Lost, abandoned, and aimless, I stood amidst the mesmerizing edifices looming overhead. Writhing cries, shrieks, and shouts into a void reverberated against rigid walls. Every futile endeavor to escape was only a déjà vu, reviving failure and vain. A colossal flint obstructed the narrow symmetrical pathway, restricting motion. The future lay ambiguous yet inevitable.

I remember, ‘Don’t get in there, you know what they say’ Hayley had said. ‘We’re merely here to explore, not get ourselves killed!’. Nevertheless, my conscience got the best of me. I fearlessly barged into the dilapidated mansion. Ignoring all the myths and legends. Ignoring stories about how the ones who entered never came out.

A sudden audio pulled me out of the flashback I’d buried myself in. I peered around for the source, unable to detect it. Immediately, my legs turned to jelly, and shivers ran down my spine. The sound came steadily closer becoming more intense, more distressed until it was ear-piercing. abruptly, the audio now consisted of echoing words. ‘This maze resembles the enigmatic walk of life,’ I heard in a rasping tone. ‘It gives rise to unavoidable obstacles, challenging each survivor. Trapped within this perplexity, every survivor must find their way out. The path chosen shall decide one’s fate. The sinuous winding paths tend to deviate one from their path. Although if the same path is followed to change, it should lead to their rightful destiny.’

Instantly, adrenaline flew over my veins but I couldn’t move a single muscle, paralyzed. My heart was racing as I corralled in the corner of the room, analysing. A choked cry for help forced itself up my throat, and a tear run down my cheek.

Trapped within the baffling mansion, I lay above the cold, uninviting floor and pondered. Pondered about whether I should have come in here in the first place. Pondered the myths and legends. Pondered about what Hayley had said. But if only I had listened…