His heart raced trying to escape the demon behind him. As Tyler ran through the hall, the walls began to fill with a malicious darkness. He knew he should've listened; he should’ve listened to the legends around the town. Don't go into the abandoned school on the hunter’s moon, don’t ever go near the school or she will get you.

As the darkness consumed the ground under him, a hellish, shadowy hand rose up and grabbed the terrified boy’s ankle. He fell to the ground as the hand began to detain his flee. He screamed for mercy that the demon would let him go, but it was no use.

From the shadow, the demon began to cackle as she ascended from the void. She had a complexion as white as fresh snow and her eyes beamed a nauseating blood red. The darkness cloaked her like a dress, flowing indefinitely. She began to speak in a shrill deafening voice, “You chose to come here… now prepare to give me your soul…”

The hand that held down the boy’s ankle began to wither into the void, but the fear of death overcame Tyler, leaving him paralyzed. Tears began to stream down his face as the grievous monster loomed closer to him.

With her nonhuman, hand she clenched his neck and lifted his head from the ground. Her grip on him tightened to the point where he couldn’t breathe. His face turned a bright red followed by a deep blue.

In one final act of desperation, he struggled out, “P-please…”

She stared at him for a moment, but a devilish grin crept on her face. She let out a small chuckle, that grew into a kind laugh, then a maniacal laugh. “NEVER!” The nails of her hand gashed out to form sharp swords of death. The demon plunged her talons into his tender chest. He gasped in pain as the blood began to ooze from the 5 penetration points. Her claws detracted from Tyler, dropping him to the ground.

As the red vital fluids seeped through his wounds, his incapacitated body was consumed by the blackness. A heinous laugh filled the air as Tyler was overcome in the blackness. Then, his shape flattened into the darkness, purged from reality. Everything became silent. He was gone from this world.

--

Tyler thought he was dead. The piercing of his chest should have left him to bleed out. The darkness should have eaten him. He should not be able to feel anything. Then why could he feel nothing but pain? It felt like his apparent body was on fire. The worst part, he couldn’t do anything about it. He felt his hands, his feet, but they wouldn’t move. Was he still immobilized in fear? Maybe he was being held down by the malicious force. Whatever the case, his anguish didn’t seem to cease anytime soon.

All he could see was pitch blackness. IT seemed his eyes were shut tight, unable to open or move like the rest his body. Only if he knew where he was could he try to get out of his terrible situation? Sadly nothing.

However, after what felt like hours of agony, a calming lull coursed through his body. Suddenly the firey pain no longer tortured him. He didn’t detect the puncture wounds on his chest, and there was no wetness from his blood. Slowly, he started to regain feeling in his arms, then his legs, but he still was unable to open his mouth or eyes.

Just as he thought the worst was over. An ominous noise began to rattle in his mind. Bellows of tortured voices screamed out in varying voices. Horrifying the screams did to him, making him shudder and fall to the ground. That didn’t stop the voices from wailing. He could sense the lightness of children, to the powerful screams of mature adults.

“Hahaha... “ Out of the screams, a familiar voice couldn’t help but laugh. The demoness spoke in a peaceful facade. “Welcome to my realm… As you may not believe I will allow you to escape with your life. If you are able to make it to the exit of my labyrinth within fifty attempts you are free to go. If not…” As if on cue, the voices of her captured souls wailed in anguish. This was the price they paid for not escaping.

It was difficult for Tyler to think. The thousands of souls releasing their anguish made it virtually impossible for him to keep a stable thought. Without any option, Tyler reluctantly agreed.

“Perfect… we will see if you make it…” With her witch cackle, her voice faded, leaving only the screams.

Tyler feared the labyrinth and the voices all around him. Just the sound of the wailing made him imagine the horrors that would await him if he could see. The thought terrified him, even if it was stupid to take on the challenge without sight. He could hear everything but dare not open his eyes. With an anxious inhale. He took his first steps.

The ground under him felt soft. It squished with every step, almost like bare flesh. He stepped slowly, cautious of what may lie in front of him. Foolishly, he should’ve have counted his steps. The ground vanished from under him. He fell down into a pit of barbs. Instantaneously, he felt the spikes pierce all around him, killing him instantly.

The pain lingered for a moment, then he felt nothing. The screams continued to torture his ears, but it seemed that he was no longer in the spiked pit. The demoness’s voice returned with a sneer, “I forgot to mention when you fail to make it through, you return to the entrance. Have fun!”

Tyler felt the dread in his heart. He wasted his first attempt and died foolishly. This was pointless. The yells drowned out any thought he could make, but he began to aimlessly head into the trap.

The deadly pits fooled him three more times. By the fourth, Tyler counted the space between the entrance and the pit, nineteen small steps. He stopped before he fell and turned right, stepping into another hole and dying again.

His next attempt, he took a careful step to the left. He felt his foot under the same fleshy ground he had been walking on. He counted his steps from that point, and on his thirty-something step, a large metal blade stabbed into his head, sending him back to the start. Tyler was irritated, but at least he was making progress.

His ninth try, he stepped into a fire. His 13th, the ground under him turned to stone and crumbled under him. His 26th, both his arms were chopped off before he was beheaded. Each death was more painful than the last. The only relief Tyler felt was the relief after every death. It seemed to work as one of the video games he used to play: die and you are spawned in your last checkpoint. Unfortunately also like his games, his lives were numbered. The only thing he could concentrate on was his memorized number of steps he must take and his attempt counter. Halfway through, he hoped he had almost reached the end.

Then, on his 34th, a new sound broke through the barrier of anguished souls. It was faint at first, but as he got closer, losing two more lives in the process, he sensed the sound, a little girl’s cry, was right in front of him. He called out to the mysterious voice, “He-hello?”

