Time Maze

Pursued to Safety

Thundersome echoes of what appeared to be a growl chased the two friends down the dark tunnels.

Though they had no idea where they were going or if the next turn would signify their demise, a dead end, they still had to go on. Whatever was chasing the two friends sounded furious, and they were unwilling to find out what exactly it was.

Running seemed to be the only viable option. However, even that was just a band-aid to their situation. They were sure it couldn't last for long.

Both of them were in good physical condition in general, but they were no jocks. There was a limit to what their bodies could handle. They feared they would reach it before they had the chance to escape whatever monstrosity was after them.

"Marcus, look! Over there!" Tyson said.

If he had attempted to point out anything sooner, it would've been a pointless task since the darkness surrounding them was as thick as oil. Nevertheless, at that moment, Marcus was shocked to note that he could see a vague outline of his friend and his outstretched hand.

He did consider Tyson pointing out the only ray of light in the gloomy caves unnecessary since he was bound to head for it. However, he chose not to comment on it. Considering their situation, Tyson wasn't in the best of mood. Even Marcus knew not to anger the one person who had any chance of getting the two of them out of the mess they somehow got themselves into.

"Quickly! We can escape it once we enter the light!" Marcus said with confidence that he didn't possess.

How could they even hope to lose the monster behind them in the bright light when they failed to do so in the dark and twisting tunnels they found themselves in?

"I'm going as fast as I can, Tyson! Yelling at me doesn't help. Besides, I haven't eaten anything yet, and I have the worst hangover ever." Marcus said, annoyed at his friend for not being more considerate towards his plight.

"Dude, if we don't get out of here, a hangover will be the least of your problems. That thing sounds enormous and hungry." Tyson pointed out.

Hearing those words and understanding how true they were, gave Marcus another burst of energy that brought them to and through the light in seconds.

The first thing they noticed was that the light wasn't nearly as bright as it seemed in the pitch-black tunnels. It was more of a gentle radiance of the candlelight than the harsh blare of a light bulb.

"Where are we?" Marcus asked.

"I have no idea. Do you hear that?" Tyson asked.

"I don't hear anything," Marcus replied after straining his ears for any sounds.

"Exactly. That thing that was after us is gone. It's like it disappeared into thin air." Tyson said.

"How is that even possible?" Marcus asked.

"I am not sure..." Tyson started to say.

However, as he turned around, he suddenly went quiet.

The opening they went through, the same one that guided them out of the darkness, was nowhere to be seen. All that Tyson could see was a wall, a lavishly decorated one but still just a wall without any signs of an opening or a door.

"I think...I think what was chasing us didn't go away," Tyson said, pondering the sequence of events that led them to the tiny lavish room that had no place being in the tunnels.

"What are you talking about? Of course, it went away. There is no sign of it here." Marcus said.

"I believe we are the ones who vanished," Tyson said.