Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

The Nightmare Maze (ChocolateStrawberry&Steven Rose)

Steven Rose

Steven Rose

Planetoid
Joined
Aug 14, 2010
(Sounds of thunder)
Lightning strikes the large castle that sat upon its floating nest, echoing down the empty halls. Carried by the wings of the dead as they whisper along the walls. Sits a wizard upon his perched seat in front of the fire, staring at the board before his, his beloved maze. He carried it with him always, always watching the scenes unfold as human after human was put through the maze, all failed. None had ever lived the torment of pain and fear, for his maze was one of a kind, what ever you feared would inhabit his maze and each thing would find a way to break your spirit, performing vile wrecked things that would make even the devil himself weep.
But the last victim was starting to fail and in a few moments she was dead. A small dot of shade grew from the board and stepped out toward the wizard. "A fine show from this one, my lord." said the Shade, bowing before his master. With a simple gesture the wizard brushed him off and one word carried his next order, "more". "As you wish my lord," turning to glide out of the room, to find a more fitting girl and bring her back for his master's entertainment, he would have to pick more carefully this time, find someone strong enough to endure and gullible enought to follow him, should not be too hard, after all the had over four hundred years of practise. He would wait for night to fall.....
 
Jane led the horses back to the stable. She didn't like the storm that was brewing or how dark the night appeared. It wasn't that she was scared of the dark or rain, but neither one helped her at the moment. She felt suffecated by the shadows.

"Don't get your dander up," she muttered, petting the horses. "You're safe in here." Jane, however, didn't feel safe. It was a long hike from the stables back to her house. Whatever idiot thought it was best to build the stables on the other side of the field should be punished.

One more look at the sky and Jane started back to her house. She wanted to make it before the storm started. She was halfway home when lightning flashed and the sky lit up like daytime. For a moment, she was blinded. When she got her sight back, she blinked. She was almost certain she had seen someone next to her.

"Seeing things, Jane," she muttered and continued to her house. The feeling that she was being followed didn't fade and she ran the last few feet.
 
Jasper rode down to Earth on a lightning bolt, striking the ground and instantly blending with the shadows. He looked around him and saw a girl standing over him before she started running. 'Good thing i picked the lightning, otherwise she would have seen me' he thought to himself.

He started sliding toward the girl, his curiousity peeked, he had almost landed on this girl and maybe this trip would not take as long as before, first he would have to test her.

Looking up to the storm he willed the rain to turn freezing cold and then create hail, test the girls endurance with cold.
 
Jane quickly entered her house just as the storm worsened. She was shivering from the rain and had a few bruises from where the hail had struck her. The weatherman had said nothing about hail!

"Stupid storm," she muttered as she made her way to the master bathroom. She stripped off her clothes and started filling the tub for a nice hot bath. She was drentched and freezing.

Although she lived out in the middle of nowhere, she felt the urge to close the blinds. She knew the chances of someone seeing her were nil, but that didn't stop the sudden fear she felt.

"Hold it together," she said, "you're perfectly fine." She had been jumpy ever since she found out her ex was looking for her. She just wanted to be alone and away from him.

"He can't find you here," Jane whispered as she got in the tub. "He has no clue this place exists."
 
'I think this about as vulnerable as she is going to be' he thought crawling along the wall before gliding under the door. 'now i just need the power to go out' he thought before sticking a shadow finger to the light socket and sending out another bolt through it killing the power and then jumping and covering the girl in a tail of his darkness and taking her through the shadows back to the maze leaving her on the floor with some of this shadow as a robe, while standing on the ceiling waiting for her to wake up and recover.
 
When the power went out, Jane jumped. Something cold covered her and she felt her breath leave her in one chilly moment. Darkness surrounded her and she was sure she fell asleep. When she opened her eyes, she was on a hard floor with a very thin, sheer robe to cover herself.

"Where am I? Hello? Anyone here?" Jane tried to look around, but all she saw was a long hallway of stone and more shadows. "I'm dreaming," she decided. "That's what's going on. I'm dreaming. I must have hit my head getting out of the tub in the dark and now I'm dreaming."

She pulled on the robe and picked a direction. Maybe if she found the exit, she could wake up? It was her dream, so no matter what direction she picked it would be the right one.
 
