The Moor
When he opened his eyes there was nothing but darkness and metal, and also, he was going up and there was a harsh sound of chains around. He fell down, and scrambled backwards, just to find more metal closing around him in a box, which was going up faster than before.
Then, he heard a noise that wasn’t metal-like, but more creepy animal-like was heard, he went to it just to fall again when the animal banged again on the cage and fell.
Regulus, that’s my name he thought, but nothing else came.
The box kept going up and faster, and all of this metal noise was annoying Regulus, who was terrified at this point.
"Hello? Hey! Help!" He screamed but no one listened, he was now able to see the roof of the weird elevator and there was nothing, just a red light and the box kept going up, faster and faster, until it stopped, red light all over it and then, click it was a sudden green light. The roof was opening and just like that there were more than 10 boys looking down at him as the sun assaulted his eyes.
They opened the grid on the top and a weird looking, muscular guy got in the box, pulling Regulus up "First day Newie, welcome to the Moor".
He threw Regulus on the ground, laughter came from various people in there.
"What's his Set?"
"He'll be a Slopper definitely"
"How old is he, twelve?"
"Poor guy, looks like he just got a beat"
Regulus didn't understand a thing, but he was feeling sick, confused and panic pooled in his stomach. Where am I?That was the only question that kept swiveling in his head. He started to get up, turning his head around and looking at all of the boys in here. "Boy, you're going to break your neck doing that" said one of the boys, he looked older, he was tall, muscular and had sandy hair. Regulus started to walk backwards to get away from them, just to hit his back on another group of boys "Watch where you go Newbie" said a boy that wasn't much taller than him and had dark hair, looking at him as if he was an annoyance to him. There had to be at least 30 of them there, looking at him, some even daring to poking him.
"Where am I?" He asked, "Nowhere good." Said another boy, almost as tall as the sandy-haired one, but he was much more muscular and had dark hair, using a dark green t-shirt.
"What's his Set gonna be?" asked someone at the back, "He'll be a Slopper, I told ya, look at him" answered another guy, "Shut it assholes" the green shirt boy said.
What? Slopper? This was all way too odd, why couldn't he remember this? He felt as if he recognized the words but had no idea what they meant, like his memory had been stolen. Regulus felt weird, he didn't belong in here, all of their faces looking down at him, in a place he didn't know, he felt nothing but pure panic and fear, he wanted to run, to get away from all of these people, from this place but he didn't do that. So he asked again "Where am I? What am I doing here?" Then, the same green shirt boy said "Long story Newie, long story."
This was all just too weird, and Regulus couldn't let it go, the feeling like he didn't belong here, the panic, it was all too much so he refused, because that was all he could do. "No, tell me, where am I? What am I doing here? Who are you?" Now, another boy, slightly shorter than him, but with long hair and eyes a little more blue said "God he's annoying" making a few boys around laugh "At least he's persistent" said the sandy haired boy.
"Look, I get it you're scared" The green-shirt guy said again "Leave guys, I'm gonna talk to him" They all left, he must be like a leader or something "My name's Frank. Now can you tell me something about yourself? Who you are, where you came from? Anything?"
"No"
"What about your name?"
"I'm uh- I'm Regulus but I don't.. I can't-why don't I remember anything?" He felt like if he was ripped from himself, he knew nothing but Regulus, he was panicking again, breathing heavily, feeling as if he was going to fall.
"Hey, breath, it's normal, no one remembers, it happens to all of us, name, nothing else, it's the one thing they let us keep"
"What-what is this place?"
"Let me show you"
They started walking while Frank was showing him the Moor, where to eat, to sleep, everything "-we make our own food, everything except like, what we need and shit, that's what the Box gives us, the rest, all us"
"The Box?"
"Yeah, once a month it is sent up with supplies and a Newie"
"Sent up? By who?"
"That we don't know"
"Frank, are you alright there?" Oh, Regulus had seen him before, right as he got out of the box, the the sandy-hair boy "Yeah, Regulus, this is Remus, when I'm not near he's the one in charge"
"Hey Regulus, we were worried you weren't gonna come this month, show up kinda late"
"I-What? Late?" This doesn't make any sense, even less than it did before, a Box? This place? "Not you Regulus, well not exactly, the Box- Remus, can you go find Liam?" Frank said, trying to shush the last part "Yeah sure, see ya Regulus"
"Sorry for the rush Regulus but, like Remus said, you're late, we got a lot to do, especially for tonight - yeah, you'll see"
Now, with Liam since Frank had something to do, Regulus was walking around to look at everything but, this was all to weird the middle of the Moor had basically everything while the rest of it was just grass and nothing until the walls, now, out of the entire place, obviously that wall got his attention the most but now he could see an opening to it, just one, with nothing or no one near "What's that?" Liam, a guy a little younger than him, probably not more than 14 years old, who wore normal clothes - a blue t-shirt, jeans and black trainers - looked at him as if he was stupid "What do ya mean? The Maze?" A maze? That little opening on the wall was a maze?
"I guess, so- isn't that a way out? If it's a maze then it has a point right? Why does no one leave?"
"The Maze is impossible to get through, this place is impossible to leave, get used to it Regulus"Impossible? if it is a maze then it has a way out right?
Liam started to talk "Look, we only have 3 rules, to be in here and for this to work out, first, always do your part, second, never harm another Moorer and third, never, ever, go beyond those walls, we're not allowed to leave - you follow these three you'll be fine, and, if you want to know about the Maze, I'm not the one you'll be asking okay?"
"Yeah, okay"
When they started to walk again, 3 boys got out of the gap - one that he had seen earlier passed right by them "Hey Liam, other Newie huh? How does it feel to be promoted?"
"Hey, feels great Barty"
"Wait what? I thought no one was allowed to leave?!"
"No, we are not allowed to leave, they're different, they're Runners, they know more about the maze than anyone"
"Oh" He thought something was off, once again, it doesn't make sense, the maze looked weird and dark and- "Hey, what are you doing? We're not allowed to go, I told you that"
"I'm not, I'm not going, I'm just looking" Lie, he was lying, look, he didn't intend to get in the Maze, he was just looking.
"HEY NEWIE OFF" What? Oh, he was close, too close now, but someone was yelling, weren't them?
He was pushed to the ground, the same guy that got him out of the box towing over him "I told you to get away"
"Get off me!"
"All right, calm Newie, breath"
"Don't touch me!"
A few boys stopped what they were doing and raced to him, Regulus felt trapped again, his heart was hammering in his chest, his breathing a little heavier and again - panic was all over him, what was happening, he was just looking for God's sake!
"What the hell is wrong with you guys?"
"Hey calm down" A different guy said - Remus, that was his name.
"No, why won't you tell me what's out there?"
"We're trying to protect you man, for your own good" Frank said, since when was he here?
"You can't keep me here!"
"We can't let you leave"
"Why not?"
Wind hit him in the back and it came with a noise, an engine noise - the walls now closing, making a rumbling noise until it closed, gaining the Moor a deafening silence. "Next time," the guy that pushed him said "I'mma let you leave" then, everyone left except for Frank, who only came to say one thing to him before he left too,
"Welcome to the Moor"