The Maze (The Coven, Book 2)

by Erica Stevens

  Seams and bolts joined the walls every five feet. They ran from the floor, up the walls, and all the way across the ceiling. She didn’t know why, but something about them reminded her of Frankenstein’s monster. Maybe it was because the bolts made the walls appear patched together, which was not something she wanted to see in a tunnel. She tried not to think about what would happen if the seams gave way, but her mind had latched on to that possibility and wouldn’t let it go.

  After a hundred feet, the tunnel sloped downward and the walls started closing in on them. The air grew colder, and the odor of damp earth increased as they descended further under the ground.

  The deeper they went, the less Avery could discern the four figures in front of her, and she barely saw the glimmer of Reid and Sandra’s flames. She strained to hear any sign of impending danger, but all she detected was the thud of their feet and their increasingly labored breathing as the air grew heavier and became more difficult to breathe.

  When they descended another fifty feet, a new sound penetrated her ears; she frowned as she tried to identify its source. Then, she recognized the soft plop of dripping water and spotted trickles oozing around the bolts.

  Her throat went dry, and she gulped as she tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. Water was beading around the bolts there and, as she watched, a drop fell to land on the tunnel floor. How much water was above them? Would the ceiling hold, or was it about to collapse and sweep them away into the mouth of some monster waiting to devour them?

  “The ground drops suddenly here,” Reid warned, his voice muffled by the walls and the increased thickness of the air.

  Avery braced herself for the dip when Reid’s head dropped before her. Following him, she stepped down six inches, and her flame grew smaller. She no longer saw the faces of the people holding the small fires. Her flame remained larger than the others, but it still only illuminated a few inches of the blackness pressing against her.

  The air was so thick she could barely breathe, and she wondered if they would drown or suffocate in this place first. Labored breathing surrounded her, but Eric’s more rapid pants registered the most. She tried to think of a way to comfort him, but there wasn’t much she could do, other than try to help him through whatever Regan was going to throw at them. And he would throw something more at them than this nerve-wracking uncertainty as to whether or not the tunnel would remain standing.

  The perspiration coating her skin and the dampness of the air caused her clothing to cleave to her like a magnet to metal. Absently, she brushed a strand of damp hair from her face. When her jaw began to ache, Avery realized she was grinding her teeth. Releasing a deep breath, she unclenched her jaw and concentrated on her surroundings.

  A slithering rustle came from behind them, and Eric tensed beside her. Avery turned to see what caused the noise, but the darkness hid the secrets it held. She wiped the sweat from her forehead as another slithering sound came from beside them followed by the rustle of other creatures skulking through the shadows. Eric’s breath came more rapidly when the tunnel dipped again. A sense of impending doom descended over her as their lights dimmed to pinpoints.

  “Something’s coming,” Isla whispered.

  Excited chatter followed a scurrying rustle. The hair on Avery’s arms rose, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming when something scampered across her foot. She released her battered lip as something else ran across her sneaker. She kicked out at it, but it was too fast, and she connected with nothing.

  “Oh, God,” Eric moaned.

  “It will be okay,” Avery whispered, though she wanted to start screaming as she fled into the darkness.

  Her words were little comfort, but she felt the increasing sweat coating his arm when it brushed against hers. She had to help him get through this.

  When something cold and hairy brushed her cheek, she jerked and flung her hand up to knock it away, but it was already gone. As much as she hated the impenetrable dark, she was suddenly glad she couldn’t see the things surrounding them.

  Talia let out a harsh cry and halted so fast that Isla walked into her. Isla pushed her forward. “Keep moving!”

  Still clutching Reid’s arm, Talia had no choice but to continue as he didn’t stop. After another hundred feet, Avery realized the tunnel was starting to ascend again. They were climbing out of the bowels of the earth, and her lungs eagerly inhaled the air as it became easier to breathe again.

  A crunching sound came from ahead, and then she stepped on something that popped beneath her sneakers. Nausea twisted in her belly.

  Just keep going, she told herself as more crunching sounded.

