The Maze Runner, #1
The Maze Runner
by James Dashner
Contents
Chapter 15
Overview
Haunted by Ben’s Banishment, Thomas wakes to a new work assignment and presses Newt about the Runners. Newt outlines the job’s brutal demands, reveals his own injury, and shuts down talk of the Changing. Thomas declares he wants to be a Runner; Newt insists on order and offers conditional future training. Alby and Minho depart to examine the dead Griever, raising the unsettling question of who killed it.
Summary
Thomas goes to sleep tormented by Ben’s Banishment and wakes early to the Glade’s workday. Newt rouses him and assigns him to the Track-hoes under Keeper Zart. At the East Door, Thomas notices Minho casually retrieving the discarded collar used on Ben; Newt explains Grievers always return it, deepening Thomas’s dread.
Thomas asks about Runners despite his fear. Newt describes their role: only the best—smart, decisive, resilient—can survive the shifting Maze and relentless pressure. He reveals he was a Runner until a leg injury while fleeing a Griever and refuses to discuss the Changing beyond noting Ben was an extreme case.
Driven by an inexplicable pull, Thomas declares he wants to be a Runner. Newt warns that no one becomes a Runner so quickly and that insisting will create enemies. He lectures Thomas on order—how rules keep the Gladers sane and justified Ben’s Banishment—and demands Thomas drop the topic for now.
After Thomas relents, Newt offers a deal: stay quiet, work hard, and he’ll list Thomas as a potential trainee; keep pushing and he’ll block it. They head to breakfast, where Thomas briefly notes the unkempt cook Frypan at work. A commotion draws Gladers to the West Door as Alby and Minho leave to examine the dead Griever.
Joining Chuck and Newt, Thomas hears the mission’s purpose. Chuck poses the key question—if a Griever is dead, who killed it?—leaving Newt without an answer and the boys unsettled by implications about the Maze and its dangers.
Who Appears
- ThomasHaunted by Ben’s Banishment; questions Newt about Runners; declares he wants to be a Runner; agrees to wait.
- NewtWakes Thomas; assigns Track-hoe work; explains Runner demands; reveals leg injury; enforces order; offers conditional training.
- MinhoCasually returns Ben’s collar to the shed; departs with Alby to inspect the dead Griever.
- AlbyLeader who heads out with Minho to examine the reported dead Griever.
- ChuckEats with Thomas and Newt; asks who killed the dead Griever, highlighting the mystery.
- FrypanThe bearded cook feeding the Gladers at breakfast; briefly observed by Thomas.
- BenRecently Banished attacker; his returned collar and fate haunt Thomas and the Gladers.
- ZartKeeper of the Track-hoes; slated to oversee Thomas’s garden work.