Doomsday. Armageddon. 2012. The end of the world or the apocalypse is known by many names and has become an extremely viral topic for this generation. But imagine living in a world where you don't playfully joke about the apocalypse, but strategically try to survive. This is the harsh reality for Thomas, a teenager living on a virus-polluted and self-destructive planet. A deadly disease called "the flare" has broken out that causes the healthiest and most rational people to become raging, hysterical meat eaters. Not only has the virus taken the lives of millions of people, but the extreme climates have also killed the few that remained. In the novels The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials, Thomas and his friends must fight to survive in a world taken over by the sick and protect each other from those they say they want to help. The two novels share a touching story of young lives intertwined in a difficult time and the difficulties the characters go through to survive the apocalypse. The final question within these novels is: what are you willing to risk to survive? In the novels The Death Cure and The Scorch Trials, Thomas is forced to fight for his survival on a daily basis, and in doing so he is constantly faced with the need to betray those closest to him or remain the honest and true man he has choice. it is, to survive. Within these novels, relationships are tested to such an extent that the repercussions of every survival-based decision the characters make have the potential to endanger the lives of those closest to them, but ultimately it is a test to see who stays true to themselves and doesn't sell out. outside of their friends or themselves. In the novel The Scorch Trials, Thomas unknowingly awakens in... middle of paper... you are at stake as are your own, many are willing to fight, betray and kill to survive. But only a few can say they remained true to themselves through it all, and within the novels only a few can ultimately say they did just that. Therefore, the characters in The Death Cure and The Scorch Trials are unique because each character has different morals and ethics and ultimately the people on this planet do too, but as a reader you have to ask yourself which character they see. live a life without remorse or guilt. In conclusion, when forced to fight for one's survival, many are willing to kill, betray and manipulate, but only the strong are willing to fight. Works Cited Dashner, James. The Scorch Trials. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. Print.Dashner, James. The cure of death. New York: Delacorte Press, 2011. Print.