The Odds - Jeff Strand Page 0,60

Ethan was still ahead.

“And the developments just keep coming!” The Claw Man announced. “Kenny has another key!”

Still no need to panic.

Ethan kept going. Thank God he’d thought of the blood trick, because aside from the occasional trap, each part of the maze was starting to look the same. He’d completely lost track of where he was in relation to the maze entrance.

He caught a glimpse of light on the ground ahead and slowed down. A tripwire ran across the corridor. The filament had caught the sunlight, saving him from whatever horrible thing would happen if he snapped the wire. He carefully stepped over it and resumed running.

“Kenny has a third key!” The Claw Man announced.

What the hell? Already? Had Lisa shared information with him?

And were those footsteps ahead of him?

Ethan stopped and listened carefully. Yes, he could hear Kenny running, which meant the key was probably to the left instead of the right. He now knew where it was—he just had to figure out how to get there.

He maneuvered through the maze to where he thought he’d heard the footsteps. Maybe he was correct, but there was no sign of a key. He raced back to where he’d started and tried a different path. Still no luck. Unless there was an extra person running around, he had to at least be close to the right spot.

Did Kenny know the way out?

Should Ethan start thinking of a contingency plan? Wouldn’t it be better to let The Claw Man shoot him for climbing over the wall than to be lowered into the oil?

Nihilism wasn’t going to help right now. He’d worry about getting himself killed on purpose after he lost the race. For now, he was still in the game.

He took another path, and then rejoiced at the sight of three skulls mounted into the wall. Skulls were not typically a sight that caused him to rejoice, but their mouths were open, and he could see that there was a blue key inside one of them.

The skull jaw might be spring-loaded to snap shut on his fingers. Ethan didn’t care.

He grabbed the key and ran.

Now he just had to get out of the maze before Kenny did.

The blood on the walls would tell him where he’d been, but it wouldn’t really help him find his way out. Was The Claw Man standing by the entrance when he spoke through the megaphone? That could be a clue.

Ethan ran as fast as he could.

He raced through the maze for a couple of minutes, grateful to not hit any dead ends. He hoped that Kenny wasn’t as fortunate.

“Ooooh, it’s a nail biter!” The Claw Man announced. “Kenny is almost out!”

Ethan turned left, then right, then hit a dead end.

If The Claw Man was indeed announcing from by the entrance, then Ethan needed to take the huge risk and save himself some time by unleashing his inner gymnast.

He grabbed the top of the wall and quickly pulled himself up.

It hurt, both because he was out of shape and because he was covered in cuts, but he forced himself to climb over the wall as fast as he could.

A gunshot rang out.

It felt like it came very close.

Ethan made it over the wall and fell to the ground, landing badly.

He got up.

He had to do it again, so he didn’t hesitate. This time he paid more attention as he climbed over the maze wall. He could see The Claw Man standing there with the others, a megaphone in one hand and a gun in the other.

The Claw Man took aim as Ethan swung his legs over the top of the wall.

He fired.

Missed again.

Ethan dropped to the ground, once again landing badly. Was The Claw Man a terrible shot, or did he not want to ruin the fun by successfully shooting Ethan off the wall? Ethan suspected it was the latter.

There was the exit! Only about twenty feet away!

Kenny ran around the corner.

As Ethan got back to his feet, Kenny tackled him.

They both hit the ground.

Kenny scrambled to crawl right over Ethan as both men desperately tried to move toward the exit. Kenny slammed Ethan’s face into the ground, buying him a couple of seconds, but Ethan grabbed his foot.

They kept violently struggling, making forward progress only a couple of inches at a time. Ethan wasn’t sure if the entire maze was being monitored or just the areas with the keys, but this had to be insanely entertaining to the people watching.

“What if we—?” Ethan started to ask,