I woke up on the cold floor, confused and alone. Where was I? Who was I? I had no idea who I was or anything about myself. I didn’t even know what I looked like. Why can’t I remember anything?

I just laid there on the ground staring up at the blue sky without a sun. Finally, I decided to find out anything I could. I sat up and looked around. The only thing That I saw was stone walls that were covered in vines.

Behind me, there was a small backpack and a bow and quiver. The quiver had maybe seven arrows in it. I crawled over to it and opened it looking inside. There was a pair of fingerless gloves, a brush, some food and water (but not too much), a flashlight, a lighter and a small pocket knife stuffed in the very bottom. I dug around to see if there was anything else but there wasn’t. I zipped up the bag and just sat back looking up at the sky. I took a deep breath and breathed out as slowly as I could.

WHIRL...CLICK...CLICK...The sound startled me. I looked around frantically looking for the source of the sound but couldn’t find anything. WHIRL...CLICK...This time it sounded like it was right around the corner. Instead of waiting to find out what it was I got up and ran. I ran as fast as I could and as far.

By the time I couldn’t hear that horrible sound anymore the light had gone away and the maze seemed even scarier. I continued to walk a little bit longer till I found a blocked off corner that seemed pretty safe. I sat down and looked around for some sticks to make a fire but found none. Having failed to try to find any I sat on the ground for a few minutes, then laid on the ground using my backpack as a pillow and tried to fall asleep.

~Three Weeks Later~

It has been three weeks since I arrived in this maze. I still didn’t remember anything from my past but I remembered my name. It is Eliza. I still haven’t found a way out or even a person, but I did find out one thing. I found monsters. They were big ugly monsters that had spikes pointing out all over their body, but the funny thing is that they only put the spikes out if they see someone.

I first meet one on my third day in the maze. I was wandering around all day and then when the sun began to set I hear the first sign of the monster coming. I was so scared and tried to run but ended up in a dead end.

The monster kept coming and I had nowhere to go so I grabbed the bow off of my back and nocked an arrow ready to fire. It came around the corner spikes covering its body. It started heading in my direction but then when it was no more than 5 feet away from it suddenly stopped. It looked straight at me. I didn’t know why but I found myself lowering my bow stepping closer to it. My heart was thumping out of my chest but I continued to walk closer.

I got right next to it. The thing didn’t move or go to hurt me. I reached out my hand to touch it and I did. My hand slide across its skin. The surprising thing was that it felt good. Its skin wasn’t slimy like it looked, it was actually rough and dry. The moment my hand touched it’s body the spikes retracted back into its body out of sight.

The monster moved back my hand no longer touching it and it left. It left leaving me all alone in the maze once again. I walked back to the wall and slide down it till I was on the ground. My heart was still thumping uncontrollably in my chest. I placed my hand on my heart feeling it beating showing me that I was indeed still alive.

I sat my backpack on the ground again using it as a pillow and fell asleep in a matter of minutes, no longer afraid of what secrets and fears the maze held.

The next day when I woke up the corner I was resting against was gone. The maze changed while I was sleeping. I hate it when it does this because then I get even more lost in my lost state of mind.

I got up grabbed a little bit of food out of my bag and a little bit of water before I started off for the day

About two or three hours later I grew tired and needed some rest. I sat down on the ground resting my head against the wall. I felt my eyes grow heavy and they fell till I they were fully closed. I just sat there in the peace just resting.

“What the Shuck are you doing!” a voice shouted. My eyes flew open and my heart started pounding. There was someone here. There was another person.

“I’m sitting down to eat my food!” called out another voice

“But we haven’t even been out here that long!”

“I don’t care I am hungry now. Let me eat!”

“You are so shucking annoying!” the voices sounded very close.

I got up and started walking to the voices. I got to the nearest wall and the voices were even louder. There were two boys on the other side of the wall. One of them, a boy with white hair and pale skin, sat on the ground a backpack sitting open as he ate a sandwich. The other was an Asian man who was standing above him with his arms crossed. The man glanced over at me but I quickly ducked my head behind the wall.

“Hey!” the man said as my heart beat faster and faster. Did he see me? “Ben, are you done eating yet!”

I let out a sigh as my heart stopped racing. He hadn’t been talking to me he was talking to the other man.

I looked back around the corner. The guy who was sitting on the ground stood up his bag already packed. He grabbed something out of his bag as he stood up. It looked like a notebook and pencil, then he shut his bag again. They looked at each other before they started moving.

It started as walking, then went to jogging, and then they were running. The only problem with that was the direction they were going was right where I was, and since they were so close I couldn’t do anything. The Asian one ran straight into me. I fell back onto my butt and he just stumbled back.

He looked down at me with a shocked expression. I crawled back to my backpack and picked it up, then took off. I ran down the corridor running as fast as I could.

“Hey, Wait I just want to talk!” he shouted after me, but I didn’t stop, “Please just stop! I just want to talk!”

“Just leave me alone!” I shouted back at them my voice cracking. I turned to see how close they were but all I heard was that sound.

WHIRL...CLICK...I heard it within a split second before it appeared. I had no time to register what was going on before it happened. The monster was right behind the two boys. It was the same one from yesterday.

“Move!” I shouted at the two boys.

“Wha-” Ben, I think his name was, turned around seeing the monster and ended up falling on his face.

“RUN!!” the other boy shouted in my direction, but I didn’t budge.

“Get her out of here! We don’t want her to get hurt! Go now!” shouted Ben.

The Asian looking boy ran over to me and grabbed my arm before dragging me off away from the monster.

WHIRL...CLICK...CLICK...The monster began to move. It growled when the boy touched me and then began moving when he dragged me off. Was the monster trying to protect me? I think he was, he can to help me since I ran into the boys.

I looked back at it and I could’ve sworn that there was fear in its eyes. I pulled my arm out of the boys and turned the other direction running straight back to the monster. Before I knew it I was right in front of the monster with both the boys staring at me.

“Hey you, get away from the griever.” one of them said but I paid no mind, “don’t be stupid. Get away from it now.”

I reached my hand up touched the rough skin of the monster. The monster seemed to relax a little but not too much. Its skin was smooth and slimy but it wasn’t a gross slimy. I felt warmth in its skin and it was like it was welcoming me to be with it.

Eliza my name is Khala and I’m here to protect you. My eyes widened when I heard a clicking noise in my head that I understood. I understood this creature. I looked up at him and then down knowing if I was going to ask any questions I would have to get rid of these boys.

I turned around to look at the boys. Their eyes were wide and their mouth was hanging open.

“Please just leave me alone,” I said before climbing on top of the creature. As soon as I was on it the creature moves faster than I realized. We left the boys standing they're shocked not knowing what they had just seen or witnessed, and even though I felt safe with this creature I couldn’t help but feel a sense of hurt in my chest as we left those boys standing there. I felt as if I had left a piece of my heart behind with them and I didn’t know why. I just meet them and I didn’t know their names or who they were so why did I feel like this? Why does my heart hurt after that?