Jasper just watched for a few moments before falling from the ceiling before her,"hello, young human and welcome to the Maze, a place where you most horrible nightmares will be around every corner. Now lets be careful of where you go, I am Jasper your Shade guide and it is my job to lead you through this maze. Now tell me young one what do you fear?"
 
Jane gave a startled yelp when the man landed in front of her. That had scared her. She placed one hand over her heart as he gave his introduction. Was she supposed to be able to feel her heartbeat like this in a dream?

"Look, Jasper, I don't really know what I'm scared of. If it's the normal things - the dark, being hurt by a loved one, death - those things are a yes. If you mean deep seated phobias, I don't think I have any."

She wasn't sure if that was true. She had a fear of pain, of being attacked, of being helpless. She figured those were normal. She wasn't really scared of spiders or mice, but sea creatures freaked her out. She wasn't going to tell him all of that, though.

"I want to get out of here. If you're my guide, you'll help me. Right?"
 
"Of course I'll help you," he said, "that is my job," and trust me if you are not afraid of anything now, you will be by the end of the trip, which way do you want to go? take the river boat to the right or past the large dogs on the left? obviously you cant go back the way you came, but there is a way out."

"What is the last thing you remember about how you got here?" he asked with an air of pure curiousity
 
Jane had to think about this. The boat looked okay, but she hated sea creatures. The dogs were huge and she had no desire to find out if they were friendly or not.

"I guess we'll go with the boat," she said. What was the worst that could happen? She started toward the river boat when he asked her what she remembered.

"I remember being cold. The lights went off and I must have tried to get out of my tub. I just remember being really cold." She smiled slightly at him. "And, in case you are interested, cold doesn't scare me. It's just unpleasant."
 
"I would not know, I dont feel heat or cold," he said walking toward the boat grabbing a pole from the wall. "Do me a favor," he said dipping the pole in the water," dont touch the water, it acts like an acid against non living things," pulling out the pole that had turning to a stump of its former self," see".
"I hope you dont mind creepy crawlers cuz they live in here and any organic matter that stays in too long, but we must proceed onward."
 
Jane shuddered. "Okay, not a fan of creepy crawlers. Let's get going." she also made a mental note to not touch the water. Though, she was curious.

"How can this boat float on the water if the water eats things? It's made of wood, right?" Something told her to not mention it. It could be one of those dreams where once you acknowldege something, it happens. Though, she can't die in a dream, right? That was impossible.
 
Jasper just looks at her and back at the boat," you are actually the first to ask," he said clapping his hands. A large reptilian head rises out of the water and stares at her, "the boat is wedged between some of its spine but yes if he decides to take a dive then you are in trouble, like I said i'm not totally sure if my essence will protect you, it could disolve since it is a garmet now but i can always call it back to me before that happens".
 
Jane didn't feel comforted. She almost felt like she was being set up. She settled down in the boat as the sea monster started swimming. Now she had to worry about the creature diving under the acidic water.

She pulled the thin robe around her. "So, why am I here? Even for me, it's a weird dream. Is there some quest or something?"
 
"You honestly think you are dreaming?" he asked scornfully,"this is no dream, this is real, what you feel is real." "you were brought here for the entertainment of my master and if you reach the maze's center you may leave, but that is far away and none have ever made it" "so your only goal is to survive and learn to live with the choices you make, for some of the inhabitants here have not seen a human in a long time and might like to 'play' with you before making you a meal, so tread lightly and with keep and open mind."

Pulling the boat along the leviathan moves never stopping or faltering in its swim to the beach on the other side. silent sweeps of its tail drive it ever forward and repels the trail of leeches following behind. "welcome to the Catacolm Staircase"
 
Jane blinked. "I'm not dreaming," she asked. "No! No, that can't be right. I hit my head on the tub or something. This can't be real."

She took a deep breath. "Oh, god! Am I dead?" She got up and paced the boat. "I'm here for your master's entertainment? What does that mean? What kind of entertainment?" She asked in a way that suggested she knew the answer, or guessed the worst possible answer and the thought disgusted her.

She looked out at the dark water and the leaches swimming behind them. "Jasper, how can I make it out alive?"
 
