Maze of Doom Read online

  ‘You rude individual!’ she calls after you. ‘Time for a lesson in manners.’

  She flings the pumpkin at you. It flies through the air, following you around corners and along the bramble passageways.

  As it pursues you, eyes, nose and mouth carve themselves into its skin, revealing flames from within. It laughs and fire leaps from its mouth.

  It chases you like a demented Halloween jack-o-lantern, but you race ahead. Then you hear the distant sound of hoof beats.

  You risk a glance behind. A massive black stallion gallops around the last corner. Astride is a cloaked figure without a head. The pumpkin comes to rest on the headless horseman’s shoulders. The rider draws a sword and spurs the horse to greater speed.

  Each time you look, the ghostly apparition is closer. You concentrate on running, but soon you can feel the horse’s breath on your neck. You turn back one final time as the horseman swings his sword …

  You take the staircase leading up. It’s a long climb, but you and Xandra finally make it to the top.

  You step up onto the landing and it gives way beneath you! You fall down a smooth chute. You are battered and bruised by the time you drop into a pit of bubbling green slime.

  It’s like being in quicksand. The more you struggle, the more the slime pulls you down. You try to remain as still as you can, hoping that Xandra escaped the fall and that she will come to rescue you.

  But she doesn’t.

  And you continue to slowly sink.

  Soon the slime is up over your mouth and lapping at your nostrils. You try to hold your breath, but the gunk oozes up your nose and into your lungs. Panic sets in and you start struggling again … until you disappear beneath the sludge.

  Tentatively, you reach out to touch the screen in the wall. As your finger brushes the display, a series of numbers is highlighted and the maze around you shimmers.

  The walls blur and change.

  You are standing in a mirror maze. The screen is gone and the walls are now made from mirrored panels, all reflecting your own image. You touch the mirrored surface where the screen had been, but nothing happens.

  You sigh and look around. Now what?

  Do you want to proceed through the new maze? Go here.

  Maybe it would be better to examine the mirrored wall and try to locate the mysterious screen instead? Go here.

  You grip the spear even tighter and step forward.

  You stare into the creature’s fierce eyes. Your knees go weak and your hands tremble. There’s no way you can defeat this monstrous creature.

  It gets ready to charge. You think back to the screen in the metal wall. Is this an illusion?

  You don’t have long to find out. The minotaur has begun its charge.

  You lift the spear over your shoulder, take a deep breath and throw it with all your might …

  There is an eruption of sparks as the spear embeds itself into the stone wall. Everything fizzles and pixelates.

  The minotaur disappears and the wall turns to metal.

  It was an illusion!

  Go here.

  You race back the way you came. As you sprint through the stone corridor, you can hear the roaring getting closer.

  You turn a corner and run straight into a stone wall. A dead end! Did you take a wrong turn?

  No. You’re sure you didn’t. This wall is new. And you are trapped.

  Another roar. So much closer this time.

  Panic-stricken you scrabble at the stone wall, trying to find a weak spot, or a secret exit, or some loose mortar – anything.

  But it’s too late.

  A deafening roar signals the beast’s arrival.

  You watch in horror as the creature rounds the corner. It has the body of a gigantic man, and the head of a massive bull. Its eyes are red with menace, its horns are sharp and steam escapes its nostrils with each breath.

  It is the minotaur of Ancient Greek legend. And it is terrifying!

  You wonder if it is intelligent? If, perhaps, you can reason with it?

  But suddenly it charges …

  And you will never know.

  You walk along the mirrored corridor, watching your reflections as you pass.

  You whip around. Did that reflection pull a face at you? You look back. Did that one poke out its tongue?

  The further you go down the corridor, the stranger the reflections appear, distorting and distending like the mirrors in a funhouse. Except that this isn’t fun at all.

  You increase your pace until you reach the junction. Which way will you go: left or right?

  To the right, everything is brightly lit – harsh spotlights reflect off the mirrors.

  To the left, things are darker – a dim ambient light seems to emanate from the walls.

  If you want to go down the lighter path, go here.

  If you’d rather try the darker path, go here.

  As you and Xandra walk along the easier path, the bunnies are startled by your approach. Frantically hopping out of the way, one of them accidentally scratches itself on a bramble thorn.

  The injured bunny suddenly freezes and keels over … dead.

  ‘Poisonous thorns,’ gasps Xandra. ‘We’re going to have to be very careful.’

  You nod and watch as the second bunny hops back to its fallen comrade. It sniffs at the dead bunny, its nose twitching.

  You are about to continue, when the dead bunny suddenly springs up. Its eyes are red and puffy, and its mouth is hanging open, a yellowish drool dribbling past its little bunny lips. It makes a horrid moaning sound and pounces on the other bunny.

  You and Xandra stare horrified – the dead bunny rips the other bunny apart, then proceeds to eat its brain.

  You take a step back and the zombie bunny turns to fix its eyes upon you, blood and grey bits of bunny-brain staining its fluffy white fur.

