Death Maze

Chapter Four

Death Maze _ Chapter Five _ The Game

And we're off. I am so confused about everything. I run down the stairs behind everyone else. Looking over my shoulder I see that Neil and Jack are already at the other end of the room, descending the stairs. The other group of kids are silently watching by the entrance door. I trip and my heart skips a beat. I look above me to find a worried Josey giving me her hand.

"You alright?" She whispers.

I grab her hand and she helps me to my feet again. I hadn't realized it was the last step. Looking behind Josey, I see the rest of my team splitting up with their partners.

"Yeah, fine. So, what do we do? I'm so confused about all of this-"

"Shh!" Josey warns. I close my mouth immediately. "We must be quiet when we talk. Walk with me, and I'll tell you about the things I've witnessed here, if you're still confused?" I nod my head instead of answering.

We begin walking around walls and through doors I never noticed, my heart pounding the entire time. Josey even had me feel around a brick wall until I switched a door open. While she held it, I ran over quickly and slipped through. Finally, Josey begins speaking.

"So... I've been in here for about a year now, and I've witnessed only one other group of kids go through this. Though, there have been many other groups since then, I've only seen one. They usually only allow six people through, so I've heard. I don't know why you're suddenly with us. You should be the start of an entire new group."

What the hell are these 'Hunters' playing at?

"Anyway, that's what happens. They take kids one by one until they have 6, then force them to watch the group ahead of them. After that, we get a talking to about how we're next and all this nonsense. Then we sit in that cement room for maybe three more months while they clean up the bodies,-"

I shudder

"-get new kids for the next group and organize everything. It's really just a twisted game to them."

"But, wouldn't there be missing reports? Parents missing their child and are willing to do anything and give out any reward for their safe return?" I say quietly.

Josey walks along soundlessly before responding. "I suppose. I haven't thought about that for a while. Everyone in our group were from poor families with bad parents. My dad is an alcoholic." She turns around to stare at me, "I didn't tell you this, but the twins dad beats them, too. We all grew up in dysfunctional homes. I wouldn't be surprised if my father didn't even know I was gone." She sighs and puts her head down a moment. "What about you?"

"Well," I begin "I come from a poor family, too. No father, but my mother cares for me a lot. She's definitely looking for me... At least, I hope."

Josey nods and leads on in silence. We go through room after room. Josey takes me down lots of short hallways that have plenty of turns and dead ends. Like an actual maze. Doors lead into small rooms that are, for the most part, normal. Most of them are just plain red brick walls that only reach about halfway to the ceiling, but some are designed strange.

We walk into a room and the door slams shut behind us, mechanically locking. I twist the knob and curse. Littering the floor around us are dozens of keys. The only way to get out is to find the right one. 

"Perfect." Josey says, than smiles.

I stare at her wide eyed, then gesture towards the door. "Perfect? Are you fucking kidding me? We're locked in a room and our only way out is to find the right key. There has to be a million different keys here!" 

Josey just smiles, shuffles a few keys out of her way and lays down on the cold floor. "Then I guess we'll find it after a good sleep, eh?"

I stare at her for a few seconds before sighing and laying down near her. "Do you think it's safe?"

"No," she says. I turn and stare at her with my mouth open, but before I can respond she says "but honestly, it's good enough. You heard that lock click. No one is getting in here. We could stay in here forever if we wanted... If only we didn't need to find food and water." 

At the mention of food and water, my stomach growls and my mouth gets dry. Damn, I should have dug into that food Neil brought before we left. 

"What'll we do?" I ask. Josey just shrugs. 

"They normally have a few rooms with food and water in them. There's even one room that has a toilet, but I wouldn't press my luck on finding that. The thing is, though, the Hunters are trying to find them, too. Not only is that where they go for food and water -Hey! Don't give me that look, they do play fairly!- but they also know that's where we're all bound to end up eventually. For now, I say we rest here until we're fit to keep moving. I don't know what the time is, but I am beat."

She leans back with her arms behind her head and closes her eyes. I roll back and forth and try to get comfortable. Josey peaks at me using one eye and chuckles a little. 

"Just try to relax. Sleep as long as you need. If I'm up first, I'll wake you. You do the same, K?" I just sigh and nod my head in answer, even if she has already closed her eye and can't see the gesture. 

Finally, after a few long hours of tossing and turning on a cold and hard floor, sleep finally consumes me.