In a few minutes the eight people had opened their eyes and struggled to sit upright. They wore ordinary clothes, except for one, who wore a military uniform. Inspired, I stood before them, hands behind my back, with chin high like a drill instructor. ‘Y-You need to…’ I trailed off when most of them stared at me. I’d stammered and my voice had cracked as I trailed off. I cleared my throat and barked, ‘Stand up!’ To my utter awe, six of the eight shot to their feet.
I was about to introduce myself, but I wondered if my name was a weakness. In school, some students replaced the “A” with “D” and added the letter—anyway I’d never liked my name and didn’t want to risk losing this new group. ‘I am known as Archon,’ I said, choosing an alias I’d used online. ‘Each of you must select a new name for the coming hours.’ I…didn’t want to know their names, in case later they…
One of the people still on the floor was a young man with spiked, tawny hair and grey eyes. He yawned. ‘What’s going on?’
There it is. The question. If I didn’t trim the weed, it’d sprout into dozens more: Where are we? Who’re you? Why’s this happening? ‘I don’t know what’s happening,’ I said, ‘but if you want to survive, you need to listen.’
Most of them did, but a girl had strayed into the pantry, which I’d left open. ‘Is this a bomb shelter?’ she asked, inspecting a jar of tomatoes.
‘No, it’s—’
The guy in military uniform stroked his chin. He was a teenager of similar height to me. ‘Ah, the Devil’s chamber,’ he nodded. I grew hopeful. Maybe it was a bizarre military installation. Could he be immortal, too? If he knew more about the situation, I’d pass leadership to him. ‘It seems we’ve fallen into his trap, a game of survival. Soon the chamber will fill with water—’
He is like me!
‘—then we’ll be forced to choose someone to sacrifice.’
What?
‘The mastermind will come on screen right…now!’ He swung his arm to gesture at the wall. ‘Right…now! Right about…this second!’
So…he’s just an idiot. I suddenly doubted his military credentials. Upon closer inspection, his “uniform” appeared more like a “costume”. At this thought, sweat formed on my palms. My heart hammered. His interruption cost me control over the situation. Already the eight had divided to talk to those nearest, and they asked the dreaded questions. Obviously they wouldn’t be able to quell each other’s confusion; their fear would feed on itself. They reached into their pockets but couldn’t find anything. No phones, wallets, keys—nothing. The police had confiscated my belongings, so I didn’t think anything of it.
I needed to speak, but my mouth went dry. My hands trembled. I couldn’t do it, couldn’t lead them. Why did I think it were possible, like I’d suddenly be a new person? The idiot continued to stare at the wall where he thought a “mastermind” would appear to explain the situation. My rage boiled and I spun away from him. That’s when I saw it: tiny gaps in the corners of the floor. The white and black lines distorted. Water was rising. I spun back. I needed to speak! I needed to get the group moving! That guy with the grey eyes—he stared at me, brows furrowed. He hadn’t stopped staring at me. When I returned his gaze, he raised a brow. Was he challenging me, or awaiting instructions?
Damn it. If the group noticed the water—
The girl in the pantry yelped as glass shattered. She’d dropped a massive jar while trying to open it. The others turned their attention to her. The good, the wouldn’t notice the water. The bad, I didn’t know how to get their attention back.
But I needed to do something.
To act.
#
Actions speak louder than words, so it went. I rushed to the alcoves in the wall and retrieved the other eight Vambraces. I’d hoped to have everyone choose an alias beforehand, but that’d have to wait. I weaved through the group stood outside the pantry. Since they were distracted, they accepted the Vambrace without question. I raised my arm at each person, showing that it needed to be worn. When I got to the grey-eyed guy, he didn’t accept the Vambrace. ‘What is it?’ he asked.
‘Just put it on.’
‘I need answers first,’ he whispered. ‘A few minutes ago I was at a diner. Then there was this voice, and it said something like: “Will you suffer?” Next thing I knew, here I was.’
‘ “Shall you suffer,” is what it said,’ I corrected.
His eyes widened. ‘You heard it, too?’
‘I was in—I heard it. I’ve done this before. We need to leave the room, and these’ll help us.’ I tapped my Vambrace’s screen and showed him the interface. ‘We need to—’
Someone screamed. Water gushed from the room’s corners like a burst fire hydrant. I felt the extra Vambrace leave my hand; the grey-eyed guy slipped it on and fastened the bindings. ‘Is “Archon” your real name?’ he asked, to which I shook my head. ‘A nom-de-guerre, I guess? Makes sense.’ His Vambrace asked him to input a name, and I watched anxiously as he typed:
‘Captain.’
