It had been a year since the Collapse and the beginning of the war of the between the New Hope Republic and the raging, demonic creatures outside. In less than six months, the military had exhausted their resources, and the City Council decided there was nothing else we could do to defend ourselves and just gave up. The concrete wall that surrounds the city was the only thing separating us from them, but even that was beginning to fail us as cracks began forming in the concrete. The city council estimated that we had around three months left before the monsters forced their way into the city. Hopelessness soon overcame the New Hope Republic, ironic I know, and people began to give in and accept our ghastly fates.
Some of us, however, refused to accept that this was how we went out, and word of people disappearing quickly spread throughout the city. While most dismissed the disappearances as people fleeing and throwing themselves to the demons outside, others thought those people found a way to save the New Hope Republic. My twin sister Megan and I were one of those people. Call us rash and foolish, but at least we had hope.
Rumors about a maze that could help us also began to spread around the city. It sounded to good to be true, but Megan and I were willing to learn more about it and possibly even enter it. One of our friends claimed to know someone who supposedly knew information about the maze.
Our friend, Max, lead us to a small wooden house that was falling apart. Megan and I exchanged uneasy glances with each other before following Max into the house. We stepped over a broken floorboard as Max knocked on the door.
We heard a faint, "Come in!" from inside the house, and Max opened the door and lead us inside to a little room where an old man sat in a brown beat-up armchair. Three wooden chairs were set up in front of him.
Max turned to Megan and me. "Guys, this is Arthur Bates. Mr. Bates, these are my friends, Sam and Megan Watson."
"Hello. It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Bates," Megan greeted him.
"Max told us that you know something about a maze that can help us save the city," I said. "We would be very grateful if you would tell us more about it."
"The maze can do more than help you save the city. It can give you anything that your heart desires, but be warned! The journey is not for the faint of heart. You must be unwavering in what you long for, or the maze will lead you astray and trap you inside forever. You will die if you are careful," Mr. Bates said.
"Where is it?" Megan wondered.
"My dear, we are standing on top of it," Mr. Bates revealed with a chuckle. "Down below, the maze is alive and ever-changing. There are many entrances around the city. Find one and enter the maze, but before doing so, make certain that you know exactly what you want."
"Is there anything else you know?" I asked.
"There is nothing else." He gave us a slight nod. "Good luck."
Megan and I thanked Arthur Bates and followed Max out of his house.
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Well, what do you guys think? Do you think you're going to do it?" Max asked. "There's supposed to be an entrance in an abandoned warehouse about a block away from here."
My sister shrugged. "I don't know. It all seems pretty vague."
"In a few months, that wall is going down, and we're going down with it," I reminded her, gesturing to the concrete wall in the distance. "It may seem far-fetched, but what if it isn't?"
"We don't know what's down there. If we enter the maze, we could be trapped inside forever," she reasoned.
"But if we don't go in, we could miss the chance to save the city. We don't have that many options or much time, Megan, so I think we should try. What do we have to lose? The is end just around the corner after all."
Megan took a deep breath. "If you really think we should do it, then I'm with you, Sam." She turned to Max. "Have there been any rumors about what's in the maze?"
"Not really. No one has come back after going in," he admitted. "Sorry, guys."
"It's fine, Max. Thanks for introducing us to Mr. Bates," Megan said.
She and I started making our way back home to get ready for the journey. She was obviously disappointed that we didn't know that much about the maze and what we were getting ourselves into. I could see it in her honey eyes. I was apprehensive about our situation too, but the idea of going into the maze and facing whatever was inside intrigued me. I wanted to try to save our home, and the maze seemed like our best shot, despite its engimatic nature.
