THE MAZE

Chapter Twelve: Katie Bell

I walk through the cool darkness, James one step behind me.

"This is quite a long hallway," he remarks.

"It has got to end soon," I whisper hopefully.

Then, as if on cue, I bump right into something hard. Following suit, James rams into my back. Hard.

Reaching out excitedly, I run my hand along the wood surface until it meets a small knob. I twist it and push the door open. Immediately, we are temporarily blinded by harsh, fluorescent lighting. It is a rude awakening from the pitch darkness of the hallway.

Once my eyes fully adjust, I open them and survey the room.

It is quite a plain room, with bright, white walls and lights that remind me of a hospital room. There are four doors built into the opposite wall, marked 40, 24, 32, 5.

But that is not what catches my eye. There is one, singular object in the center of the room that is so out of place that I cannot peel my eyes away.

"What in the name of hell is that thing?" James murmurs breathlessly, taking a step toward the elephant in the room.

I don't even really know how to describe what it is, but I will try. Sitting atop a slightly raised square of the floor is what appears to be an enormous, bronze bell. A mess of intricate, copper wires protrudes from one side of it, tangling themselves all together like a disarray of ensnared snakes. But what really catches my eye is the large sign that stands on the other side of the bell. In bold, black letters, it reads,

FOR ASSISTANCE, PLEASE RING BELL

I begin to walk toward the bell until James grabs my shoulder, stopping me from getting closer to it.

"What are you doing?" he exclaims incredulously, his eyes bugging behind his glasses frames.

"What are you doing?" I reply back, shaking his hand off of my shoulder and continuing to walk toward the bell.

"Are you seriously going to ring it?" he asks.

"Yeah, why wouldn't' I? We need assistance," I say.

Why does he seem so opposed to this idea?

"I...I don't know. It just seems a little too easy," he says.

"So?" I reply, crossing my arms against my chest.

"So, what if it is a trap?" he asks.

I pause, biting my lip.

"I don't think it is."

"This just seems too simple. We aren't supposed to receive assistance; I think our guide made that very clear," James says.

I stare at the shiny bell, so tempted to just reach out and ring it. I mean c'mon, what is the worst thing that could happen? We ring it and don't get assistance?

"Please, don't ring it, Katie. I just have a bad feeling about it," James says pleadingly, beckoning me to walk away from the bell.

I look at him, then the bell, then back at him again.

"Okay, fine..." I reply quietly.

However, I do not hold true to my words. I whirl around, taking the final step that separates me from the bell. And before he can even process what I am about to do, I push down on top of it.