This done, he stared at me. His gaze at that proximity was distinctly challenging. I didn’t like the implication. He sensed I intended to lead the group, yet he’d chosen an alias like that. Was he screwing with me? This “Captain” shot to his feet. His presence expanded, and he seemed far taller and solidly built than when he’d sat. His stentorian voice boomed across the chamber as he told everyone to follow him. The others did, abandoning the pantry, fleeing the waters, and following him to the door.
Oh no.
It happened too fast. He spoke too fast. They followed too fast. I hadn’t thought fast enough. The next room—the javelins! I chased after them. ‘Wait, wait!’ But Captain moved too fast; he was already through the door. And then—
Nothing happened.
No javelins came. The others entered the room. The door closed behind us, silencing the rushing water. I swore at my incompetence. I should’ve brought supplies from the pantry, along with bedding. Well, at least everyone wore a Vambrace.
I clutched my knees and panted, and then leapt back as a central panel opened. But danger didn’t come. A chest rose. Captain opened it without hesitation. It contained a hatchet, food, water, and nectar, nearly identical contents to when the previous group and I found a chest.
‘Seems kinda like a secret facility,’ Captain said, to which the others nodded.
‘The Devil’s maze,’ the idiot chimed in, nodding sagely.
‘Let’s get something straight. Did you all hear a voice before you woke up here?’ The group concurred. ‘Good. Next, we need a way of addressing each other.’ Captain introduced himself as such, and then told them to choose a nom-de-guerre, before showing how to type with the Vambrace. They had trouble choosing on the spot, so he assigned them:
Goth, a slim girl in her mid-twenties with black hair, eyeliner, lips, and clothes.
Wheezy, a large-chested girl with an inhaler. Her blonde hair looked like waves of gold.
Biker, a short, burly man with braided red hair and biking leathers.
Moneybags, a young man in a suit with gold chains.
Wasp, a woman with a black leggings and yellow crop-top.
Copper, a fake-tanned guy with a copper necklace and bracelet.
‘And Dog,’ said Captain. ‘Or, Delusions-of-Grandeur.’ Remarkably, most of them laughed. Dog didn’t look impressed, yet he input the alias. It might’ve been my imagination, but he shuffled closer to me. We looked and dressed in a similar way.
‘Oh, right,’ Captain said, glancing at me. ‘And…’
‘Archon,’ I said.
‘Are you sure?’
What’s that supposed to mean? Captain didn’t give me a chance to answer, as he turned toward the door. The others went with him, except for Dog, who kept to my side. ‘You know what’s happening, don’t you?’ he whispered. I thought he meant that I had prior experience, but he continued: ‘He’s trying to establish his authority. We gotta stick together, make sure we don’t lose ourselves in the Devil’s maze.’
‘Sure,’ I sighed, and approached the chest. I couldn’t tell whether having Dog as an ally was beneficial or not. I envied his clothes, though. I still wore my stained grey t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts from when I got taken to jail (for removing those clothes while scaring away that guy). I wondered what happened to the woman; after the police came, what did she tell them?
As I pondered, my Vambrace’s tongue absorbed the nectar. Once more the battery increased, and a new icon lit up. It resembled a paper map with a marker on it. When I tapped it, a holographic, gridded cube formed over the Vambrace. Dog didn’t react; the hologram was right before his eyes, but he stared through it. To make sure, I asked if he saw anything. He didn’t understand, so I pointed. Still, no response. Holograms are user-dependent, I thought. Good to know.
This new function, mapping, intrigued me far more than the journal or archive, as it had real, noticeable benefit. Two cubes were alight, while various others remained dark. The two were each denoted with a letter (“S” and “G”), the meanings of which I found in the archive. “S” meant safety, or safe room as I’d taken to calling it. “G” meant gift, which corresponded to the room with a chest.
I had two theories.
First, the door in the safe room had appeared on a different wall, meaning instead of walking out into the room with the javelins, we reached a different gift room. But I couldn’t confirm it until next time I revived.
Second (a more daunting prospect), the rooms changed. I assumed the new group caused the positions to change, but I couldn’t be sure. They could’ve changed on a timer, or each room type was generated when the door opened. Either way, I didn’t have enough information. The only way to get more was to keep…going…
Captain and the others were long gone.
