Ares lay on the cold ground, his chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. His body trembled, but not just from exhaustion—pure, raw terror coursed through his veins. He had almost died. No… he was going to die. If he hadn't acted on instinct kicking Emily, if he had hesitated for even a second longer, he would have been splattered across the floor like the others.
His fingers curled against the bloodstained tiles. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, deafening.
I should be dead.
The thought made him sick.
From across the room, Sylvia stood frozen, eyes wide as she processed what she had just witnessed. Emily… had actually tried to kill Ares. And yet, in the end, she was the one who lost an arm. The memory of Emily's piercing scream rang in her head.
"Jones."
Her voice was shaky, but she pointed toward Ares. Jones, who had been keeping his head down behind cover, immediately caught on. His eyes darted to the Minotaur, then back at Sylvia.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath. Without hesitation, he dashed toward Ares. Sylvia followed, her heart hammering in her chest.
But the Minotaur noticed.
A guttural snarl ripped through the air as the beast turned, its bloodstained axe slicing through the space between them.
Jones saw it coming.
"Damn it!"
Without thinking, he lunged at Sylvia, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her down. The two tumbled across the floor in a messy roll, just barely dodging the sweeping blade. Sylvia let out a startled gasp as they hit the ground. Jones landed first, Sylvia on top of him. For a second, her face burned red.
Then—
BOOM!
The Minotaur's axe slammed into the floor inches away, sending a gust of wind whipping past them.
Neither moved. They couldn't. If they so much as twitched, the Minotaur would finish what it started.
Jones lay flat, arms spread out. Sylvia did the same. A fresh corpse lay nearby, its vacant eyes staring at nothing.
Please be stupid enough to fall for this, Jones thought desperately.
The Minotaur loomed over them, its nostrils flaring as it inspected its kill.
Five seconds passed.
Then ten.
The beast huffed.
And then—it turned away.
Jones let out the breath he had been holding, his heart slamming against his ribs.
Sylvia, still lying flat, whispered, "That was way too close."
"Yeah," Jones muttered. "Let's not do that again."
They crawled toward Ares, careful not to draw attention. The Minotaur was busy hunting down other survivors, its massive axe carving through bodies like paper.
When they reached Ares, Jones immediately checked his heartbeat. Still strong. He wasn't dead—just barely conscious.
Sylvia frowned, watching as Jones examined him. "Is he hurt?"
Jones ran his hands down Ares' arms, then his legs—
Ares' eyes shot open.
"GAH—MMMPH!"
Sylvia clamped a hand over his mouth before he could make a sound.
Jones nearly jumped back in shock. "Damn it, Ares, don't scare me like that!"
Ares groaned into Sylvia's palm. The sharp pain in his leg was unbearable, but the sheer panic in his body was worse. When Sylvia finally let go, he hissed through clenched teeth.
"Ares, you okay?" Jones whispered.
Ares took a shuddering breath. "Apart from nearly being killed by a crazy lunatic and the fact that my leg feels like it's been stomped by an elephant? Yeah. I'm great."
Jones snorted. "Smartass."
Ares extended his arm. "Help me up."
Jones hesitated. "Are you sure you should be standing on that leg?"
Before Ares could answer, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the room.
They all turned toward the sound.
More people were being slaughtered.
Ares clenched his jaw. "Yeah. I'm sure."
Jones pulled him up, supporting his weight as Ares grit his teeth through the pain.
Then—
A voice echoed through the room.
A voice that made Ares' stomach drop.
Kendrick.
"I've been thinking," his voice rang through the speakers. "This time limit is a little too short, don't you think? Let's extend it."
A beat of silence.
Then—
[Notice: Duration for First Experiment has been extended.]
[Time Remaining: 9 minutes.]
A chill ran down Ares' spine.
Sylvia trembled. "N-Nine minutes…? That's—there's no way! That's impossible! We're all going to die!"
Jones, usually calm, was gripping his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Ares was speechless. His body was already at its limit. His leg was barely functioning. His mind was screaming at him to give up.
His eyes darted to Jones and Sylvia for just a second.
What if they…
No. Stop.
But the thought was already there. The possibility that, at some point, someone might decide he was expendable.
The three of them stared at each other, knowing exactly what they had to do.
They had to kill the Minotaur.
But how?
Ares frantically searched the room, his brain working on overdrive. His eyes landed on something large, something sharp.
"The horns," Sylvia whispered, pointing.
Jones followed her gaze and grimaced. "No way. There's no way we're carrying that."
Ares frowned. "We don't have a choice."
The Minotaur's broken horns were massive, at least as long as a person. They were sharp, sturdy, and more importantly—the only weapon they had.
Ares clenched his fists. "We need a plan."
Then—
A whisper.
"Need help?"
They flinched.
A figure emerged from the shadows, her lips curled into a playful smile.
Nia.
Sylvia gasped. "What the hell?! Where did you—?!"
Nia held up a finger to her lips, smirking. "Shhh. Do you want to get eaten?"
Sylvia glared at her but shut up.
Jones exhaled. "We don't have time for this. If you're gonna help, help."
Ares, despite his exhaustion, narrowed his eyes. He didn't trust her. Not one bit. He hasn't seen ever since they entered the room and now she's just popping out of nowhere, it was very suspicious.
But right now, that didn't matter.
He turned to the group, expression serious.
"I have a crazy plan."
Silence.
Then—
"No. No way. Absolutely no way."