Respawn: Last Man Standing

Chapter XIII: Sense of Adventure

  The team continues moving through this maze after a short rest. They turned down many corridors and took many different turns, but always kept ending up at the same location somehow. "This is the third time we've seen this same place, since we started moving again" Judy says. "What the hell are we doing wrong?".
  "It definitely wasn't this hard before" Chris says. "Do you think the maze is changing somehow?".
  "How'd you get through it so fast the first time?" Drake asks Chris.
  "Well, I wouldn't exactly call it fast..." Chris says, "but I just kind of moved randomly".
  Drake pushes Chris to the front of the group, then says "You lead us then!".
  "Hey, I'm not that bad at directions!" Ziya complains.
  "Well, what we're doing now isn't working!" Drake says. "We have to change something up, or we'll never make it through here".
  "I'm sorry that there's not a sun or something I can use to tell which direction we're facing!" Ziya complains again.
  "Look" Judy says, "no offense, but I'm with Drake on this. We need to switch things up for now".
  Ziya crosses her arms and follows behind Chris. She isn't taking a liking to the idea of having Chris lead them at all. "Well?" Ziya says to Chris. "Where to now?".
  Chris shrugs his shoulders, then points straight forward and says "This way, I guess?". Chris leads them around for a while until they come across a wide open area within the maze. In the middle there were some bullet shells and blood, but no body on the ground. Chris picks up one of the shells and inspects it for a quick second. "Parabellum" he says. "Nine millimeter rounds... looks like whoever was here hasn't found a new weapon yet, at least".
  "Either that, or they've found a better weapon and no longer care for their nine millimeter anymore" Ziya says.
  "That's possible" Chris says. "It's stupid... but it's possible".
  "Come on" Drake says, "we've at least made progress. We found a new area we haven't seen yet, so we're definitely getting somewhere".
  "Right" Chris says as he stands up. "Let's get moving then". As the team exits the open area, and enter the maze again, they found a trail of blood moving down the corridors. Every few steps, there was a couple drops of blood, making a trail throughout the maze. "Looks like someone got the Royal Treatment".
  "What the hell does that mean?" Judy asks.
  "It looks like whoever was here, was toyed with" Chris says. "By the looks of it, they were probably shot just for fun. Whoever attacked them didn't finish them off".
  "That's a fun thought to let rest on our minds" Drake says sarcastically.
  "Should we follow the trail?" Chris asks.
  "No" Ziya says sternly.
  "Oh come on, Ziya" Chris says. "Where's your sense of adventure?".
  "Sense of adventure..." Ziya says with a disappointed look on her face. "We're stuck in a game where people kill each other for competition and apparently for fun now, while starving, getting lost in several mazes, running out of water, constantly waiting to be attacked at every turn and losing hope... and you want me to have a sense... of adventure?".
  "Fair point" Chris says, "counter point, I'm following it anyways".
  "But-" Ziya argues.
  "No buts" Chris says, "I'm finding us a way out, remember? The likelihood that they managed to escape is slim, but there's also the chance that we'll find out where other people are or where they have been. Taking that into account, it can narrow down the possibilities of which way the exit is".
  "Figures" Ziya says, "leave it to the only person crazier than I am to lead us to certain doom...".
  "Enough grumbling" Chris says, "let's move".

  They follow the blood trail for a long while. Eventually the blood trail seems to end when it's met with a large dried pool of blood. When the team went to go check around the corner that the pool of blood ended at, they found a wide open area at the end of the maze, with the stairs to the next floor. "You've got to be fucking kidding me..." Ziya says.
  "I told you" Chris says, "you just need to have a sense-".
  "Don't" Ziya says as she rubs her forehead in frustration. "Don't say it".
  "I'll be damned" Drake says. "There's the exit...".
  "I'm both amazed and disappointed" Judy says, "yet thankful all at the same time. This loony actually pulled us through...".
  "So, on to Floor 19? Anyone?" Chris asks with a smug look.
  "Oh, I'm so gonna hit you" Ziya says as she looks up at Chris. "Just you wait".
  "What did I do?" Chris asks. Ziya walks past him and begins going up the stairs ahead of him. "What... did I do?" Chris asks again.