If you didn't read the MBer, no worries. This in a way is a new story, I can assure you that you can enjoy it without reading the old story if you don't have the time. The MBer was probably my best work on here, though, so if I'm not posting parts here fast enough, I'd love to hear what you have to say about the original.
This story will follow in the MBer's footsteps, and be based off another popular book/movie combo for teens, "The Mazerunner." I will be following the storyline loosely. The characters shall be based off theirs, but with an MB twist. James Dashner, I'm sorry if you feel I have butchered your book.
I would like to dedicate this sequel to HermanPlatina, the MBer. He has been having a rough time IRL, and has gone inactive on the boards. He was a great user, reading every story on the Castle board and writing a couple of his own. I hope to help his legacy continue with this story.
Since we only have a little over a month left before the end of the MBs, I cannot guarantee I will manage to finish this story. The MBer took 8 months to post, and was 28000 words long. If this one turns out as lengthy...well...we'll just have to see.
This story was previously begun on the old MBs, and I had already posted quite a bit. Until I get back up to that point, I shall be posting full chapter. Sorry in advance for all the scrolling you shall have to do.
If you didn't read the MBer, no worries. This in a way is a new story, I can assure you that you can enjoy it without reading the old story if you don't have the time. The MBer was probably my best work on here, though, so if I'm not posting parts here fast enough, I'd love to hear what you have to say about the original.
This story will follow in the MBer's footsteps, and be based off another popular book/movie combo for teens, "The Mazerunner." I will be following the storyline loosely. The characters shall be based off theirs, but with an MB twist. James Dashner, I'm sorry if you feel I have butchered your book.
I would like to dedicate this sequel to HermanPlatina, the MBer. He has been having a rough time IRL, and has gone inactive on the boards. He was a great user, reading every story on the Castle board and writing a couple of his own. I hope to help his legacy continue with this story.
Since we only have a little over a month left before the end of the MBs, I cannot guarantee I will manage to finish this story. The MBer took 8 months to post, and was 28000 words long. If this one turns out as lengthy...well...we'll just have to see.
This story was previously begun on the old MBs, and I had already posted quite a bit. Until I get back up to that point, I shall be posting full chapter. Sorry in advance for all the scrolling you shall have to do.
I awoke to pain. It was a great beginning. It signified how my life would be lived out.
I say beginning because, despite feeling much older, as far as I know, I could’ve been born today. There’s nothing inside my head, no memories. That’s disturbing. I forced my eyelids open. I was lying on the ground, staring at a hard surface. I raised up a hand into my line of vision, and ran it over it. It was gritty; there was a layer of fine dirt spread over the surface, which distantly clicked into my mind as concrete. Except I couldn’t shake the feeling it was plastic concrete.
What was my name? I couldn’t remember even as much as that. I shrugged it off. Surely I would remember that later. And who my friends were. If I was lucky, maybe my enemies would remain forgotten.
I must have had some enemies, though. Or I wouldn’t be lying out here, slated. Swiped. Somebody must have really hated me.
I slowly pressed myself up into a crouch. My leg throbbed, the pain from earlier. I looked down at my pants leg. I was wearing jeans. I glanced over the rest of myself real quick. Brown jacket thrown over a dirty white undershirt. A bandolier strung over that. There was a hat lying on the ground next to me. It was humongous, and green. I slipped it onto my head, but it didn’t feel right there. For some odd reason, that fact made me sad. I shook off the feeling, slipping the chin strap around my neck and wearing the hat slung onto my back.
The light here was a mixture of deep black and yellow, caused by the shading walls next to me. A bright strip was flickering on my chest. I slowly stood erect, and made acquaintance with my new world.
It was odd. Brand-new. Different. I sensed that even in my old life I had known nothing of this. It was scary as well. I could tell what it was. It was a maze. I was a rat in a big maze. And unless I reached the end tonight, I might very well starve without the cheese.
For some odd reason, the word “tonight” sent shivers up my spine.
I glanced at the walls again. They were humongous, stretching up to touch the sky. Ivy hung down them, and insects scurried in and out of the long strands.
What now? What was there to do? I had nowhere I knew to go, only a maze to explore. And I felt like not doing it, just sitting here, to spite the creators of this place. They could lead me to the race, stick me in the running, but they couldn’t make me run it! Anyways, I didn’t like cheese that much.
I slumped down on the ground, and prepared to give up. Wait for whatever came out at nighttime to take me.
And then a face peered down a corridor at me. It was a while off, but I spotted the grubby kid’s features. “Hey, man!”
He turned, and disappeared. I shot to my feet and took off after him. There were more mice in this maze than just me! My foot exclaimed its protest to this violent manifestation of activity, but I ignored it. In a way, the pain was nice. Physical pain alleviates mental pain.
I turned the corner he had been around, but unsurprisingly, he was long gone. I took off down it anyways. It felt good to run. My legs churned up a small cloud, beating the ground in rhythm. The thin layer of dirt shifted beneath my shoes, causing me to slide a little around corners. I was running randomly, now, just heading straight in one direction as much as the passageways would allow. I know I should be strategic, run a hand along one wall and follow it out eventually, or leave a trail of nonexistent bread crumbs, but I didn’t feel like it. I needed to run this out of my system.
I emerged around a corner, and into a small clearing. I slowed to a stop, my breath finally leaving me. I gasped in large mouthfuls of air, trying to fill my empty lungs.
A guy emerged from a nearby shack that was leaning up against one of the walls as if it couldn’t support itself and needed a crutch. It probably did. The user was smiling widely at me, but behind his eyes lurked some knowledge I was denied. Some sobering knowledge. His red hair was hanging over his eyes.
“Who are you?” I managed to gasp out, still bent double.
“Neat ta meet ya, boi. Title happens ta beh Shammy.” He reached out weathered hand. “Welcon ta da Galleries.”
![[h]](//storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/nPCskakrdhDERqIVGKuw.png)
![[h]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/nPCskakrdhDERqIVGKuw.png)
*slips into shadows*