I recounted my steps to try the path to the right. This one felt just as long as the path that I took to get in here. Trying to keep on the balls of my feet to make minimal noise, I heard more steps and the shaking of the cornstalks. Was he also cutting through?

Holding my breath, I tried to time my steps with his to mask my movements. It was hard to hear with my heart rate thumping in my brain and across my entire body. Sounds started to feel distorted.

I’m going to get caught and he’s going to kill me or something.

Seventy-five, seventy-six, seventy-seven...

The countdown in my head felt like a ticking time bomb.

“Baby girl, I know you’re in here. I saw you come in.” He meandered around a bit more, crunching as he went, wondering where I’d gone.

I didn’t think I had time to try to figure out the maze, but there was no place to hide from him. He sounded a little way off from me, but one wrong move and he would cut through to come find me. And if he found me, I wouldn’t be able to get away this time.

“Over here!” Kelly called, making a distraction.

He made his way over in her direction while I tried to match my footsteps with his toward the other path to see if it was a dead end. I chanced pulling out my phone and using the light to look around, scanning the entire area for a clue that it was the right direction. What does sacrifice mean?

Oh. A ritual circle.

Duh.

If I was going to make it out of here with Kelly, I’d need to think quickly to get her over here. I set my glow stick on the circle to mark the spot and looked around to find a few rocks to throw for distractions.

“Where is she?” Alexander's voice came from a closer distance this time.

“She was right here... we split up, but this maze is, well, a maze.” I heard a touch of humor in her voice. Ever the expert liar to get herself out of trouble.

I found two decent-sized rocks and chucked them over the corn, praying I wouldn't accidentally hit anyone. The first landed with a loud thud, and Alexander shifted towards the sound. “I think I heard her. You go that way.” Good, good.

I threw the second just a little bit off from the first and he stopped to listen and cut through some of the corn to try to find me, moving away from me.

Ninety, ninety-one, ninety-two...