It should come as no surprise, then, that the Flare virus was a central element of The Maze Runner series. I was fully aware that such a plot point had been done ad nauseam, in many variations, in books and movies and television shows before I wrote about it. That didn’t faze me. I wanted terror as a backdrop, and so I chose my most terrifying thing, with a twist. A virus that attacks your brain, drives you slowly insane, takes away every aspect of your humanity, until you’re a raging, mindless beast.

Happy stuff, I know!

And now we have a virus of our own raging its way across the world. Covid-19 is no Flare, but it has brought just as much fear and suffering to those afflicted by its reach. And as of this writing, it’s nowhere close to being contained. Scary. Heart-wrenching. Hopefully conquered sooner than later by humans pulling together to defeat it.

The reason I mention it is because a large chunk of Crank Palace was written after the latest coronavirus began its mad spread across continents, seemingly sparing no corner of the Earth, no matter how far. That was an odd experience. It added depth, a level of personal, relatable fear that might’ve been missing in earlier books. Most of all, I know it’s affected many of my readers out there.

Two thousand and twenty has also brought to the forefront many of the others struggles you face. And I just want you to know that I care for you, deeply, that my gratitude for your support and love of this series is beyond my ability to craft words. And many things are in development to show you in a more tangible way just how much gratitude I’ve felt over these last years and months, as well as a desire to listen and learn from you.

This novella is something I’d been planning for a while, but it really gained steam over the last year or so. It’s about Newt, during a period of The Death Cure in which we don’t really know what happened to him. Certainly not what was going on inside his head. Well, you’re about to find out. It will be a bittersweet journey, I’m sure.

This one is for you. All of my proceeds, from every version, every language, etc., will be going to charitable causes chosen by my followers on social media. It’s the first, small way I can begin to say thank you, delivered in a neat little package, where you can live and celebrate and mourn with Newt one last time. I hope you enjoy the read.

Part One
Welcome to the Neighborhood

Chapter One

There they go.