Prologue: The first phase (The Island) was a success, the boys showed great courage. But there was a brutal murder among the boys, they thought there was a beast of sorts on the island but no such thing was true. It ended in the death of the boy named Simon and James "boy with the birthmark," and almost the death of "Piggy". I just hope phase two (The Maze) is a success also.
The small dark room feels as if it is going up, but it is so dark the boy inside cannot tell for sure.
The cold metal walls surrounding him, the only other thing in there is a few crates and a barrel or two.
"Help!" He shouts, "is anyone out there?"
The whole box jars and shakes him around, causing him to bust his head on the wall. He grabs his head, feeling his sweaty plastered hair sticking to his forehead. He starts slapping the hard walls, but he just hurts his hands.
"Help!" He shouts again, making his throat feel raw and sore. "Anyone out there!?" He sits on the cold metal floor. Pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes. He closes his eyes, resting them to his knees. What is this place? he asks himself when a screeching sound starts inside the box until it comes to a halting stop, opening to an open sky, not a cloud to be seen, just blue.
"Hey," a gruff voice says. A boy walks over to the opening of the box, he has light brown hair, and a large sharp spear in his hands. "Get him outta there," he adds. Another boy walks over with shaggy brown hair and yanks the boy out of the box abruptly.
The two look to be the same age as Ralph, around 14 years. Both are wearing a pair of dungarees and a t-shirt, but the one with the shaggy hair is wearing silver colored running shoes.
"Where am I?" the boy who was in the box asks, feeling like a complete fool for not knowing.
"Why, you're in the glade," the boy with the spear replies. "You got a name?"
"Uh, yeah. It's Ralph," the box boy replies as he scratches his head. He notices how he remembers nothing, how he got here, where he came from, his family. Only his name.
"I'm Jack. This is Roger," the spear boy says as he points at himself and then to the boy with dark hair.
Ralph nods as he looks around, all there is in all directions are giant stone walls, grey and dull, and around twenty boys standing all around him. He walks over to an opening in the nearest wall.
"What the heck are you doing!?" another boy shouts as he tackles Ralph to the ground, Roger and Jack run over.
"Bill, get off him," Jack demands of the boy.
"Sorry mate, just don't want ya to die," Bill says as he dusts off himself and Ralph. Ralph notices how Bill has severe acne.
"I'm not supposed to be here! It's some sort of a mistake!" Ralph yells to the boy. The blood draining in his face.
"You never want to go out there, you feel me? There are terrible monsters out there," Jack says as he puts his hand on Ralph's shoulder, disregarding what he just said. "Piggy will show you around the glade, like where everything is and all."
"Piggy, get over here," Roger shouts to a husky boy who is sitting on a splintery, poorly painted bench, next to a large oak tree. The boy gets up and jogs over to the four who are standing there, huffing and puffing through jacked up teeth as if he has asthma.
"Will you show Ralph around the glade?" Jack asks in a tone of superiority, "Like where everything is?"
"Yeah, follow me," Piggy says as he starts towards a rickety house, which is leaning in a strange direction. Which again, is poorly painted with light blue paint. Ralph follows the heavy set boy close by so he won't get lost. That is one thing he doesn't want to do. He notices that the boy has a small scar down his right cheek.
"What is all that talk about not going outside?" Ralph asks.
"Well, there is a monster of sorts. The littluns call it a bestie" Piggy replies in a matter of fact tone.
"Have you seen it?"
"No, only Roger and Maurice have."
"Why only them?" Ralph says as he and Piggy walk past the house.
"Well, those are the runners, they go out there and look for the door outta the place. But they gotta move fast so they don't get stuck in there when the doors close at night."
"Where do you get food?"
"The box thing sends up some food and supplies every once and awhile, along with a new person. But we do have a farm." Piggy stops at a wooden shelter with a metal gate as the door, it looks to be more sturdy than the actual house is, it has a frumpy arm chair in one corner. "This is the slammer, where you go when batty."
"Has anyone ever gone in there?"
"No, not yet," Piggy replies as he starts toward a small shelter with a table and chairs in.
"Hey Piggy," one of two twin boys says. They look to be around 11 or 12. Which Ralph thinks that is what Piggy meant by "Littleuns"
"Samneric, this is Ralph," Piggy says as he points at his new friend with his forefinger.
"Hello," Ralph says uncomfortably.