  Then, their flames blazed back to full life and illuminated more of the tunnel than Avery ever wanted to see. Her feet froze to the floor as Eric released his flame and reeled back. The cockroaches covering the ground scurried away from his golden fire before it burned out. They quickly filled the hole back in.

  The walls were no longer silver but brown as every inch of them was covered in the bugs as they scurried over each other and their antennae flicked back and forth. The tongues of the snakes slithering through the roaches flickered in and out as they hunted their prey. A green snake, at least ten feet long and with two large fangs hanging over its lower jaw, homed in on Eric.

  An ear-splitting screech filled the air, and a horde of rats the size of cats burst from a hole in the side of the tunnel. Talia screeched, and everyone stumbled away from the tidal wave of brown bodies, scaly tails, and red eyes rushing toward them. When the snake struck at Eric, he wheeled backward and into Avery, knocking her off balance. Unable to keep her concentration focused on her fire, it fell to the ground and sputtered out.

  Before she could right herself, she was shoved against the moving wall of insects. Her stomach rolled when the bugs crunched against her back. She tried to peel herself off the wall, but Eric’s body against hers made escape impossible. She suppressed a scream when the roaches scurried over her arms, slipped inside her shirt, and crawled into her hair.

  “Get it off me!” Talia shrieked.

  When a roach ran across her cheek, Avery forced herself to remain calm when all she wanted was to slap at herself and jump around like her feet were on fire. A smooth, rigid body slithered across her arm, and she realized it was a snake before jerking her arm away.

  “Make it stop,” Eric whispered.

  “You have to do that,” she told him.

  She could use her power to stop this, and she would if she had to, but it would be better if Eric faced his nightmare and made it end. She hated what was happening, but Eric had to find the strength to stop it.

  “Do something!” Karen screamed.

  The rats bounded over the roaches on the floor as the bugs on the ceiling all stopped moving and suddenly stood on their back legs like some crazy insect army. Avery had only a second to register something terrible was about to happen before the roaches flowed down like a waterfall on top of them.

  Avery clamped her mouth closed against the scream echoing in her mind as they poured over her head and swarmed across her mouth. Then the firm body of a rat hit her hard in the side; if she hadn’t been squished against the wall, the blow would have knocked her over.

  A rat scurried up her leg as their shrill cries filled the air. Avery was growing increasingly convinced that she would pass out from lack of oxygen as she breathed shallowly through her nose. Eric needed to stop this soon.

  She stretched out a bug-laden arm to grip Eric’s shoulder. When she squeezed down, roaches crunched beneath her fingers and shudders racked Eric’s body. She tried to convey strength and determination into him as she squeezed harder.

  He stiffened beneath her grip, and she felt the resolve filling him as his shoulders went back. Then his power coursed through her hand and up her arm. Drawing into herself, Avery funneled her power forward and let it course into his body so that she lent him some of her strength.

  Avery didn’t know what Eric pictured happening as h
e unleashed his power, but the roaches scattered and the rats crawling up her shrieked as they flew backward. The snake trying to encircle her arm vanished and cold air filtered over her sweat-drenched skin.

  When Avery’s eyes flew open, she stared in amazement at the immaculate tunnel. There was no sign anything horrible had been there; not even a dead roach littered the ground or adhered to her. Avery’s hand fell away from Eric’s shoulder. Though most of their flames were extinguished, the tunnel was bright enough that she could see the strained faces surrounding her.

  “That was horrible,” Isla croaked.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Eric muttered.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Mario replied.

  CHAPTER 15

  “Does this mean we’re going to have to face bugs again while we’re in here?” Karen asked once they were out of the tunnel.

  Avery glanced at Reid. In the first nightmare world, Reid’s fear was being buried alive while bugs ate him.

  “I guess,” Reid answered evasively.

  “Ugh!” Isla said.

  “We should get all our nightmares out in the open now,” Sandra said. “That way we’ll know what’s coming.”

