The Game

Chapter 12: Gone In A Maze

As Brian and Dimitri stepped into the Mirage Chamber, they were greeted by the sight of a sprawling maze stretching out before them. The walls rose high, casting ominous shadows that could be hiding traps anywhere.

Dimitri's brow raised as he surveyed the maze, his mind already racing with strategies for navigation. "Well, this looks like fun" he remarked sarcastically, his voice dripping with disdain.

Brian however tried to maintain his ego in the face of uncertainty. "Ha this looks like a piece of cake, I'm not losing to just some confusing walls." he declared confidently, though his eyes betrayed a hint of unease.

Mr. Beaufort's voice echoed through the chamber from his microphone outside the room, adding to the games atmosphere "Welcome, gentlemen, to the Mirage Chamber" he intoned, his words carrying a note of challenge "Your task is simple I would say, you just have to navigate your way through the maze and escape, no time limit, But be warned, not all paths lead to freedom and not all freedom is what it seems."

Dimitri rolled his eyes at Mr. Beaufort's ominous warning. "Yeah, yeah, we get it" he muttered under his breath, his skepticism evident even while in his not sober state.

Brian, ever eager to prove himself, took a step forward, his gaze fixed on the maze ahead "Well, what are we waiting for?" he exclaimed, his voice filled with determination. "Let's show Mr. Beaufort what we're made of and prove to everyone why I'm going to win."

With that, the two contestants plunged into the maze, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls as they ventured deeper into the labyrinthine corridors.

Dimitri, fueled by his competitive spirit, took the lead, forging ahead with reckless abandon "Follow me," he called over his shoulder to Brian, his voice tinged with confidence. "I've got this, I've been through Walmarts worse than this."

Brian, torn between his desire to succeed and his growing doubts about Dimitri's leadership, hesitated for a moment before reluctantly following suit.

But as they pressed on, it became increasingly clear that their path was fraught with danger, Dead ends and false exits taunted them at every turn, leading to frustration and discord between the two contestants.

Brian spoke out
"You're too fucking drunk to know what you're doing man, I'm gonna go my own way and I'll probably be out in no time."

Dimitri shrugged it off
"Fine have it your way."

As Brian confidently strode into his own section of the maze, his bravado and ego was met with an immediate challenge, Within the first few turns on his own he stumbled upon a grand archway, its ornate design promising escape from the labyrinth.

"Bingo Bango!" Brian declared triumphantly, striding toward the archway with unwavering confidence, he sat eyes on the glowing gold trophy sat in the corner by a door that read exit it was so close to the beginning and so easy.

Brain shouted
"Hey Dimitri, maybe if I led to begin we would have already been gone! You all keep doubting my genius when I'm gonna win it all and I been saying since the moment I entered!"

With that Brian grabbed the trophy and pulled the door knob but the door didn't budge one bit.

as he turned around in confusion the archway began to tremble, its structure groaning ominously under the weight of its own deceit.

Suddenly, with a deafening roar, the archway collapsed its stone pillars crashing down with merciless force Brian's triumphant expression turned to one of shock and horror as he realized his fatal mistake of thinking he won so easily.

The false Victory setup that Mr. Beaufort enjoyed calling 'The Arrogant Archway' had claimed its victim, crushing Brian beneath its crumbling weight before he even had a chance to react killing him in an instant.

Meanwhile, Dimitri, who had been watching since Brian yelled over at him froze in his tracks as he witnessed Brian's demise, His initial confidence if any was there definitely now vanished in an instant, replaced by a sinking feeling of dread as he watched Brian brutally die to a trap in the very same maze he had to still navigate.

He attempted to back out now to flee from the maze that had claimed Brian's life he ran back to the entrance where he and brain had came in from, but to no avail as it was bolted shut once the game started, The walls of the maze seemed to close in around him, trapping him in its suffocating embrace.

With no other choice but to press on, Dimitri forged ahead once more his thoughts heavy with the weight of Brian's fate, hoping it wouldn't be his own.

And as he ventured deeper into the labyrinth, the true nature of the Arrogant Archway became clear, It was a test of arrogance, a warning against overconfidence in the face of danger.

But whether Dimitri would heed that warning unlike Brian remained to be seen, As he forged ahead, the fate of his journey hung in the balance, his every decision a test of his resolve and resilience.

As the dust still settled from the collapse of the archway, Mr. Beaufort's voice cut through the stunned silence in the chamber. "How tragic" he mused his tone dripping with faux sympathy. "Who could have foreseen poor Brian meeting such an untimely demise due to his own overconfidence?"

Gary, his voice laced with anger and frustration wasted no time in calling out Mr. Beaufort for his twisted mind games. "This is sick, Beaufort, You set these traps knowing full well what they could do to people and how the people would go for them, You enjoy watching us suffer, don't you?"

Mr. Beaufort merely smiled in response, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "It's all part of The game, Gary," he replied nonchalantly, his tone infuriatingly calm "You signed up for this, knowing the possible risks, Don't blame me for your own shortcomings."

Lexa, her voice trembling with fear spoke to herself "I want to go home," she confessed, her words barely above a whisper "I miss my life, I regret everything, I never should have come here."

Joe and Kelsey, both visibly shaken by Brian's death and the unfolding events, nodded in agreement to Gary "These games seem unfair," Joe chimed in, his voice filled with concern. "We didn't sign up for this kind of danger, we signed up for a game to win money because we thought it could change our lives."

Kelsey, her eyes brimming with tears, added her support to Joe's words. "We're not animals to be toyed with" she declared, her voice wavering with emotion "We deserve better than this and you know it."

But Rachel, ever the cynic, cut through the tension with a scoff. "Oh, please people" she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm."Do we really need to have this conversation every time someone dies? The game is obviously rigged, whether we like it or not, We're all just rats trapped in Beaufort's maze, waiting to see who gets out alive, no amount of having this same sad speech a million times will change that."

Mr. Beaufort's smile widened at Rachel's words, his amusement evident in his eyes. "Well said, Rachel," he remarked, his tone tinged with approval "It's all just a game, after all, And what fun would it be if we didn't have consequences.

Rachel rolled her eyes at Mr. Beaufort's words.

As the contestants grappled with the harsh reality of their situation more and more, Mr. Beaufort enjoyed himself all too content to watch the chaos unfold, To him, it was all just another day in the game, and he was enjoying the current struggle from Dimitri in The Mirage Chamber.