The lights flicker against the chipped concrete, the pitter-patter of rats heard from somewhere nearby. Blood drips from the mouth of a man. He chokes out a sob, his hand clutches his stomach as blood slowly leaks out. The rats are the least of his worries right now, he just wants to go home. I don't wanna die down here. He rolls to his side, crying out in pain. A door lays at the far end of the hallway. Beginning to drag himself in the direction of the door, he cries out in pain. That Hanger had really got him good. The rats sound closer than ever, their sounds echoing throughout the hallway. How many are down here? A dark red trailer follows the man as he crawls. Almost there.. The lights shut off, shrouding him in darkness. A terrified gasp escapes his mouth as his sight is extinguished. He begins to work up the nerve to continue forward as something brushes his foot. He stops breathing, to terrified to do even that. Maybe it was my imagini- That hopeful thought was cut off as another unknown being brushes past his leg, followed by another, followed by another. It was at that moment that the man realized, all too late, that those were not rats. Screams echo throughout the Maze, fading into the darkness.

---

-2 DAYS EARLIER-

The sun gloomily shone down on the broken concrete, casting shadows throughout the city. One shadow covered a fenced in community, taking up about 4 blocks worth of space in the streets. Louie Martin walked silently through the street, shivering slightly. The day was going slow, like any other day. The elders were helping garden, the children were being taught how to fight, a select few being trained for the "Guards". They should have been named the "people who never do their job." It was always the regular people, like Louie that had to take care of guarding the fences. Night shift was the worst: The long hours, the silence, and the moving shadows in the distance. The shadows had learned to keep their distance, with the use of guns and lights. The things hated any type of illumination. No one was sure what the things were, maybe something created by the Disaster? Or were they created by the scientists? A few years back, there had been a large group of them located in the building labeled "Bank". They said they were working on a way to copy humans, using old world notes. But they had failed, dumped their failures deep in the Maze, and split town. They must have warned someone about something because ever since then, no one has gone any farther than level 1 of the Maze. OR maybe people were just paranoid. He sighed, heading towards the farmers market where most of the people would be. Just a couple of days ago, a boy was caught attempting to steal from a stand... No one had heard anything else about him.

Shafts of light shone through the broken rubble as the two men walked through the enormous room, which was once a school gym. Kicking away the junk that lay on the floor and was in their way, at the same time they looked carefully every time something moved, hoping to find something of use under it. “ Agh! What’s the point of this, eh? I mean, everyone searched this place a million times and yet here we are again searching for something. Damn I hate those sheep-shagging cow-sons, I know they are leaders, but I think it’s about time they stop picking on us.” Roshan said, kicking a pile junk.
Serbitar walked forward slowly with grace. “Calm down Roshan, it’s not you they are picking at, it’s me. You are just the unlucky arse-face who happened to be paired with me.”
Roshan calmed down, although he was still showing a sign of being tense. “Yeah I guess youre right. That reminds me. I wanted to ask you for a long time now, why don’t you and Vintar pair up anymore? If my memory is correct, you two guys used to be like brothers.” Roshan looked at Serbitar, but there was no answer.
After a couple of minutes Serbitar picked up an old volley ball. Looking at it, he finally answered. “Yes we were brothers once, him and I, but now were strangers. It’s all in the past now, it doesn’t matter anymore. Come, let’s go back, otherwise we will be late. Oh and I would be quite pleased, if you would stop using my curses and swearwords.” Roshan lost his curiosity, because of Serbitars cold answer. They walked back to the colony in awkward silence.

"Jesus James, slow down. Getting back a few minutes earlier won't make any difference." Simon shouts, the man in question being a good hundred feet ahead of him.

James grunts in response, reluctantly stopping and waiting for Simon to catch up to him. Once they are regrouped they continue walking back to the Colony, their pace now set by Simon. As they walk Simon tries to pass the time by talking.

"Hey, how's Sam doing? Heard she was feeling under the weather." James grimaces. "Not too great, huh? Shit, I'm sorry to hear that." He gets another grunt. “Although it does mean you get the pleasure of going on a few runs with this glorious individual.” Simon points to himself, grinning. “So I guess it’s not too bad, right buddy?”

James rolls his eyes. Ever since Sam, his usual partner, got sick, he had been stuck with… him. Simon never stopped talking. James usually didn’t mind chatty people; it just meant he could let them talk, nodding at appropriate times without being expected to add to the conversation. Once people figured out he didn’t talk much, they usually stopped trying to make conversation. Simon, however…

“... and that was the third threesome I had. Here’s the good part; the fourth threesome ended up turning into my first foursome!”

