately wanted to pull the hair on his head or scratch his face with his fingernails until the suffering stopped. He had to hold them even tighter to, in his desperation, not lash out at himself, when he had the feeling that there was something important he had to remember, something that he could not forget, but he could not reach any of his memories. Apart from all the pain and fear, he felt an emptiness inside that was impossible to ignore, especially when it seemed to be as noticeable as his lack of memories.

The elevator continued its ascent, swaying; Thomas became immune to the incessant rattle of the chains that carried him upward. A long time passed. The minutes turned into hours, although it was impossible to know with certainty the elapsed time, since each second seemed like an eternity. No. He was smart. His instincts told him that he had been moving for almost half an hour.

With surprise, he felt the fear fly away like a swarm of mosquitoes caught in the wind, replaced by deep curiosity. He still wanted to stay on the floor and die but he wanted to know too where he was and what was happening.

The cubicle stopped with a creak; the sudden change threw him to the hard ground. As he struggled to his feet, he felt the oscillation diminish until it disappeared. Everything was silent.

A minute passed. Two. He looked around but saw nothing but darkness. He felt around the walls again for a way out, but found nothing, just cold metal. He grunted in frustration. The echo spread through the air, like a groan from beyond the grave. The sound died away and silence returned. He screamed, called for help, hit the walls with his fists.

Nothing.

He backed into the corner again, crossed his arms, and shuddered. The fear had returned. He felt an unsettling tremor in his chest, as if his heart wanted to escape from his body. There was something inside him that was pulling him towards something but he couldn't reach it, he felt as if every time he tried it he was crashing into a wall; he felt that a part of him was trapped on the other side but he couldn't access it, maybe that's why he felt like he was breaking in two.

-Help... please! -the words tore at his throat.

A loud metallic noise echoed over his head. He took a startled breath as he looked up. A straight line of light appeared through the roof of the elevator and expanded. After a piercing screech he saw a pair of sliding doors swinging open. After being in the darkness for so long, the light blinded him. He looked away and covered his face with both hands.