Chapter 54
Chapter Fifty-Four
Eva
When the two boilers exploded, chaos erupted as Hailey stole a set of master keys that unlocked more doors for people.
Smoke billowed, and the emergency lights flashed while alarms shrieked.
People scattered, and someone shouted about an exit in the opposite direction of where I was heading.
I didn’t know what to believe and didn’t want to waste time.
What if the other direction led to a dead end or a room rigged with traps?
I trusted my instincts about going toward the delivery center.
Four frightened teens followed me, Avery, and Hailey. There were more kids here, but I didn’t know where they were held. I didn’t have time to look for them. If I escaped, I’d make sure someone came back to help them.
Fear and adrenaline pumped through me as we ran into the delivery center, out through the wide doors, and onto the dirt road with woods on either side. Chilly air and darkness greeted me, but the two flashlights I’d stolen from the desk in the delivery office shed light for us to navigate.
Avery held one flashlight, and I had the other. We hurried into the woods, with the trembling beams cutting through the darkness. Hope thrummed in the air as leaves crunched under our feet.
“Get them!” someone shouted nearby, and my heart pumped faster.
The main dirt road would make it easy for them to find us. We needed a discreet path.
“I’m scared,” said Mary, the thirteen-year-old girl who looked like she was about to cry.
“There’s a small path over there!” Avery pointed. “I’ve got you, Mary. You’re going to be okay.” Avery took Mary’s hand and hurried down the small path.
“They’re over here!” a man shouted, sounding too close for comfort.
Footsteps pounded in the distance.
“They’re here somewhere!” said someone.
“Kill them!” replied another voice.
I pushed the fear aside and concentrated on running away from the voice.
We made it to the crest of a dark hill, overlooking a wood that stretched out—thick, tangled, and silent with a faint rustle of leaves.
At the center lay a sprawling maze of hedges and crooked paths.
To get to the other side, we had to pass through the maze.
“I heard stories about this,” Hailey said.
“This is probably where Connie died,” Avery commented. “There are traps hidden in here. If you make the wrong turn, you die.”
The teenagers huddled close to us.
I studied the maze, moving the flashlight up, down, and around it. The shape of the maze resembled something familiar. My pulse quickened when recognition sparked.
“I know this maze.” I turned to the teens. “I know it’s hard, but don’t be scared. We need to stay calm and focused, okay?”
They all nodded with teary eyes.
The rose tattoo on Kain’s back resembled a map of the maze before me. Did he know about this maze? The rose art had a line that curved like a backward S at the center. That had to be the escape route.
Shouts erupted as gunshots blared in the distance, echoing through the woods. I couldn’t tell how close they were, but they weren’t far. Who were Tony’s men shouting at? Were they shooting at the escapees? Terror gripped me.
Focus, Eva.
Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about Kain.
I was standing in his shoes now, with the unrelenting terror forming into a monster that could devour me any second.
If I gave in to it, I’d die along with my friends and these children.
Death was right behind me, and the only way to survive was to go forward.
I blinked away my tears so the others couldn’t see. They needed me to be strong for them.
“The way out is a backward S-shape. Keep that image in your head. I’ll go first.” I looked at everyone. “Stay close, okay?”
They nodded and followed me into the maze. As soon as we stepped inside, sensor lights in the walls of vines illuminated, casting a dim light on the area. I doubted Hawthorne installed the lights for us to see. Instead, they allowed him to watch his prey die.
We came to a junction that forked into two paths. “Turn left,” I said. “That would be the direction of a backward S.”
My heart pounded as I prayed, hoping I remembered everything correctly.
“Try this.” Avery grabbed a rock from the ground, tossing it into the other path. It bounced a few times and rolled into something. Immediately, a massive plank with spikes on the surface flew up and landed on the ground.
“Shit!” Hailey flinched as the teens cried in horror.
If we had taken that route, we would’ve died from those sharp spikes.
Anxiety twisted my stomach as we made our way farther in.
“They’re in the maze!” a man shouted.
“They’re going to die in there!” Laughter bellowed. “Leave them. Save your energy. Jonny, you stay here and watch them. The rest of you come with me to catch the others.”
Self-doubt multiplied, but I tried my best to ignore their frightening comments.
