A few hours passed before we gathered again to plan our next scavenging trip into the cold corridors of the maze.
We sat near a makeshift campfire, a little further from the withered tree. Ironically, sitting by the flames didn't make you feel any warmer. In fact, there was no sense of heat or cold here at all. The fire was just an accessory—something to pretend this camp was home, though even that illusion barely held.
"I see you and your... friends are still insisting on another scavenging trip?"
Her voice was calm, but laced with venom.
"As always, we insist. Lately we've—" Charles began, only for me to cut him off.
"Actually, how about Josh and I go this time?"
"H-Hiek?! Dude, just let them go! Why drag me into this?"
Josh panicked, trying to worm his way out of it—exactly the reaction I was hoping for.
"Alright then," I said casually, "Sarah's coming with us too, so you dont have to feel so scared."
She gave me a bewildered look—half irritation, half confusion.
At least she didn't refuse.
"The three of you?" Charles interrupted, wearing that same eerie smile. "That's unusual. We usually send people in pairs."
Saw that coming a mile away, you creepy bastard.
"Well, your group came back empty-handed last time," I said. "We're short on water now because of that."
It wasn't a complete lie—only one small bottle remained.
"And your friends must still be shaken after seeing that... mimic," i said, my tone dipping. "You should rest. Let us handle the trip."
I gave him a faint smile. Probably the first time I'd smiled since waking up here. There was something deeply satisfying about outsmarting someone who'd been manipulating you from the start.
Charles stared at me in silence, face blank. For a second, I thought he'd snap—kill me, Sarah, and Josh right there. But then that twisted smile returned. He nodded.
"That's quite embarrassing," He said softly. "You cleaning up after my group. We'll repay the favor when we can."
"That's quite alright," I replied.
I stood, walking toward the tree to study the map. Even though this was only a cover to warn Sarah and Josh that we needed to leave, we couldn't risk returning empty-handed. It'd be too suspicious. I had to pick a direction—somewhere not fully explored.
Sarah joined me soon after, Josh trailing behind, muttering curses under his breath.
"So? Picked a path yet?"
I pointed at the map with a stick. "Southern hallway."
"But isn't that where the mimics went last time?" Sarah asked, sighing as she threw Josh a sharp look.
Guess she doesn't handle incompetence well.
"That's exactly why we're going there," I said. "They came back empty-handed. I doubt they even searched properly."
An hour later, we were ready—every move watched. Some mimics rested in the tents while Charles whispered with another beneath the tree.
'He's too relaxed... that worries me.'
Once we'd walked far enough, I turned to the others.
"Guys. There's something I need to tell you."
I explained everything: the corpse I'd recognized as a mimic's stolen shell, the way the camp itself was a deathtrap. Sarah absorbed it, eyes narrowing in controlled anger. Josh looked like he might collapse—whether from fear or dehydration, I couldn't tell.
"So what's the plan?" Sarah asked. "Steal the supplies and run? Hide? You know how rare it is to find a spot like our camp."
"No," I said firmly. "We're not hiding. Once we leave, we look for the exit. Because once the mimics realize we're gone, they'll come hunting. And they won't play anymore."
I sighed, a bead of sweat trailing down my forehead.
"They'll go straight for the kill. So our only choice is to find the exit before they wake."
Josh grabbed my shoulder, grip trembling but strong.
"You talk like you know where it is. If it were that easy, we'd be gone already."
He wasn't angry—just desperate.
I exhaled slowly, remembering the vision that had burned into my mind after I blacked out.
"I think I remember how I got here," I said. "And maybe how to leave."
Sarah's eyes flickered with hope, her face softening for the first time since I met her.
"Then quit wasting time, Yuwon. Tell us."
I stepped back, giving them space to breathe.
Alright... here goes nothing.
"I saw myself walking through a narrow alley. The walls were identical to this maze. The deeper I went, the tighter it got—like the walls were closing in."
They both listened intently.
"At the end, there was a thick red door. A mask shop. The second I touched the handle... I woke up here."
Their eyes lit up, hope sparking in the dark.
"I don't know if the exit's another red door," I said, "but do you know any area that gets narrower the deeper you go?"
Sarah hesitated. "At the far end of the southern hall..."
"Then that's our goal," Josh said, voice trembling but resolute. "We grab supplies and run when the mimics are asleep."
For the first time, there was hope in their eyes. And for a fleeting second—I almost believed in it too.
We set out not long after discussing our Plan. the faint echo of our footsteps swallowed by the labyrinth's endless gray corridors. The air carried that familiar stench-stale, metallic, faintly sweet in the most revolting way. Death had a haunting grasp on this this place, and we were reminded of it everywhere we went.
We spent the next few hours searching the early southern halls, looting what we could from the dead. Sarah worked fast, and even Josh handled it without flinching.
As for me...
"Bluuueeghhh—!"
I vomited all over the first three corpses I tried to loot.
'Guess I'm not cut out for this.'
Seeing my weakened state, Sarah decided to take the lead, the dull blade of her knife glinting in the dim light. Josh trailed behind, muttering curses under his breath from time to time while i followed quietly, fighting my nausea.
At least we didn't run into any mimics. Being surrounded by actual people—real people—made the maze feel a little less hostile.
By the time we decided to head back, the dread had dulled to a quiet rhythm in my chest.
It was time to prepare our escape plan.