The subject matter wasn’t the greatest, but…

Actually, there was no redeeming quality about Simon. At all. He was lazy, exhausting to be around, and a shitty scrapper to boot. Incorrigible, really. James sighs; first with annoyance, then with relief as the Colony comes into view. The pair works their way through security, dropping off two bags loaded down with scrap metal at the farmer’s market and part ways. James walks from the market and towards the building living area, climbing up to the second story of a small apartment building and entering through one of the few doors into the the apartment he shared with Sam. Locking the door behind him, James tread quietly through the apartment and into Sam’s room. She lay on the bed, covered in sheets that had been soaked through with sweat and horribly pale. She gives a weak smile as James walks in, and he grins in return.

“Hey. Get anything good today?” Sam’s voice is raspy, and even her short sentence makes her break out in a coughing fit. James shrugs, reaching over to the bedside table and pouring a some water into a glass before handing it to Sam, which she accepts gladly. When she’s done Sam attempts to laugh, but ends up coughing more. James waits patiently until it passes. “Probably because you didn’t have me to point out all the good stuff, eh?” James shrugs again.

He sits at her side for several hours, listening to her talk between episodes of mad coughing. Eventually she tires herself out and falls asleep. James takes this opportunity to refill the empty water pitcher, then rests a hand on her forehead. ‘Fever still hasn’t broken.’ he thinks, hoping that this will be over soon. He hated seeing her like this. Hoping that the fever would break overnight, James gets himself a small bit to eat and sits back down in the easy chair he had moved into Sam’s bedroom. He takes off his shoes and coat, being careful not to make much noise in for worry of waking her up, and leans back in the chair, exhausted. He yawns, getting comfortable as he begins to drift to sleep. Before he does, he says the same thing he has said every night since he arrived in the Colony.

“Goodnight, Sam.”

Bishop wasn't on scavenging duty that day, although it was his favorite thing to do. Even today on his day off he was digging through the junk pile near the bank. He wore a long red tunic and black pants, along with his hat that he always wore.

Bishop's hands were covered in small scrapes and cut from digging around in the sometimes sharp sharp metal. Any piece that looked vaguely useful was thrown into his sack and he kept looking. Every so often he would wave to his fellow colonists that passed by with a friendly smile, unfortunately not too many reciprocated it and most would just give him a solemn nod. He felt sad that so many people were miserable in their current life. He couldn't remember much of anything from the old world since he was only a young child, but he did not remember this. The bleak and dreary sky and all of the solemn looks on people's faces. Even though his life wasn't any better than others he didn't let it affect him too much and was determined to keep a smile on for everyone else. Bishop knew nearly everybody in the colony but wasn't too particularly close to anyone. The parents of the children liked him because he made gifts for the kids but that was the extent of anyone's true friendship with him. It didn't bother him though. He preferred to be liked by most people, though not necessarily friends with them, instead of hated by any amount. He was quickly satisfied with the pickings he had for that day and pulled the draw string on his sack.

He carefully descended the pile and went to his tent right across the way. He had a small tent with a work table in it, on which many projects sat, he emptied out his sack into a small pile next to the desk and began whistling as he started fiddling around with the pieces, seeing what he could do with them. Shortly after he began he heard the small sounds of feet coming closer to his tent and three children appeared in front I his table "Hi Mr. Staunton." Greeted the oldest among the group. He was blonde and had blue eyes, next to him was a slightly younger black boy and a little girl. "Hello Billy, Shane, Alice. You came just in time. I finished the things I had for you." His desk extended around to his right where he kept completed projects, among which include a Rook chess piece, a Knight piece, a Bishop piece, and a Queen piece. He carefully picked up three items and put them in front of him. He handed Billy, the oldest of all of them, a small metal top. "This is for you." He said and showed him how to spin it. The little boy was handed the top and Bishop was thanked. Next he produced a wooden yo-yo for Shane. "This took me quite a while to fix. Wood isn't easy to work with." He gave a small chuckle and handed Shane the toy and finally looked to Alice. "And for you I have this." Bishop handed her a small redheaded doll. It took him quite a while to get the stains out of the cloth and find something soft to fill it with. "Oh. And of course this." He handed the girl a small plastic brush he had found. "Now run along children and have fun." He gave them a delightful smile as they thanked him and ran-away with their new toys. Bishop worked for a bit longer before loading up his finished items into a shopping cart and began walking around the colony, delivering items he had for people and trading miscellaneous things to others.

