Lina Walter

We were able to get out of the room with only one casualty. Out of fear that the clown was just pulling a trick, the boys made sure the door was blocked.

After all the ruckus, I heard someone sobbing. When I looked behind, the same girl continued to cry once again.

"Bob..." she kept repeating the name of the man who was the first victim of the clown. Some girls who pitied her, comforted her.

"Shh... It's alright... Everything's going to be okay..." I heard them say.

While that was happening, I paid them no mind.

"Aren't you going to comfort her also?" a man asked me with a mocking grin on his face.

"Why should I? Fools who don't get a grasp on the situation are the first ones to die." I told him and leaned on the wall behind me.

I normally don't smoke but I felt lighting a damn cigarette. Not to mention that the urge to take a bath was strong because of my overall disheveled appearance.

While I was dreaming about a warm bath on my head, a loud voice made me snap.

"Quit crying, will ya?! It's fucking annoying!" a man with a snake tattoo on his neck shouted in annoyance, his group of friends also agreed with a nod.

What's wrong with him? I thought.

Although I agree that it was quite loud, I didn't thought of it as an annoyance. In fact, we all didn't mind.

"I-I'm sorry..." the woman stifled a sob.

"Hey, stop it", a tall woman with blonde hair and electric blue eyes that carries power and strength on them intervened. "It's alright. It's natural for you to cry. You had just lost someone after all and I'm sorry for your loss."

"No. I'm sorry too. Yes, he was someone who was dear to me but... He wouldn't like it if I just kept crying and do nothing." the woman replied.

"I'm Evie. Evie Willows."

"I'm... I'm Lily, Lily Ethan."

"Tsk!" the man with the tattoo clicked his tongue and I couldn't help but roll my eyes heavenward.

A chime interrupted the brief peace we were enjoying. Unlike the bell we heard back then, the chime was calm and loud. It was pleasant to the ear but it made us jump in surprise.

"Let's go." a man announced and we had no choice but to step inside the dark hallways that loomed over us.

I noticed that some of us kept glancing here and there as if they were wary of the whole place. I, too, did the same thing.

With my palm rested on the cold walls, the walls were thick and it somehow felt alive. Moreover, the feeling of someone still watching us from behind bugged me. Nonetheless, I did not looked back and focused in front of me.

While I was walking quietly, the same man with a snake tattoo bumped me in the shoulder almost causing me to fall. The man in question, however, did not looked back or even muttered an apology. He just kept walking while I suppressed the urge to smack him on the head.

"Are you alright?" the woman named Evie asked me and I replied.

"Yes", not forgetting to put a smile on my face despite the turbulent feelings inside me.

"You're young. How old are you?" Evie questioned in shock.

"I've turned 17 this year." I politely answered.

"I see. Same as my sister", she mumbled but I clearly heard what she said but I pretended not to hear what she just uttered.

"I'm Evie, by the way." she smiled at me, her electric blue eyes curved along with her mouth. It was breathtaking but I responded calmly.

"I'm Lina. Lina Walter."

"Lina... It sounds simple but also easy to memorize." Evie commented.

"I hear that all the time", I chuckled.

"It was nice to meet you. I hope we get out of here safely." Evie.

"...I hope so too." I replied while averting my eyes.

Was she just being naive or was she just hoping for it? It's not like all of us are going to get out alive here.

I... Just couldn't help but feel wary of her.

I pushed those thoughts back to my mind and ignored the strange feeling I felt.

We soon arrived in a large hall where ten tunnels welcomed our presence. This time, the hall were surrounded by torches that were lighted by flames. The question was... Is it safe or not?

I saw them look at each other, confused glances and doubts were casts to each other's eyes.

"What do we do?" I heard them utter.

"What else is better than to split up?" the man with the snake tattoo snarled at them.

"...I think you're right. However, let's go by group. I think that's alright with you?" he turned to the man with the tattoo.

"Fine! Just make it quick!" he screamed.

There were ten tunnels and we were to be divided into ten groups.

While I watch them group themselves to the people they were comfortable with, I stood at the corner with my back on the wall.

"Lina!" I noticed someone waving at me and saw Evie who flashed me a small smile.

I sighed and brushed my sticky hair with my hand then went towards her.

I gave her a small smile.

"You don't have any group yet?" Evie questioned.

"Not yet." I answered.

"Really?!" she beamed. "Then let's go together! Look, everyone is already finished."

I looked around and saw them choosing which tunnel to go to. 9 out of the ten tunnels were chosen. Which meant that we had no choice but to go to the last tunnel.

"Lina, this is Gabriel." she pointed at the black haired boy.

"Nice to meet you", he greeted me with a welcoming smile.

"You too." I replied.

"And the man with the snake tattoo is Noah." Evie pointed to him. He uttered something I couldn't hear but Evie ignored him. We noticed that everyone had gone ahead so we approached the entrance.

With me, Evie, Gabriel, and Noah, we all stepped inside the tenth tunnel.

Bang!

As soon as we entered, the tunnel that had no door was blocked by a solid metal.

I noticed Gabriel swallowing the lump on his throat in my peripheral vision.

Having no choice but to advance, we went further into the labyrinth.

Unlike the dark halls we were in, the tunnel had lightbulbs lighting our path.

The walls as well as the ground of the tunnel was cold that moisture formed in the metallic walls. The ground too, was wet with water. The puddles underneath us reflected our images as we walked through.

"It's... Getting cold, isn't it?" Evie blurted out of the blue. She rubbed her warm hands on her hands.

"Right. The temperature is dropping as we walk." Gabriel agreed.

Click-

We heard a clicking sound along with someone uttering something.

We glanced at Evie to see that the floor she stepped in sunk and we looked at her in shock. Not long after, we heard some gears shuffling and we were immediately alarmed.

"Get down!" I heard someone shout but before I could move, someone pushed me down. The two of us fell down with a splash along with a small thump.

Swoosh!

The rustling musical sound of the arrows being released all at once made me freeze. If it wasn't for him pushing me, I would have reacted late.

No.

I knew it was coming but it still hadn't sink in yet thus the delayed reaction.

"Thank you", I mumbled and he just uttered a small welcome with an annoyed expression. When the arrows stopped, we all stood up.

"Looks like we'll have to be more careful." Evie broke the silence. We all responded with a nod and looked in front of us.

A deadly labyrinth with booby traps. Whoever brought us here is not to be underestimated.

I took a deep breath and we all continued on our way.

************************************************************

Hi, this is Linzy and I just wanted to say sorry because I've made some sudden changes.

I'm still an amateur at writing but I'm doing my best to improve!

Thank you all for reading, I would like to hear some of your thoughts regarding the previous chapter and the characters. Be back soon!

😊😊😊😊

~ Linzy ~