#
I jogged, lungs and legs aching. Dog followed. Though in military attire, his level of fitness matched mine. We passed three tiny, empty rooms before reaching an enormous one, like it had stolen space from the previous three. The others clustered around a chest in the middle, oblivious to the tiny panels sliding away from the walls, floor, and ceiling. Blue flames audibly jetted from the various openings, their hiss like a swarm of snakes converging on us. I pushed Dog moments before the floor between us erupted.
The rest of the group reacted with panic, clambering on and around the chest like ants on sugar. ‘Spread out!’ Captain ordered. ‘Don’t push each other!’
No, I thought. Terror and desperation crept through my heart. Images of Heath and Chloe’s corpses flashed in my mind, followed by the smell—my stomach turned and twisted. Bile stung my throat. I’ve done this before. If I didn’t help, we’d lose people again. As a wall of flames changed direction I rushed toward the middle, but I turned back. Last time, our group survived after the initial shock because we’d stuck together. So I waited for Dog, directing him through the vertical flames like a hellish forest. Then we aimed for the group.
The seven of them had started to spread out when we reached the chest. The most isolated continually spun around, checking the ground and walls for incoming fire. It wouldn’t work; I knew it with dark certainty, as much from experience as premonition. If a wall of fire forced them toward the wall, they wouldn’t be able to watch all directions. They’d get trapped and—
Wheezy screamed. A low jet had set her skirt on fire. She swatted at the fabric. If she tried to stop-drop-and-roll she’d go straight into the fire. The others had gone too far away to help, but Wheezy hadn’t gone far from the chest. I noticed the chest. There! A dagger and shield remained. I collected both and rushed to Wheezy, hacking at the alighted fabric. When I finished, her skirt had gone from knee- to thigh-length. A small price to pay, I figured, compared to being engulfed in flame; her blouse was made of polyester, and if that caught on fire—I didn’t have time for hypotheticals. The group was still too separated.
I led Wheezy to the chest and told her and Dog to stand back-to-back, watching for incoming flames. I called to the other nearest, Goth, Moneybags, and Biker, and with careful manoeuvring got them to the chest. They formed a circle and adjusted when fire strayed too close. I told them to communicate if it looked like the fire was moving to trap them against other flames. They assented.
Next, Captain, Wasp, and Copper. They’d strayed the furthest, but I was running out of energy. The room’s oxygen had diminished dramatically. Our whole group was soaked in sweat; my grey t-shirt had more dark patches than not. Part of me thought to leave them, reasoning that the flames should stop soon and they’d be fine. Or I thought to place the blame at them for blindly listening to Captain’s advice. Or to blame Captain entirely. ‘Yeah, let them burn,’ said the darkest part of my mind.
These thoughts stopped me from plunging back into the maze of fire, but it didn’t stop me from searching for a route. When I saw a gap, impulse managed to override everything else. I charged at the same second as Wasp, who went flying past me toward the others at the chest. With my actions unnecessary, I went to retreat, but a fresh wall of flame blocked my return. There was no choice but to circle around.
In the process, I neared Copper and Captain. The latter was furthest, and he wasn’t far from…a door! But, no, the flames hadn’t deactivated yet. The door wouldn’t open. We needed to regroup. ‘This way!’ Captain yelled over the hiss of flames. Copper started toward him.
‘No!’ I yelled in return. ‘It won’t open yet!’ A nearby opening formed. If they came toward me, we could circle back. ‘This way, get back to the group.’
Copper’s panicked expression worsened as he started going to me, to Captain, to me, to Captain. The fire didn’t care about his indecision. A single jet from the floor approached from behind, as if targeting him deliberately. Copper wore a gaudy tracksuit made of nylon; that earlier hypothetical was about to become a reality. Copper spun. His sleeve’s cuff neared the fire. He screamed as the fabric burned and melted. The fire wouldn’t stop, and panic rooted him to the spot.
I rushed forward with the last of my energy, unsure what I’d do until I reached him, and leapt with my shield outstretched. It landed on the jet of flame like it were a grenade. The fire spurted and hissed. The metal heated up, nearly scorching my arm, until pulled away. The shield blocked the fire for a second longer, enough for me to pull Copper away.
A minute later, the flames deactivated. Silence and pure white light returned to the room. I flopped to the ground, chest rising and falling with rapid, unsteady breaths. The group wouldn’t understand my relief: Nobody had perished. Aside from Copper’s wrist and sweat-drenched clothes, we’d made it through.
I angled my head sidelong, to the group on one side, and then to Captain on the other. Though we’d survived, the room made me realise I couldn’t avoid the issue any longer. We needed to decide who led the group.
