The Uncontrolled Variable: Book 1 - A Maze Runner Story

Prologue

I don't know how long we've been running anymore. My lungs burn with every breath, my legs feel like they're made of stone, and the heat coming off the cracked ground makes every step harder than the last, but I keep forcing myself forward because the second I stop, they catch me.

The world around us is nothing but ruined buildings, abandoned streets, and endless stretches of scorched earth. There are no trees left, no places to disappear into, no way to hide from anyone searching for us. Everything is exposed, and somehow that makes the people chasing us feel even closer. The only thing keeping me moving is the man beside me, because even though I don't know him well enough to trust him completely, I know he knows more about what's happening than I do.

"Keep moving," he says, glancing over his shoulder. "Don't look back."

I almost ask him how he expects me not to when we're being hunted, but the words never leave my mouth. The sound of footsteps behind us grows louder, and the fear twisting in my chest tells me we don't have much time left. I don't understand how they found us. We were careful. We were supposed to be safe here. Every answer I've been given since leaving the Maze has only created more questions, and now there isn't even enough time to ask them. All I know is that whoever is coming for us isn't supposed to find us, and the fact that they did means something went wrong.

The man suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me toward the side of a collapsed building, forcing me to follow him through a narrow opening between broken walls. Dust fills the air as we move, making it harder to breathe, but I don't slow down. He moves like he already knows where he's going, while I'm just trying to keep up and understand why my entire life seems to be made of missing pieces. Before I can ask where we're headed, a sharp sound cuts through the air behind us. His entire body tenses, and I know immediately that something has changed.

"They're here."

The words barely leave his mouth before everything happens at once. Movement appears at the end of the street, white uniforms standing out against the ruined landscape, and my stomach drops when I realize they're not searching randomly. They're closing in on us. The man looks around quickly, searching for an escape that isn't there, and for the first time since we started running, I see fear on his face. He reaches for his weapon, but I already know what he's about to do before he says anything.

"Go. I'll slow them down."

"No."

He looks at me for a moment, and something in his expression tells me this isn't a discussion. Gunfire echoes through the empty streets, forcing us into motion. We split apart, him drawing their attention while I run in the opposite direction, even though every instinct I have tells me to turn around and help him. I don't know if I'll see him again. I don't know if he survives. I only know that I have to keep moving.

I run until my body starts to fail me, until my vision blurs and my lungs feel like they're tearing apart. I make it farther than I think I should have, but it still isn't far enough. The moment I turn the corner, I see them waiting for me. They aren't chasing anymore because they don't have to. They already know where I am. Soldiers step out from between the buildings and behind abandoned vehicles, blocking every direction I could possibly go. I stop because there is nowhere left to run.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

I don't answer. I turn and try to push through the gap behind me, but hands grab me before I can escape. I fight immediately, twisting away, kicking, and trying to break free the way I learned to survive in the Maze. It doesn't matter. There are too many of them, and no matter how hard I struggle, they hold me still.

Something sharp presses against my neck before I can stop it, and a cold sensation spreads through my body as the drug enters my system. My strength disappears faster than I can fight against it, and the last thing I remember is the ground rushing toward me as voices fade into the distance.

~~~~~

When I wake up, the first thing I hear is the steady rhythm of machines. The sound is too calm compared to the panic building inside me, and for a moment I can't remember where I am or how I got here. My eyes open slowly, and the bright white lights above me make me immediately look away. Cables run from my arms, monitors surround the bed, and something attached near my head sends a dull pressure through my skull. I try to move, but restraints hold me in place. The room is clean, cold, and familiar in a way that makes fear settle deep in my stomach.

WCKD.

I don't know how I know that. I just do.

I force myself to look around the room, searching for answers, and that's when I see her. A girl stands behind the glass, staring at me with an expression I can't understand. She doesn't look like one of the people watching me. She doesn't look curious or detached. She looks hurt. Like seeing me here is something she never wanted to happen.

I don't know her. At least, I don't think I do. But something about her feels wrong, like there is a memory buried somewhere inside me that I can't reach. Before I can say anything, someone behind me adjusts the equipment and the machines around me begin to hum louder.

"Begin the memory wipe."