Hi everyone! The first chapter of The Maze Runner: The Untold Story is up and ready! Enjoy and review if you can. Yes, she is based off a philosopher! Can you guess who? I leave quotes at the bottom. Have fun!
The Glades…
The day the new greenie showed up in the box, everything changed. They just didn't know it yet. He arrived right on schedule, with a load of fresh supplies. Alby, Newt and the others went over to greet him and then lock him up for a while, as per usual. Kiera sat far off, staring at the maze entrance. She'd meet the new kid later, she decided. She heard shouting and laughing and didn't bother turning around to see the kid running. They always ran on their first day.
She ran, she remembered.
She stared into the maze waiting. Minho and Ben should have returned by now. Newt called her worrisome, but she called it cautious. She was always on alert, her guard never down. That's why she always liked Newt from the beginning. He calmed her. His aura was relaxed entirely until things became serious. Then he was a leader along with Alby, uniting the group. The glue, he was called by many.
She turned slightly to see the kid being hauled off to the holding pit. Chuck followed behind the others curiously and she smiled lightly. Chuck wouldn't be the new greenie anymore. He was probably thrilled. She turned back hearing footsteps from the maze and stood quickly.
Minho shook his head before she could speak.
"Nothing new today," Ben added and Kiera's shoulders sagged.
Minho threw his arm around her smiling.
"Next time," he said and she nodded, though he always said this to her coming back from every run.
For some reason though, she always believed him.
They walked back to the others building a fire as the maze closed behind them.
"Kiera get the greenie from the pit, will you?" Gally said motioning towards the large hole in the ground.
Kiera dropped the wood and headed off to the pit quietly. It was a place all the greenies went on their first day to calm down after the terrifying experience of the box. It was also used to hold a Glader that broke the rules or was dangerous. She stopped and looked inside. The boy sat waiting. He looked so confused and nervous. When he saw her he stood up.
"Where are we?" he asked quietly as she unlocked the door and opened it.
"They want to see you at the bonfire," she said simply and stood, waiting for him to exit.
He came out and looked around. Then his eyes fell on her.
"What's going on? Why are we here?" he asked and she shrugged.
"Your guess is as good as mine," she said and headed towards the bonfire.
He followed close behind.
Into the Night…
The celebration was in full swing with the boys playing around, fighting, laughing; everyone in good spirits. Kiera took a sip from her jar and smiled faintly as Alby nudged her.
Newt sat with the greenie off to the side by a log. He tried to answer every one of his questions as honestly and accurately as possible. Newt found it easy to gain people's trust just by being himself. The greenie turned slightly and then looked back at Newt.
"What about the girl?" he asked and Newt turned slightly, looking at Kiera.
"Who, Kiera?" he asked and the greenie nodded.
"Hm, it hasn't escaped you that she's the only girl here, huh?" he asked smirking and the greenie nodded.
Newt took a drink from his jar and looked at the greenie.
"Let's leave that story for another night, shall we?" he asked and the greenie frowned.
Newt stood.
"This night is about celebrating," he grinned and the greenie stood following him.
As they spoke someone knocked into the greenie and he turned quickly. Everything fell quiet as Gally and the greenie stared at each other.
"Care to step into the ring?" Gally asked and Kiera watched the exchange before frowning at the fact the greenie accepted.
She had to admit she was impressed with his speed. And he actually got Gally on the ground. But Gally being Gally swept his leg causing him to hit his head. Kiera flinched at the impact.
"T-Thomas...my name. My name is Thomas. I remember my name. I'm Thomas!" he said clearer and stood shocked.
As the boys erupted into cheer and congratulated him, Kiera stood back, watching him carefully.
The Next Day...The Homestead…
Kiera walked to the wall and watched Minho and Ben disappear inside after waving to her. Then she sat and watched it. Thomas watched her from his hammock in the Homestead. He watched Newt walk over to her, talk to her briefly, and then a beautiful smile broke out onto Kiera face as she laughed at something he said. He laughed too and sat with her.
It was early and no one was up yet. Thomas watched their interactions intently.
"Don't be a peeper dude. That's weird," Chuck said startling Thomas out of his thoughts.
He motioned to the two sitting by the entrance to the maze.
"What's her story?" he asked and Chuck looked immediately uncomfortable.
"I only know what Alby told me when I asked myself. I wasn't here yet when it went down," he said and Thomas' interest was piqued.
Chuck sighed. He liked Thomas, but the boy was too curious for his own good.
"It's not really my place," he tried and Thomas moved closer to him.
"Please Chuck," he said and Chuck groaned.
"You can't tell anyone I told you, swear it," he whispered and Thomas nodded.
"I swear," he promised.
Chuck looked at Kiera and Newt.
"You know how we have our group here?" he asked and Thomas nodded.
"Well, Kiera was part of another group on the other side of the maze. All girls," he said and Thomas's eyes widened.
Chuck nodded.
"I know, right? At the time, Alby's side and Kiera side didn't know one another existed. Until..." he trailed off.
Thomas moved even closer, completely engrossed in the story. Chuck looked back at Kiera.
"...until Minho and Kiera met in the maze. Ben was with Minho and Kiera was with her leader, a girl called Samantha and another named...Janis I think," he recounted.
"Obviously, neither side was too welcoming at first, but Samantha was a cool headed leader according to Alby. She calmed things down and it was decided that she and Kiera would go with Minho and Ben to their camp and Janis would head back and tell the girls what happened and to wait for further instruction," he whispered.