  Suddenly it leaps at your throat. Splattering blood momentarily obscures your vision.

  You see Xandra with her sword raised, a headless rabbit at her feet.

  ‘My turn to save you,’ she says with a grin. ‘Should we continue on or try the other path?’

  If you decide to go on, go here.

  If you choose to go back and try the difficult path, go here.

  You and Xandra gaze around the room. It’s empty except for a glass box in the centre, inside which lies a teenage boy dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.

  ‘That’s my boyfriend,’ cries Xandra, placing her hands on the glass. ‘We’ve found him.’

  The boy appears to be asleep.

  ‘I’ll kiss him,’ says Xandra, matter-of-factly. ‘That’s what usually happens in fairytales. A kiss to wake from sleeping death.’

  You point out that her boyfriend is in a glass box and there doesn’t seem to be any way to open it.

  Now what?

  You still have your swords. Perhaps you could smash the glass? To give that a try, go here.

  But maybe you should try tapping on the glass first? Go here.

  You turn to the left and walk along the dimly lit corridor.

  Images of yourself follow you as you go – distorted, hungry expressions watching your every move.

  At the end of the passage, you turn the corner into an alcove. There is a metal chair in the centre of the space.

  All your different reflections are seated in their respective seats. This is very creepy.

  If you want to approach one of the mirrored surfaces and examine the reflection there, go here.

  Or maybe you should sit on the chair and mimic the reflections? Go here.

  Or perhaps it would be better to get out of here – quick! Would you rather try the brightly lit corridor instead? Go here.

  You walk into the light.

  You hold up a hand to shield your eyes from the brightness. Images of yourself swim into view as you walk along the corridor.

  At the end you turn a corner. There are mirrors all around you. It’s so disorientating, you can’t tell where you’re going.
/>   You bump into a mirror, turn quickly and bump into another. A grotesque parody of your own face stares back at you.

  Frustrated, you lean on the wall, your forehead resting on the cool surface. You close your eyes and breathe deeply.

  Suddenly, your wrist is held in a vice-like grip.

  Your eyes snap open. You are staring into a misshapen version of your own eyes, glaring at you from the mirrored surface.

  Your warped reflection grins at you and pulls you closer to the mirror.

  Frantically you struggle, trying to break free. But it’s too strong. Your other reflections stare hungrily at you from the other panels.

  As your skin touches the mirror, you feel an icy chill spread through your body.

  Your hand passes through the glass. You feel all resistance drain away.

  It’s cold – so very cold!

  ‘No!’

  ‘Over here.’

  ‘Please.’

  ‘Come here.’

  ‘Not that one.’

  ‘Choose me.’

  Your other reflections are calling to you from their panels.

  ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall,’ hisses the reflection gripping your hand. ‘Who’s the weakest of us all?’

  A final yank – and you pass through the glass into the cold world beyond.

  You are all alone. Through the glass, you see your escaped reflection, out on the other side.

  You are so cold, you can hardly move. Your blood feels like ice water in your veins.

  You watch the other you walk away, down the corridor.

  You feel your mind fog, as if it is slowly freezing up.

  You’re trapped in the glacial reflection of a strange mirror-maze world …

  Forever!

  You decide to go on. You tread carefully, trying not to scare any of the white bunnies that are hopping along the path.

  After a few minutes, you notice that some of the thorns are growing, slowly extending out from the bramble walls. You quickly shoo a bunny out of the way of one of these thorns.

  You continue on, sticking to the middle of the path so as not to get stuck by a stray thorn.

  Up ahead, you hear a dreadful moaning sound. The bunnies closest to you hop away in the opposite direction. You consider following them, when, out of the brambles, two zombie bunnies launch themselves at you.

  You and Xandra swing your swords. Xandra expertly chops off the first bunny’s head, while you cleave the other in half.

  Up ahead you see the thorns are becoming even longer. You glance over your shoulder to see that more thorns are growing into the path behind you.

  If you want to turn back before the thorns get too long, go here.

  But perhaps you should continue. Go here.

  You continue on, passing more bunnies. Again you glance behind and notice that the overgrown thorns have now closed off the passage.

  You round a corner and encounter a group of five bunnies, including one very large grey rabbit at least three times the size of the others. To your horror, as you approach, you see one of the bunnies pricked by a thorn.

  You and Xandra raise your swords.

  Instead of eating the other bunnies, this zombie critter merely nips each of the others. Within moments, there are five fluffy, long-eared, nose-twitching zombie creatures glaring at you with ravenous red eyes.

  They attack!

  Xandra hacks the first down the middle and cuts off the second bunny’s head. You skewer the third on the end of your sword. As you shake it off, the next bunny springs and clamps its razor-sharp teeth onto your hand. You drop the sword and thrash your arm until the rabid creature lets go.

  Unfortunately, it flies straight into Xandra’s face. She screams as it starts nibbling on her nose.

