Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 135: Twisted Paths

Alex blinked into existence at the starting line of the maze.

The air was thick. Heavy.

Like stepping into another world.

He had heard Freya’s voice just before he left.

Desperate. Reaching.

But he ignored it.

His reasoning was simple.

He refused to be put in a situation where only one of them could move forward.

It may not happen now.

Maybe not even soon.

But eventually, he had no doubt the game would force them into that kind of choice.

If Alex were the one designing this nightmare, he’d do exactly that.

Make people care, then make them choose.

So he decided it was better to separate now, before attachment took root.

He exhaled and turned his attention to the maze.

The walls loomed high, jagged and uneven—twisted like molten rock frozen mid-eruption.

Their sheer size made the path ahead feel smaller, and narrower. Like a trap.

Above, the twin moons hung still in the sky.

Their cold light drained the world of color.

Black and white.

Like an old newspaper from a forgotten era.

Alex stared at it for a moment… then felt it.

A pull.

Not physical, but something deeper. A tug on his mind.

Like a void, whispering, calling.

The longer he looked, the stronger it became.

The world blurred at the edges. The walls seemed to pulse.

His body tensed. A trap? A hallucination?

It was like the maze itself was alive.

Alex shook his head and took a step back.

No.

If he let himself get too caught up in this, he’d be leaving himself wide open for traps, for ambushes, for whatever horrors the maze had waiting for him.

He refocused and turned his attention forward.

How do you escape a maze?

Think.

The most common strategy was to stick to one wall.

If he kept his hand on either the left or right wall and followed it all the way through, he’d eventually find an exit, assuming the maze didn’t shift.

Another method? Mark his path.

If he reached a dead end, he could retrace his steps, knowing exactly where he’d already been.

Or... what about climbing the walls?

He tilted his head up, eyes narrowing.

At the very top, runes pulsed with arcane light, forming an invisible barrier.

A magical lock.

A clear message that indicated: no cheating.

Alex scoffed.

Then he began cracking his knuckles.

"Alright then…"

He rolled his shoulders, stretching out.

Let’s begin.

He took his first step and then something clicked.

Alex’s instincts screamed.

A trap had just been set off. Explore more stories at novelbuddy

WHOOSH!

CLANG!

Massive arrows as thick as iron rods launched from hidden slots in the wall ahead, whistling through the air like deadly javelins.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

They slammed into Alex’s barrier, their sharp tips grinding against the invisible forcefield before dropping uselessly to the ground.

Alex glanced at them, then let out a sharp chuckle.

"Seriously?" he muttered, a grin creeping onto his face.

"Right off the bat?"

If he’d been even a second slower, those things would have skewered him like a kebab.

And something told him this was just the beginning.

More traps. More ambushes.

He needed a better way to deal with this.

Then it hit him.

Why should I be the one running through the traps?

A spark of inspiration lit up in his mind.

Alex activated his skill [Multiplicity].

A pulse of energy rippled outward, and five identical clones materialized around him, each one wearing his signature cocky grin.

They adjusted their hats, cracking their knuckles as they waited for his command.

Alex smirked.

"Spread out!"

The clones went ahead and split up at an intersection.

Three clones dashed left.

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Two veered right.

As they moved deeper into the maze, they split off in different directions, covering multiple paths at once, charging into the maze like a pack of shadows—and setting off every trap in their path.

One of them was bound to find the right way out.

Alex smirked.

He didn’t have to do a thing.

Instead of running around blindly and risking his life, he could just wait it out.

And when the time was right, he’d swap places with the clone on the right path.

Simple. Efficient. Zero risk.

*

Meanwhile…

Freya stood frozen, staring at the spot where Alex had vanished.

Just like that… he was gone.

She clenched her fists.

She thought they had built some kind of bond.

That, maybe, he saw her as an ally.

But it turned out she was just delusional.

A bitter sigh escaped her lips.

She couldn’t understand him.

His actions were so unpredictable.

So frustrating.

"Would you like to go solo as well?" the undead guide asked, tilting its rotting skull as it studied her.

Freya shook her head instantly.

"No."

Unlike Alex, she wasn’t strong enough to survive alone.

Which meant she had one option left.

She turned away and walked toward the gathering players—the ones who hadn’t entered the maze yet.

If she was going to make it out alive…

She needed a small team.

Then, she saw two players approaching the undead guide.

Ella, a druid clad in a leather garment, gripping a wooden staff.

Jeremy, a rogue dressed in a hooded cloak, his light armor barely making a sound as he moved.

They were in the same situation as her, hesitant to go in alone.

It looked like they had decided to team up and were about to enter as a pair—until they noticed Freya.

She stepped forward.

"Can I join you?" she asked.

Ella and Jeremy exchanged glances, then nodded.

"Sure," Jeremy said.

"Strength in numbers," Ella added with a small smile.

From the brief conversation she had with them, they didn’t seem like bad people.

But Freya kept her guard up.

Trust was a dangerous thing in a place like this.

Then, they stepped forward.

And the Death Maze swallowed them whole.

They walked cautiously, scanning their surroundings, searching for a way out.

Following one of the most basic maze survival rules—

Pick a side.

Left or right.

And follow it faithfully.

So far, so good.

No traps.

No monsters.

It was almost… too easy.

And that was thanks to Jeremy.

As a rogue, his trained instincts picked up on small details others would miss.

He ran his fingers along the walls, feeling for hidden pressure plates.

He crouched low, checking the ground for tripwires or concealed pits.

He even used a tiny knife to test for false floors before stepping forward.

Because of him, they had avoided every single trap so far.

But Freya had a bad feeling.

It wouldn’t stay this easy for long.

From deeper inside the maze, they could hear screams—agonized, bloodcurdling. Some belonged to players. Others… to things not human.

The chilling echoes bounced off the jagged walls, making it impossible to tell how far or how close the horrors were.

But worse than the screams was the feeling.

The sensation of being watched.

Everywhere.

Like unseen eyes clung to their backs, waiting.

Ella’s hands tightened around her staff, her knuckles turning white. Her entire body trembled despite the warmth of her magic.

Freya wasn’t much better.

She stayed tense, alert— fingers resting on her sword’s hilt, ready to strike at the first sign of danger.

Ahead of them, Jeremy led the way, his every step calculated. His gaze swept the ground, the walls, even the air, searching for anything that could trigger a trap.

His face was grim, focused.

They moved forward.

Step by step.

Then, it happened.

A whisper, soft and faint.

Right beside Ella’s ear.

"Hey...over here."