The Labyrinth

CHAPTER ONE- MEET CLAUDIA HARRIES

"I still get nightmares. In fact, I get them so often I should be used to them by now. I'm not. No one really gets used to nightmares."

~Mark Z. Danielewski

She was running. Running fast. But from what? She didn't know. She looked back, unable to see anything through the thick and never ending fog. Nothing was behind her, or nothing she was aware of but she ran anyway. She ran from the unknown. The low lying branches scratching her face and arms like rusted old nails, leaving claw marks all over her sweat drenched body. She looked above as she ran, to see only black. Nothing but the dark blank canvas that was the sky. Not even the stars or the moon were brave enough to face the emptiness of this night. She ran endlessly for what seemed like hours when suddenly, she fell. Hard and fast through the fog, small sharp pieces of ice cutting her body as she dropped down through the clouds. She landed, smashing onto the ground, feeling a sharp pain shoot up her leg. Covered in blood and sweat she remained lying on the rough dirt beneath her, listening to her heart race rapidly, pushing blood through her entire weak body. Her pulse creating a rhythm, just like the beat of a drum. She got up, resisting the urge to scream from the severe pain emanating from her injured leg. She had to be silent for no other reason than the fact that she had to. If she even whispered, she would be heard. So she continued to run, making no other sound than that of her aching feet pounding against the damp and uneven soil. Tears began to drip down her cheek but she lacked any effort to wipe them away, merely allowing them to join the blood and sweat staining her clothes. She ran for hours more, through the consistent path surrounded by bushes and trees, the fog still trailing her. That was when she saw it, a glow in the distance. She picked up her pace and with any strength left in her she sprinted towards the light. Her eyes began to make out a figure but their face was shrouded in mystery, too dark and too far away to be seen clearly. The figure reached out a hand in her direction. She ran faster and faster, the pain of her leg now reaching her mind as she began to feel faint but she was so close now. She ran with all her effort trying to keep going, to not succumb to the pain, to keep running, just keep running, just keep…

Several drips of freezing water fell onto Claudia’s cheek and her eyes feebly opened as she awoke from her deep slumber. She groaned and rolled onto her back, staring at the source of the drops, a broken pipe on her roof, directly above her bed. She made a mental note to get it fixed later; ignoring the voice in her head telling her it wouldn’t be cheap and she probably couldn’t afford it. She moaned at the alarm clock on her messy bedside table, 5:07am. She was late again. Not the good start to the day that she was hoping for. She wiped away the water droplets from her cold cheek and struggled out of her bed. She jumped in the shower, hoping the hot water and steam would wake her up from her tired state. Today was an important day at her work and she did not intend on falling asleep while manning the desk. One Direction was in New York and had chosen The Plaza hotel as the place to stay.

The whole issue was very secretive, majority of the staff only being told the day before of the bands presence to minimize the amount of potential paparazzi and fans. However, Claudia knew from previous experiences with celebrity guests at the hotel that the staff could be told 5 minutes before and it wouldn’t make a difference, there were always paparazzi and fans at The Plaza.

                                                                                             

She downed a cup of coffee while applying the accepted minimal amount of make up and straightening her golden blonde hair, before pulling it up into the regulated neat ponytail. She put on her ironed Plaza uniform, looking rather presentable, and then heaved on a large woolen jacket, ready to face the cold outside. Claudia always looked her best when going to work; never pushing her chances at the fear of being fired for it was a blessing that she had this job in the first place!