I woke up expecting to be in my warm, comfortable bed. Instead, I awoke to find myself lying in dirt. I sat up, gazing at my surroundings. It looked like I was in a courtyard. Ivy-covered stone walls touched the morning sky.

It was all so peaceful that I almost didn’t notice the wooden sign nailed to the wall ahead of me. “You have one hour,” it read. “Don’t touch the walls.”

Panic started to rise within me. Questions zoomed around my mind. Why was I here? How did I get here? But the most chilling ones came last; Why can’t I touch the walls? What are they capable of?

I glanced back at the sign. “You have one hour.” I checked my watch. 7:00 am. I can barely think straight this early, now I have to escape a maze. I started walking straight ahead. I took random turns and kicked holes in the dirt of paths that led to a dead-end.

It felt like I had been walking for hours but in reality it was only thirty minutes. I sat down in the middle of the path. A break seemed like a good idea. But the second I was on the ground, a low, vicious growl echoed from the walls.

I didn’t wait to come face to face with the growl’s source. I jumped up and ran. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, giving me the boost I needed to keep running when I knew I should’ve been tired. 

When I heard nothing but my ragged breath and pounding heart, I took another break. Only this time I didn’t sit on the ground. No. I did something more stupid. I leaned against the wall.

I didn’t realize my mistake until I felt cold, stony arms grab me and yank me into the ivy-covered concrete.

It was then I realized there was no escape. The growl never came from a hidden monster. It came from the other souls in the walls, warning me that I wasn’t making it out; and I didn’t. I became one of them, warning others who would wake in this deathtrap.