A Game Show Demise

Chapter 7: Mazeophobia

I opened my eyes to see eternal blackness all around me. I quickly stand up and look up in front of me to perceive what looks like the entrance of a hedge maze. I slowly back away, observing the towering plants that make the walls of the maze looming over me as I look up more and more before I feel myself run into something behind me. A wall perhaps? A door?
I slowly turn around to see Deimos towering over me from behind, emitting a sinister glow and smile toward me. I yelp in surprise, backing away again, staring directly at him. His stare never wavered from me.
"W-Where am I?" I stammered out, turning to look back to the maze.
"Never seen a hedge maze before?" Deimos asked, walking (or floating?) closer to me. "Or is it perhaps the looming darkness around us?"
I couldn't speak. I didn't know how to respond to him. I looked back to the entrance of the hedge maze when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Here, allow me to strike you a deal," He started, standing next to me. "This maze isn't too big, the average time I've seen people finish this size of a maze is about 30 minutes."
"What deal are you trying to make?" I reluctantly ask, looking up into his crimson-red eyes.
"Well allow me to finish, don't get hasty," He replied, chuckling. "Finish the maze in the allotted time...and I'll let you go home."
"This isn't a trick is it?" I ask with caution in my voice.
"I take my deals seriously, no need for distrust." He says, his voice almost sounding genuine. I couldn't figure out whether or not to believe him, but before I knew it, my feet were moving towards the entrance more. "And your time starts...now."
As soon as I entered the maze, the entrance closed behind me, entrapping me for sure in the maze. I felt myself panic, looking forward to see the branching paths ahead of me. I didn't know where to start, or where to go, and I had 30 minutes but no way of telling how much time is left. I feel myself wanting to curl into a ball and just give up, but I manage to calm myself down enough to finally move forward.
25 minutes left...
I take the right path, then the left, then right again...dead end. I go back...which way did I come from-? I'll just go this way...no wait, I was just here. Uh...straight, right, straight, left, right, right, right, right...there's another dead end. Where am I going?
20 minutes left...
I feel the edges of the maze, trying to see if maybe I can tell somehow where to go, but only feel thorns in the large hedge bushes surrounding me. The more and more I walked in, the more I felt the walls growing taller and taller. How much higher could they get? There's a floor, where is the ceiling?
Left, right, left, straight, left, right, right, left, dead end, dead end, dead end.
10 minutes left...
I feel myself start losing hope as I feel tears running down my face and my chest getting tight. I begin sinking wearily to the ground and start softly sobbing.
"You aren't giving up are you?" I hear Deimos' voice echo through the maze. "You still have a bit of time. You aren't far from the exit either."
"I...I don't know if I believe you..." I mutter bitterly through tears.
"Hm...maybe some motivation to move will encourage you," He says before his presence seems to disappear.
I look up to see if something changed until I hear what sounds like chains and growling. It sounds far, but as I stand up and look behind me, I hear it slowly getting louder. I cautiously start moving away from it until I see a glimpse of a large, dark, and shadowy figure making its way toward me. I stumble a bit before breaking out into a run.
Right, left, right, right, straight, left, left, it's still behind me!
1 minute left...
I feel my legs growing tired from the running and my chest getting tight again. But I can't stop. I have to keep going; it's after me!
Left, straight, left, right, straight, right!
30 seconds left...
I hear the chains and growling growing louder as I feel myself losing my breath and slowing, but I desperately try to get another running start.
Right, right, straight, left, left, right, left, left...
5...
Right, right, left, right, right, right, left...
4...
He said it wasn't much farther, but it feels so much farther! Left, right, left, right, left, right...!
3...
The chains sound so close, and the growling sounds like an animal, almost like a lion. I dare not look behind me to identify what's chasing me. Right, left, right, left, right, left, right...!
2...
I see it in the distance. A light. That must be it. That must be my way out of this. My way out of this hell.
1...
I take another quick breath as I start to sprint towards it, the end in sight.
0...Time's up...
Right when I'm about to reach the end, a wall rises in place of it. I stop myself before I run into the thorny bush wall, staring in fearful shock.
"Aww, looks like you ran out of time," I hear his voice echo again. "How unfortunate, I was really rooting for you~" A sinister chuckle echoes through the maze as the chains and growling stop.
"Please...I was so close..." I beg, falling to my knees, tired from running and everything else.
"Rules are rules, dear Dawn. It's about time we meet your dusk, don't you think?"
The growling sounds louder. I slowly turn my head behind me to see the obscure figure, no longer cloaked in an ominous shadow. A fearsome beast with too many rows of teeth all over it loomed above me, almost soaking in my fear.
~~~
The sound of her shrill screams pierced my ears as I slowly backed away from the tv screens, towards the farthest wall. He wasn't playing fair. The maze seemed to get bigger as she ran down. The monster behind her was inevitably going to get her, whether she was at a dead end or not.
The sound of rushing water fills my ears as I look up to see Cyrus on the TV screen.
I'm terrified.