Page 54 of The Lies We Steal

“Wanna split up? We can cover more ground that way.” She offers.

My first instinct is to say no. We are stronger in numbers always. But this is a school function, not a plan of escape from them. So I nod,

“I’ll take the left. Good luck.” I give a smile in good spirits.

As we go our separate ways, I take a deep breath, tilting my head to crack my neck a bit. When I begin to navigate through the lefts and rights, everything becoming a bit blurred as I do so I try to pick up the pace.

I know we only have so long inside here and I hate losing. The farther I get inside the more lost I feel, every turn, every change in direction feels like the wrong way. The height of the maze is too much for me to look up and over the hedges, so I can’t even tell if I’m close to the middle or not.

I’m sure the airhorn will be going off any second now, that thought alone has me running faster.

“I am a lifetime rat owner, I should be able to get out of this stupid thing.” I grumble, taking a deep breath and coughing a bit. My lungs wet from the fog. My heart ached a bit at the mention of Ada. If they let me graduate without killing me, I was coming back to stab him for killing my pet.

I place my hands on my knees, dropping my head to catch my breath.

When I lift it again, I lift it with my flashlight, scanning it in front of me. The light passes through the mist, catching the white paint of the tower that stands tall a few feet in front of me.

“I’ll be fucking damned.” I whisper, a grin on my face.

As I approach the structure I spot the golden skeleton key dangling from a single thread from the steps. Reaching on my tippy toes, I wrap my fingers around the brisk metal, pride filling me to the brim.

I hear the pluck of the string letting the key go as it falls into my hands. There are a few seconds for me to admire the faux gold, but my action seemed to trigger a horrible set of events. As if the string had been booby trap and I’d been the perfect victim.

Screams, high-pitched, ear-piercing shrieks erupt from around me. Voices shouting from outside the Labyrinth. I jump, spinning from left to right expecting someone to be near me. Instead there is a consistent ring of shots fired into the night, a distinct sound of gunfire.

It’s just fireworks, I rationalize, even though there is no sparkle or flicker of colorful light that ascends into the clouds. I can tell myself it’s fireworks all I want, but it won’t change the truth.

“Everyone remain calm and please, head to the courtyard!” I hear one of the teachers announce over the microphone, the voice echoing towards me.

I wasn’t sure what was worse.

Being trapped in this maze or not knowing what was happening outside of it.

My survival instincts had been triggered more in the past few weeks than ever before. This was nothing like getting busted by the cops or almost being caught by the guy you’re stealing from.

This is much worse.

“Lyra!” I scream at the top of my lungs, my throat ringing painfully. “Lyra!!” I bail out, my flashlight guiding me as I start to retrace my steps that I’d already begun to forget.

My eyes are straining to see in the darkness, working to look for Lyra, while also trying to get me out of this maze safely. The fog and screaming had already discombobulated my senses enough, now there was blaring music that begun to vibrate the walls of the Labyrinth. No lyrics, just discordant chords signaling a looming fate in my future. It sounded like music that was played on a carousel, meant to attract people to the bright colors and spinning horses.

It’s just some joke the upper classmen pull on the younger students, I think. That’s all this is.

“Lyra!” I try again but hear nothing called back for me. The sound of a loud thud reaches my ear, just before my eyes dart to the right and onto a thin black cylinder that had just begun spewing bright red smoke from the top. It leaked and bubbled spreading around me in thick waves.

Starting at my feet before escalating up my body, I didn’t wait for it to continue taking up space. I started moving forward, my arms stuck out in front of me like a glorified mummy.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

More smoke bombs flying across the tops of the hedges, landing in random spots around me. The fumes have overtaken my vision, completely swarming me in an alarming bright red color.

Terror washing over me, raising the fine hairs on the back of my neck. My heart pounding in my ears as my eyes burn with irritation.

I was not frightened nor was I afraid.

What I felt was beyond a useless noun.

What I felt was a tangible, living force that crept over me like a hungry beast. It chewed at my raw flesh, tearing me limb from limb until it could feast on the immobilized heart inside my chest.

---