The Labyrinth

Chapter 2: Dennis

Even before seeing Vinn, Dennis was having a rotten day. He had woken up with only one thought: he was going to enter the Labyrinth and get killed by the Minotaur.

He was too young to die. After all, he was only 16. He had a family. A mother who loved him. A little sister. A best friend. He was also supposed to be getting married soon. To a girl he had never met and whom he didn't love.

King Minos had chosen him, among other 13 people, to get killed by a horrible horned creature. Dennis was sure the King had made his choice in a completely casual way, but still he couldn't help to feel angry at him. He knew that when he would enter the Labyrinth he would start thinking about her.

Not that he didn't often think about her. She was in his mind almost every day. But being killed by the same Beast that had killed her would only make him think about her death, not about the happy moments they had passed together.

The King made his usual speech before putting Dennis and his companions in the Labyrinth. He talked about how important it was to continue the tradition. How important it was to keep order in Crete. How important the Labyrinth was to us. Then, of course, he thanked Daedalus, the architect who created the maze.

Then he said the names of the teenagers and the names of the ones before them. When he said her name Dennis winced. He would've cried if he didn't know everyone was watching him.

'She is strong.' Dennis thought. 'She is also smart. She may have managed to escape from the Minotaur.'

When he heard the roars all his hopes faded. The Minotaur was near. The King led them in the Labyrinth and, almost as fast as he had entered, he ran out.

The Minotaur growled. He was near. Many people started running in different directions. Chaos was dominating.

Screams everywhere. Blood. Then Dennis saw the Minotaur.

The Beast was about ten times Dennis. Higher than imaginable. He started screaming like the others and ran away.

He tripped on a stick. The Minotaur was right behind him. He managed to stand up quickly and run away. His clothes were ripped. He had a scratch on his left leg and on his right arm. Blood was dripping.

He ran fast. Faster than he ever did. His heart started aching. He ran the farther he could from the Minotaur. Occasionally he would trip on something and, without even looking at what that thing was, he would just get up again and keep running.

The memory of the Minotaur right in front of him was awful. The terror he had felt in that moment was unforgettable. Horrible.

After he had been running from a long amount of time he reached a giant cliff. He couldn't hear the screams anymore.
He sat on a rock next to the cliff and panted more than ever.

He thought maybe he could've used the rock as a weapon, but that his priority in that minute was food.

Food.

He needed that desperately.

He heard some voices from the other side of the cliff.

He turned and saw a couple of teenagers, about his age, looking at him and talking.

His heart made a little twirl when he saw the blonde girl's face. She made a surprised expression and smiled.

He didn't know what to say.

Was that girl really the girl he believed had been dead all this time?

Was that girl really the love of his life?

Was that girl really Vinn Adamos?

She looked like her, but was she actually her?

He didn't know what to say. He would've ran towards her, but everything was aching.