Derek paced back and forth, locked inside a basement room of the Governor's Office. This is where they kept those who broke the law, who didn't abide to their rules. It was just one apple, but he knew that didn't matter to them. They had to set an example for their community. The room was damp, lit only by a candle in the center of the room. The air was beginning to have a chill to it, leading him to believe the sun was setting. He heard creaking boards from above him, footsteps pacing back and forth. Muffled voices could be heard along with the creaking. The beams from the electronic lights upstairs could be seen through the holes in the ceiling.. or the floor, depending on your point of view. He sighed and sat down against the cold wall. How was he going to get out of this one? Even if he escaped, he couldn't stay and with it being night, he couldn't risk going past their fences. There was the Chasm, but it was impassable. However, with the sounds he heard coming out of there late at night, he didn't even want to try. He would have to wait and see what they decided, but he knew what the choice punishment would be... and it wouldn't be good.

As the sun set slowly over the small community, the flood lights came on. The buildings and cracked pavement were illuminate in a flash, the unneeded light a simple precaution. The shadow creatures had not been seen the night before, and there had been no sign of them so far, but they always came back. The children told stories about them, that they took the spirits of the dead into the dark, feasting on the ghosts of humanity. Even the adults were frightened, as the unknown always had that effect on the human race. The community sat in comfort for a few more hours as the sun finished setting, allowing their guard to lower. Why should they worry? People stood watch, the creatures were gone, and the lights were on. Nothing could disturb their contentment. Light always believes it has the upper hand when battling the darkness. It taunts the dark, as it knows it cannot enter. But light cannot come to be without the dark, interior darkness lays in wait. After the taunting continues for long enough the darkness strikes from within, like a virus, snuffing out all light. Darkness fell over the community, the peace gone, screams taking its place.

---

"Shit!" Louie cursed loudly as he sprinted towards the fence. He withdrew the revolver as an alarm sounded. "Turn that damn thing off!" He tried to yell over the panicking masses, people who were trying to get their families to safety. Louie knew that the only thing the alarm would do is draw the monsters back. He shoved past a young woman with a medic symbol on her shoulder, knocking her off balance. In normal circumstances, he would have stopped and helped... but these were not normal circumstances. Louie saw the guards actually taking positions on the fence, all armed with automatic weapons. The alarm ceased its obnoxious ringing and a voice boomed out instead, "EVERYONE GATHER IN THE CENTER OF THE COMMUNITY. REMAIN CALM. DO NOT PANIC. WE ARE WORKING ON RESTORING THE LIGHTS SOON." Louie knew that was a load of horseshit. They had no idea how to turn them back on if they lost power, it had never happened. Louie kept his revolver drawn, listening to the cries of children and the panicked voices of the adults. He gritted his teeth as he gulped in fear. This was not going to end well.

---

Derek bolted upright as an alarm sounded. It felt like it was in the room with him. He rushed over to the stairs, climbing them quietly. What was happening out there? Were they under attack? Storms maybe? Derek pressed his ear to the door as he listened to a group of people, the community leaders it sounded like, gather inside and begin to talk. He could only make out a few words, "...lights....power...Maze...teers," it sounded like gibberish but he knew he wasn't getting the whole story. Maybe in the chaos he could escape.

---

Calli twisted the bandage around Jake's arm. Jake was an 11 year old, and a feisty one at that. He thought he was tough and could take on any kid. She got annoyed by him quickly, but he reminded her of her sister. Where was she? She shook her head, focusing on her work. "There you go, Jake! Now, stop getting into fights." She sighed as he ignored her and took off to play, which would most likely result in a fight. She stepped outside into the cold air of the night. Suddenly, darkness... Calli gasped, it had been a while since she had been in the darkness of night. No matter how exhilarating it was, she knew it was not good. Those interesting creatures in the distance disliked the lights, and no one else seemed found of the idea of them getting closer. As she followed the masses, heading towards the center of town, a man knocked her off her balance, sending her down to her hands and knees. She struggled to regain her stance before following the crowd.

James fell asleep in uneasy peace, and woke to war. The moment the sirens filled the air James shot awake, scanning the room. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, James attempted to check out the room's window. He was startled to only find darkness. 'The lights are out' was his first thought; 'oh shit' was the second. Without a word he hurried to stuff his feet into his boots, lacing them quickly as Sam jerks awake with a groan.

"James? What's going on?"

"Lights." James replied, already tugging his jacket on.