"No one ever makes it out alive, but you would have to be tough and smart and no you are not dead you silly girl now quite squabbling less this creature dive under to drown out the sound of your voice and leave you to the leeches," he shook his head slightly at the end

"And your entertainment would be whatever suits what you find, could be sex, pain, torture, nothing ever pleasant, but thats part of the game, to break your spirit and if you take a few things in stride you get rewarded and get to live a while longer"

Now whats next will be one of those where your brain will serve you well, in the catacolm is a sphynx and they love riddles and for each one you get right, you get rewarded, if wrong you get punished, sounds fair doesn't it?"
 
Jane did not like the sound of this. She pulled the thin robe tighter around her. She could see how this place could be her worst nightmare. Already, her mind was starting to come up with things she wouldn't want to happen. Various methods of torture and rape popped up the second he mentioned it. And she hated riddles. She sucked at them.

"You don't seem worried," she said. In fact, he seemed almost excited. She didn't know what awaited her, but she had a feeling he did. Whether she made it or not didn't matter to him, but she was sure he'd enjoy the show.

She gasped as the beast started to submerge and the water rose. Scrambling to the back of the boat, her eyes widened as the water got closer and so did the leaches. Just before the water could touch her, the beast came back up, leaving the deck wet. Jane had to sit on the edge and hold on so that she wouldn't touch the water at all.

"I hate this place," she said, shaking. "I want to go home."
 
"Then I would suggest that you find a way to get out of there and pass the maze," he said coldly watching her squirm by the edge of the boat with a small smile on his face.

As the boat lands on the shore they are greeted by what looks like another person, carrying a bag over his shoulder,"Hello and I am your first test," he said with a low monotone voice.

"Riddle me this. What has four legs in the morning, three legs at noon and two legs in the afternoon?"

"answer right and you can pick an object from the sack, answer wrong and i pick something to use on you"
 
Jane slowly got on land and looked at the man with the sack. The riddle was too easy. Everyone knew the answer. Even she knew the answer and she was horrible at riddles.

"The answer is Man," Jane said. "In the morning of his life, he crawls on all fours. In the afternoon of his life, he walks on two legs. In the evening of his life, he uses a cane."

If all the riddles were that easy she'd make it out in no time. "So, what do I win?"
 
The man smiles and pulls out three object from the sack: a glass sphere, a magnet and a ball of string. "Each of these are special," he says. "The ball is a one use that will teleport you from any danger to the beginning of the maze, the magnet will point you toward the heart of the maze and your way home, the string will never run out and let you retrace your steps so you will not get lost. Choose wisely".
 
Jane thought over each gift. If she picked the ball, she could get out of one danger, but she'd be at the beginning again and have to fight back to where she ran from. If she picked the magnet, she could find her way quicker to the heart of the maze. The string would come in handy if she didn't pick the magnet.

"I want the magnet," she said. It would be the wisest choice. Now she could find the heart of the maze faster, and maybe run into less danger.
 
"good choice," said the man as he disappeared in smoke. Jasper turns to her,"now that you have that hunk of metal what are you going to do? I will go ahead and say that the monsters closer to the center are more dangerous than the ones on the outer edge." Standing back silently he waits for her decision.
 
Jane smiled. "First, I'm going to figure out how to use this. Then, I'm going to the heart of the maze and leaving this place." She held the magnet in her palm, watching which way it pointed. When she was satisfied that she was reading it right, she took off.

"And I don't care if the monsters near the center are more dangerous," she said as she motioned for Jasper to follow. "If I know where I'm going, I'll run into less than if I'm lost and wandering around."

She winked. "I think I'm getting the hang of this." Freedom was nearly in her grasp.
 
"I would be careful of what you say aloud," the shade whispered in her ear, pointing upward,"Things that fly have ears too and will spite you for your words. Besides we are almost at the lair of the sphynx, there you will truely be tried but first you must pass through the nymph woods," indicating a beautiful section of the maze overgrown with ivy and vines and you could hear the sounds of small animals and birds all other happy noises that seemed out of place here in the maze. "They are masters of deception and trickery and do not let their beauty fool you, should they turn mean they are not beautiful at all."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom