The Huntress Descent

The Labyrinth: Chapter Nine

For several seconds, I felt like the world had frozen in place. A thick silence followed the thunderous rumble of the Doors closing. Bringing with it a vile darkness that covered the sky. It was as if the sun had cowered away from whatever lurked in these corridors.

Twilight had fallen and the giant Walls loomed over me. Acting as giant tombstones in a weed-infested graveyard. I let myself slide down the edge of the wall until I was on all fours, still struggling to regain my breathing. I shifted myself so my back rested on the cool stone, my hand clutching my chest for dear life.

You're gonna die.

The blood pounded in my ears. My heart thudded in my chest. Something clutched at my throat and pressed harder. Breathing became laboured, difficult. A bead of sweat formed at the top of my lip, a flush of heat racing through my body. I lifted my hand to wipe it away. My body felt so weak. My fingers. I stared at them. They were shaking uncontrollably.

There is no one to help you. You should have stayed in the Doors.

There was no one to help. I was alone. Tears started to trickle down my face as I soon came to the realisation that this was going to be the end of me.

Bile rose in my throat.

You're gonna die.

"Come on," I breathed, every motion a painful spike when I spoke. "This won't be the end of me."

I screwed my eyes shut and focused on other things. I counted in the breaths and out. I placed my shaking hands on my chest and stomach and continued to breath in and out. I stayed like that for who knows long. Every time an inch of panic crept up. I restarted the process all over again. This was not something I could be caught out on. I had to regain control of my body and plan out what to do next.

I just had to wait it out and hoped the Grievers never found me.

When I finally opened my eyes again, the Maze was flooded with darkness. Not a single light peaked above, the side or below. It was only thanks to the low light of the vacant moon that I was even able to see at all in front of me. Otherwise I was doomed before it even started.

You're gonn-

"Get up," I instructed myself. "Get up."

I let out a long shaky sigh and placed my hands to the side of me. They shook violently as I forced myself from the floor. The motion almost unsettling me and causing me to remain stuck where I was. I sprawled forward. My arm alighted in fire when I crashed into the floor. I yelped in surprise from the sudden pain, and momentarily cradled my hurt wrist.

I groaned in pain, hoping that I hadn't just broken my wrist in the first few minutes I had spent here. I peaked at it, the burning sensation never relenting. With my good hand, I poked at the side of my wrist. My nerve endings prickled at the sensation, but no major pains came out of it. I moved my injured hand with me free one, bending it as far as I could before the pain came to much. After the first few attempts, tears swelled at the corner of my eyes. Soon enough, my injured hand could move on its own, with pain of course. Luck had been on my side. It wasn't broken, from what I could tell. Just very sore from the sudden movement. That had to mean for something.

I rose from the floor again, placing most of my weight on the injured hand. There was no way that I could stay here. Something in my belly told me that was the worst option to make. I had to keep moving, to keep ahead of those creatures and for my own sanity's sake. I tiptoed to the small creatures body that I had flung earlier. The others had not retrieved them on their retreat, instead had left them there with weird dark goo surrounding them. I chose the closet one to me and sucked in a large breath. Who knows if they were both still alive and waiting to attack? Anything seemed possible, so why didn't this?