The Huntress Descent

The Labyrinth: Chapter Eleven

I snapped my eyes open. My breathing rapid and laboured. Surrounded by complete darkness. No sound. No movement.

I gasped for air. My head felt fuzzy, foggy. A little dizzy. Lifting my head was more of a chore than a natural reaction. I let it fall, banging one side against the floor.

I drew my arm from beneath me, it trailing along the floor as I struggled with every movement. And I mean everything. Every part, every little nerve ending to muscle screamed as I tried to right myself. Nothing felt broken in my arms. My wrist throbbed, but it had calmed down since it gripped the vine for dear life.

The floor.

How was I on the floor?

Then the dreaded thought.

Where was the Griever?

One minute I was preparing for the creature to attack. The next everything was silent with barely a noise past my laboured breathing.

Drip.

Drip.

I froze. The fear sinking deep within my bones.

What was that?

I dragged my body across the floor away from the noise. The Griever already knew I was here. The darkness meant it was ready to pounce. I needed to get up and move before it had a chance.

I leant back onto my knees. My head filled with grogginess from waking on the floor. The side of my face cold, my hair and clothes damp. Something wasn't right. I went to put pressure on my right leg when ...

I cried out in pain. I couldn't help it. It was agony. Heat flared in my ankle, searing at every nerve ending. The entire structure disintegrating the moment a touch of weight was placed on it. It felt like someone drew knives all over. There was so much pain. And in the moment it happened, I clamped my hands over my mouth and fell to the floor. I screwed my eyes shut, wriggling in agony, and waited for the lights to blast on and all of it be over.

I waited for the moment.

The Griever would have heard me. My pain echoed all over the walls down the Maze.

I bit hard down on the bottom of my lip to stop any more screams from escaping. The taste of cooper filled my mouth.

Not this again.

Please.

My heart threatened to burst through my chest.

Minute passed.

And nothing happened.

I slowly let the hand from my mouth go and opened my eyes. There was still darkness around, but there were no flashing lights. All there was was silence.

I sat up.

Something wasn't right. There had been a Griever here a moment ago climbing up the wall. How could I have forgotten everything between that and now?

A scuttling of metal on stone startled me and I froze. The noise, a lot softer than of a heavy creature. From the corner of my eye, I spotted red lights blink above. A Beetle Blade. I relaxed almost. Then thought again. The were vicious creatures.

I kept my eyes trained on it as it scuttled down the side of the wall and towered me. Before I had time to react, it stopped metres from me. I readied myself for the next part. Why wouldn't these creatures just go away?

I sensed it studying me face and the rest of my body. I drew myself away from it, wincing every time I moved.

A second passed, and it seemed the thing had had enough. It scurried forward, taking a large path round me into the dead end. I followed it, making sure my eyes never left where it was going. At some point, it stopped again. The tip of it's red lights touching the stone in various parts. It scuttled in a circle, the it's red lights pointed upwards. I followed where it was staring.