Chapter 15: The Escape Plan

Mark's hand stayed glued to the wall as he moved through the changing corridors, each shift of the maze warping his sense of direction. The low hum of the walls moving and grinding against each other made his skin crawl, but he pushed forwards. His instincts screamed at him to keep moving, to find someone, just… anyone. 

After what felt like an eternity of twisting passages, Mark spotted a faint light flickering in the distance. His heart skipped a beat. Ellie?

He quickened his pace, every step bringing him closer to the source.

"Ellie?" he called out again, his voice rising with hope.

"Mark?" came the reply, distant but clear.

Mark broke into a jog, rounding the corner just as Ellie emerged from the shadows. She was panting, looking just as disoriented as he felt, but the relief on her face was palpable.

"Thank god," Ellie muttered. "I thought I was alone."

Mark nodded, briefly scanning their surroundings before focusing on her. 

"We need to stick together. No one escapes alone. Have you seen anyone else?"

Ellie shook her head, "I've been wandering for what feels like hours. Every time I think I'm close, the walls change, and everything goes dark." She glanced down at the ground, then back up at him. "But I found something."

Ellie stepped forward, crouching to point at the stone floor near the junction where they met. Mark followed her finger, his brown furrowing as he looked at the series of strange markings. They were faint but noticeable, a mix of slashes and symbols, almost like a breadcrumb trail.

"Zack, Jake, Arya…" Ellie muttered under her breath. 

Mark felt a glimmer of hope. "They must have been here, too. This is a sign."

The markings seemed to lead in a specific direction, spiraling through the walls. Without a word, they both began following them, their steps hurried but cautious. Each twist and turn they took brought them deeper into the maze, and Mark couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. 

The silence in the maze was unnerving, broken only by the occasional shifting of the walls, but as they moved forward, the air seemed to thicken, heavy with unsettling energy. They finally reached an open space. A massive chamber where the markings seemed to converge in the center. 

But it wasn't just the markings that caught their attention. 

From the depths of the chamber, a growl echoed through the walls, reverberating in their chests. The ground trembled beneath their feet. 

"What the hell is that?" Mark whispered, his hand instinctively tightening around the hilt of his sword. 

Ellie's face went pale. "We need to go. Now."

Before they could turn to run, the growl grew louder, deeper, and the source of it revealed itself. From the darkness emerged a massive figure; its eyes glowing a fiery red. 

The creature had three heads, each one massive and grotesque, with jagged teeth and scales covering its armored body. The heads turned to focus on them, each one snarling, a low rumbling growl vibrating through the air.

Mark froze, his heart pounding. I knew it. This isn't just a maze. At first, it seemed too easy, but here we are. Damn it!

The creature's middle head let out a deafening roar, and Mark's instincts kicked in. "We have to fight it! I see a way behind it, maybe it was the exit!" he shouted, pushing Ellie behind him.

Ellie's eyes were wide with terror, her gaze fixed on the creature in front of them, but she nodded. 

"Where the hell is my goddamn screen so I can purchase a stupid dagger or sword!" She exclaimed angrily. 

But her screen didn't appear as she wished. She saw a piece of stone on the floor, picked it up and held it tightly. 

"Stay close!" Mark yelled, his voice cutting through the chaos.

Mark was waiting for an opening to attack the creature. But the monster lunged forward and he barely had time to react. Its massive claw slamming into the ground just inches from his feet. He threw himself to the side, rolling across the stone floor, and dropped the sword he was holding. As one of the creature's heads snapped in his direction. 

Ellie looked at the timer above. 

[16:00…15:59…15:58…]

She let out a sharp breath. She picked up the sword, her grip tightening. "Mark, move!" she shouted, but before he could fully regain his footing, the beast's tail swung toward him like a wrecking ball. 

His instincts screamed at him to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough. The tail crashed into his side, sending him flying across the chamber. His back slammed against the stone wall with a sickening crack, and for a moment, his vision blurred. Pain exploded in his ribs as he gasped for air.

"MARK!" 

Ellie's scream cut through the air like a knife. 

The creature turned its attention to Mark, seeing him vulnerable on the ground. One of its heads reared back, its massive jaws opening wide, ready to strike. 

Ellie didn't think. She moved.

