PLAYLIST
Spotify
The World Alive—No Way Out
Conquer Divide--Nightmares
A Day To Remember--Resentment
21 Savage--Spiral
The Doors—The End
Hollywood Undead—Paradise Lost
7ru7h—Voices in My Head
Conquer Divide--Lost
Yellow Claw—City On Lockdown
Queen Naija—Trial And Error
ITM—Hunting Grounds
Jelly Roll—Creature
Hollywood Undead—Undead
Halsey--Nightmare
Omri—Demons
Attack—All My Life
Wiz Khalifa—What I Know Now
Lillian Helper—Even If It Hurts
Post Malone—Hollywood’s Bleeding
Zoe Wees--Control
$uicideBoy$--Memoirs Of A Gorilla
Kehlani--Gangsta
Asking Alexandria—They Don’t Want What We Want
Too Close To Touch—Before I Cave In
BMTH—House Of Wolves
Evanescence—The Game Is Over
Halsey—Experiment On Me
Mike Emillio--Clown
Sia—I’m Still Here
Rosenfield—Do It For Me
Asking Alexandria—Kneel Before Me
DeathbyRomy--Shadow
Too Close To Touch--Sympathy
REBEL—Lick
Kim Petras—Wrong Turn
Valley of Wolves—Lions Inside
ITM—As Above, So Below
Eminem—Godzilla
Miley Cyrus—Mother’s Daughter
The Plot In You—Feel Nothing
Andra Day—Rise Up
Trivium—Bleed Into Me
Dermot Kennedy—Don’t Cry
Hollywood Undead—Heart of Champion
Lenii—The Kids Are All Rebels
The Weeknd—After Hours
Billie Eillish—everything I wanted
MGK—Bloody Valentine
RECAP
(PERICULUM FINAL CHAPTER)
The moment we stepped outside, Kyrous kissed the back of Gracelyn’s hand, which was odd to me seeing as he didn’t give off that kind of sweet vibe at all.
And then he took off. He went right when we needed to go straight.
Like the map depicted, Maze of Mayhem was right behind us.
Literally.
There was a small patch of grass, and then the entrance to another building.
“Where are you going?” Selena yelled after him.
He didn’t answer, continuing without a backyard glance.
“He’s going to find his brother,” Gracelyn replied softly.
“Poor bub,” Selena murmured, blinking away tears.
I frowned, watching his form grow smaller and smaller. I understood the reasoning behind it, but I thought Kyrous was smarter than this.
It was a suicide mission, and Ciaran was right. We were so close to the end. All we needed to do was make it through this maze to get to the manor. Maybe death would be waiting there, but at least we’d be going to greet it.
“Are either of you going to go after him?”
“He wouldn’t have wanted us to,” Maverick replied.
“And I’m not leaving you on your own,” Ciaran added, staring after his friend, his face clear of any emotion.
“I’m probably safer without you,” I mumbled.
“Yeah? You’re also dead.” He grabbed my hand and began to walk towards the next entrance, leaving the others to follow.
He hadn’t left my side once since we’d finished fooling around. He’d basically been my shadow, as if he thought I would run off or something now that I knew who he was.
He gave himself too much credit, but I wouldn’t deny I liked him being near me.
We stepped through a small opening and into a circular room made of nothing but stone. As the girls and Maverick followed, I looked around, taking note of the minor details.
There were no windows, and the only light came from dimly lit wall sconces. It was cool here, too.
Straight ahead was another narrow doorway, beyond it an inky darkness, the kind no one in their right mind would ever walk into. A stagnant smell emanated from within it.
“Look at the floor.” Mel pointed down at a large mural someone had painted.
“It’s like the image from the Visitor’s Center,” Selena said.
I had forgotten about that, but she was right. Only now, I noticed the demons were wearing masks, all of them different, still surrounding the naked girl. Ciaran set his eyes on the next riddle and wandered over to it, keeping hold of my hand.
“You’ve been trapped in a maze since you caught my eye.
Find your way out before you’re trapped for good.
Mystery, mayhem, darkness.
The Devil lurks on the other side,” Ciaran read.
“I think this is the most ominous one we’ve seen,” I mused.
“Maybe, but we can do this,” Mel avowed. “We’re not going to die here.”
She sounded so confident, a complete flip from the pessimist she tended to be.
I smiled at her, reaching for her hand. “It’s dark in there. Let’s form a chain until we know what we’re walking into.”
We moved into a formation of sorts.
I stayed with Ciaran, holding onto Mel now as well. Gracelyn and Selena followed, leaving Maverick at the end of our line.
Entering the darkness, I don’t think any of us knew what to expect. My eyes strained to adjust as the light fell away, but there was nothing to see but black. The walls were still stone, covered in what felt like moss as I brushed against one.
There was a small splash, followed by a soft-spoken warning from Ciaran.
“Watch your step.” He stopped, helping me down.
“Ugh,” I muttered when I reached the bottom.
Cold water wicked into my J’s, soaking my socks and the bottom of my sweatpants.
The stench of it was potent, mold and mildew. I firmed my grip on Ciaran’s hand and Mel’s, making sure she didn’t fall.
We began to make our way through the dark, using our human chain to ensure none of us got separated or lost. The passageways seemed endless. The only way we knew to turn was when we had no other choice, when the walls curved and made us go right or left. Every so often, there was definitive grinding noise.
The first time we heard it we all froze, waiting for something to happen—nothing did.