Chapter 1
The night air’s warm, and crouched down in the bushes, Nick and I wait as the guard makes his final tour of the grounds. We’ve been holding this position for about an hour now, and I’m tired. Ten days of doing this, and I should be used to it by now.
I’m on a mission, and that mission is to find solid proof, that the Minotaur story was indeed fact! Sir Arthur Evans, my hero... I aim to make history also, and hopefully surpass him. He’d found King Minos’ palace, and I’ll find the Labyrinth, I know it.
I can feel it...
“Did you fart?”
“What? No...” I state, bewildered... and then I smell it also. A rancid, smell of death, old and putrid, enough to make me gag.
Heaving in large amounts of air, my stomach convulses, and just when I think that my dinner is about to come back up, a hand over my mouth, puts an end to that.
The guard has returned, his flashlight shining directly on us. A loud bellowing roar can be heard, and the ground rumbles. We’re all in a state of fear and confusion, a few seconds tick by, before reality sets in, and Nick and I make a break for it.
The guard giving chase, we head into the palace. The grounds are immense, and splitting up, we head in different directions.
He opts for following Nick above ground, as I venture into the maze of passageways. It’s dark, and using my phone to light the way, another roar can be heard.
Pausing, the sound of footsteps can be heard coming towards me, and I make a beeline back through the way that I came in.
The steps echoing off of the walls, I make it back up top, and dashing through the woods, I can hear Nick being detained.
His exchange with the guard’s, loud in the quiet of the night. I can’t make out what they’re saying, as i’m fleeing, but I know that there’s some type of resistance going on.
Out of breath, I slow down to a walk, and then to a complete stop.
“Shit... I’m lost.”
“That’s why you shouldn’t go into the woods, alone.”
A small squeak exits my lips, at his words.
“Lucas, what the hell!”
“Sorry sis...” He says, with a smirk.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Looking for you.”
“Hey!” Yells the guard, the light from his flashlight, moving in our direction. “Shit...” Says, Lucas, following me deeper into the woods.
“Hey, come back... stop!”
His commands are followed by three ear splitting deep roars, that not only shakes, but cracks the ground!
“Caden, stop!”
A black hole’s formed, and too late, I’ve ran right into it.
Upon waking, there’s a hall, lit by torches, and trying to recall what exactly happened, I clear the dirt from my clothing.
I’d lost my phone somewhere during the drop, and peering up into the darkness, I can barely see anything.
“Lucas! Is anyone there?”
No reply to my inquiry, I know that I should stay right where I’m at, until someone comes for me. But... I wanna know what’s down that hallway.
Taking a torch with me, I venture into the unknown. Twists and turns, but no dead ends, my excitement grows, with each passing hour, or minute, as I don’t know how long I’ve been in here.
I’m delightedly giddy, until I hear a snarl, which stops me cold.
Oh shit...
My flight response is on point, as I don’t ask any questions, and don’t wait around to find out, what animal belonged to that growl.
I’m hightailing it on out of there, when I hear it giving chase. Trying to increase my pace, there’s a commotion, it sounds like a fight. Two growls in unison, snarling, and then something large hitting the wall beside me.
The wind from it forces me into the opposite wall, and I go down hard. Stricken with fear, I can’t even stand, and attempt to crawl away.
A hand’s latched onto my ankle, and I let loose a hellish scream! Trying to kick it off of me, I’m flipped onto my back, and the sight causes me to lose my breath.
Two, not one... but two beasts... male and female. Loin cloths cover their lower regions, and the female wears a breast plate. The male’s bare chested, and has a hold of the female’s leg.
They’re watching me... Bodies like human’s, heads like bulls, ferocious sharp horns, and black eyes. Trying to scream from the horror of it all, nothing comes out, but a few strangled hiccup sounds.
I’m frozen with fear, I don’t know what they’re frozen with, but nobody moves, or says anything.
Giving up on trying to scream, my gaze goes from him to her, then back to him. A snarl from him, his nostrils flaring, I’m unable to take anymore. Knowing that I’m going to die, I let the darkness take over.