"What lights?" A short pause. "Oh. Oh shit." James grunts in response, snapping a flashlight to his shoulder and flipping it on. In the light of the LEDs Sam looks more sick than usual. "Where are you going?" James gestures to the window. "Right. Yeah, that makes sense." Sam goes to say more, but she falls into another coughing fit. James lets her recover while he gathers his weapons, slipping his knife into a sheath on his belt. "Just be careful, kay?" Jame nods. Realizing that Sam couldn't see him, he responds verbally.

"Back soon."

---

James hurries down the street, following the surge of people towards the Colony's center; the booming loudspeakers made it clear that was the place to be. He keeps a hand on his blade's handle as he joins the gathering crowd, waiting for answers.

Lieing on the cold pavement and rubble, admiring the stars, Serbitar was away from the colon. His special place was an old building that stood higher than others, but it had no roof. There were no lights here, but to get here there was only one way through an illuminated hallway.
A smile drew on his face, as he remembered the cheering of kids as he gave them the ball from the gym. Serbitar was alone and in peace, just like how he liked it. His thoughts were flowing without order and control. Serbitar intentionally let his mind wander. He called this the sleeping mind and it was the only way he could relax. Normal sleep didn't help him, he dreamed nightmares and things that would make him tense. Every morning he woke up to the feeling just like he would had been concentrating for the whole night.
Most of the time his mind wandered in the world of if. As he was looking at the stars he realised there was missing something, the growls of the beasts from the darkness was missing. Most people didn't hear it, but Serbitars exceptional hearing enabled him to hear it. Every night he would spend here he could hear the things from the darkness. In most cases they were far, yet they were always there. Now there was no sound of them. Serbitar concentrated on his heating. He could her the liveliness of the Colony, yet no growling.
Suddenly s scream was heard. In an instance Serbitar knew from where the screams came from. He stood up, turning to run, he heard something like a howl far in the distance. He turned around but could see nothing. He didn't want to see what it was either, for the colony was in trouble. He ran back, noticing the lights went out only when he got there.
A man ran by and Serbitar grabbed him by the arm. "What in the Holly fast mother is going on? "

The blanket was corse, its bristle like fibers feeling more akin to needles. Nonetheless Lee pulled it tighter around him. The mattress could barely be called that - an old sheet wrapped around a mix of fabric scraps and what little feather down could be spared. His tent was small, built only for one. What few belongings he had were scattered beside his bed, the rest of the space bare and empty. His holster was empty. A single magazine missing from the set. His hands, clamy with sweat, grasped the gun beneath the blanket. The cold maw of the barrel kissed his jaw, directed to his brain. His finger lingered on the trigger. He wouldn't be the first to find escape from this world and doubtless he wouldn't be the last. Just another name on a growing list. What difference would it make, hardly anyone would notice he was gone. Here for a month and then gone. Within weeks no one would even remember his name... Yet he hesitated. He lowered the gun and let his finger fall from the trigger. He was scared. Too afraid of what he would face after life to let himself embrace the end. Another day, another wasted attempt.

He ejected the magazine and let it fall with a clatter onto the floor. The gun followed, empty and harmless. He lay there, the blanket prickling his skin, the noise of the late evening merely white noise to him. He hasn't left his bed for three days now, he'd barely eaten either. Condemning himself to an empty, lifeless stupor. Despite his permanent residence in bed he'd hardly slept. Death seemed to have already accepted him despite the beat of his heart. His grey eyes, sunken and heavy, gradually drifted shut and he welcomed sleep for the first time in days.

-

The screaming hit with the power of a shotgun, his heart leaping at the confines of his ribcage with the force of a wild beast. Lee was jarred awake and fell from bed, his belongings scattering as he kicked out, panic striken. Although he was now awake what he was greeted with was like a nightmare. The screaming rattled in his head, shaking lose the memories of that night: the mad rush among the scuffle, crawling through the mud, desperately searching for light, having to claw his way over the bodies of friends in the hopes of escaping the madness...
It was several minutes until Lee could bring himself back to the present. He found himself hyperventilating, cowering and curled up in a corner, drenched in a cold sweat . The flashback had hit him hard, then sudden screams a shock to his system. He fought to calm himself as he slowly rose to shaking legs. It was only then that he noticed the distinct absence of light. Now he understood why the screams had rung out, no lights meant they were vulnerable. He heard the tail end of the announcement and assumed he should do as told. He pulled on his combat pants and vest before scooping up his gun and a magazine from the floor. He took his first few steps outside cautiously, trying to avoid crossing anyone's path. Hs flicked on the monted light on the gun and used it to guide his way in the darkness. Once he reached the square he lingered on the edge of the crowd. His skin was likely palest white and sickly looking but now wasn't a time to be concerned with such things.

