Silas’ heart. They took a few moments to collect their breath and silently moved down the path into the wide opening. The crowd’s cheers and boos erupted from above as it was revealed who was still in the running to survive the gauntlet. Some began handing others money as they saw that their pick had been killed in the tunnel. Silas hated being put on display in such a way. He hated them for their hunger and thirst for blood. He hated Marenon.
The group of six walked down the path, feeling exhausted and defeated. They soon reached an area where the path split into three different directions. Silas looked at the others, knowing that the same question loomed in each of their minds. Should they all go down the same path or take separate ones?
“It seems obvious to me,” Dink said. “Who knows if they all lead to the end? If only one of them does, then one pair will make it through.”
“But there is strength in numbers,” Gunther said.
“Maybe,” Silas said. “Who knows whether a large group would make it worse? This place is unpredictable. Any decision we make could be good or bad.” They all stood in silence for a moment, none of them wanting to make the final decision. Silas finally spoke again. “I think we should split up.”
It was decided. The man and woman would take the path to the right, Dink and his partner the left, and Silas and Gunther would take the middle.
“Good luck,” Silas said to them all. “We’ll see you on the other side.”
Dink stopped for a moment, catching Silas’ attention. “I didn’t think death would be like this, you know?”
“Who would?” Silas said emotionless. He did not want negative thoughts of bitterness to cloud his determination to make it beyond the next obstacles.
Dink turned and walked.
The paths quickly veered away from one another. Each pair could no longer see or hear what may have happened to the others. The crowd above them had become background noise and soon they heard no noise at all as they passed under another ceiling, covering them from view. Just then, Silas noticed, for the first time, that the gauntlet was one massive structure, built like a town square, but with high walls enabling the crowd to watch. The walls also helped keep the players in the gauntlet. Silas thought it must have taken a lot of work to plan and build. The path they walked was rocky and narrow, and Silas knew the peace of soundless walking they experienced would be brief. He remained alert and aware.
Without warning, the earth began to shake. It was difficult for the pair to keep their balance and they both fell to the dirt. In front of them the ground began to split under the pressure of the shifting plates. There was no place to take cover from the falling rocks, should the walls on either side of them or the ceiling begin to crumble. Wider and wider the crevice spread until Silas could finally see that it was not an earthquake after all. The ground had opened up, and before them appeared stairs leading down into the darkness below. The shaking stopped and a dusty quiet fell around them. Silas and Gunther glanced at each other with a grim understanding that they might not make it out alive. With only slight hesitation they picked themselves up and descended into the unknown.
The further they went down, the darker it became. Soon, they were completely underground with no light, blind to what could be endangering them. The Eerie darkness clung to Silas’ exposed skin, sending a cold shiver up his spine. Once down the steps, the path narrowed. It was straight and void of any obstacles. This would change, Silas knew, but he felt relief nonetheless. Their chain clinked lightly with each step, serving as a warning sound to anything that might be awaiting them ahead.
As they continued their slow pace, the air began to feel lighter than it had only moments before and their sounds started producing echoes. In an instant, flames ignited on torches in a circular motion revealing an enormous room resembling a cathedral. Forced to shield their eyes from the blazing light, they knew their guard was let down.
Silas wondered who had lit the flames, but it seemed that they had caught fire by their own power. The two squinted through the light, letting their eyes adjust. Silas instantly noticed seven doorways leading out of the