Page 30 of Death Match

The terrible, grating sounds hit my ears again, but this time somewhere else. Far off.

Wait, was the mazechanging? With me in it?

Every muscle in my body tightened with dread. Not only was I locked in this labyrinth with no exit in sight, but it was constantly moving. Blocking and shifting passages like a very large and very dangerous live action Rubik’s cube…of death.

I half-stumbled, half-ran farther down the passage, turning as the maze curved around. The deeper I went, the louder the sound of the rocks moving became.

Michael hadn’t mentioned anything about this. It was as if the maze itself was a Trial.

I had to hurry and find my first real Trial, or else my path could be blocked off and I could end up trapped.

After rounding another bend, my boot slipped across something slick on the ground, causing me to skate along the stone before losing my footing all together. I landed flat on my back, my head smacking against the floor. Pain ricocheted through me and colors danced before my eyes.

Shocked and a bit embarrassed that had even happened to me, I groaned and rocked side to side for a moment until the dizziness and throbbing eased. Unbelievable. The Trials had just started and I had been bested by some condensation along the ground.

Safe to say I was off to a good start.

Picking myself up, I rubbed my sore spots and winced. It was a small but painful reminder of the dangers here. This wasn’t like the afterlife where any kind of pain was temporary. Wounds didn’t heal quickly, just like in Hell. I could die here.

I couldn’t get lazy and forget that.

Back down the narrow passage I went, this time making sure I watched my steps. The fog cascading along the ground was what had made it slippery, so it was another thing I had to be mindful of as I went. As I trudged around another curve, I came face-to-face with my first division in the road. Two ways to go, one me.

How was I supposed to choose? Flip a coin?

I glanced up at the sky, knowing that Eli and Michael were still watching my every move but couldn’t talk to me now that I was out of the maze’s center. I hoped they could see the frustration on my face from wherever they were. I was sure feeling it.

Leaning forward, I tried my best to peer down each alleyway and find anything that could possibly help me and make my choice easier. With the fog, the darkness, and the slimness of the paths, there was no such luck.

Now what?

I guess I had to rely on pure Jade instinct. So, really, just plain luck.

“Eenie meenie miney mo…”

I could hear Eli’s snort and see his disapproving expression inside my head. Did that stop me? No. How else was I supposed to choose?

“Caught a tiger by the toe.” I pointed as I sang the kid’s rhyme. “If he hollers, something, something, something. Eeenie meenie miney mo.”

Looks like I was going—

Before I even finished that thought, the ground under my feet began to shake violently. I stumbled, catching myself with the wall and leaning on it for support as the tremors continued.

Earthquakes now?

That ear-splitting sound of stone grinding against stone sounded ahead, and a piece of the wall down the path to the right moved out of its place and started to slide toward me slowly. Like a door closing, about to shut me out forever.

Yeah, you heard me right. A two-ton slab of solid rock was moving on its own for no other reason besides blocking me out permanently.

Without another thought, I sprinted in that direction. Directly toward the peril. Because that was the smart thing to do. The tremors rocking the ground underneath me slowed me down at first, but as my opening became smaller and smaller, panic pushed my legs faster. The wall slid close, and I pressed my back against the rock and shimmied along just as the edge passed by. I held my breath. The wall was so close, the edge skimmed across my face, its roughness grazing my cheek.

The constant shaking coupled with my awkward angle and frantic movements had me losing my footing and staggering sideways. I landed on my knees, just as the whoosh of the wall sealing the passage shut echoed.

All my breath came out in a part gasp, part whimper, and for a long moment, I stared at the chunk of rock that had almost squashed me like a pancake. My body shook so bad as the reality sank in, and my teeth rattled.

One misstep or second more of hesitation and that could have ended a lot differently.

Why had I signed up for this shit again?

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