Without A Choice // The Maze Runner [Book 1]

Prologue

"Leah, wake up." 

I sat up at the sound of a woman's voice. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and scanned my surroundings. A red-haired woman was standing a few feet away from the bed I had slept in. She greeted me with a smile. "Good, you're awake. We need you in control room three." With those words, she left the room. 

I exhaled through my nose before brushing my hair up and putting it in a bun on top of my head. A few front strands weren't long enough to fit into the bun and they fell down to frame my face. I put on the white tennis shoes that were standing on the floor by my bed. 

I padded out of the room and my legs carried me to control room three where a man and a woman were hunched over one of the control pads. They looked up at the sound of my footsteps and they greeted me with a nod. The two stepped aside to show me the pad. I looked at the screens hanging on the wall. 

"He just got out of the Box," the man informed me. 

The screen showed a young, dark-skinned boy who was looking around with a petrified expression on his face. I saw his mouth move but couldn't hear what he was saying. I pressed a button on the control pad and the camera zoomed in. 

"Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?!" the boy shouted while looking around in panic. He squatted down in the grass and held his head in his hands. He remained in this position for several minutes before he got up and examined the supplies in the Box. He took the crates out one by one before the Box was completely empty. 

The man next to me pressed a button and the Box went back down. The boy inside the Glade looked at it in shock before he picked up one of the crates and disappeared into the forest. The camera angle switched and I was able to see him through the leaves of the trees. He was tying up the large canvas between a set of trees to create shelter.  

He spent the next hour carrying every crate to his shelter where he unpacked them to see what it was that the boxes contained. We had sent up with him, two small loaves of bread, a filled water bottle, a hammock, the big canvas he already used, a smaller canvas and a knife. 

The Glade would provide him with anything else he might need. The pond had filters in it to keep the water drinkable and the farmland had a fresh stock of edible vegetables and fruits. A few sheep and cows were grazing on the other side of the Glade. Once he would come out of hiding and venture out, he was going to find them.

He had a 100 per cent chance of surviving his first month and we were sure he wasn't going to fail. 

I said my goodbyes to the man and woman before walking away to find the red-headed woman who had awoken me this morning. I walked through the white hallways, passing a few men and women in lab coats. I greeted them politely before continuing my quest. 

I knocked on the door of the well-known office three times before I had permission to enter. The red-haired woman I had been trying to find was seated behind her desk and a man with salt and pepper hair sat opposite of her in a chair, looking over his shoulder as I entered. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," I quickly said, moving to wait outside. 

"It's not a problem, we were just wrapping things up anyway." The woman stood up from her chair, the man following her suit. He passed me with a nod and closed the door behind him. 

"Please, have a seat." The woman motioned to the chair the man had just sat in. I nodded and lowered myself into the chair. "Why did you come to see me?" she asked, folding her hands on the desk. 

"I had a few questions about the process of next month," I slowly began, not looking the woman in the eye. 

"Of course, I understand you have questions. Hopefully, I can answer them," she said kindly. I organized my mind before speaking again. 

"Will it hurt?" That was the question that had been keeping me from sleeping lately. 

"Only a little, it will feel like you're in a bath that's too hot," she spoke carefully as if she was expecting me to snap. I nodded slowly. 

"Is it permanent?" 

She hesitated for a second. "Yes." 

"And this is all to find a cure?" I asked. The woman replied by simply nodding her head.

I processed the information before continuing, "That was all, thank you." I hastily stood up and fled from her office. I speed-walked through the hallways, careful not to bump into anyone as I tried to hide the fact that my entire body was trembling. 

I turned the corner and collided with something. I looked up and turns out it wasn't something, it was someone. A boy my age with whiskey-coloured eyes and dark hair. "I'm sorry," I shakily muttered before pushing past him. 

***

"And remember, you know what your task is." 

"I do, but how will I know it's him?"

"You'll know when you see him. We'll make sure of that." 

The silence came back and I focused on the small sounds the doctors around me were making, their hushed orders, the clanking of metal on metal and the slow circulation of the fan above me. 

"Okay, here we go. Close your eyes and think of something that makes you happy." I did as I was told and seconds later, I felt a stinging prick in my arm. 

A warm sensation spread through my body but the warmth soon transformed into a burning heat. I had to press my nails into my palms to not burst out into screams. My skin felt as if it was on fire and tears welled up in my eyes. 

My consciousness slowly ebbed away and silence and numbness consumed me.

My last thought was of the whiskey-coloured eyes I had seen in the hallway once and on the computer screen in front of me numerous times, which had never left my mind.