Mylard found another dead end. Her frown was starting to droop and she wanted to cry. It’d been nearly half an hour of circles and she felt so confused. She took a deep breath and turned away from the dead end. She tensed hearing a scream which meant that one of her opponents was enduring something horrible. She hoped it wouldn’t be too painful, but was doubtful hearing the screaming. A moment later the intense yelling ended and the maze returned to its silence. Mylard had stopped moving during the yelling.
Taking another deep breath the young woman started again. She was remembering the last thing her sister had said to her. Just do your best Mylard. We know you’ll make everyone proud. She reminded herself of how much an honor this was and how grateful she was to be entered. It didn’t feel great to be in this terrifying maze, but the riches and honor would be worth it. She just wanted to do right by her older sister.
Turning a corner Mylard was surprised to see a clearing an in the center the glowing light of the ring. It was on a blue table and raised up. She froze taking in the sight. The rules were clear. Get the ring and place it on your finger to win. Mylard took a small step towards it, paused and searched. She wondered what would be on her way to get it. In every episode of the game, she had watched there was always something that prevented the last pair girls from getting to the ring.
Seeing nothing obvious she clutched the stun gun closer and inched carefully toward the ring. She felt like she was getting too close as she kept stepping toward it. Just as she reached the first step Tomkin appeared. Her orange hair was tangled and several scratch marks were bleeding down her stomach and arms. She looked around wildly wondering how she’d gotten to the clearing.
Mylard ran up the stairs hoping that it wouldn’t be a mistake. It was. The first step disappeared from her and Mylard found herself falling into someplace dark. She landed hard on a flat surface. Lamps flashed around her in a blinding manner and a high pitched noise filled her ears. But the thing that confused her was the stench. It was horrific and she couldn’t even describe it, but it made her want to vomit.
Valrose delighted that they had reached the clearing announced, “We’re in the final stage Ringers! Shall we see who gets to the ring first? There’s a poll up and running, tap your screen to tell us who you think will win! Mylard a regular girl who just somehow by chance got here, OR Tomkin, the legacy who has to live up to the pressure of two winning women!”
Tomkin froze seeing Mylard suddenly disappear. She had been there one second and then the next she wasn’t. She looked around wondering if the panther would follow her into this clearing. She didn’t want to make the same mistake as Mylard so she skipped the first step. The second one was solid. Breathing a sigh of relief she started toward the third but found her feet glued. Tomkin jerked at them but they were firm. Confused she looked down trying to–suddenly she was falling into the abyss.
Tomkin fell hard on top of Mylard who had barely stood up before being knocked back down. The wind knocked out of both girls and all senses being confused, made everything harder. They groaned and yelled trying to find themselves in the dark.
“OW! GET OFF!” Mylard yelled pushing Tomkin hard. Tomkin found herself suddenly hitting a wall. She yelped as one of her deep scratches got pressed by something.
It became apparent that both girls were in a tiny room of some making. Their senses were meant to be entirely overwhelmed by the experience. Tomkin closed her eyes and pulled her sunglasses down. It helped a little with the light. She turned around trying to understand what was going on.
To be continued…
