The New Horizon ~ A Maze Runner Story

- 9 -

"Okay, shanks, we have a lot of exploring to do," Minho said, looking as if he had all the energy in the world.
Brenda seemed just as eager. "How about we break into two groups. One of us goes to the right, the other to the left. Then we can meet up at a rendezvous point."
Minho appeared content with the suggestion, "Sounds like a plan. Our rendezvous point will be--" he reached out to a tree nearby and snagged off a branch, then stuck it in the soil-- "this. Got it?"
"You could've just said the tree . . .," Aris muttered. Minho seemed to have ignored his remark.

"Thomas and I will be a group." Brenda said, glancing at Thomas. She flashed a smile.
Minho turned to Aris, rolled his eyes, and nodded. "Fine, but you better listen to what I say, shank."
Aris looked less than amused. "What could I do anyway?"
"That's right." Minho clapped both hands together, "Brenda and Thomas, you two search as far right as you can. We'll take care of the left. If you two see anything, call for us as loud as you can. Vice versa."
Thomas nodded, watching as Minho took off, Aris following after. Brenda tugged on his hand, waking him out of the fatigue. "What're you waiting for?"

The virgin territory was beyond vast, stretching for miles and miles of verdure. Fauna thriving in forms of purply pink flowers and shrubs. Thomas kept his eyes trained for anything, unsure of what to expect. Hoping that whoever lived there wouldn't be hostile. Animals included.
"Someone's gotta live here, right?" Thomas asked as they wandered on. "I mean, where is this place? Are we on an island?"
Brenda shrugged, eyes glancing from the ground to the sky to the trees. "Maybe it's just a land, like some small country that hasn't been inhabited yet. Maybe somewhere the Flare never ruined, who knows."

A frightening realization pierced Thomas. "Do you think there's Cranks here?"
Brenda actually laughed out loud, but he was serious. "I think we would've come across some telltale signs by now. Some kind of mangled huts or half-eaten bodies. Besides, everything here seems so untouched."
Was this land really untouched? Was the idea of an inhabited land beyond Paradise just a hoax? A dream that filled Thomas with so much hope, yet was really all fabricated, implanted in his brain by WICKED. A sudden bubble of paranoia burst inside Thomas's chest. No. "We haven't found anything except for trees . . ."

"We're kind of in a forest here. What do you want? Some magical carnival to just randomly appear?"
Thomas ignored Brenda's condescending sarcasm. He shook his head, "I think I've just made a bad mistake--"
"What?"
"I don't think we should've come here. Maybe. . . I don't know--maybe I am crazy--"
Brenda sucked her teeth, swatting at Thomas. "Stop being--"
"Thomas, Brenda--get over here! Hurry!" Thomas heard Minho's urgent yell echoing through the immense forest as clear as day. Something spiked inside his veins; was it hope? He broke into a sprint, even despite the exhaustion. Brenda was on his heels, racing their way towards Minho's voice.

A colossal wall of iron stood deep within the forest where Minho and Aris stood. Thomas fell to his knees, mind racing so fast he couldn't comprehend anything other than what his eyes were witnessing. That wall. What on earth was it there for?
It stretched across the entire forest, further than what Thomas could make out--miles and miles and miles. Towering what had to be one hundred feet high. Several yards in front of him, a metallic, hatch-like door was attached to it. Impossible, Thomas thought. It looked like something out of the Glade, and he shuddered at the phenomenon.
"I have no shucking idea who this wall belongs to," Minho said, breaking the silence, "but we should find out."

Aris held up a hand as if to discontinue Minho's suggestion. "What if it's WICKED?" Thomas could almost taste the fear in his voice. "I'm not going back there again."
"We didn't come this far to not find out." Minho replied, then glanced at Thomas. "Since this was your idea, what do you suggest we do, Thomas the Explorer?"
Thomas was still mind-blown. He could hardly form the words, but something inside him agreed with Minho. "I think we should figure out who it belongs to. Maybe it's some kind of city."
"What if it's a lab full of Cranks?" Aris questioned, stepping away from the wall. "I don't know about this."

Minho ignored the boy and went straight for the hatch door. He fumbled with the handle, but it was locked shut. He shrugged. "It definitely leads to somewhere. Let's knock on it."
Thomas followed his friend who had already begun knocking. Brenda was by his side.
"I guess we should?"
She nodded, though it didn't look convincing. "Guess so."
All four of them knocked, even Aris--though he grumbled through most of it. The chorus of boisterous knocks only lasted so long. Thomas guessed for at least a few minutes, until Minho gave up. "Never mind. My knuckles look like freaking Mars. I'm done."

Part of Thomas felt ridiculous for hammering at a gigantic piece of iron, but part of him knew--felt, deep down--that they had no other choice. "The wall has to be somewhat important. There has to be someone on the other side--"
A powerful click interrupted Thomas, resonating from the hatch door, yet nothing moved. Not even slightly. "That was weird," Minho mumbled. An ominous silence lingered.
That was when Thomas noticed it first; a security camera jutted out from a secret compartment right above the door. It swiveled around, staring the group straight on. Thomas swore he saw the camera's eye dilate like a pupil, zooming in on him. An icy chill erupted inside, goosebumps breaking out on his arms and legs. Something didn't feel right; they were being watched. There was no doubt.

They all stayed put, silently staring back at the camera. Minds full of question. A shrill, piercing beep wailed from the main camera, startling Thomas's nerves that had already been ablaze. Maybe this was a bad idea, he couldn't help but wonder. 
Then one of the most frightening thing happened: the camera started speaking, as if whoever was controlling it accidentally turned on the intercom.
"Are these the kids?" A masculine voice asked.
Another masucline voice answered, "Yes. And I'll be damned. He's here. Thomas is here."