Page 40 of Death Match

Back to the grind, then.

“Yeah, I’m going back in,” I replied with a new wave of determination pushing through me. “On to the next one.”

Turning in a circle, I scanned the smooth wall that surrounded the center of the maze for an opening. As if on cue, the ground shook and the rock slid to the side, creating a new path for me to take. One that was cloaked in darkness and fog.

Worry gnawed at me. Sure, I wanted to get this part over with as much as the next guy, but I hadn’t forgotten about almost getting crushed by one of the moving rocks. Something like that was hard to ignore.

If the other Archangels didn’t have an equally creepy labyrinth full of near-death experiences, then I was going to be pissed.

I trudged through the thick foliage towards the new opening. The cool mist that should be a relief from the oppressive heat of the center now pricked my skin, causing every little hair on my arms to rise. The moment I passed through the new entrance, the rock closed off my only exit, just like before.

At least this time, I had a taste of what was waiting for me on the other side. Did that ease my anxiety? That was a big fat NOPE. Knowing what was coming didn’t stop it from coming, did it?

Nothing else to do but move on. So that’s just what I did.

As I walked through the narrow pathways, I tried to hold on to the small bit of confidence I had in knowing I’d managed to skip over my first Trial, and hopefully—if things continued to go in my favor—that meant the next ones weren’t going to be so bad. Then again, I wasn’t going to count my chickens before they hatched, so to speak. I had learned my lesson that there was always a good chance things could get worse. In a second, too.

When the ground shook again, my pulse jumped in pace. I stopped and waited. A chunk of the wall to my right pushed out and then slid to the side, like a door opening.

Guess the maze wanted me to go this way?

I huffed out a breath and swiped my hair behind my ears. Sure, I’d bite.

On quick feet, I hurried through just as the makeshift shortcut began to close again. Once on the other side, the rock glided back into place, sealing me off from the path I’d been on before. Now I was faced with another decision.

Left or right?

I glanced both ways. When my gaze swung right, something fluttered in my gut.

Since my instinct had found me an arch before, trusting it again may be wise. So, that meant I needed to go right.

A few more twists and turns later, I came face-to-face with a dead-end. But lucky for me, what was in it was just what I was searching for. Another Trial doorway with its stone arch design and ominous curtain of smoke.

My pulse drummed with anticipation. I was going to see more of my life, more of my last moments before my death.

I only had to get through this Trial first.

Sucking in a deep breath, I walked through the arch and the smoke wrapped around me. Once on the other side, I was shocked to find that I was standing in the middle of a street. Not just any street, either. A cobblestone street. Brick buildings and a church stood in front of me. My nose twitched as it picked up salt dusting the air. The caw of seagulls overhead caused me to glance up to the overcast sky where I could barely make out the white birds as they soared high in the sky.

Was I in Fairport again?

The loud, reverberating blare of a ship’s horn confirmed my suspicions. I turned toward the loud noise. From the looks of it, I was on the other side of downtown, closer to Fairport’s oldest cemetery, where I had first met Monnie and where Sean had later performed the demon cure successfully on Kay and unsuccessfully on Cole.

Why had the arch dropped me off here?

A car’s horn blared, causing me to leap onto the sidewalk just in time for a sedan to zoom past me. The driver leaned his head out of the window and hurled a bunch of curses my way as he sped off.

Okay then… So, not only had the maze put me in Fairport—or a place that resembled Fairport—but I seemed to be alive again and could be seen for my Trial?

I wasn’t sure if I liked this.

None of this was real anyway. Right? Michael and Eli had said these Trials were designed just for me. Everything I was seeing and experiencing was just concocted to challenge me, and so it made sense that the powers that be had used a place that was familiar to me.

I mean, why not?

If anything, I should be grateful. I knew this place. I could use that knowledge to my advantage. Whatever this second Trial was, I should be able to overcome it. I was on home turf.

Now closer to the church, I could hear the music and singing coming from inside.

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