No Way Out

Chapter 19: Door 25

Chapter 19: Door 25

French's P.O.V.

My legs screamed in protest with every minor shift. The wounds were angry, throbbing a dull, constant ache. Reixel and I were huddled on the floor, backs pressed against the cold, damp wall. Our entire focus was locked on a single, ominous door. I didn’t think I was going to make it out of this labyrinth alive, not in my current state. I was wounded, vulnerable, and terrified.

"We need to find the others," Reixel said, her voice low and gravelly, staring vacantly ahead.

I just nodded, the simple movement sending a jolt of pain through my body. But how could we find anyone when we were so hopelessly lost in this maze? The rooms were disorienting, each one a twisted reflection of the last. Every door was a gamble, a potential descent into something even more horrific.

A metallic click ripped us from our morbid reverie. The knob on door 23 rattled, twisted. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the silence. A cold dread coiled in my stomach. Something bad was about to happen.

"Reix," I whispered, barely audible.

"There's something out there," Reixel replied, her voice tight with fear. She carefully helped me to my feet, her grip firm and reassuring. We stared at the door, frozen, like prey caught in the headlights.

"M-maybe it's Celestria and the others," I stammered, desperately clinging to a sliver of hope.

She just shrugged, her eyes never leaving the door. A few agonizing seconds later, the door creaked open, revealing a figure silhouetted against the dim light beyond. It was a man, tall and gaunt, his face obscured by shadows. He held something in his hand – a rusted axe, its blade slick with something dark and viscous. My grip on Reixel's arm tightened, my knuckles bone-white.

"Who... who is that?" I mumbled, my voice trembling.

"I don't know," Reixel breathed, her own voice laced with a tremor. "We need to get out of here. We’re in danger."

The man stopped just outside the doorway, his eyes, two burning coals in the darkness, fixed on us. He didn't speak, didn't move, just watched.

"Reix, do you have a plan?" I asked, my throat dry with fear. I swallowed hard, the movement was painful.

"Do you see door 30 over there?" She pointed with her chin, her gaze still glued to the man with the axe. "That's where we're going to."

"Ha, how? Just leave me here," I protested weakly, knowing it was pointless.

She raised an eyebrow, her expression hardening. "No, I won't." Her voice brooked no argument.

The man with the axe began to move, his heavy boots thudding ominously on the floor, each step bringing him closer.

"Run!" Reixel roared, shoving me forward with surprising force.

She practically dragged me towards door 30, keeping me upright as I stumbled and gasped for breath. We scrambled inside, Reixel slamming the door shut and locking it behind us. The events unfolded at terrifying speed. We stood there for a moment, panting, stunned, our eyes glued to the door. Suddenly, a deafening thud echoed through the room as the man outside began pounding against the wood, his rage palpable.