Hi! Welcome to my book! I have been trying so hard to do this. I guarantee you, I will do everything to give you a pretty satisfying story of Pieces of Puzzle Book 2: Journey Across The Dry, Burned Land. It's actually all right if you didn't read the first book, Pieces of Puzzle (Book1 of the Pieces of Puzzle series) though I STRONGLY RECOMMEND you to do so, I think for the most part, you just have to read James Dashner's Scorch Trials and watch the movie version, you will understand everything. It will make MORE sense if you read my first book. I also added some of my ideas, as I did not want the book to be COMPLETELY based on the original movie and book, but it will still follow the plot smoothly.
For those who ask I wrote so fast, inspiration kicked in for a while after I watched the movie. So, I decided to edit and publish my first book, while sometimes editing this one. So, a lot of chapters will be published IMMEDIATELY, because I've already written and revised everything.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. To give a bit of info, as I'm sure my readers for Pieces of Puzzle book 1 are well aware of, this is the same Scorch Trials, but in Aris's point of view. Apparently, my love-struck self is a bit in love with the character. He's a bit cute, anyway. So, I thought it'd be nice to read the Maze Runner in Aris's point of view. And since nobody's written it, why not me? So, anyway, read on!
Aris squeezed his eyes shut, fingers digging into the mattress. He felt fear course through him a split second; he'd wake up soon enough in that dark, stinking Box that transported him to the Spring. He bit his lip, something he did often when he was nervous. Then the reality of the night dawned on him.
He was safe and secure, overcome with desolation, and he released the tension in his body and fingers from the mattress. Rachel was deceased, not experiencing any of this with him. Gone. Dead. In heaven. Tears poured freely out of his eyes. Opening one eye, he saw that the clock on the walls read, one-thirty in the morning, and blew out a breath.
He'd been guided to a bunker, but that least that guards gave him a bit of reassurance that he'd see his friends again. They had only allowed a few precious minutes--not private--to bid farewell to the girls, then told him he'd see them at breakfast.
Last night, he'd had a plateful freshly cooked spaghetti, far better than the female chefs' gross chicken and dumplings. He attempted to relish each bite, but it was challenging when he was still overcome with grief for Rachel. Some girls sympathized with him, but no one apprehended why he felt like this With no one to connect with, he remained silent in the dark, glad that he was alone to process and mourn over what series of horror had happened, at least until shafts of moonlight passed over his face
Aris.
Teresa was speaking to his mind once again. Yeah? he responded, glad he'd had someone's presence.
We're out of the Maze, too.
Really? he whispered.
Yeah, she responded. On the helicopter now, with Thomas. He's alive.
Aris squeezed his eyes shut. For same reason, a surge of rage coursed through him. Oh.
The door clicked open, and Aris became irritated. He was still overcome with unendurable sorrow. Someone stepped into the room, flipped on a light, and then shut it off. But then, the person tilted her head and gasped lightly, and Aris knew he was spotted.
"Hello," he ventured cautiously. He blinked against the shaft of light that colored his face. "How can I assist you?"
The girl shook her head frantically. "What's your name?" she demanded, her voice having a quiver in it.
"Aris."
The girl's eyes widened. "Aris?" she echoed. "That Aris?"
"What do you mean?"
The girl offered a tender smile. "Teresa."
Teresa? Aris felt astonished. It's her! he thought enthusiastically. I finally get the chance to see how gorgerous she is. She--I
"T--teresa?" he echoed in astonishment.
"What?" Teresa seemed astonished. "What the shuck, you don't recall me? I've spoken to you since the Maze."
Aris chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I know." He rose to his feet as she plopped down on the bottom bunk across from him. "How did you reach here? Were you rescued last night as well?" he asked, a smile on his face. "Were you from a Maze as well, like me, too?"
"Whoa, relax there. I just reached here," Teresa responded. "We were rescued by black-clad people, ushered out of that dark room and I was escorted here because I'm a female. That's all." She grinned at him. "How about you?" She plopped down in a chair next to his bed. "And--" her voice trembled slightly--"I'm very sorry about Rachel." Her eyes became moistened with tears.
Aris felt tears start in his own eyes. "It's all right. I mean, I miss her, but...." He offered a timid smile. "She'd want me to be safe and secure," he said with a sense of finality. Teresa nodded, settling into a bed next to him. "So, what's with the Maze, you're from one, too?"
"Yeah. I had a band of boys with me," she said with a light chuckle. "Shipped to a Maze with a note in my hands." Aris bit his lip. "I attempted to call out to you the last days we were going to flee, but I couldn't contact you at all." There was anxiety registering on her face, laced in her tone. "What's happened?"
Aris chuckled lightly. "Well, we made a run for it last night. We figured it would be best, what with the Shades assaulting us, the sun vanishing, it was better to risk our lives out there, because we don't know what they are going to release next, I mean, WICKED--"
Teresa nodded. "Yeah, that's what my band thought. They assumed we would be safe and secure here." She let out a yawn. "I'm so exhausted. We have to get some rest."
Aris agreed and rested his head against the pillow.
***
The very next morning, he heard a female's scream. He leaped up, only to see a man leaning over Teresa, shoving a rag into her mouth. and she attempted to spew it out. "Let her go!" he shrieked. A guard shoved him down to his bed.
"Relax, boy. We aren't exactly abducting her at all," he said with a light chuckle. "We're just separating females and males, you know? We didn't want to rouse her last night." He offered a tender smile, before lifting an unconscious Teresa onto the stretcher and lifting his gaze to Aris again.
"But you cannot inform anyone you discovered this girl, all right? There'll be severe consequences and we'll discover that eventually," the man said with a light chuckle. "Wouldn't all members of Group B to be executed." With that, he closed the door with a gentle click
Aris felt fear course through him. What's going to happen to her? he thought. Shafts of sunlight filtered through, and then, he noticed something or someone was beating their hands against the window. They had wild, crazed stares in their eyes, screaming their heads off, black veins bulging nearly out of their heads.
The creatures screamed, clawing at the windows, lashing out. Aris used a chair to block the window, just in case. They then withdrew, clawing at each other like savages, growling and scowling, tearing at themselves and then at the seemingly shatterproof windows.
Aris whirled around, puking on the floor. As if things weren't petrifying enough, the pounding of the door began.
The knock was harsh, furious, impatient. He leaped out of the shower, heart almost bursting out of his chest. He hastily pulled on the fresh garments someone had set on the counter and burst out of the bathroom. His eyes frantically swept around the room, before landing on the handle. His fingers closed around it, and astonishingly enough, it was pressed down rather simply.
He flung open the door, revealing a scene that made his throat catch in his throat, one he thought he would never see.
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