Chapter Text
OCTOBER 25, 9:56pm
The temperature inside the maze feels like it drops a few degrees with every nervous step. You shiver and try to keep your teeth from chattering as your breath comes out in shallow puffs, your stomach skittering with nervous anticipation every time you approach a crossroads. Every so often something makes a noise in the corn stalks, and you clutch your chest and try not to scream.
There’s nothing you can do about the crunch of dirt under your shoes, which is distressingly loud in the muffled silence of the field.
I’m here to make sure Jinx is okay. I have to make it through to make sure she’s okay.
Your path is suspiciously clear. Or so it feels. After five minutes of twisting and turning you're certain you should have encountered something by now. There are danger signs and bloody props littering the paths, but it's mostly quiet on your solitary quest.
Too quiet.
Until it isn't.
The sound of feet and whispering voices somewhere up ahead causes you to jolt, then move forward on tip toe. You approach the corner cautiously, and when you peer around you see two shadowy figures with their heads together. You can’t hear what they’re saying, but one of them looks like they’re wearing a clown costume.
Your heart slams in your chest.
Are those two workers? Or two costumed teens just trying to find their way out?
One of the kids in the line in front of you had a clown outfit too, but he was part of a big group.
A warning bell in your head warns you to get out of there quickly. But which direction were you supposed to go? Left, towards the shadowy characters? Straight, or right, where the path bends away?
You back away quietly, then backtrack until you feel it’s safe to open your phone. You carefully unlock your home screen inside your coat, though you already know the answer in your heart.
Your path is supposed to run left.
Why wouldn’t it?
Of course you could always go straight, where the road dumps you into a giant open space in the field. It fills you with dread just looking at it. But there is a small path that leads out of the open space and reconnects with the left path further on. Unfortunately, there are also two small dead end paths directly off that small road, and those are probably (definitely) hiding places for those suspicious, talking characters on the road. Which means that the path could be unmanned and un-watched, if you’re quick.
The good news is, you've almost reached the center of the maze. Then you'll have two other people to help you reach the end of this hell.
It's an extremely comforting thought.
So, do you dare chance going straight? Or do you wait and waste precious time until the clown and his friend leave?
You study to the next few turns you need to take before closing out the phone. Then you lift your head.
And panic.
I can't see anything!
A giant white rectangle is now burned onto your corneas. You blink rapidly, breathing harsh, desperate to remove the glowing impression.
To no avail.
Noises seem to morph ominously. Your throat tightens with rising horror as you try to use your peripherals to track the path.
Don’t freak out. Keep calm.
You press your palms to your eyes and wish Sevika was here. Having her around would raise your confidence. No one would dare approach you with her figure looming out of the dark. With her prosthetic, she might even look like one of the maze goons. Her growl would scare the living daylight out of anyone, creepy demon clown mask included.
The idea makes you swallow a mad giggle.
Maybe next time you’ll think to ask her to come along instead of trying to make it through the creepy maze alone. Not that this kind of situation is likely to occur again (not if you have anything to say about it). And technically you’re still going to make it through, but not without first experiencing a mini heart attack or two.
Or ten.
Still blinking rapidly – and biting back an insane desire to laugh and cry at the same time – you make another approach to the crossroads.
The two shadowy figures are no longer on the left path. You blink to remove the strange, phantom movements in your peripherals. Nothing appears to be moving, but chills still run the length of your body.
The desire to laugh immediately disappears.
A horrible thought surfaces: that they heard you hyperventilating and have hidden themselves in the corn just on either side of the path. Even if that isn’t true, your brain is screaming danger. So there’s only one option left to you.
You wait only a second or so before dashing straight across the road, towards the gaping hole of the maze.
Deep in your heart you know this might be an unwise decision, but at least the open space gives you plenty of time to see any freaks coming, and come up with a plan of escape.
Like running away, screaming.
The gaping hole is more ominous than you imagined as you approach the brim. It’s eerily quiet, even with the sound of your shaking exhalations. Fog makes the furthest circumference impossible to penetrate with the naked eye. Every fiber of your being is screaming for you not to step into that empty circle, and you’re just about to turn around when something rattles the stalks behind you. You jump away, eyes darting, hand slapped over your mouth to try and stifle your ragged breaths.
You still can't see well.
And the noise you’ve created is unquestionably loud. If anyone was in the area they'd be converging now.
With that terrible thought you inch towards the path out of this dreadful black hole of space. Then a banshee scream echoes across the expanse. All thoughts of secrecy vanish as you catapult into action. You practically throw yourself onto the side path, and take off at a sprint.
The dead end paths rapidly approach. Yet somehow you're prepared for the clownish arms that reach out from the right, grasping at your purse. You swat them away violently.
“Get away from me!” You scream.
You don’t care that your plan for stealth has been destroyed. You don’t care that you’ve let every worker know that you’re terrified.
There will be no more creeping.
Only running.
Only escape.
A few more turns to go before you're at the center!
You tear around the corner, and take off down the curved path.
It widens noticeably, and makes a sudden, sharp turn. You round it, then slide to a halt with a gasp as a siren erupts and a flood light blinks into existence behind you. Put into sharp relief ten feet ahead is a road block: a destroyed K-rail with sandbags stacked up on either side of a slim opening. It’s blocked by ominous, dark stained corpses. One is wearing a cop’s uniform, and is collapsed on the rail. The bloody body on the ground is wearing a horribly familiar suit.
As you stare, the body begins to moan and twitch. A sob chokes your throat as the thing rises, and you actually start to shake as it turns and begins to shamble towards you.
“Stop,” You whisper. “Please…”
It doesn’t stop. In fact, it begins to move faster.
You stumble backward.
“Please,” You say, voice getting shriller. “Stop! I – Get the hell back! I’m telling you! I’ve got a –”
You smack hard into a solid object, and before you can take a breath in to scream you’re being restrained by powerful arms. A cloth is smashed to your face, and your eyes widen as you choke on the smell of noxious chemicals.
The zombie before you loses its shamble immediately and dodges forward.
“Keep her quiet, idiot!” The man’s voice hisses.
Lights pop in front of your eyes and you choke as the cloth is pressed harder against your face. You scratch at the arms, desperate for a breath of air.
They don't even slacken.
“Hold her head still.”
Your head is wrenched to the side, and you feel a painful prick in your neck.
In silence the man turns and beckons. You’re light headed and nauseous, still choking as you’re half hauled, half pushed along by your captor. Your limbs are working as sluggishly as your thoughts, which are getting harder and harder to gather.
Where are we going?
What is that?
In one slow blink you go from seeing corn stalks to an empty cement wash. And you fly over a chain link fence and across a bridge...
Wait, fly? Maybe not fly. But you’re no longer walking.
And the cloth is gone, you’re breathing freely. Twirling, floating...
Where are you taking me?
“What she say?” A man grunts.
He’s so close but so far.
“Hell if I… doped up…”
You reach for the arm that’s floating in front of you. You miss, and your arms drop and slap against a chest.
Or a back?
Or a van.
You’ve always wondered what it would be like to be in a trunk.
Not very comfortable. Too dark.
Why aren’t you having fun? Jinx would be having fun.
She would be…
You…
Embrace the darkness, as it comes.