Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“No!” I screamed and fought against his hold. The acid splashed onto my hand, burning through my skin like fire. I screamed, the pain searing through me, but all I could think about was Mel. Her eyes met mine, and in them, I saw the love and loyalty that had always defined her.
She mouthed, “I love you,” just as the acid consumed her. The sight was unbearable—her skin blistered, blackened, and began to slough off in chunks. The masked figure fused to her managed to withdraw a weapon—something sharp and brutal—and slammed it into Mel’s throat, ending whatever suffering she had left.
Her blood sprayed across the floor as Brody and Dion dragged me away, my legs numb, my mind reeling. A choked sob escaped me, raw and broken. The floor flipped back over, taking Mel and whatever was left of her with it, the walls closing in even tighter around us. Everything around me blurred—sights, sounds, and smells all merging into one horrifying cacophony. The taste of bile rose in my throat, the scent of charred flesh burning into my senses. My best friend was dead, and the realization crashed over me like a wave, threatening to pull me under.
“Gracie!” Dion’s voice broke through the haze, shaking me back to the grim reality. “We need to keep moving. We have to survive this.”
But my body felt like it was moving through thick, suffocating air, each step harder than the last.
I was barely aware of the pain in my hand, the bloodied skin raw and exposed. All I could think about was Mel—her sacrifice, her love, her brutal end.
“Gracie, stay with us,” Brody urged, his voice tight with emotion. “We can’t do this without you.”
I nodded numbly, forcing my legs to keep moving, to focus on getting out of this nightmare alive. With every step, the weight of what I had just witnessed pressed down on me, threatening to crush what little resolve I had left.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Tears blurred my vision, and the searing pain in my hand felt like it was going to consume me. The flesh was completely gone, the rawness exposed to the open air as I fought back sobs that threatened to choke me. Every step was a battle, and if it weren’t for Brody and Dion practically dragging me along, I’m not sure I would’ve kept moving. My mind was trapped in a loop, replaying Mel’s screams and the sight of her dissolving before my eyes.
The walls around us shifted again, grinding like the very gears of hell. As we rounded another corner, we stumbled into another group—Jessica, or maybe Selene, I couldn’t even tell.
They were with two others, but I barely paid them any attention. My focus was a fragmented mess, torn between the overwhelming pain and haunting echoes. The redhead, whoever she was, looked terrible. Her face was pale, her eyes hollow, but I couldn’t bring myself to care enough to ask what had happened to her. When she made a move toward me, as if to help, a visceral reaction gripped me. I recoiled, instinctively, violently, unable to trust anyone outside of the few who had been with me.
“Stay the fuck back,” Dion growled, his voice sharp and edged with barely contained rage.
Brody’s expression was just as fierce, his eyes narrowed to slits as he added, “Don’t even think about coming near her.”
She held up her hands in surrender, her voice shaky but sincere. “I had nothing to do with this... but I get it. I won’t come any closer.”
We didn’t linger. We kept moving, the maze still twisting and turning around us like it was alive. I thought of Lana—she would’ve heard our screams, heard Mel’s screams. A fresh wave of tears spilled down my cheeks, and I couldn’t stop them. The grief was too much, too raw.
Another masked figure appeared as the floor piece beneath us flipped over. I swallowed down a cry of pure agony as my ruined hand hit the floor.
“Up you go,” Dion, grabbed me and pulled me to feet, placing me behind him, away from the acidic sprinkler. My breath hitched in fear, but Brody moved faster. He took the figure down with brutal efficiency, his movements precise and fueled by the same anger that burned within me.
Without hesitation, he slung them beneath one of the acid sprays, the air filling with the stench of burning flesh once again.
We reached a chute—a vertical tunnel leading upwards, our only apparent escape. Without speaking, we silently agreed on the order. Dion went first, testing the rungs, making sure it was safe. Then it was my turn, Brody steadying me as I placed my hands on the cold metal ladder. I could barely feel the rungs beneath my fingers, the pain in my hand radiating up my arm with each movement.
I forced myself to climb, to keep going. Dion was above me, his voice occasionally drifting down with reassurances, while Brody was right behind me, his presence a comforting pressure at my back. The passage we entered was narrow and dark, a metal duct-like tunnel lined with dim, pulsing LED lights that barely provided enough illumination to see.