Trap master: The Maze
Chapter 1:
"Where... where am I?" Spade wondered as he regained his conscious. He found himself stuck in a dark room with no sunlight. There were four doors surrounding him, but only three of them were closed. "What... what is this place?" he often asked himself. He stood up and began to walk to one of the four doors. What he noticed that it was steel and iced. "Something or someone must have froze it to prevent me from escaping." He thought with a frowned. He backed off from the door and began to scan around. The other two doors were also frozen. But there was one door that was not. This door was red and there were writings on the door. Spade went over to them and began to read "Welcome Spade." It read, "Do you have enough courage to escape this prison? To go back into the sunlight you later dreamed off? To go back... to your loved ones." His eyes tear up after reading the last part.
"Something about this makes me uncomfortable." Spade thought. he scanned around one last time, seeing anything he missed in detail. There was a ruined rug with four strange elements at each of the corner. Spade took a closer look. Smearing his paw onto the emerald. Then it glowed into the darkness as if it was giving out light. He awed at it. But he knew he couldn't get it out. But something about it strikes him. It was as if... he knew where this rug came from. Shaking his head, he began to go for the door. Leaning his ear onto it. There was a soft clank coming from the other side of the room. He shivered, anticipating what is going to happen. He began to open the door and he walked forth. he found himself staring at the strange darkness hallway. The clanking gone louder.
"What is this?" He thought. His body was shivering now. But there was no cold air going through him. Something or someone was scaring him. Without any hesitation, he began to take his first steps. His feet began to make sounds mimicking the sounds of whatever was making that sound. He glanced around him. There was no lights, no familiar sounds. He was scared. But he didn't show any emotion. "Just keep walking." he thought as he feet began to echo through the hallways. Suddenly, the noised became louder and louder. He stopped. His heart sank as he glanced ahead. He squinted. In the distance, he could see an large ax swinging back and forth. he blinked nervously, wondering if that ax was going to cut through the hallway therefore sending him into the abyss. he stopped thinking "What is the abyss? What is below me? Water? Sky? Sharks?" He decided not to think it anymore. He resumed walking. Getting closer and closer to the ax.
It barely touched him. If he took one more step, he would have been cut in half. He sighed calmly. But his body isn't responding to his brain. He was nervous, he knew. Death was closer to him then he imagine. He was standing closer to the ax as it swing once more. He remembered death as it surfaced into his mind. the death of his comrades during the Ace war. Or killing his own wife in midnight island. "How is she." He wonders out loud. He didn't kill her, that he knew. After the ax swing one last time, he took a step forward and another quick step to avoid getting slice by the ax as it swings by one more time. Frowning, he didn't glanced back at the ax as he walked on and on. the sound of the ax getting fainter and fainter until there was no sound.
He found himself stuck in a fork. There were two roads, one leading to the left and the other to the right. There were also two yellow arrows standing in front of him. Under neither it was the same words back at the door. The same red blood words that stained his mind. "Choose a path. One leads to death while the other leads to another room. Choose very carefully as you cannot go back to the fork of the road. he gulped quickly and looked left and right. he couldn't see what was ahead of him as they both were covered by darkness. "One leads to death..." He thought as he glanced to the right "While the other leads to another room." He looked back and forth. Then began to think this over. "I'm blind as a bat here." He thought. "There's no way of telling which path leads to death or the door." He shivered as he spoke of death "Or what's there to get me killed."
He raised his head to see the red blood words sitting underneath the two yellow arrows. He raised his paw and formed a pointer. He pointed left and then right. "I really wish I had a clue here." he thought again. then he made a choice. But he wishes he has another. He turned to the left path and began to walk there. His heart began beating fast. he was nervous, he knows. For if he chose the wrong path, it means the end of his life. He began to walk. Then he picked up speed. Until he realized he was running. Running towards his death. He couldn't believed it. But he gave a faint smile to himself just in case if he died. "At least I'll die happy." he thought with a smile. he closed his eyes as tears began to form on his eyes. Then SMACK.
Raising his paw up to ease his aching head, he glanced up and smiled. He did it. "I did it." he thought, smiling. He raised himself up again. In front of him was a door. the safety door. The one he wanted so that he could proceed. He blinked his eyes, his vision blurred. But he reached for the door and began to twist it. His heart leaped with joy as he cracked opened the door. But then he remembered the words of the chilling wall. "You cannot go back to the fork of the road." he closed the door quickly. His sense of joy just became worried. he had nothing to fear. Or so he thought. Gathering his strength, he began to crack open the door. Then widen it farther and farther.
On the other side of the door was a lamppost. The room was empty. There was no one here besides himself. he walked in, closing the door behind him. There was a television on one side. But the cable seems cut off. Clothes was scattered everywhere. he wondered "Who's living here?" He began to glanced around. There was a stool on one side. The picture was on the floor. He walked over to it and picked it up. Then he gasped. "This... This is our family room?!" On the picture was himself, Silvia and Shinrai. Silvia was wearing a red scarf during their marriage. Their son was about five when this picture took place. "Silvia..." He trailed, eyes becoming blurring again.
he laid the picture standing up on the stool and walked to the other side of the room. There he found another brown door. he began to opened it. he found himself in another dark hallway. This time there was no silence. his fear was raised. He walked without a second thought and closed the door behind him. he wonders if he'll see his family again. "Again..." He thought. Then he stopped. He was lost... somewhere in the mist of the tunnel. The tunnel has suddenly gone fogy. He couldn't see anything ahead of him. He took a gulp and resumed walking.
