Hell Upside Down

Chapter 18

Point of view Alena

I woke up in the middle of the creature's den that had burned down. Carcasses were laying around with a horrid smell floating in the air. I didn't remember how I landed here. Everything was a blur. I looked around and tears started rolling down my face as Blaze was nowhere in sight.

However, my heartbreak was short-lived as he came towards me, licking my face. He looked healthy, besides his tail which was missing a bit of hair and was bleeding. I decided to rip a side of my dress to create a makeshift bandage out of it.

Noah and Thomas were passed too and were laying a little further. I asked Blaze to go wake them up. Once both were awake, they complained about a headache.

- "What the hell happened?" I asked while regaining my forces.

- "You don't remember when you and Blaze burned the whole place down?" Thomas replied while scratching his head.

Noah looked empty as he stared at his feet. I looked up to see the figure I had seen earlier in the cave. Right when I was about to be eaten alive, she appeared and screamed to the creatures, saving my life.

She started walking away turning corners in the Maze. I felt like we needed to follow her.

- "We need to go!" I scream as I follow her through the Maze.

Noah and Thomas continued to follow. We followed her path for hours. She kept turning and turning. Sometimes even coming back to the same point.

- "I don't think this is a good idea. She works with the creatures, so she is trying to get us killed." Thomas argued as he stopped.

I didn't want to stop. I wanted to follow her but maybe Thomas was right, and this was a trap. Thomas fell to the ground. Noah did too. They were both bleeding and looked on edge.

- "What if we never make it out of here?" Noah looked upset as if he was giving up. Everyone went silent. Pondering, afraid, and exhausted. We passed out for hours, meaning we had been in the Maze for a little less than forty-eight hours.

I had learned in my history class that the longest people had been trapped in the Maze was a whole week before students came out. We were starving, and thirsty. My whole mouth was dry.

Suddenly, Noah and Thomas turned their head. They had heard something that I didn't. Their beast had a way better hearing than I could ever dream of. Both stood up.

- "I hear the ocean!" Noah screamed with joy.

- "Let's go!" Thomas replied.

I looked behind me and saw a glimpse of the woman who had saved my life. Noah and Thomas continued talking and were ready to leave. We were close to the edge of the Maze.

- "I'll turn into my Beast, and you can ride on my back." Noah suggested while taking his shirt off ready to change into another form.

I wanted to, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave that woman alone. "Don't wait for me, I'll be right behind you."

Noah wanted to hold me back, but he knew better. He knew that if he made it back, that would be a great time to get out of the Maze. Almost record time. Staying here is dangerous. Even if one of the creature's dens was destroyed, many other creatures would come to revenge the ones who died.

Without a few moments of hesitation, both stripped naked as I turned my back to them, they rushed towards the end of the Maze, following the sounds of the water.

I turned the other way, running towards the way I had last noticed her. I walked around in circles, running in the other directions whenever I heard something that resembled a creature's sound. Blaze had followed me the entire time, but he was getting tired.

- "Where is she? Can't you smell her?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, Blaze immediately started running in a direction. I wanted to slap myself for being so dumb and for not asking him earlier. Blaze guided me through the Maze. He finally stopped in the part of a Maze that had a tree in the middle of the way. The woman was sitting against the tree. She was wearing a black veil over her entire body but I could tell she was smiling through it as I approached.

That's when I heard, movement. A loud noise came from behind the tree. I could sense a whole herd of creatures coming this way. Blaze's tail tucked under his legs and gapped at me. He was afraid. It was time to move.

I reached my hands towards her, but she stayed stoic. I was running out of time and didn't have the patience. I extended my hand to her arm. I could feel her chaotic soul. I could barely sense any humanity. She was so weak but did not fight it when I pulled her up.

Not a word came out of her mouth as I moved quickly. "Blaze, follow the trail of Thomas and Noah and lead us outside."

Blaze nodded and guided us. The woman wasn't moving quick enough but I tried to hurry her. She was wearing a long black dress and was barefoot. She could barely keep up with me.

When we finally hit the outside of the Maze, the only way to go was the sea. When we started moving on the beach, that's when I noticed the herd of creatures. I could finally see them. They were hungry and moving quickly towards us.

Right when we were reaching the water, she stopped. "I can't... go." Her voice was barely noticeable. It sounded more like a familiar mumble.

I decided to take off her veil. She was young, like me. She had lost her human side. She had a wild look to her. She would be the age of a student at Hellia.

Suddenly, I had remembered a vague discussion that I had when someone talked about someone disappearing inside of the Maze. Dysnomia had made a joke of it and told me that a similar faith would happen to me.

Sierra's old roommate had disappeared inside of the Maze a year ago today. I couldn't believe my eyes, but it had to be.

- "Willow?" I murmured as the creatures came dangerously close. Half bird half spiders were crawling, screaming at us.

As soon as I pronounced her name it was like she had remembered who she was. Willow was Nero's soulmate, and I had the duty to bring her back. As soon as we would make it to the other side, we would both make it officially in the Shadow Cast.

I pulled her into the water. We fought against the wave. I thought I was going crazy, but I followed blindly the instructions that Ms. Rose had given me.

We were submerged for several seconds. I never let go of Willow's hands while I felt a pull from above the water. A boat had arrived and pulled us out of the water and took us far away from the Maze, and the creatures that were screaming as they couldn't get close enough to hurt us because they couldn't swim.