Sarah walked down a long, stony corridor. Was this the outer rim of the Labyrinth? No, she could see a turn behind her and something else up ahead. She recognized the stone, but she didn't recognize the area itself. Despite the lack of eye-lichen, this was definitively within the Labyrinth; she could sense it.
"Where are you taking me tonight?" asked Sarah with a smile, tenderly setting her hand upon the corridor wall.
Her smile disappeared when her fingers met stone. She felt dread, worry, and…something else enter her. She couldn't put her finger on the feelings she was experiencing, but they felt sick. They felt ill. Despite the danger of the Labyrinth, Sarah had never felt unwell. Not like this.
What are you trying to show me?
Behind her was dim and in front of her was lit, so she carried on ahead.
Since I'm facing that way, I guess I'll go down…
The stillness was unsettling. It was like the Labyrinth itself was holding its breath. The sky was dark and solemn, and in the silence, the echo of her footsteps boomed around her.
She came to a crossroad, unsure which way to turn in the dim light; as if on cue, the hallway to her right darkened and the hallway to her left was illuminated.
Sarah followed the light, but stopped short.
Before her lay a black hole—no, the walls were there, but they were blackened with…ash? Again no; there was a slight ooze seeping from the cracks in the stones. It was horrible, as if the walls were infected, but she couldn't look away. What was this, what was happening?
Then, like a noxious gas, tendrils of blackness peeled themselves from the stone. They drifted towards her like heavy smoke, crawling along the walls. Sarah tried to run. She wanted to turn and scream, but she was planted in place. The blackness was all around her, it enveloped her, she couldn't see, she—
~.*.~ ~.*.~ ~.*.~
Sarah awoke in a cold sweat. She had jolted to a seat, ready to spring from bed to escape the black danger. The fear slowly dissipated, her breath came at a slower pace, and she laid back down again.
"What a nightmare," she said to herself. There was no way that had been the Labyrinth speaking to her. The Labyrinth guided her and welcomed her. It was just an awful dream.
Right?