About halfway through the tunnel, he stopped again. There was sinister of laughter echoing through the tunnels and he wondered "Is that my illusion?" he shook his head, dismay. then began walking again. But the laughter echoed again, this louder. He ran. He ran as fast as he could. Away from whoever is taunting him. Then he hit another wall. Only this time it wasn't a wall. He took a second to glanced ahead and knock on the wall. It was a clear with a shining sparkle appearing above it. he wondered what was this for. he turned around and saw another glass. He was trapped! Gasping, he tried to panic. But he couldn't.
Then a green smog appeared from the vents below and above. he knew it was the gas. "This must be the gas chamber!" he thought as he wheezed the gas into his lungs. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. He must get out. he just must. he ran up to the glass and knocked on it. banged on it. But nothing works, it was as if the glass was indestructible. He began to over his mouth as he cough out blood. Spilling onto the floor. It was too much for him to handle.
After an hour or so, an idea had dawned on him. He quickly got up and ran towards the glass. Getting out his claw from his paw. he began to draw a circle shape on the glass wall. The gas was overwhelming and he thought he could passed out again. Then, the glass breaks and he climbed out. Smiling, he ran away from the green smog. he could finally breath in fresh air. his feet suddenly stopped and he collapse from exhaustion. He was breathing hard. his lungs seems damaged but not permanent. He smiled at the thought of that. But what strikes him odd was that "Who designed all of this? How did he knew my name?" He always wonders. The two blood writings on the door and the wall. The gas chamber. He shook his head and began to walk.
His footsteps echoed into the dark as he walked into the darkness. It seems he was walking forever. He takes rest every now and then. but not too often because he wants to get out of this... this... It seems he lost his train of thought. But he didn't mind that as he walked aimlessly through the tunnels. taking a right turn or left turn on the fork roads. Dodging eerily laughter every now or then. With thoughts swirling in his mind, he had a hard time to think about how to get out of here.
He found himself at another door. When he opened it, there was nothing from the other side. Just blankness. he began to glanced around. There was no Television, no scattered clothes. but there was something that hunts him. The red eyes that was framed on the picture ahead of him. They were staring back at him, never blinking. he tried to glanced away but it always strikes him. There wasn't much to see. So he began to find the exit door.
He found an door in the kitchen and tried to opened it. But it wouldn't budged. He took a step back and saw that the doors was frozen shut. He sighed and began looking for another one. There was another door in the dark sinister hallway just next to the pair of red eyes. He hesitated. Then walked along the hallway and found himself stuck with three rooms. each with that same pair of eyes back at the beginning of the hallway. Staring back with their eyes. He wanted to look away. He began to reach out for one of the doors.
Then he twisted it. The eyes trained on him as he finally opened it and began to glanced. It was hopeless, he found an dead end.
Chapter 2:
"So this is how I will die." He thought, looking down. He found himself standing at the edge of the waterfall. Ahead of him was a light. just a faint light. to the right and left of him were the words "You've failed?" He began to take a deep breath. "If only I could have a second chance." He thought. There were five waterfalls on either side of the room he's standing in. All leading down into that black hole where nothing could live.
He stood there for a good moment remembering all the events in his history. All the wars he had fought in. the victories and the defeats. the glorious memories and the memories he wished he doesn't want to know. His relationship with Silvia. "Silvia." He thought with a smile. Tears flowing down his eyes as his mouth gave its one last smile. "I hope you can make it without me, take good care of our child for me. For us. For Shinrai." He felt his weight leaning forward as he opened his eyes. He could tell he was going to fall. he remembered his words "If only I could get a second chance..."
"Spade..." Said a voice. "Spade wake up." Spade opened his eyes. He looked around, awed. Ahead of him was his wife and child, now all grown up into an dark cat like himself. Shinrai and Silvia smiled gracefully at him. "I was so worried that you wouldn't wake up, Dad!" Shinrai said. "I tried all kinds of things." "Okay okay." Spade said, smiling. "You don't have to tell me all the details, Shinrai." Shinrai smiled as he gave a short nod. The necklace that he was given was vibrating under his chin as he ran out the door to spread the news.
Spade found himself in his own room. There was no clothes, no televisions. The sun was peering out at the windows behind him as Silvia went on the bed next to Spade. "Now tell me." Silvia smiled. "Did you have a nightmare?" She touched her nose on his nose, rubbing it slightly. Spade smiled "Yes." "You can tell me when you get up. Come on." Silvia replied, getting up. She began to head for the door. Opening it, she glanced at Spade before closing it. Spade watched her go. Then raised his eyes at the ceiling. The horrors was stuck into his mind as he recalls everything. "Was it a dream? Or was it reality?" He always wonders, frowning. "furthermore, what was that chilling laughter, red eyes and that blood, all about?"
He shook his head, frowning. Then began to climb out of his bed and walked out the door. Today was a new day in the forest. He just remembered it was Zio's birthday today. So he ran towards the middle of the forest. When he reached there, he began to waved at everyone. Cylus smiled. "Glad you came, Spade!" He spoke in his cheerful voice. he held up the cake up to him. Spade passed up the offer and looked around.
There were two pink tables behind him and on the side of him. Sitting on the table was the kind of food that a cat could eat, ranging from the fish to the salmon that Blitz brought in. Yup... everything was perfect. Ahead of him was a brown table. Silvia was sitting down with her son, Shinrai. Zio and Blitz was sitting across from them. Cylus using a knife to cut the remaining parts of the cake as Spade began to sit down on the brown table. He smiled. But a familiar laughter still haunts him. That same deep pitch voice that he heard in his horror dreams. He hesitantly glanced at his left and gasped. Everyone except Shinrai and Sevlla was glanced at him. Silvia asked him "Are... are you okay, Spade?" But he knew he wasn't okay. No, no. he wasn't. He couldn't believed that the same deep voice was his own son... His own son.