Perspective || The Maze Runner

00 || Prologue

|| Prologue

She was out of place, that was for sure. She knew that once she woke up, all of ten minutes ago.

The huge stone walls that seemed to shoot up hundreds of feet into the sky. The thick ivy that crawled over the place. Just the fact that she was encased in a gigantic stone jungle told her she was a little out of place. So far, everything she had come across was unalive. They were all objects, and she was the only living, breathing, speaking thing.

The walls were old, very old. The cracks that ran along it were a dead giveaway. She shuddered as her hand gently brushed against the cool wall. It wasn't smooth, but it wasn't rough either.

Only a few minutes after she had gained consciousness, she realised that she had absolutely no recollection of what had happened before she woke up. She had no idea where she was, where she was supposed to go, or how she got there.

Hell, she didn't even know who she was.

Not her name or appearance, nor her family or friends. Nothing. She hadn't the slightest clue. She didn't even know if she had a family or friends. It was like waking up with amnesia. She knew things like walking in the park and taking a swim but not who she went with. She remembered how to put clothes on and what colour trees and plants were, but when it came to names of people and places, she had absolutely no idea.

She had been wandering around for a while, yet the place rang unknown to her brain. She'd gathered that the paths were created to confuse her. She had taken so many lefts and rights that even if she wanted to return to the spot she awoke at, it would be impossible.

Then, it clicked – it was a maze.

Why did it take her so long to figure it out? Again, another question she didn't have the answer to. A gust of wind picked up in the corridor she was in, causing her to shiver. The sun was setting over the maze, causing darkness to creep into every hallway. She rubbed her forearms as an attempt to regain warmth. As far as she could recall, she hadn't seen a single source of light in the maze.

Though she was dressed in appropriate clothing for an adventure in the maze, it didn't provide immunity to the cold. She was clad in a white hoodie that was a size too big for her, a white tank top under it, and black pants with the bottoms rolled up slightly.

She leaned against the wall, bringing her knees up to her chest and letting her chin rest on them. The gigantic walls had managed to block out all the remaining sunlight, leaving her in the darkness. Her breath was now visible and her breathing audible as she sat in the deafening silence.

In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a sudden flash of light. Her head snapped in the direction of the light, only to be met with complete darkness. She shook her head and closed her eyes before resting her head on her knees. If she wanted to make it out by the next day, she was going to need all the energy she could get.

However, her mind was wide awake, sensing that she wasn't alone in the darkness. Slowly, her eyes peeled open and her hand immediately slapped over her mouth. Small red beams of light were scattered around the area a few feet away from her. She was definitely not alone. The beams of light that danced on the wall's surface were dull and eerie, failing to paint a welcoming image in her mind. Whatever the lights belonged to and whether it was aware of her presence or not, she couldn't tell, and neither was she going to stick around to find out.

Grabbing the only arrow from her quiver, she ran her thumb across the perfect lettering. She found it lying on the ground beside her when she awoke, but she had yet to find out what it meant. The arrow had one simple word engraved into its side in cursive, its letters painted in silver, contrasting with the black, metal body of the arrow. She had wondered what it had meant and why there was only one. But after realizing she had awoken with a leather quiver strapped to her back, she figured it was for her.

Suddenly, the serenity of silence surrendered to a deathly screech that tore through the still air, sending vibrations and echoes throughout the maze. Her hands rushed to cover her ears as waves of fear and panic spread throughout her frail figure. Her heart pounded erratically as she scrambled to her feet, desperate to get away from the source. It sounded absolutely horrific and inhumane, and knowing that it was just a turn away from her was enough to send her mind into a frenzy. It was going to maul her to death if she stayed any longer. However, whatever it was, there were more of it as the scream was amplified by a thousand more that echoed throughout the maze.

A thought rang through her mind that made her blood run cold. She looked down at the letters with wide eyes, before turning her attention to the lights. She had finally found the answer to the question she was pondering over since she woke up.

In one quick movement, she gathered herself and sprinted away from the lights, swiftly and soundlessly. The arrow wasn't there to scare her, it was a warning, and she was going to have to obey it if she wanted to make it out alive.

"Run"