  But you’ve got your own problems – the large grey zombified rabbit throws itself at you. You fall to the ground as its teeth chomp into your skin. Your vision blurs.

  When the rabbit finally releases you, you breathe a sigh of relief. But your reprieve is short-lived. The creature sinks its fangs into your head, cracking open your skull and digging for your brain.

  You gently knock on the top of the glass box.

  The boy’s eyes snap open. He tries to sit up but the box is too small and he bangs his head. He looks panicked, but then sees Xandra and calms down.

  He starts talking excitedly but you can’t hear a thing. The glass must be soundproof. Xandra reaches out and places her palm against the surface. The boy does the same.

  You ask Xandra what she’s going to do.

  ‘Kiss him,’ she says, leaning forward.

  Through the box?

  Xandra and the boy press their lips against the glass. You turn away in disgust, trying to block out the slurping sounds.

  ‘It worked,’ shouts Xandra.

  You turn back to see that the glass is gone. Xandra and the boy lean in for another kiss.

  As you turn away again, you find yourself back in the fun fair’s Maze of Doom.

  Finding the exit now seems easy, and you’re soon on your way to meeting up with your parents.

  You’re not sure if it was all an illusion … but it was certainly a marvellous adventure.

  You step forward and sit in the chair.

  It’s cold. Icy cold. You don’t like it.

  You try to get up, but can’t. You’re stuck to the seat, like skin to ice.

  You struggle.

  You notice that some of your reflections are also struggling. As you watch them, you realise that they are not you …

  They are all different people!

  Some of them look pleadingly towards you. Others lie limply in their chairs. Are these people previous travellers through the maze?

  You glance from one to the other – from those who are moving to those who are not. Are they dead?

  Your eye catches the white of bone. Right on the edge of your vision is a skeleton, its clothes in tatters, seated in its chair.

  Is this your fate?

  You approach one of the mirrored panels, staring into its depths. Within the glass, your reflection is still sitting in the chair. It struggles vainly, but can’t seem to get up.

  In the next panel, the figure is slumped within its seat. You stare at it and realise it’s not you. In fact, it looks nothing like you.

  You quickly move from one panel to the next. All the ‘reflections’ are different. None of them are you.

  One of them gazes at you pleadingly. You see him mouth the word, ‘Help’.

  These people are trapped!

  You’ve got to help them. But how?

  The chair! You pick it up and swing it at the wall.

  The glass smashes. All the panels shatter simultaneously, shards of mirror exploding towards you.

  You drop to the ground, closing your eyes and covering your face. But you feel nothing.

  Slowly, you open your eyes and stand. The walls are metal again.

  Was the mirror maze an illusion?

  Go here.

  You can’t bring yourself to chop off your friend’s head, so you run.

  Xandra jumps to her feet and gives chase, shouting ‘Brains!’ in a horrid, gurgling voice.

  You take one turn after another without taking notice of which way you’re going. It’s not long before you’re at a dead end.

  You hold up your sword, ready to defend yourself. Xandra runs at you and you swing your weapon. With a sickening crunch, your sharpened steel removes her zombie head from her body.

  The body slumps to the ground. The head twirls through the air, spraying blood. You drop the sword and catch it.

  You stare into Xandra’s empty eyes with sadness. As you lean down to place the head next to the body, the mouth snaps at you, nipping your little finger.

  You stagger back, a sudden sharp pain in your stomach. You double over and fall down. Your vision goes a hazy red. With a lurch, your heart stops beating. Your thoughts are slipping away. You feel nothing but an all-consuming hunger.<
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  You decide that you better go back while you still have the chance.

  You and Xandra start making your way around, over and under the elongated thorns. They continue to grow as you pass them. The further you go, the more difficult your journey becomes, and more sharp points extend towards you.

  But just up ahead, you see that the thorns are back to normal length.

  Only a few more to get past. You carefully step over the last one.

  ‘Argh!’

  You turn to see Xandra clutching her arm. There’s a drop of blood on the thorn next to her.

  She staggers forward and collapses to the ground. Her eyes are closed and she’s not breathing. Is she dead?

  As you approach, she starts convulsing and frothing at the mouth. Then her eyes snap open. They are red.

  Xandra has been turned into a zombie!

  You raise your sword. You know that you should chop off her head before she attacks you … but can you do it?

  If you have the stomach to cut off Xandra’s head, go here.

  If you can’t bring yourself to do it, you could always run away. Go here.

  You suggest breaking the top of the glass box with the hilt of your sword. Xandra nods and steps back.

  You lift your sword and bring the hilt down as hard as you can against the surface.

  What happens next seems to take place in slow motion.

  The box shatters, splinters of glass flying in all directions. The boy disappears, as if he were never there.

  A hail of glass splinters makes Xandra stagger backwards. She falls out of the turret window.

  You hold up your arms, trying to shield your face from the fragments. Nothing happens. No glass hits you.