Silence.
"For a few months Alby said it was great. The two factions would go back and forth between Glades. They learned to coexist, trade, all that stuff. They also became really good friends with one another. Then one day Kiera was supposed to meet Newt over here on this side, but she never showed. So Alby and Newt went with Minho and Ben to—"
"—Chuck!" Gally called and Chuck looked at him quickly, fearful of being caught.
"Let's go, Frypan said breakfast is ready!" he called and Chuck breathed.
"You're gonna have to get the rest from someone else Thomas. Sorry," he said and walked off.
Thomas looked back towards Kiera and Newt, watching as the boy stood and pressed his lips to her head gently. Then he headed back to where the others were gathering. Kiera didn't move, but continued to watch the maze entrance. Thomas couldn't take his eyes off of her. For some reason he found her fascinating.
"You stare any longer and your eyes might pop out, Thomas," Alby said walking up behind him.
Thomas jumped, startled again.
"You having eyes for Kiera? Bad idea, she only has eyes for one boy here and sorry to say it ain't you or me," he joked and Thomas stared at him and then looked back at her.
Silence.
"What happened to her?" he blurted out and Alby's smile faded.
"I'm surprised Chuck hasn't told you yet. He knows the story better than I do and he didn't even live through it," he mused and Thomas stood silent.
"How much do you know?" Alby asked suddenly.
Silence.
"That there were two groups and now there's only one," he murmured and Alby nodded.
"We had all become really good friends with the girls going back and forth between Glades. Their Glade was located on the other side of the maze. It was a straight shot from here. A lot of the girls liked us to come over to their side for things. Many of them didn't like travelling through the maze. But not Kiera. She was over here most of the time. She said it was like she was drawn to the maze and she and Newt hit it off right from the beginning. It was like they'd been friends their whole lives. Samantha, the leader of Kiera group, was...just amazing. She was strong and funny and didn't deserve the fate she was dealt. None of them did," he stopped and Thomas was once again engrossed in the story.
Silence.
"One day, Kiera didn't show up when she was supposed to. Newt waited by the maze entrance, but she never came through. He wanted to go over right then. He said he felt something was wrong because she was never late. I told him to wait until morning. It was my first and last mistake as a leader here. If we went right when he said, maybe we could have saved some of them," he said solemnly.
Silence.
"What happened to them?" Thomas asked weakly.
"Newt, as you can guess, wasn't happy with my decision. He said I was making the wrong call. I could see it in his eyes. He was going to ignore my order. He was going to go for the maze entrance. I wouldn't have been able to stop him and he knew it. I had strength in my favor, but he was still quicker, even with his limp. Before either of us could act on anything though, the maze entrance closed," Alby looked over at Kiera.
Silence.
"And then the s-screams started..." he faltered and Thomas's eyes widened.
Flashback...
"Are those screams?" Gally asked unnerved.
Newt pressed his hands against the maze, as if to push it open. He shut his eyes tightly.
"They're dying! Something's killing them!" he yelled and Alby tried to maintain his calm exterior.
But he was terrified. They all were.
"What's happening over there?" Minho asked unnerved.
Newt turned to Alby.
"When these doors open, I'm going over," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
Alby nodded.
"We'll go together," he said and they waited until finally the screams stopped.
Morning...
The maze doors opened and Newt, Alby, Minho, and Ben were through before they fully opened. Gally stood behind with the others. All was quiet in the maze. Nothing moved except them. They ran towards the other Glade and stopped short.
"Oh man," Minho mumbled as they cautiously stepped into the Glade.
The place was destroyed. The huts were all caved in. The box gone. The supplies trashed. But what made the boys stop in their tracks was that there was no one there. Just blood left behind by some unfortunate few; but no bodies. Newt covered his mouth, his vision blurring. No one spoke. There was nothing to say.
"We need to head back. Alert the others. Let them know we may be next," Alby spoke up, masking his terror and sadness with orders and firmness.
Minho patted Newt's shoulder and he took one last look at the place before turning and following them out. They were closing in on their Glade when they heard a noise. Their blades were in hand quickly and they turned to the sound. Kiera came out from the brush and their eyes widened.
"Kiera?" Newt whispered shocked.
She burst into tears and rushed him, throwing her arms around him tightly. He held her, trying to keep what little composure he had left. He rubbed her head, whispering into her ear and managing to calm her some. He noticed then that she was covered in blood and goo he didn't recognize.
"Bloody hell, Kiera," he breathed and she wiped at her eyes quickly.
They were bloodshot.
"It's not mine," she whispered and he wiped at a few tears on her cheeks.
"We need to get back. Come on, let's go," Alby said and they all headed back.
End Flashback.
Thomas stared at Alby with wide eyes, but Alby wasn't looking at him.
"When she was supposed to meet Newt, one of her runners came back infected. At the time we didn't know grievers could infect you. That's why she never showed. They were trying to figure out how to help their friend. That night, their maze doors didn't close. They were attacked by grievers. It was a slaughter. She ran into the maze with Sam and Sam was stung. Sam sacrificed herself so Kiera could live. She's the only one to survive a night in the maze," he said quietly.
Silence.
Alby nodded towards her.
"She's one of us just like you so make friends," he said patting Thomas on his shoulder.
"Come on, help us out over here," he said and Thomas followed him.
Did you all like the first chapter? Stick with me it only gets better!
"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced."