"Oui. Men don't like violent women, ya know?" I quipped, trying to lighten the tension hanging like a noose.
Ronald didn't take his eyes off the door, his expression rigid.
"I don't think she's thinking of dating anytime soon," he muttered grimly.
With tension rising, I did the only thing that made sense: I lunged for the nearest door and yanked it open.
In the blink of an eye, reality twisted.
A flash of displacement. The air warped—and I was now across the room, staring at Ronald from the opposite side.
"Wow! How did you get there?" Ronald blinked rapidly, stunned.
"You're asking me? I'm directionally challenged, remember? Maze has never been my thing!" My voice carried a nervous laugh, but my mind was racing.
'Teleportation? No. A swap mechanic?'
This wasn't a regular room. It was a spatial trap.
BAAM!
The sound was like thunder ripping through plaster.
The door behind Ronald exploded in a shower of shards. The zombie lady surged forward, eyes burning with festering hunger.
Her shriek echoed like a death knell.
"Ronald! Run!" I shouted instinctively.
Ronald responded instantly. He sprinted forward, landing gracefully with a roll that screamed natural reflex. I let out an appreciative whistle.
"Nice landing. But I didn't tell you to run towards her."
The zombie lady snarled. Her head cocked. Her grotesque lips peeled back into what could only be described as a smirk—disgusting and smug.
"Ehhh… I don't like the way she smile. Oh no…" I swallowed hard, the knot in my gut tightening.
She lunged.
Her decayed limbs flailed through the air—but Ronald twisted, sidestepping with sharp precision. The zombie's momentum betrayed her; she crashed face-first into the ground.
CRACK.
The sound of splintering bone echoed through the room.
"Oui… That gotta hurt… No, wait. She's a zombie. A zombie fears no pain."
Ronald, bless his gentle soul, approached her cautiously.
"You think she's okay?"
"Don't worry. She's perfectly fine, in her own undead way. But you should move away, or else she'll try to bite you."
Crack. Crack. Hiss…
The sound of unnatural healing stopped our breath cold. Her broken bones realigned, writhing beneath pale flesh like worms under skin.
"R-Ronald… Ronald! Run!"
My voice trembled as I screamed, watching her rise again, grotesque and whole.
Ronald bolted, vanishing into another door.
Meanwhile, I dusted off my pants.
"Imma chillax, bro!" I laughed, pretending this was all just another dungeon run.
"Help me, Llyne!" His voice echoed like a war cry muffled by panic.
"Don't cha worry, Ronald! Just keep running and avoid getting caught by the zombie lady. Oh, and tell me if there's any changes when you enter a different door."
Ronald popped out from another door, breathing hard.
"I'll try!"
I sat down, tapping my finger on my chin, entering what Master used to call Battle Brain Mode. The room layout unfolded in my head like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
"Hmm… As far as I know," I muttered, eyes scanning every surface, "the room has two walls filled with doors. The other two walls, however, each have only one door. The entrance, which is red in color, is currently sealed shut. And there's also an exit, colored red, which is sealed as well and strangely lacks a visible keyhole…"
So. 'No key. That means the unlock condition is… progression-based?'
"Meaning, we do not need to find a key to unlock the exit."
My thoughts were sharp now. I observed how the blue door I entered had turned red after. Except… the middle door. It stayed blue.
"Once we enter a door, the door which was initially blue will turn red. And once the door is red, it can't be reentered, except for the middle door, which remains blue even though I entered it before. Moreover, the middle door teleported me to the other side of the room."
That was the key.
'The maze wasn't just physical—it was logical.'
"If my thinking is correct, in order to unlock the exit, we need to flip all these doors from blue to red."
The zombie lady's howls clawed at my ears. She was still chasing Ronald. I rubbed my temples.
"Ugh… All right. Let's do this."
"Ronald!"
His voice returned with desperation. "Ah! Llyne! Have you figured something out? Please say yes!"
A grin stretched across my face. "I think so!"
"So what do I do?"
"Oui… I'm not done yet so hang on for a teeny bit."
"WHAT!"
"I'm dying here!"
I gave him a thumbs-up. "Ya do fine. Keep up the good work!"
As Ronald danced with death, I stealthily approached a door, my fingers curling around the handle.
It didn't budge.
Another. Locked.
Another—still sealed.
'Either I have rotten luck or the ones on this side only open after the doors on the other side of the wall are red.'
'Rotten luck? Nah. I have Lady Luck with me!'
"Ronald! We need to clear all the blue doors on your side first!"
Ronald looked up. His gaze traced the blue doors. Then—he moved.
Like a monkey in a burning forest, he climbed. Agile. Fast. Almost majestic.
"Wow! Ronald's climbing skills has improved." I whistled.
But then, the zombie lady paused. Her head jerked.
And turned.
To me.
"Oui? You just gave up? You were halfway there!"
The temperature in the room plummeted. Her gaze locked onto me, a void of hatred.
I laughed nervously.
"Oui! I pulled too much aggro. Now she's coming after me!"
I turned, and I ran. My lungs screamed. My legs screamed louder.
The shuffling behind me wasn't slow anymore. It was deliberate. Determined.
She lunged.
I juked sideways, barely dodging her strike. Her body hit the floor with a resounding crack.
Again.
She got up. No pain. No hesitation. Just instinct. Just hunger.
"I guess when you're a zombie, you don't feel pain and fatigue."
"Seriously, give me a break! I may be a good runner but I hate running!"
She snarled and lunged again.
And that's when I had a revelation.
I spun on my heel, skid to a halt, and shouted—
"Look! I'm not interested in you in the slightest, okay? So stop pursuing me!"
The zombie stopped. Head tilted.
I smirked.
"What? Can't stand rejection? Well, too bad!"
She growled.
Then—
She flipped me the middle finger.
Except the middle finger was missing.
"Hey! Don't you know it's rude to point your middle finger? Huh?!"
She lunged again.
Too close.
I staggered back—
"Llyne!"
I looked up.
There he was.
Ronald.
Descending like a hero from above, hope blazing in his eyes.
"It's Ronald!"
A breathless laugh escaped my lips.
'About time.'