3-7

3-7

'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' I shouted as I can't fathom the pain of my dislocated shoulder.

Everyone already knew about my weak right shoulder. It easily dislocates to even the most comical way. This, right here, won't be an exaggeration. I breathe heavily as my saliva flowed down from my mouth due to the intense pain.

'AHHHH! SHEILA!! FUCKING SHIT!!' I exclaimed,

My body is full of bruises; I was too lucky that none of the spears struck me wounded. The pain on my body as well as my dislocated shoulder is barely bearable. I tried to move my right arm backwards hoping for the bone to return to its proper location. Crack! Goes my shoulders as it returned.

'AHHHHHHHHHHH!' the extreme pain of having your dislocated shoulder return to its place is unbearable but it exponentially becomes bearable in just a few seconds. I have already felt familiar with this pain due to my right arm gets dislocated a few number of times already. I might already havechronic shoulder instability.

I stood up, groaned in pain, moving my right arm around and grabbed my flashlight that is on the ground.

'Sheila! You better be… care-…' I turned around and exclaim but I stopped midway of my sentence because I couldn't hear my voice.

Now that I think about it, I couldn't even hear my shout earlier. I just did not realize it until now due to the intense pain that I was feeling. I stood still trying to analyze my situation. To make sure that I wasn't deaf, I placed a finger in my ear and wiggled it, I could still hear the friction that is done by my finger and my ear. I tried stomping and jumping but I couldn't even hear the sound of my stomp. Next, to make sure that I am not mute, I gripped my neck softly and shouted, I could feel the vibration of my throat which means that it supposed to be making a sound, it relieved me somehow. Maybe I am in some sort of a noise cancelling place? I turn around, pointing my flashlight upfront; I couldn't see Sheila or James. What surrounded me is a wall. Behind me is a wall but in front of me is a narrow hallway.

Are we separated? How the hell did we got separated? My thoughts are so jumbled right now that I am having a mental breakdown. This isn't like the first basement at all. What the fuck is happening here? This place looks more like a labyrinth than a basement. I tried to calm myself and just accept the fate that I am in.

The surrounding is so dark, the only light I have is my flashlight. I didn't immediately move because I was afraid that something like a faceless might also be here. After breathing deeply for a few times, I started to move. Every movement I made is painful but the pain is bearable at the least.

I tried to maneuver this labyrinth slowly, trying to be cautious because I lost my weapon after we stumbled on the stairs; I tried to memorize all the turns and directions that I took, I even put it as a notepad in my phone. I constantly point my flashlight in the front and in the back just in case no faceless will jump at me. Since I have a flashlight, it will help me render them in burning pain while I could run for my life, I just hope that my theory about the light being there weakness is true or else I am already a dead man walking, a freebie to the faceless.

Slowly and slowly, I gradually lowered my defenses because I have already maneuvered the maze for a good twenty minutes and have passed about thirty T, a handful of elbows and a few dead ends and I still haven't found a faceless, much less the exit. My instinct is not really giving me any warnings so I better trust it and move faster. I started to believe in my instincts again because after denying my instincts a couple of times even before we got stuck here got me thinking that the situation keeps coinciding with my instincts so I started to not doubt it anymore.

Where are James and Sheila? I just hoped that they're okay. As I continue my walk, I ended in a T again and tried to analyze my choice. If this is like every other game like adventure, RPG games, most of the time, the left turn is where most treasures and dead end occurs and the right turn is, most of the time, the right way (Pun not intended) or continues your progress or mission. I don't know why most games are like that but maybe subconsciously, in a world where right handed people are dominant, it would also unconsciously influence most of the design. I used this kind of thinking to most of the Ts that I encounter and so far, most of it continues to another T or elbow and only a few are dead ends.

I took the right turn, as always and pointed my flashlight straight. After a few steps, a wall gradually shows up indicating that it is a dead end but the most noticeable thing is that someone is sitting on the floor.

Her face is pale as paper, she is full of bruises and a small puddle of blood is found on the floor on her legs. She was shaking vigorously and cried very heavily as I continue to go near her. She crawled backward frantically and stopped only by the wall that is behind her. She was so scared that she immediately covered her face with her arms and closed her eyes as if accepting the fate that she will be eaten or something.

It's Sheila! Thank god I found her.

I kicked her softly and pointed my flashlight on me so she can see that it was me and not some faceless or human eating creature. I pointed my flashlight back at her and immediately her face became so happy that her crying became even worse than ever but she is smiling which is good. I pointed my flashlight at her calve and a long cut is seen, it is not that deep but if left unattended, she will keep losing blood. No wonder a small puddle of blood is on the floor.

I took my shirt off and ripped it with the spear that was lying on the floor. I wrapped her wound tight and helped her stand up. She looked like she is shouting words frantically but I can't really hear her so I immediately took my phone out, pressed the screen a couple of times and point it at her. It is saying 'Noise Cancellation Barrier'. She immediately realized something and took her phone and started pressing.

