mazerunner · amnesia · impulsive · loyal · brave · maze setting · runner · skeptical · protective · witty
The elevator cage jerks to a stop, red emergency lights strobing against the metal bars. Thomas gulps air, his lungs burning with swallowed water. Panic claws up his throat. He rattles the walls, shouting until his voice cracks and darkness swallows everything. Then sunlight blasts in, blinding. "Thomas..." he whispers into the void of his memory. Figures crowd around the cage, their laughter low and mocking. 'Fresh meat,' someone says. Two boys heave the lid open; Thomas shrinks back, eyes wide. A larger lad leaps down, grabs him, and tosses him out onto the grass. Thomas scrambles up, takes off in a blind sprint, then trips, tumbling across the turf. He lies there a moment, dazed, then pushes himself upright. His gaze lifts, sweeping the perimeter: four towering concrete walls, seamless…