The walls stretched upwards for what seemed like miles. They were tall and ominous, so vast they made you feel no bigger than an ant. I don’t know how I got here, or even what day it is. All I know is that I have to find my way out. This maze, this labyrinth, it plays tricks on your mind. A sense of paranoia constantly haunts me, as if there are unseen eyes following my every move.

My body is heavy with exhaustion. My feet are calloused and cut, my socks worn thin. My shoes had disappeared when I woke up, and my shirt had been torn. I spend my days walking, endlessly around this hellish puzzle, at night I can hear howls, terrible wails that pierce the night sky. I fret to think what could be out here with me in this desolate place, does it know I’m here? Is it looking for me?

I’ve walked into so many dead ends, I’m starting to forget where I’ve already been. My mind is a mess. How did I get here? How long have I been here? When can I leave? I’ve been searching for an exit for so long I’ve lost track of all time, it could have been two days or two months for all I knew. The only thing I am sure of is that no one is coming to rescue me, I have to be my own hero.

As the nights go on and the darkness becomes thicker, the wails worsen. An infernal screeching filling my ears, penetrating my skull, attacking my thoughts. I walk for as long as I can, until I am too enervated to continue. I walk long into the night expecting the howls when the moon is at its highest, any moment now. But they didn’t come. For the first time since my uncanny arrival, the night was silent. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. No birds, no wind, no trees rustling, no dogs barking. I kept walking, cautiously turning every corner expecting to find what I can only imagine to be my death.