Maze Runner: The Scorch Novels & Stories

A car pulled up in front of me. The back window rolled down, and Zack's face emerged, his striking features shadowed by a hint of mischief. He raised an eyebrow. "Need a ride?" "Sure," I said. I got in without looking back. As the car pulled away, I caught a glimpse of my parents, their faces drained of color. In the distance, half-hidden in the corner, stood Fiona, her eyes brimming with envy and malice. No matter what they did, nothing could turn things back.

My heart pounded in my chest as I sprinted through the chaotic village. Smoke filled the air, and the sounds of destruction echoed all around me. The screams of my fellow villagers pierced through the night, their cries for help haunting my every step. Fear gripped me, threatening to consume me whole. I could not believe it. My parents were dead. I had barely had time to process it. I ran with all my might, desperate to escape this nightmare. But just as hope began to flicker in my heart, a strong grip closed around my arm. I turned to face the menacing faces of Lucas' men, their eyes filled with a twisted sense of power.

I tried to get his hand off me but he was small yet built like a rock, hard muscles rippling. “Stupid bitch. Watch your tongue around me.” An ugly scar ran down the side of his cheek and it was the only thing I could think of as his face contorted and he tried to hit me. The jade crescent glowed again and as his hand struck out towards me, a force pushed him aside like he had hit a barricade. I did not have time to think of what was happening since a terrifying roar rent the air. A sound that sent chills down my spine and filled me with a new sense of hope.

I answered for her. "All part of the plan, make them think they are invincible, then take them down when they least expect it," Maze said. We watched as the bounty hunter made his way toward his prey. He pushed his way through a mass of drug-filled dancers to get to the fat enforcer who was having the time of his life. Maze brought out a small walkie-talkie and spoke one word into it. "Now." The music changed into fast-paced electro dance music and the lights faded revealing the glowing walls of light. The dancing and jumping got faster and rougher, disorienting the bounty hunter.

Pelin seethed. The sand rumbled again beneath our feet, louder this time. “Now run!” I screamed, grabbing Pelin’s hand and clasping it tight. She didn’t hesitate anymore. We took off across the dunes, boots sinking into the shifting ground, breath ragged from the heat. Behind us, the sand cracked open with a deep, thunderous roar. Scorpio the massive scorpion emerged from the depths, crawling forward on its grotesque, skeletal limbs. Its long, spindly legs moved with a disturbing rhythm, each step sending a shiver down my spine. It didn’t attack right away, no, that would’ve been too merciful.

Towards the chance to finally, finally get its roots into the heart of the Cage. The Scar’s hunger, mindless, feels the sudden rush of un-contained reality from the opening, the raw, bleeding edge of the wound, and its pull intensifies, a vortex aiming to suck it all in. They don’t see each other. They see the goal. The prize. The open door. And they collide.

On the other hand, the Scorpion Guardian’s knife split open, and a huge flash of black light shot toward the purple phoenix. “Boom!” After the purple phoenix and the black light disappeared, Lucas surveyed the battlefield before him and realized that Ms. Maren had coughed up a mouthful of blood. She had some nasty wounds on her body as well. “Hahaha, you may have Grade S Gene but you’ve just only stepped into the Rank 3 realm. Your strength is no match for mine.” The Scorpion Guardian gloated loudly. Ms. Maren pressed against her bleeding wounds. Sh e had been seriously injured.

The rider felt fear so deep his hands that gripped the handlebars shook intensely, he just couldn't bear the thought of losing her. The flames were blazing as Scar dismounted his bike in a hurry, the rest of the riders were close behind him and were picking up Myers without a second thought, leaving Scar to search the lot for his girl. Men and woman stood looking at the flames in sadness, some with tears in their eyes but that didn't phase Scar. He needed to know where she was. Though, that was when Scar took a good luck at the great inferno. It was Lani's shop.

I suddenly drop the stone to the ground, followed by my arm and body, as I kneel in a fetal position. "NO! I exclaim. I will not do that! It will be up to him to decide. Destiny will decide! YES!" I grab some wooden logs and stones and start building a labyrinth with several exits, all of which lead to fire and only one to safety. The scorpion, slowly and hesitantly, begins to walk along it. Suddenly we see the scorpion disappear behind the stones slowly, while the fire grows in intensity. We all remain a good twenty minutes in silence looking at the fire and wondering if the scorpion had met the fire, or if it would have suddenly appeared from some exit.

And when he spoke again, it wasn’t Harlan’s name that came out of his mouth. "You know," he said, his voice dripping with false sympathy, "I could take you back to Harlan. But I have... other plans." Ben stepped forward, his body tense, his grip tight on his rifle. "What do you want, Marcus?" Marcus chuckled, the sound low and humorless. "It's not about what I want. It’s about what Luther wants." The name hit me like a punch to the gut. Luther. The leader of The Scorchers—a ruthless gang that controlled the wastelands beyond Eagle’s Nest. They were known for raiding camps, burning everything in their path, and leaving nothing but ash behind.