Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace



"They're clueless," I muttered, frowning as I crouched down, inspecting the ground closely.

Given that we were dealing with a shifting maze, there had to be seams between the walls and the floor that the naked eye could distinguish.

Considering what we faced on the seventeenth level, it seemed some mechanisms were pre-set by the murderer - like timed release of poison gas, scheduled lights out, and walls moving to form a maze at specific intervals.

Colin had managed to clear some obstacles for us in advance, but unfortunately, the killer was among us.

He wouldn't let us get through that easily. He still had cards to play.

So... the killer took advantage of our distraction to paint bloody arrows, luring us into dangerous areas on purpose.

"Ah!" A scream, followed by sounds of gnashing, came from beyond the wall.

Just as I thought, they'd encountered danger.

"Snakes! There are snakes!"

"Aah!"

Stella panicked, pounding on the wall. "Robin! Robin, are you guys okay?"

No response came from the other side.

Clearly, they were in no position to reply.

"Phoebe, do you know how to open this wall?" Stella asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"Why would we open it?" I looked at her, puzzled. "If we do, we'll die too."Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Because they're in there, we have a chance to get out safe. "Now's our chance, I can lead you out."

I stood up, walked over to a wall with a visible seam, and tapped it, confirming it could move. "Follow me."

Stella looked at me incredulously, as if she couldn't believe those words came from me. "Phoebe... What about Robin and Bran? They're still in there... We..."

"Do you really think we can save them? If it's something we definitely can't do, why waste time and risk our lives?" I couldn't grasp what Stella was thinking.

We couldn't save them. Going in there would be a death wish. Why not take the chance to leave while we can?

Stella stared at me, slowly backing away. "You're not Phoebe... Who are you?"

My expression darkened, and I

frowned. "The maze's walls move at

random. They triggered a

e

mechanism; we can't get in now. So, you should come with me, get out of here find the exit, and wait for them on the next level."

Stella, looking somewhat scared, clutched her knife tightly.

She seemed convinced I wasn't Phoebe Caldwell.

I didn't bother explaining further. "If you don't want to die, keep up. Finn might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but escaping isn't entirely hopeless... Besides, Bran's with them. They won't die."

After hesitating for a moment, Stella followed me.

I walked to the corner, found the trigger tile, and stomped on it.

The maze's creator was a genius. This tile, in a crowded and chaotic situation, would inevitably be stepped on, activating the

swnovel.

mechanism and causing the walls to shift.

I led Stella into another space, pristine as if untouched by dust.

As soon as we entered, the walls shifted again, sealing me and Stella in this new space.

"Stay put, don't move," I warned Stella.

She stood frozen in place, not daring to make a move.

I took my knife and jammed it into the seam between the floor tiles, pulling it out to a ghastly scream from below, the blade stained with blood.

Huh...

That maniac had bred something beneath us.

If I chose the wrong exit, creatures from below would swarm us, and Stella and I could end up eaten alive, leaving nothing behind.

"Phoebe... what's down there?" Stella's voice trembled as she asked.

Clearly, she too sensed that something lurked beneath the floorboards.

"Rats..." I said indifferently. "If I choose the wrong mechanism and we don't find the correct passage, then we, both of us, will die."

Down there, were rats that could devour a person whole.

Stella swallowed hard, her forehead sweat soaking her hair.