The Maze Runner, #1
The Maze Runner
by James Dashner
Contents
Chapter 1
Overview
Thomas awakens in a dark elevator with his memory erased except for his name. After a long, terrifying ascent, the doors open to a crowd of teenage boys who pull him out. Their slang and confident control unsettle him as he’s welcomed to the Glade, signaling a confusing new reality.
Summary
Thomas regains consciousness standing in a pitch-black metal room that jolts upward like a mine lift. Disoriented and nauseated by the smell of burnt oil, he tests the walls and realizes he is trapped. He can remember general knowledge of the world but nothing about his past beyond his first name.
Time drags as the elevator rattles upward for what Thomas estimates is about thirty minutes. Fear ebbs into curiosity, then returns when the lift stops with a harsh clonk and the darkness persists. He screams for help and pounds the walls, getting no response until a line of light opens above as doors are forced apart.
Voices drift down, using unfamiliar slang that confuses Thomas. As his eyes adjust, he sees the faces of teenage boys peering in. A rope with a loop is lowered; Thomas steps in and is hoisted up by many hands, overwhelmed by spinning light and emotion.
Once over the edge, the boys fall silent except for one who greets him with, “Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.” Thomas, still panicked and confused, realizes he has entered a controlled, mysterious place run by other boys, marking the start of his new, uncertain life.
Who Appears
- ThomasNew arrival with erased memory except his first name; wakes in a dark elevator and is pulled into the Glade.
- The Gladers (teenage boys)Group overseeing the lift; use strange slang, haul Thomas out, and welcome him to the Glade.