“They’re just trying to scare us,” I said as we navigated the maze made of hedges and high walls, probably obscuring some dangerous traps.
More gunfire erupted in the distance, and my heart hammered faster.
“Are we there yet?” Mary asked.
“We’re close,” I said, giving them hope.
But I wasn’t sure how close we were.
My foot caught on something, and I yanked it free. A narrow wooden panel with nails swung out from the side, striking my injured ankle.
“Ow!” I hissed, limping.
Avery crouched, shoved the panel aside, and examined my foot. “You’re bleeding a lot, Eva.”
Pain bloomed in my right ankle, the same one that had been cut by something during the kidnapping, but adrenaline masked it.
“We must keep going. I’ll make it.”
Avery ripped a portion of her shirt and bandaged my wound. “You’re good for a while.”
“Thank you.” I glanced at the metal thing on the ground. “Be careful of the traps hidden underground. Watch your step.” Pushing the agony aside, I limped forward.
We came to an area that wanted us to turn left. There were no other options except a thick hedge. My gut told me something was wrong. I reached down for some pebbles and whipped them toward the open path. Darts from out of nowhere flew into the area.
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed.
“But there’s a wall on this side.” Hailey gestured, looking worried.
I stepped toward it and pushed. When nothing happened, I added more force to it. A section of the hedge descended into the ground, revealing a pathway for us. Relief settled, and we hurried on.
“Eva!” Kain shouted, sounding extremely close. I looked around as hope burst within me, desperately wanting to see him.
“Fuck!” someone screamed. “We’ve got—”
Gunshots rang out, and silence thrummed for a second.
“He’s dead,” Kain said. “Eva! Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m over here! In the maze. Can you see me?” I shouted back, then quickened my steps as best I could. Then I saw the beam of a flashlight in the distance. It appeared to be on top of a hill or an elevated ledge.
“Yes, I see you!” he exclaimed. “Keep going, I’m on the other end.”
“Help is here!” I offered hope to my friends. “We’ll be okay.”
“Guys, Eva’s in the maze. Look at my coordinates.” Kain’s voice sounded closer than before. “One guard is down in my area. More possibly coming. I need some men here now, just in case. The rest, keep to the plan.”
“Kain, don’t come in here. There are traps,” I said.
“We’re almost at the exit.” I didn’t want him to endanger himself by coming in here for me.
This maze might not be the same one he’d experienced.
Besides, even if it were, that had been twenty years ago.
I recalled his forearm held the map to his escape, but the rose map I was referencing was on his lower back . . .
It was better for him to stay put. I knew we were close to the exit when we came to a junction that offered two paths. One path looked clean and safe. The other path was obstructed with branches, dried leaves, uneven soil, and debris all over. This had to be the ultimate test.
A stressed person with little hope would pick the path of least resistance. This was Hawthorne’s game. A psycho like him would leave something to confuse his victims. At least that was what my mind was telling me.
“That way looks easy,” said the teen girl named Amy.
“Because it’s easy, that means it’s the wrong path,” I said as Robert Frost’s poem echoed in my head. I took the one less traveled by.
“This way.” I pointed toward the unwelcoming path that needed pruning.
As a test, Hailey threw a branch onto the simple path. The ground shifted and swallowed up the branch and the surrounding soil, creating an immense sinkhole. The branch hit something and clanked; the sound echoed into the night.
“Kill the escapees!” a man screamed.
More shouting erupted, followed by a series of gunshots. Concern for Kain churned in my stomach. But I tried my best to stay calm.
“Let’s go!” I exclaimed and raced out of the maze.
“Shit! They made it out!” Two men with flashlights screamed. They were about fifty feet from us, approaching fast. “Get them!”
“Go! Go!” I shouted to everyone to run away from the approaching men, heading down a dirt path.
More gunfire boomed, and we crouched behind the bushes.
“They’re down,” said someone. “We’re good!”
Footsteps pounded close, and my heart hammered. I gripped my flashlight, preparing to whack anyone who wanted to hurt me or my friends.
“Eva!” Kain’s voice blazed through my fear. “Where are you?”
I rose, stepped out of the bushes, and spotted Kain running down the dirt path toward me. I raced forward and wrapped my arms around him.