SEVEN: Cursed Souls

CHAPTER 52: MAZE MASTER

At Assassin's maze, Logan, Lazaro, and Rico are still going in circles as they find their way through because the field changes every time.

"Logan, you go to the right and I'll go to the left. This is hopeless," Lazaro said but Logan shook his head off, only Rico agrees so he was the one who went to the left.

Both Logan and Lazy on the other hand went into the right until they reached an end where they could only turn to the left. There, they saw a door in the end. They wasted no time and ran immediately towards it.

They opened the door, only to meet an undressed man who was only wearing a crocodile mask on. Lazaro looked away. Logan formed a fist as he looks at that man while his blood boils from despise even with only seeing that man's mask.

"Hey! Hey! Congratulations, you wasted your time with that maze!" He kicked a painting in the other side of the room to reveal a separate door going out to the corridor. He looked at his private part when he saw Lazaro looking away. "We are all born naked! Why are you embarrassed?"

"Sir! We aren't born with a mask!" Lazaro answered back.

"Okay! But wait, why aren't my nephew talking?—"he paused "Ohhhh, you cut his tongue off?"

"Uncle Xavier! Why did you kill the family that helped you?" Lazaro said, Logan now ready to cut the man's head off.

"How could you, Uncle!" Logan shouted.

Assassin took his mask off. "Oh! You can talk?" he was in deep thought, "and you know who I am? Well, let me answer you. One is a cheater, one is selfish, one is jealous, and two are burdens. Lazaro, that person with you is one of the burdens," he laughed, "I'm not even blood related with them. What's the fuss?"

The two ran towards Xavier but to their surprise, Xavier knew their next moves as he immediately aims for Lazy who runs fast towards him. Xavier pulled both Lazaro's arms to his back so he faces the floor, then pinning him down the floor with his right hand for he knows that Lazy's mechanical foot would be of disadvantage for him.

Logan did not waste a chance as he aims to hit Xavier with the slab of wood that he is holding but Xavier is too strong--he used his other hand to block the wood in less than seconds before it could even reach him. Logan uses both hand to hold the slab of wood then Xavier suddenly put a strong force to the wood they are holding which throws Logan away.

Lazaro struggles to get away from Xavier but the moment Xavier had forced the slab of wood towards Logan, he felt Xavier's grip loosening so he also forced himself for escape. He thought that he could get out but Xavier moved in mere seconds when he felt Lazaro escaping his grip. He smashed both Lazaro's mechanical foot and laughs as he do so.

Both Logan and Lazaro knows well that Rico is their only hope now, unbeknownst to them that Rico had been lost in the Maze.

***

At Assassin's maze, Rico still finds his way through when he heard the leaves moving due to someone intentionally shaking them. He runs to find an exit but all the turns he went only puts him in a dead end, but he continues to find his way through despite what was happening. He heard the leaves move again, but now he hears of the footsteps of whoever is shaking them and then he heard someone laugh behind him.

"The useless member!" the person behind shouts as Rico turns towards him.

Despite hearing just the voice of the person, Rico knows well who it is and plans to rush towards the person--he did but the person was quick to run away from him.

"Jaxon! You filthy rat! I'm going to catch you!" Rico shouts as he follows the man with every turn.

Jaxon only laughs while he run, but then when he was caught in a dead end, he only laughed harder. Rico now catches to him with just a few meters away but it seems as if Jaxon had intentionally led him to Assassin because just at Rico's left is the door that leads to Assassin's room.

"You hear that?" Jaxon asks Rico when they hear someone shouting for help.

Rico reached for his pocket, "You filthy rat! You led me here didn't you?" Rico said.

"So what if I did? Act fast because someone may already be dying!" Jaxon smiled as he slowly moves back.

"Uncle Xavier! NO!" someone had shouted. Jaxon leans at the leaves behind him and when Rico had seen him going through the lush leaves, he threw the knife that he had reached in his pockets and rushed towards the door at his left.

Rico who is clueless if the knife he had thrown reached Jaxon now barges towards the wooden door. He broke the door and saw Xavier who is now tying Logan's hand and Lazy who is trying to crawl towards his friend.

"How dare you!" Rico shouted as he ran towards Xavier.

Xavier was quick enough to avoid Rico's punch but he is still outnumbered. Logan was able to untie himself since Xavier was just starting to tie the knots when Rico barged in, he then used the ropes to catch Xavier's feet.

Xavier fell and Rico punched him hard, enough that he stopped moving after closing his eyes.

Rico then pulled the rope and helped Logan up, but just as he does this, Xavier who pretended to lose consciousness stood and picked his crocodile mask. Rico reacted fast but just as he aims for Xavier again, Xavier smacked his mask against Rico's head then headed for escape as he runs towards the other side of the room where Lazy is also at.

Rico who was just finding back his balance did not surrender and also ran towards Xavier but when he reached the middle of the room, Xavier pushed a button in his mask and separated the floor, revealing the sand underneath.

"Just a tip. Study your enemy's territory before entering it," Xavier said while pushing Lazy in the sand, "Good bye!" he added then opened the door to the halls.

Lazy started to sink into the sand while Rico who was just inches away from stepping into it backs out.

Xavier did not let a second pass and finds his escape, but just as the door opens, a familiar face reveals itself--Jaxon who is pointing a gun towards him.

"Brother let's--"

A sound of a bang interrupted Xavier but seconds after the gunshot, Xavier met the floor, blood gushing out his chest.

Jaxon can immediately be seen after Xavier fell and Rico already accepted his fate of dying from the same gun after he saw Jaxon's face who wears a huge uncanny smile. But Jaxon seems not to have any intentions of harming them because after he shot Xavier, he ran away instead.

Lazaro who is just waking up felt his body sinking faster. "Help me please!" he begged.

Logan and Rico immediately finds a way to save Lazy. Logan saw the slab of wood and tied it to the other end of the rope, throwing it to Lazy. But while both Rico and Logan are distracted in pulling Lazy out of the quicksand, they are unaware that Xavier was also crawling towards the door.

Rico and Logan was able to pull Lazy out of the quicksand but at the same time, Xavier already reached the door but instead of crawling out of the room, he used his mask to push a button beside the door and the floor closed again. The three now sees this and Logan and Rico carries Lazy to the exit.

"Lo-Logan, take care of your cousin--of Luster!" Xavier told Logan when the three got to him. After that, he closed his eyes and sort of accepted his fate.

Logan tries to find a pulse but it's already faint, Xavier will die from his brother's own gun.