Chapter 22: The Warning of the Gatekeeper

Alex breathed shallow breaths as he stood stock still in the corridor with the journal firmly grasped within one hand. The message lit in his head: *"The Gatekeeper knows."

The oppressive silence of the labyrinth now felt suffocating, as though the walls themselves were conspiring to trap him. He reached down to retrieve the laptop, its screen flickering back to life with faint static. The map had disappeared, replaced by a single blinking icon—a key.

"What now?" Alex breathed, ruffling his damp hair. His instincts screamed at him to flee, but his legs felt like lead.

And then, in an instant, a faint rumble vibrated through the floor, growing louder by the tick of each second. It was rhythmic, deliberate, like footsteps. Heavy ones.

"No." Alex whispered, clinging to the laptop. The Gatekeeper.

A shadow flickered at the far end of the corridor, a hulking silhouette illuminated by the faint golden glow of the walls. The figure moved with an eerie calm, its steps echoing like thunder.

Alex took a step back, his heart hammering against his ribs. The whispers returned, faint but distinct, their words overlapping in a chaotic chorus.

"Run."

"Hide."

"Face him."

He turned and ran down the corridor, pounding against the stone floor with each step. The whispers rose in pitch, the urgency driving him forward.

Boom.

Another step from the Gatekeeper.

Alex's lungs burned as he rounded a corner, the labyrinth's passageways twisting into an incomprehensible maze. The laptop's screen flickered again, showing a rotating compass. The arrow spun wildly, unable to find a direction.

Useless," Alex spat, pushing the device into his bag. His head was spinning trying to remember how far he had come. Was it left or right?

*Boom.*

The explosion was closer now ringing through the air.

Alex skidded to a halt at a fork in the path. Both directions stretched into shadowy darkness, offering no clue as to which was the right way. He clenched his fists, the weight of the decision pressing down on him.

"Trust your instincts," he muttered, darting to the left.

The whispers grew louder, their tones shifting between encouragement and mockery.

"You're getting closer."

"You're already lost."

The corridor narrowed, the walls pressing in on him. Alex stumbled, his foot catching on an uneven stone. He barely managed to catch himself before slamming into the ground, the impact jarring his wrist.

"Damn it," he growled, pushing himself back up.

The Gatekeeper's shadow hung over them both now, that faint glow emanating from the creature's body casting long jagged shapes along the walls. It moved as if savoring the chase itself, deliberately slowing down.

Alex ran around the next corner his eyes frantically scanning for some sort of door, some semblance of place to hide and anything at all. His hand brushed against his journal in the bag and ripped it out opening the book his pages flying fast.

Most of them were empty, but a single phrase repeated across the top of the final entry:

"Look behind you.

A shiver ran down Alex's spine as he felt the air shift.

*Boom.*

It wasn't behind him anymore; it was directly behind him.

Alex turned, his breath caught in his throat. Before him, the Gatekeeper loomed, its eyes blazing with some otherworldly energy. It was human-like and yet grotesque, stretching and compressing as if it couldn't hold to this world at all.

"You have something which is not yours," it rumbled, a growling that shook through the air.

Alex took a shaky step back, clutching the journal tightly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The Gatekeeper's gaze bore into him, its presence suffocating. "The truth lies in your hands. Surrender it, or face the consequences."

Alex's mind raced. Did it mean the journal? The laptop? Or something else entirely?

"I can't," Alex said, his voice trembling but resolute. "Not until I know what's really going on."

The Gatekeeper tilted its head, as if it found the whole situation amusing. "Foolish mortal. You meddle with forces beyond your comprehension."

It raised a huge hand, curling its fingers with energy that crackled like lightning. Alex's instincts screamed to bolt, but he stood firm, gripping the journal to himself like a shield.

"So teach me," he said, his voice firmer now. "Tell me what this is all about.

The Gatekeeper hesitated, its glowing eyes narrowing. "You seek answers yet refuse to pay the price. The labyrinth does not grant wisdom freely."

Alex swallowed hard, his pulse pounding in his ears. "What's the price?"

A slow, ominous smile spread across the Gatekeeper's face. "Everything.

Before Alex could answer, the form of the Gatekeeper dissolved into a blinding light that swallowed the corridor whole. The whispers screamed in perfect harmony, their voices overlapping in a deafening roar.

And then, silence.

Alex opened his eyes to find himself alone once more, the corridor eerily quiet. The golden light of the walls had dimmed, and the air felt colder. He glanced down at the journal in his hands, its pages now filled with a single message:

"You've been warned."

He let out a shaky breath, his grip tightening on the journal. Whatever lay ahead, he wasn't turning back now.