Stitched Limbs

Ch 8: Mazes and A Certain Fear

BZZZZZZT!

My muscles tense up and I jump into action, sprinting forward straight into the maze. I cut a corner, barely grazing my shoulder and continue down a long path. This was actually a little exciting to me, and I think for a moment what the catch is as I cut another corner. Wondering if there were creatures in here that were chasing me, or if I make a wrong turn would the swimsuit thing shock me? I make a turn into a dead end and quickly turn around to head out, the swimsuit tightens on my body and stops me from moving. Shit! Guess I'm finding out! I hear a click from the wall behind me, then feel a sharp pain in my back. A short cry leaves my mouth and I lurch forward to my knees.

"Sonofabitch! What was that!?" I yell, reaching one of my hands back to investigate. My fingers touch the thin body of a needle and I wince at the feeling, then I start to try and pull it out. "Damnit... Not more needles...."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I hear Tyns voice boom over the intercom.

Of course a warning too late, because I feel another needle stick into a different spot on my back, making me whimper and almost cry out again. "Fucking hell!" I look up at the ceiling, then start to stand up. "A little more warning would be helpful next time Tyn!"

I hear a short laugh from the intercom and grumble to myself, then head out of the dead end and continued to run the maze. Making sure this time to not hit any dead ends. My muscles complained to me as well as my lungs as I continued to run the maze, the needles in my back almost making it difficult as I felt them scratch the tissue they were embedded in. It wasn't long before I was sweating and grunting from pain, having accumulated more needles pretty fast. That's a pretty cruel way to punish a subject if they make a wrong turn, although. Thinking back, there are worse ways to punish somebody. I think as I hit another dead end, my body panics for a moment and I bolt out of the dead end.

I lean on the wall across from the dead ends entrance and congratulate myself for beating the system. But my thoughts were wrong as I felt another 2 needles pierce into my back. I bite down on my cheek pretty hard and groan from the pain, concentrating on getting the annoyance to go away and continue on. My body screamed for me to stop moving, even giving me cramps in order to stop. But I don't, even though I felt completely exhausted along with quite sore from the pain.

How much longer do I have to fucking run? Where's the godsdamned exit?? Maybe I died in my house along with my family and this is hell for all of the shit I gave my mother???

I was doing a very tired jog in the maze with one of my hands on the wall to keep me upright. There wasn't a clock that I could see, and they weren't telling me how much longer I had. So I had to assume I was getting close, and that brought a little burst of strength to get me running again. I had a couple of stitches that hurt from hell and back, but I continued to run exhausting what little energy I had to begin with. The maze seemed to continue forever as my tired mind started to shut down, but it still recognized that wonderful sound of the buzzer that said that I failed.

I was tired enough that I simply fell over onto the ground, almost crying from the relief that I felt hearing that buzzer. Not even caring that I had fallen forward and landed on my face. I breathed hard and stretched out my limbs as much as I could. Feeling grateful for the cold tile, as it felt like heaven to my hot skin.

I was too lost in bliss to recognize Tyns voice as he praised me for doing my best. Then my moment was broken further as I feel something clamp around my ankle. An instant feeling of panic blooms in my chest, and I panic further as I feel the thing clamped onto my ankle start to pull me up. I look around and reach for something to hold onto; a wall, a rock, anything to keep me from going up in the air. My nails leave their marks as I clawed at the floor, but my efforts were in vain as I was lifted out of the maze into the tall ceiling of the maze room.