The Maze Runner

I've only just started this book and the setting you are given is very strange. Thomas, the main character finds himself among a total group of strangers in a place called the Glade. The first thing Thomas sees, after double doors of a metal box he was trapped in opens, is a large square field totally surrounded on all four sides by walls hundreds of feet tall.  he later observes a few trees, gardens and some raggedy buildings. Then he starts smelling things such as freshly turned dirt.  He later hears a scream of agony and goes to investigate.  So other than the fact that this place is called the Glade you don't know when or where exactly they are because everyone has had their memory erased. In this new community he is waiting to be assigned a role but for now he is totally confused about everything. Though it is only the beginning of the book I predict, because of what seems to be a strong sense of curiosity he has, he will be a helpful factor in finding out how they all ended up in the glades.