“I knew every turn in that maze.
What I didn’t know was what it would cost to get out.”
— Mei, survivor report: Trial B
ARCHIVED MEMORY FILE — BACKSTORY
NAME: Mei
ALIAS: The Aim
TRIAL GROUP: B
ROLE: Mapper
Personal thoughts — recorded privately, never aloud. For me, and the ones we lost.
Ice Maze – Day 1,905
Sometimes, I wonder if they ever meant for us to survive this long.
The Maze wasn’t just walls and cold. It was a test of silence.
How long could you hold onto yourself before the frost stole it all?
I learned to listen more than I spoke.
You don’t lead by shouting. You lead by knowing when to.
Harriet understood that. So did Sonya.
The girls — we never chose this. But we chose each other.
They looked to me not because I commanded them, but because I saw them.
Every bruise. Every tremor. Every time one of them smiled when they shouldn’t have been able to.
I remembered it all.
I used to map every corner of that Maze. Every shift. Every path. Every death.
But no one ever mapped what came after.
No one warned us about the silence once the screaming stopped.
There were four of us when we escaped(saved) me, Aris, Iris, and Rachel.
Now it’s just me and Aris.
Time since “rescue”: Maybe a day. Maybe two. Hard to tell when there’s no sky.
They brought more of us in today.
Other survivors. Other Mazes.
Some look hardened , like they’ve been running longer than we did.
Some look younger. Too young.
A few have come up to me and Aris. Asked questions about the Maze , what it was like, how we got out, what happened when the Right Arm came. I told them the truth, or at least what I’m sure of. Aris fills in the blanks when I stop. He’s better at putting things into words. I just remember details.
One girl I think her name was Lana said she was glad we made it out. She said it like we were something rare.
I keep watching the guards. Watching Janson.
He still gives us that calm, steady voice. Still says we’re safe.
Still avoids using the word WICKED.
No one’s mentioned Iris. Or Rachel.
The nurses smile when I ask. But they don’t answer.
The cameras don’t blink.
They watch like I do , but not with concern. Just control.
I want to believe this place is real. That we’re out. That it’s over.
But I can’t stop counting exits.
I can’t stop measuring hallways in steps.
I can’t stop memorizing faces.
I think Aris feels it too , the tension beneath all the kindness.
Like we’re being softened up.
Like something’s coming.