  “I agree,” Isla said. “I hate bridges. Like, I mean, I really hate them. I don’t know why. I don’t know what started it, but when I was a kid I used to curl up on the floor of the car whenever we went over one. That’s not an option anymore, but I’m still tempted to do it every time I drive over one. I’m sure Regan will find a way to incorporate that into this mess.”

  “That will be fun,” Karen said dryly.

  “Mine will be werewolves,” Sandra said, giving them each a look promising retribution if they dared to laugh. “I saw a horror movie with werewolves when I was a kid and had nightmares about them chasing me through the woods for months afterward. Sometimes, I would wake up and think they were in the room with me.”

  “Don’t any of you laugh at me,” Mario said defensively. “But mine will be haunted houses. I’ve hated them ever since I went into one at a fair when I was seven. My parents told me no, but I was determined to go through it, and I snuck away from them. Not only were they pissed at me, but I still have nightmares about the damn thing.”

  “Talia?” Karen asked.

  “Corpses or zombies,” Talia croaked. “I hate cemeteries. I’m always scared the dead will crawl out of their graves and come after me.”

  “Avery?” Sandra asked.

  Avery frowned as she contemplated this. What is my fear? She couldn’t come up with an answer as she stared at the hall.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “The last time I was scared I was evil, but after what Celia revealed, I’m not afraid of that anymore. My other big fear was Regan returning, but… too late.”

  “Nothing else?” Isla asked.

  Avery stopped walking while she searched inside herself for an answer. She had small fears like failing a test or not getting into any of the colleges she planned to apply to, but none of them were big enough for Regan to use against her.

  “Nothing that stands out,” she admitted. “But Regan being free again was my biggest fear, so I could be living my nightmare right now.”

  “It sounds like we’re in for a good time,” Eric said.

  “Definitely an adventure,” Mario said.

  “How do we know we’re going the right way?” Talia asked tremulously.

  “We don’t,” Isla said. “That’s part of the fun.”

  “As long as we keep finding our nightmares, we’re going the right way,” Avery said.

  “We haven’t found one in a while,” Karen said. “What time is it, Reid?”

  He glanced briefly at his watch. “Five ten.”

  “We need to move faster,” Isla said.

  “I’m so thirsty,” Talia complained.

  “We all are,” Sandra retorted. “But bitching about it isn’t going to solve anything.”

  When tears formed in Talia’s eyes, Avery rested her hand on Talia’s arm. “Crying isn’t going to help you get out of here, and your tears will only make Regan happy. You have to keep it together, Talia; it’s the only way you’ll survive.”

  Talia blinked at her before wiping her eyes. Her lower lip continued to tremble, but to Avery’s relief, she stopped crying. The others started down the hall again, and Avery let Talia go to follow them. After a few minutes, she realized the twists and turns were becoming more frequent.

  When Reid turned sideways to slip around a corner, he disappeared, and Avery’s heart lurched into her throat. Rounding another turn, she discovered Reid and Talia standing in front of her, but she couldn’t see why they’d stopped.

  “Why did you stop?” Mario called from behind her.

  “Turn around!” Reid yelled. “It’s a dead end!”

  Groans filled the air, and then Karen edged away from her. Avery turned to retrace her steps. They took a right before coming across another dead end. Avery shoved aside her rising panic as they turned back. They took a left and walked for a few minutes before encountering another wall blocking their way.

  “Is it the same wall as before?” Mario asked. “Are we just going in circles?”

  “I hope not,” Karen said.

  “We could go in circles until midnight in this place,” Sandra said.

  That possibility caused nausea to twist in Avery’s stomach and she tried not to think about the walls pressing against her.

  “Let’s go back,” Reid said.

  They turned around and headed back the way they came or at least Avery thought they were going the same way. It was impossible to tell as it all looked the same.

  “It’s changing again!” Eric yelled from ahead of her.

  Avery’s mouth suddenly felt as if she’d been chewing on cotton. She suspected they were on the verge of something, but what nightmare would they encounter next? She turned another corner and stopped behind Karen, who gave her a wide-eyed, horrified look before stepping out of the way. Avery edged to the side of the open space to allow the others to enter. Her heart sank as she gazed across the massive chasm.