With a burst of adrenaline, she sprinted towards him, throwing the sword with deadly precision even if she didn't really know what she was doing. 

The blade embedded itself in the creature's shoulder, barely slowing it down, but it was enough to redirect its focus.

Mark groaned, trying to push himself up. His vision was still spinning, but he could hear Ellie's frantic footsteps rushing toward him. 

"Get up, Get up!" she urged, grabbing his arm and yanking him to his feet. "We are not dying here!"

—

Ellie's voice rang out, frantic and raw. "MARK!"

Zack, Arya, Jake and Ambrose froze as they heard Ellie's desperate scream echoing through the maze, a chill ran through them. 

"That was Ellie," Zack said, eyes widening. 

Jake cursed under his breath. "Damn it! I knew this was not just an ordinary maze."

Arya nodded, gripping her dagger. "Do you hear that? It sounds like the monster we encountered in Trial One…but sounds bigger…"

"They're definitely in trouble," Zack said,

Ambrose exhaled through his nose, his usual calm demeanor shifting into something unreadable. "Then, let's make sure they don't face it alone."

"Follow me, this way. That's where the scream is coming from," Ambrose added. 

Without hesitation, the four of them sprint, racing towards the source, using the monstrous roars and Ellie's shouts as their guide. The walls kept shifting, trying to mislead them, but little did they know, Ambrose had already left a trail of faint markings behind them. He checked quickly, adjusting their route whenever a dead end formed. 

Another roar reverberated through the maze, followed by the distinct clang of metal striking something hard. Then, Ellie's sharp cry. 

They rounded the final corner. 

The sight that greeted them was pure chaos. 

A towering three-headed beast loomed over Mark and Ellie. Its scaled, muscular body resembled something between a dragon and a mutated lizard, but its heads were monstrous, each lined with jagged teeth, their eyes glowing fiery red. Its long tail lashed out violently, knocking over chunks of the stone walls as the maze struggled to contain it. 

Ellie was crouched in front of Mark, the sword clutched in her trembling hand, while Mark clutched his side, barely managing to stay on his feet. 

The creature roared again, one of its heads lunging straight for them. 

"MOVE!" Zack shouted. 

Mark and Ellie dove to the size just as the beast's jaws snapped shut where they had been standing. 

Zack ran towards Mark, steadying him. "You good?"

Mark coughed, wincing. "Been better."

Ellie let out a shaky breath. "About time you guys showed up."

Jake cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, well…we heard the screaming. If only we knew that screaming would lead us all together, I should've done it the first time." 

Arya exhaled sharply. "We need a plan."

Mark wiped the sweat from his forehead, still catching his breath. "Listen–before that thing showed up, I noticed something." He pointed past the monster. "If we can get through there, it might lead us to the exit."

Zack followed his line of sight, his expression hardening. "Through that thing?"

Ellie nodded. "It was the only pathway that didn't shift before the monster appeared. If it is the exit, it explains why this thing is guarding it."

The three-headed creature let out another deep, bone rattling growl, its tails swiping across the maze floor in agitation. Large chunks of stone collapsed from the walls upon impact.

Arya's eyes flickered with realization. "That's it."

Jake glanced at her. "What is it?"

She pointed at the fallen debris. Every time that thing swings its tail, it knocks out parts of the maze. If we can get it to break enough walls, it'll give us a clearer view of the path ahead."

Ambrose crossed his arms, analyzing the pattern. "So, we force it to attack strategically, let it destroy enough of the maze until we can confirm where the exit is."

Mark gave a weak smirk. "Risky, but better than running around blind."

Jake rolled his shoulders, grinning. "I like it. Make the big guy do the work for us."

Zack glanced at the others. "Alright. We split into two groups. One distracts it–gets it to lash out with its tail. The other side watches the walls and looks for any opening. We keep moving, don't stay in one place for too long."

He looked at the timer above. 

[10:59...10:58…10:57...]

"We don't have much time." He continued. 

Arya nodded. "Once we see the exit, we run."

Ellie gripped the sword. "I'm guessing we don't have much time to discuss it."

Jake smirked. "Nope. Let's piss it off."

"Alright then," Ambrose muttered. "Let's see if this thing likes to play."