Collision

Chapter Twenty

~ Chapter Twenty ~

Ellie's P.O.V.

The map was as accurate as we expected. We checked every dead end surrounding us and found that we were on track with the map.

It turned out, the previous pathway that led to the front of us was a dead end. The other way to the left, we figured out by ourselves, in the beginning, was leading to nowhere. The only pathway to go was right, making our decisions easier about which way to go.

"What's that little space right there?" I asked, pointing to the small box in the middle of the map. It was the only enclosed space in the whole maze, everything else had a way to get in our out, but the box was different.

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out once we get there," Michonne replied, tracing her fingers through the maze, trying to find out every possible way for us to get to the box in the middle.

"How about we find a place to rest for now. I'm sure there won't be any walkers out here in the open halls in the dark, right?" Carl asked, making me think about where we were going to stop and sleep.

"Fortunately, you are right. There are no corpses lurking around in the dark in the open hallways since all are trapped behind a holographic glass screen. The bad news is that we use a disinfectant that sprays acidic chemicals in the hallways once the clock strikes twelve at night. Whether or not someone  is out, the sprays will go off and every living thing found in the open hallways is fated to die."

"Why do you disinfect everything?" I asked, filling my curiosity. It was eerie how he listened to our every conversation, despite his absent presence.

"It is required for us to do so. We wouldn't want moss and algae to grow in crooks and crannies of our walls. We want to keep it simple. Only the gray colour of our walls. Although I will hint you, the good news is that you are near an invisible room. Anyone in these rooms is hidden from the maze, thus making you less vulnerable to other people and to the acid disinfectant."

"Why are telling us that? Why are you helping us? Also, what did you say about other people?" Carl yelled, flailing his hands in the hair.

"Oh, you have much to learn. You see, you already know that we root for your group to win. There are others in this maze, others also striving to survive, but none of them have had the characteristics we look for. Most of them are greedy, selfish, or have fake personalities. We want to see how your group can do against these kinds of people. We've tracked your progress with other criminals, wrong doers. We know that you are of good intention and that is why we are only rooting for you."

"How do you know what we've done?" 

The voice stayed quiet, not responding to Carl's question. 

"Hey! You out there! I asked a question!"

Again, the voice didn't respond, letting silence take over. Carl gave a big sigh, taking his hat off and running a hand through his hair in frustration. I patted his shoulder and gave him a hopeful smile.

"Let's get out of here before the halls get dark. We've already been through the left and front pathways and found nothing there, so let's just keep going through this way and see where this 'invisible' room is," Michonne instructed, looking at the map to try and distinguish a difference between the pathways. When she found none, we headed back towards the right and rounded a sharp corner.

"Hold it. I see something," She whispered, barely audible enough for us to hear. Michonne crouched low and took her katana out, holding it in front of her and walking lightly.