  A narrow, rope bridge stretched across the canyon. The rickety structure creaked as it swayed in a breeze Avery couldn’t feel. Wooden boards, spaced a couple of inches apart, made up the floor of the structure, and she could see about three hundred feet of the bridge before the fog drifting across the middle of the canyon obscured the end of it. She assumed the bridge had an end, or at least she hoped it did, but for all she knew it could be miles away.

  The idea of traversing this thing for miles caused her fight-or-flight response to kick into hyperdrive. It took everything she had not to bolt back down the hall and away from this thing. She wasn’t usually scared of heights, but the Grand Canyon paled in comparison to the yawning monstrosity before them.

  However, where the Grand Canyon was sweeping colors and grace, this chasm was grotesque, with lethal-looking, jagged, black and gray rocks jutting out of the sides of the cliffs. Those rocks looked as if they might come to life and eat them once they stepped onto the bridge, and Avery would not be surprised if they did.

  When Avery stepped to the edge of the cliff, some of the black dirt beneath her feet tumbled over and clattered into the abyss. Bending, she picked up a black rock and tossed it over the edge. She listened for the stone to hit bottom, but it never happened. The abyss had swallowed it within its pit of nothingness.

  She wished she never threw the rock over the side.

  “I’ll go first,” Mario volunteered and stepped tentatively onto the bridge.

  He gripped the rope railings and bounced on his toes as he tested the strength of the boards. Avery tensed in expectation of the worst, but if Regan were going to do something to them, he would wait until they were all on the structure before springing his trap.

  The bridge rocked and creaked beneath Mario’s weight as he walked further out with Eric behind him. Karen tossed a frightened glance at Avery before following him
onto the structure. Avery took a step after her, but Talia seized her arm and halted her. Isla and Sandra walked onto the rocking bridge while Reid stopped before it and turned to wait for them.

  “I can’t go!” Talia croaked and turned as if she were going to flee.

  “You have to go.” Avery grabbed her arm before she could run. She had no idea what would happen if Talia fled, but Regan would make her pay for trying to escape one of his games. “You can’t stay here, and you can’t go back. I’ll be right behind you.”

  “You have to go.” Reid clasped her hand and pried it from Avery’s arm. “You can do this, Talia. I have faith in you.”

  Something glimmered in Talia’s eyes before she lifted her chin and met his gaze before turning her hand over in his and grasping it. Did this happen after we were friends, or did she realize I was with Reid and decided to become my friend to get closer to him?

  Avery didn’t know the answer, and she doubted she ever would as Talia would never tell her, but she couldn’t help feeling used by the girl. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head and met Reid’s eyes. As she gazed into them, she knew he didn’t realize what was happening; he would distance himself from Talia otherwise. He just thought he was offering Talia comfort and helping Avery deal with her.

  Reid smiled at her and bent to kiss her forehead. “Go ahead of Talia and me,” she told him.

  “Avery—”

  “It will be better if I’m last,” she said before he could argue with her. “Go on. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Reid kissed her again before turning away and stepping onto the bridge. When he released Talia’s hand, she gripped the back of his shirt and twisted it in her hands. Avery almost smacked her hands away from Reid, but if holding onto him got Talia onto the bridge, then so be it. Once they were out of this place, she’d never have to deal with the girl again, but until then, she had to keep her alive. No matter how she felt about Talia, Avery would never be able to live with herself if something happened to her in here.

  Bracing herself, Avery took a deep breath and followed Talia onto the bridge as it creaked and swayed beneath their combined weights. As she walked further onto the bridge, a slight breeze cooled the sweat coating her skin as the wooden boards bowed beneath her weight. Avery grasped the thick railing so tight that strands of the rope abraded her palms and dug into the cuts she endured in the hallway with the clowns. Unwilling to ease her death grip on the bridge, she clenched her teeth against the pain.