Never before have I heard silence so loudly...my own breath being the only thing shattering the wrath of the quiet. My knee bounces quietly, impatience tempting my rage. The sound steel keys ambushed my ears, then the rusty sound of the door opening, something thuds inside soon after. The same keys lock the sound inside, and footsteps I didn't catch before waned away. I waited still. The cold floor biting my rear. The walls seemed to close in, the only promise of freedom locked behind iron bars. The air was stagnant and arid, unlike the floor I sit upon now. Even the rays of light that pierced the strength of the stone walls, didn't do much to heal the coldness of...here.

The sound entrapped in a cell much like mine starts to stir. It's noise rattling the world. I can barely make out a few words, "...why?...no, wait, WAIT! No-no-no-no-no-NO!" I finally search for it. A male. He stands across from me, behind the layers of "justice" that entrap us, and many more. He takes in his surroundings much like a lost child in a crowd. His eyes find mine.

"H-hey! Where am I?!"

I reply with the best of my ability.
"Here."

"Please! Tell me please!"
His wails fall on deaf ears. I would answer him, but I don't know myself. I severed our eye's needy demands of focus, it's the helpless leading the clueless.

"Do you even know?" He says, desperation rang clear though his voice. I look to him once more, and display a simple shake of my head. I saw his hope dying away like a candle in a windy storm. He slips into a corner of his new world. Silence reigns once more.

"Do you know why your here?" I say, curiosity getting the best of me.

"I thought I would've been told already."

"So we all thought."
I've been here long enough to know, no one know why they're 'here' as no one soothes our burning question.

"So you don't know either?"
He states the obvious. I reply again with my head. Maybe it was hope the forced my question, maybe it was the possibility of a reason that made me ask, even if I knew the true answer.

Heavy footsteps brush my ears. The sounds of heavy metal coming with the steps.

***The Warden**

I stand. The Warden nearing ever so closer. I urge the new arrival to stand with my hand. The Warden taunts us with his presence in front of our cells. His eyes launch daggers towards me. He opens his disgusting mouth to speak.

"I see ye've a new prison mate with you, my friend. Today's ye lucky day."

My face involuntary scrunched to the false words.

"Let's make it more special," He begins to chortle with false intentions, "It's coming time, I best recommend yer goodbyes and last words. This will be yer final run."

The Warden turns to 'my friend' and speaks again.
"Ye should consider ye-self lucky too," he leans closer to the bars and mutters- as best he could- "It's not often fresh meat gets to run with 'The Champion'."

I slash my hand against the bars. It hurt, but not enough to compare to the demands of being "Champion."

The Warden starts guffawing with stains of evil on it, "Now that got 'im started! HA, We better get going my friends! The Champ's been angered!"

I raise my finger to hopefully get him to shut up, or just purely out of anger.

"HA, that's cute," The Warden retaliates with a second.

I just admit defeat, lowering my insult and just stared at The Warden, if only I could kill him and escape this damned place. Then who would be laughing....

"I do hope ye share some quality time, it might be ye last time to flap the yapper!"
He begins trotting off, his chuckles echoing like mirrors in the hallways.

I look one last time to the new arrival, his eyes questioning mine, before I retire to my stone hard "bed," surprisingly, "new guy" keeps shut. Good, we'll need our rest, and all the luck in the world. For both our sakes.


(POV) New guy


"Champion" rests peacefully on his bed, while I'm here stressing over what the big loud guy was talking about. Why is the guy next to me a champion? Why am I here? What was the big guy talking to "Champion" about when he said 'this run will be his last?' So many questions ran by, and so many answers unsolved.

Let's start with the easiest and closest ones first... I walk to the iron door, and quietly try to wake "Champion" from my distant cell.

"Hey. You awake?"

He stirs a little, but not enough to be awake.

"Hey...Hey!"

With a groan he opens his eyes, and looks to me, with disappointment.

"You need your rest." 'Champion' says quietly.

"But I need answers."

"Many stones are best left untouched."

"Dude, just a few quick questions!"

"Fine, but be quiet about it. And you better not say where am I again. "

"Why are you a 'Champion' here?"

His nose flares, I think I pressed the wrong button at the wrong time. But he still opens his mouth to speak

"Trust me, being a champ ain't exactly the best here."

"I can tell, but how did you become Champion?"

"First of all, you need to know why the Warden mentioned this being my last run--"

"That was the Warden!?"

"Quiet! Yes, that was the Warden, but that's besides the point, you need to know why we're here."

"Finally, what did I do?"

"I don't know, but I'm not talking about why you came here, I'm talking about something about this prison."

"Really?"

"Every month they put every prisoner here through Kauket's Labyrinth, the only goal? Survive long enough to get out and pray to god you beat enough prisoners to make it to top 50, otherwise you die anyways."

"Wait you can die there!?"

"Shut! Yes, you can, but make it to top 5 and you're home free, you get a clean slate to come out with as well."

"...Would you help me?"

"If, we're running together, yes."

"How long have you been here?"

"...From what the guards say, 2 years. I've lost track of time, so I try to eavesdrop a bit."

"What's your name?"

He barely open his mouth before a sound pierces the air and my ear drums, causing them to screech loudly in my own head. I barely hear 'Champions" next words: "It's time..."

Next:
"Ye really expect a new piece of the puzzle already? HA!"