The crying subsided, and slowly the voice of a little girl spoke, “Hello? Please help me!”

“Who are you?” I tried to feel for the girl, thinking of opening my eyes but, dared not to.

“I’ve been trapped in this labyrinth forever, I- I’m on my 50th try. I’m- I’m scared of dying!!” Then she began to cry again, matching the voices surrounding us.

I was shocked to hear another lost soul was trapped by the demon. Were there others in here? Could they help me? Maybe...Could I help her? I called out to her. “Can you see?”

She whimpered, “Yes… it’s very dark though. The souls screaming, they make up the walls! I don’t want to be one of them!” Her cry was relentless.

“Ok! Ok! Listen! It’ll be alright!” Tyler felt bad, it felt like he was lying. Part of him lost hope, but he needed to be strong for her. “If we work together, we can escape I promise. My name is Tyler.”

She let out a nasal sniffle, “M-my name is Liah.”

“Here,” Tyler stuck out my hand. “I’ll lead us, tell me if I’m walking into anything, but if I fail, I still have a lot of attempts. If I die, stay where you are until I find you, ok?”

For once her voice sounded reassuring, “Ok!” Together, they made it through the maze. Tyler led the way; falling into a fire, electrocuted, tripping into a noose, and literally exploding, every time he found his way to Liah. With every death, his number shortened. It wasn’t until his last five until he began to panic.

“Tyler! I see a light!” The thought made me almost open my eyes, but I kept them shut tight. Just the thought, maybe the exit excited me and filled me with hope.

“That’s great-” Then a large weight fell on Tyler’s head, bashing in his skull and sending him back.

Four. He met up with Liah. Taking each step carefully, Liah didn’t see the pool of water and her partner fell in. The demonic sharks had a good time eating his corpse.

Three. Stupidly before he made it back to his spot, he ran into a knife trap. Wasting one of his final lives.

Two. This time he made it back to the last place. “Liah… I’m almost to my last attempt, make sure nothing bad happens ok?”

“Ok Mr. Tyler, I know we can do it together!” Her voice made me smile. Even the wails of agony around them seemed dull to her hopeful voice. They continued until he heard her partner squeaked.

Tyler stopped in his steps, nervous to hear the peril. “What!”

“Were almost it's a straight run! Let’s go!” She ran forward without him.

Tyler became nervous of another trap. He was determined not to let her die. “Wait let me go first!” He ran towards the sound of her laughing.

“I made come on slow poke!” He imagined her on the other side, excited to almost be free from the demoness. Then suddenly, the ground under him disappeared and he was left to freefall. Tyler let out a scream, the last thing he heard for his second attempt was Liah breaking the sound, yelling his name “Tyyyyyyleeeeer!”

And like that he was resurrected. This was his final attempt before his nightmare would come true. And what of Liah, what happened to her. He needed to make it out. For both of them.

He used his senses, making sure he bypassed every obstacle in his way. The first pit, the blade, the fires axes and anything that killed him in the past wouldn’t stop him this time.

Finally, he sensed he was right before he fell. Tyler called out in desperation, “Liah! Liaaaah!”

At first, there was nothing but the normal screaming, but then. “Tyler!”

“Liah, are you ok??”

“Yeah! But the ground collapsed, there's a ravine dividing you from the exit! You’ll have to jump!”

Jump? Was she crazy, Tyler couldn’t jump without falling. He pleaded, “How? Isn’t there another way?”

The little girl fell silent, then called out. “Do you trust me??”

He was hesitant at first, “Yes!”

“You have to open your eyes! It’s the only way!”

As the words met his ears, fear filled him. Not once was he able to see, but now it was his only choice. He thought about the options, but his mind lost focus with the searing screams. His eyelids felt numb and he questioned if he could even open them? He was scared, but he knew he had to do it.

His vision came very blurrily at first but quickly returned to him. Liah was right in saying it was dark. The only visage of light came from torches mounted on the wall, as well as the giant lit exit. Then he saw them; the walls were completely made of corpses, charred and screaming. Each one of them showed agony and envy in their faces. Standing across from the bottomless ravine separating them, was a small girl. She wore overalls and had a pink bow in her big curly hair. She cried out to me, “Be safe!”

Tyler took a shaky breath. His legs felt like jelly as he took his running start. This was it, his last chance.

With a great leap, he soared over the ravine, catching his body onto the edge. About to fall, the small girl ran to his aid, “Tyler!” She aided him up the cliff and after a moment, the two successfully made it over. Tyler caught his breath for a moment, the jump used the last of his strength, but he couldn’t give up now.

They both stood up and stared into the portal. Unbelievable, they made it. A tear streaked from Tyler’s eyes, hopeful of living his life again. As if a miracle, the voices that tortured him for so long fell silent, and he could finally think clearly.

Liah smile could brighten the room, “Thank you for bringing me here Tyler. I wanted to give up, but then you arrived and helped me!”

Tyler wearily smiled back. What would she do when she got back. Did she have a family to get back to? Time might have passed a day or a hundred years, how will we know the world we’re going back to is our own? He took a sigh with his thoughts, then looked over to Liah.

Whatever the case, he would do it with her. He went in to give the hopeful girl a hug.

SHIIIING

Pain loomed in his chest. Shocked, he looked down to see a dreadful sight. Liah’s hand was pressed against his stomach, snow white. Her five fingers pierced into his chest and an inhuman smile formed on her face. Like magic, her little girl facade changed into the form of the demoness. The cackle filled the air as she pulled out her withered nails. “And that makes fifty!”

Tyler’s vision went blurred as he fell to the ground. In a final attempt, he began to crawl to the portal. Slowly. Slowly… He fell still. This time, he was gone. He was hers. Forever.