Joe's eyes flickered open. The darkness covered him like a blanket. He could not even see his hands, even when he held them closer to his face.
His body felt heavy like wood. Every part of his body ached. He tried to recall what happened to him. The creature. The voice. The ground breaking beneath him.
He was not dead. But where was he?
He pushed himself up slowly, his hands touched a cold stone. The ground was rough and wet, covered in something sticky. He didn't care to know what it was.
"Hello, who is here," his voice echoed in the dark
No response.
He ransacked his pockets and felt the compass. He pulled it out, and to his surprise it glowed faintly with a pale red light. The pointer spun wildly for a moment, them stopped suddenly, pointing straight ahead of him.
Joe legs trembled violently as he followed the direction. It was distant at first. Then he could hear whispers, crying and violent screams. They came from everywhere around him. He could feel it in his bones.
"Keep moving Joe," he whispered slowly to himself.
The compass led him to a narrow passage. The walls here were colored different. They were made of steel and flesh plastered on the steel while maggots oozed out of the flesh, giving out a putrid stench.
Joe stomach churned and he felt like throwing up bitbhe kept moving.
The passage opened into a massive chamber. The ceiling stretched so high that Joe couldn't see the top. At the center of the chamber stood a large mirror taller than any building Joe has ever seen or imagined.
The compass pointed directly at the large mirror.
Joe approached carefully, his reflection staring back at him, but something wasn't right. The reflection was grinning and it had dark eyes.
'"Joe Miller," the reflection spoke, it's voice cold and thick. "You've finally arrived."
"Who are you?" Joe asked, peering deeply into the reflection.
"I'm what you will become," the reflection said, stepping forward. "I am the other version of you that survives. The version that kills and the version that wins."
Joe stepped back. "I'll never be like you."
The reflection laughed. "Not yet. But the maze will change you. You've already felt it once, haven't you? The fear. The desperation for survival. You will do anything to achieve that even if is to kill your friends.
"No, I can never kill my friends to survive." Joe said trying to maintain a steady voice.
"We shall see then"
The mirror shattered suddenly into tiny pieces. Joe covered his face as the glass scattered on him. When he looked up, the pieces were not on the ground. They were floating in the air and spinning slowly.
Each tiny piece of the mirror reflected a different image. Maya fighting the skeletons. Marcus was being dragged into the shadows. Leo was in a corner of a room crying. Goldie standing over her own corpse with blood on her hands.
And Lena.
He saw Lena in one of the broken pieces. Her eyes were completely dark, just like his reflection. She held a knife covered in blood. Behind her lay bodies of other passengers, twisted and broken.
"No, this can't be real." Joe screamed.
"It is and it's already happening," a voice said from behind him.
Joe turned around. Standing behind him was another figure, but this wasn't a monster. It was a man, a passenger. Middle aged man, wearing torn clothes that looked like a survivor from hell.
"Who are you?" Joe asked.
"My name was Sam," the man said. His voice was tired and defeated. "I was once a passenger like you. I made it to the eight game."
"Was once a passenger, how do you mean?" Joe asked noticing the past tense.
Sam smiled sadly. I'm already dead, Joe. I died three days ago in the pit of apocalypse . But the maze keeps pieces of us to torment other passengers."
"Then why are you telling me this?"
"Because you remind me of myself," Sam said. "You think you are tough and fearless, you think you still have the hope to save everyone before the maze ever consumes them. But you're wrong. The maze doesn't let you decide, it decides for you."
"Decides what exactly?"
"Who lives and who dies."
"Joe's hand formed into fists. I won't choose. I will find another way."
Sam sighed sadly and shook his head. "There's only one way out boy.Kill or get killed that's why the game is called Maze of horror, it's either you become a predator-the killer or the prey - the one who will be killed, you have to chose one.
"You're lying, I'm not killing anybody to survive "
Am I?" Sam pointed on one of the broken shards of glass that was floating. It shows Maya standing at crossroads. Two paths. One led to Joe. And the other led to Leo she had to choose to save one one.
"The choice is coming for you too Joe," Sam said and when it does, you will understand. Survival isn't about being smart or strong. It's about being willing to make sacrifices to live."
"There has to be another way." Joe said with desperation all over his voice.
Sam began to erase. "Find the heart of the Maze. It's the only thing that can change the rules. But no one has ever reached it. Because to get there…" He paused. "You have to become the monster."
Before Joe could ask more questions, Sam vanished completely.
The floating shards of mirror began to move faster, spinning around Joe in a whirlwind. Images began to flash rapidly in front of him, different sounds, wailing, screams and echoes.
Suddenly they all stopped.
All the shards now show the same image
The image of how standing over Maya's body with knife in his hands.
"No..No..!" Joe screamed.
The shards of broken glass scattered, and then darkness resumed.
It remained for few moments then all of a sudden a gentle reflection penetrated the entire area surrounding Joe at once.
Joe found himself in another corridor. But he wasn't alone.
Standing at the end of the hall way was human figure. Joe peered through and he could recognize the figure.
It was Lena , her eyes were as black as midnight and her hands were covered with blood.
She smiled coldly.
"Hello Joe," she said in a voice that echoed round the entire room, not quite her voice. "It's time to play."