Suspicion falls on Thomas as the status quo of the past 2 years quickly begins to change within the Glade. Inside the maze there are large metal panels on the walls with the words WICKED (World in Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Dept).

The runners job is to try and find a way out during the day when the doors are open – without being eaten. Slimy, bulbous blubbery monsters with razor sharp metal weapons incorporated into their bodies. The boys are surrounded by a inexplicably huge maze with entrances from The Glade with towering doors of solid rock that automatically slide shut at sunset every evening. The runners fascinate Thomas as he hears what they do.

Now everyone has to chip in and help around the compound whether it’s cleaning, gardening, cooking, looking after their animals or running. No one can remember what came before they all arrived in the same metal box (1 boy a month) that Thomas arrived in. The leader of this hotch-potch group of boys finally explains The Glade where they live. Where does their food come from? Their clothes. One boy about 12 named Chuck befriends Thomas but still is cagey about answering his questions. His curiosity soon overcomes his fears, but his questions go unanswered by the teenage boys who occupy a strange compound surrounded by towering walls. Where am I? What’s happening? All he can remember is his name. Finally the moving stops and the ceiling opens to reveal faces staring in on him. He’s surrounded by a rumbling, scraping sound and he’s moving.

The maze runner book