The Cracks in the Labyrinth

Chapter 19

As if something had shattered reality, his brain could only understand pieces of what was going on. The piercing echo of the fire alarm, a scream, a chain braking, the same passage over and over again... Nothing made sense. His thoughts came together fast, but fear splintered them faster.

They'd left her apartment behind and were now in the corridor that led to the emergency exit, except that it wasn't the same hallway as before. Not exactly. The first time they went through the loop, someone had sealed the elevator entrance, and none of the doors budged an inch.

Are we trapped?

Where the hall ended, they found one door ajar and headed downstairs, walked down thirteen steps, and dared to climb through a hole in the wall of what otherwise would have been a dead-end.

"What the fuck!"

And they did all that only to find themselves back at the start.

"It can't be," fear strained her voice. "We were just here. Let's go the way we came from!"

"No. That thing is behind us."

Once more in the corridor that led to the emergency exit, they tried every door for a second time, but their locks were broken. Like before, they found but one option at the end of the hall: a doorway left ajar. Adam pried at the half-open entrance, but couldn't make out what awaited them on the other side. He looked at Vera, and from the corner of his eye caught sight of the thing chasing them. It walked backward, but that didn't seem to slow it down.

"Move!" He hurried her into the next room, down the stairs and through the hole in the wall.

And they did all that only to find themselves back at the start.

She collapsed, crying on the floor. Her sobbing drowned by the alarm sirens.

"It's a labyrinth," he whispered. His body ached under the crushing weight of his failure to move forward.

"I thought I was smart," she cried. "Safe. Hidden!"

"It doesn't matter. We need to get out here," Adam helped her up and attempted to escape again.

And again.

And again.

And they did all that only to find themselves back at the start.

In the passageway that led to the emergency exit, they tried every door for the thirteenth time, but the locks were jammed. Like always, they found no other option than a single doorway left ajar at the end of the corridor. They crossed it, hurried down the stairs, and through the hole in the wall.

And they did all that only to find themselves back at the start.

"Dammit!"

Madness is trying the same thing and expecting a different result, he told himself. Fuck this. Instead of heading down the same hall, he used his weight and rammed his shoulder against the door to his immediate right.

"What are you doing?"

"Something," he said. "Anything!"

Although the wood shook with the force after his first try, it didn't open.

"Wait!" She strode towards him. "Let's do it together."

"But, Vera..."

"I know." Even speaking seemed to be taking a toll on her. "Will it matter if the creature catches us?"

She was right; they both knew it.

"Okay, on the count of three."

"Yes."