Mirrors and Shadows

Chapter Eleven

Okay, so I got a special section of me meeting the characters! yey

Audrey: Who the heck are you?

Me: I'm your creator!

Alastair: Ooh, a nutcase

Me: wut

Mirror Alastair: Nutcase, nutcase, thinking we're all fictional

Me: That's enough! *starts typing* 'Ally is back with the flower queen'

*Both Alastairs vanish*

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I share a look with Christoph. We take off, dashing towards the door we entered from. I don't know what's happening there, at the main entrance, but I sure know it's not good.

Then the intercom on the device crackles to life. Benjamin is on the other side. "It's okay!" he shouts.

I stop. Christoph does too, as his intercom is probably broadcasting the same message from his earbuds.

"What's happening?" I ask urgently. Christoph says something into his device too.

"What?" Benjamin's voice comes over again. "I can't hear you clearly while both of you are talking."
I signal for Christoph to stop talking. He understands.

I ask again, "What's happening there?"

"Oh, nothing," Benjamin says. "Timothy just triggered an alarm and freaked out. But it's fine. We're supposed to distract the Emergent, after all."
"Are you all okay?"

"Yes, we're all fine. We've dismantled the alarm. The Emergent should be rushing here soon."

"Good luck."

Christoph and I continue our routine of checking the windows. The rooms are all quite empty. Some have a few desks with papers on them, but mostly the rooms are bare except for the lights on the ceiling which are currently off. The Emergent probably bought this place because it was remote and not suspicious, not because of its size. Most of the rooms are probably not used and probably will not be used for a long time.

We reach a junction. The corridor branches into three corridors which look exactly the same. This place is a maze, and I can't help thinking of the Minotaur eating people inside the labyrinth. Although the maze design was probably intentional; the Emergent wouldn't want anyone to navigate their halls with ease.

"Should we split up or go together?" I ask Christoph.

"I noticed something strange," he says, ignoring my question.

"What?" I ask.

"Don't you feel this place is bizarrely empty? I mean, even though we only covered one corridor, it was pretty long, and there should be at least someone in one of the rooms." he says.

Come to think of it, he's right. It is a bit strange. Although it's probably because this place is just isolated. "This factory is quite big, you know. Maybe the Emergent just left this part of the place alone."

"Perhaps." he replies. "But don't you think we should have heard footsteps by now? Loud ones? This place is very cooped in, and the echos should travel far. The Emergent should be chasing the other team members by now, and the running should cause a whole lotta sound. But there's nothing. Just faint steps walking in the distance. Which is probably our team, walking there peacefully and trying to get the Emergent's attention and failing."