'Where r we?' she typed,

'I don't know.' I typed,

'wer s James?' she asked,

'I don't know' I show it to her again,

'ycant I hir anything?' she asked,

'It looks like a noise cancelling place. Don't worry, you are not deaf or mute, this place just cancels sound. That is all. I think.' I answered,

I was always meticulous in my text messages to someone that is why my sentences are always complete and spelled out. I do not do shortcuts and always place the right punctuation mark in all my texts because it already became a hobby to me to always complete the words every time I text.

'whatshud we do now?' she asked,

'Look for the exit and hopefully find James.' I replied.

I did a gesture saying we should go now as I started helping her walk. She is limping due to the wound on her leg so she needs help. She held her spear in one hand and the other hand is wrapped over my shoulder.

I am half naked since I used my shirt to cover her wound. I don't really like being half naked because of my very skinny build, I don't really have that much confidence in my body but dignity and shame doesn't matter right now because we are stuck inside a labyrinth. Dignity and shame is only important if you are still alive to even feel those things so I didn't bother in feeling shameful.

We continued moving slowly. Encountered a dozen Ts already and we still haven't found the exit. After an hour of walking, I started to feel tired and fatigue plus the pain on my bruises is started to ache exponentially. I am carrying Sheila while also walking so the amount of energy I expense is pretty insurmountable. We ended in a T again. I have had it with me turning right so we turned left this time. At the end of the hallway an elbow to the right is seen. We continued walking until the elbow and as we turn right, we saw a table at the end, behind it is a staircase going up. This must be the exit! Thank god!

As we entered the room with the table and the staircase, I could hear our footsteps so the noise cancelling thing doesn't affect this room now, I think. I placed Sheila on top of the table to rest as she groaned in pain. Once I heard her groaned, I immediately understood that we can talk now. On top of the table rests two pieces of papers just like the first basement. Sheila started typing on her phone and pointed it to me.

'We finally made it.' She typed,

"You know we can talk now right?" I said,

"AH!How did you know?!" She squealed,

"It's after we entered this room, I heard our footsteps and you just groaned." I answered as I rolled my eyes to her,

"Oh. I didn't notice due to the pain. Ack.WillJamesget to find this exit?" She groaned,

"Hopefully." I said with little to no confidence.

I started thinking of something. If you can already talk in this room, will you hear the sound if you're outside of this room? I wanted to know.

"Sheila. I wanted to investigate something. Once I raised my hand, you shout as loud as you can, okay?" I commanded,

"Why?" she asked,

"Just do it okay?" I said,

I walked until I am about to enter the hallway again. I raised my hand and Sheila shouted. Her voice is so cute, you can barely hear her shout, it's like her shout is that of a mouse but it is still audible. I slowly stepped back and immediately, I couldn't hear her shout anymore. I stepped forward and can hear her, I stepped back and can't hear her which proves my thoughts earlier.

"You can stop now." I said as I approached her,

"Aw. Aw. Why did you make me shout? Now the pain worsens." She asked,

"Sorry. I just wanted to know if I can hear you if I exit the room." I replied,

"Hey! My voice isn't that small…" She mumbled,

"Hahah! No, I was trying to know if the noise cancelling doesn't affect a person, who is in the room, and if I can hear you shout if I am in the noise cancelling maze but I couldn't so it proves so." I laughed as I explained to her my intentions.

We waited for James to arrive but after a few minutes, he still hasn't show up. I could not let Sheila continue on waiting because her wound might get infected if not treated properly.

"Shei. You better go up first. I will catch up to you once James arrives." I said,

"Okay." She agreed.

I tried helping her down the table while she groaned in pain and I immediately stored the two papers in my pocket. I helped her walked until the staircase and let her hand gripped on the railings. I even saw my spear on the staircase, I grabbed it and gave it to Sheila since she is going out anyway. I left her to go up on her own as I went back to the last T that we last turned and pointed my flashlight there.

There were a few corners along the hallway; I tried pointing it to every corner. I constantly turn my flashlight off in case I see another light from one of the corners. After a few minutes, I saw a light and immediately ran to where it is.

After I turned to the corner, I was immediately soaked in light then the light dropped down. I turned my flashlight on and pointed it upfront. There I saw a tall man lying on the floor, filled with bruises and bleeding. It's JAMES AND HE IS BLEEDING VERY BADLY! I was shocked that I immediately went to where he is and tried carrying him to the staircase.A deep wound was found on James' shoulder, it looks like he was struck by the spear he had. Luckily, he was only struck in his shoulder and not in some vital area like the heart or something. James is so heavy for me to lift because I am skinny and weak at the same timebut due to nervous and adrenaline, I easily carried him up the staircase and into the house.