Louie felt someone's hand grab his arm, a tight grip that forced him to turn and face the stranger. The man looked strange, the clothes on his strong figure mismatched making him look like something from one of the old children's books. The stranger was questioning what was happening, obviously as concerned as the rest of the community. But why was he concerned; for the safety of others, or for the safety of himself? Not that it mattered, everyone needed to be on their guard. Louie opened his dry mouth to answer, but he had nothing to offer. "Something bad... and it'll probably get worse. They'll most likely tell us what is happening... Let's head to the center." Louie took his place near the center of the crowd, as the Governor stepped out onto the balcony of his office. The look on his face... It made even Louie nervous. The crowd began to hush itself, excluding the cries of a few children. After a few parents got the children to quiet down, that was when the Governor spoke.

"You are probably wondering what has happened, where the lights went?" He gulped, sighing out of a sort of regret. These people trusted him to take care of them, to ensure their safety, and he was going to ask this of them. They had all lost so much and he was going to ask for more. Taking one more breath, he resumed speaking. "I regret to inform you that we have indeed lost the lights. But we have not lost our defenses! Our guards are positioned at every point along the fence, nothing will get past that wall tonight. But, we cannot survive like this every night. You all will be safe for now but I would like to ask... No, I must ask.. First thing first, the lights are powered by pre-disaster generators. We could get those working again, not a problem. The only problem is that... They are located... beneath your feet." A few people glanced down, as if taking his words literally, but not Louie... Not Calli. They knew exactly what he meant. Their eyes locked on that old, rusted metal door. The doors into the pits of hell and they both knew what was going to be asked of them, of these people. "The generators are known to located deep within the Maze. I would, under normal circumstances, send the guards in. But we cannot leave the walls undefended, or poorly defended. They must be guarded by the best... So I ask of you now... We need a group to enter the Maze, find the generators, and reactivate them. We aren't sure why they have stopped... or if the rumors of beings living down there are true.. but we do not have time to consider that possibility. We must act now, before the Shadow Creatures return, which will be in about a couple of days. The boy caught attempting theft has agreed to be part of that group, to repay for his crimes. Will anyone else join him in saving our community?"

---

Derek clenched his head, holding in tears. He couldn't say no, he would die. But what was down there, what he had heard.. It would most likely be worse than death, He wanted to run, to go home.. but he had no home, no where to return to. This journey into the darkness of the Maze was his last chance at finding somewhere to live... He wouldn't survive one his own.

---

Louie thought of all the defenseless people in this community; the elderly, the children, and the sick. There was no doubt in his mind, he knew what he needed to do. His heart jumped into his throat, his eyes watching in disbelief as his hand rose above the crowd, marking him as a volunteer. HE knew that some people would be forced to take this trip, like the boy. He couldn't let that boy go down there alone... He went cold as his arm fully extended itself. He clenched his eyes as he pushed his way forward through the crowd... He may have just signed his life over, as the odds were not in his favor.

Serbitar followed the man to the center of the colony, still holding the hand. He carefully listened to the governor speech. Serbitar knew this is calling for him. He had nothing left in this colony, even his own soul is lost for the curse he brought upon himself. Finally here is an opportunity to redeem himself. As the governor finished speaking, the man to which Serbitar was holding raised his hand and started to walk forward. Serbitar joined him, and followed the man to the front. He would of done so anyways, why not do it together, might lessen the tension like that. As they reached the centre Serbitar put his hand on the man’s shoulder, noticing that this man knows the odds of getting out without a scratch. “don’t worry friend. You aren’t the only volunteer one in this. Oh and the names Serbitar.” A sincere smile drew on his face. Serbitar was not afraid, for him it was an easy choice. Either redeem himself, or die trying.

When the colony was plunged into darkness Bishop had been delivering a repaired water can to one of the people in the garden. They had been idling chatting as she looked over his work when the lights went out. The screams were almost immediate, the garden leader got his workers together and they all headed to the center, leaving Bishop to gather up any stragglers. He emptied out his shopping cart of scrap and trinkets and began wheeling it around and calling out for people. He found one or two adults and about 5 children, many of which were seated in the shopping cart. He spoke to them in a hushed and calm voice. "Don't worry now little ones, I'm sure it is just a small problem, nothing the governor or his guards can't handle." He had a smile on his face to keep the children calm but the two adults next to him saw through his comforting lies.

When they arrived at the center the children crawled out of his cart and found their parents. The crowd was silent as their leader spoke and he felt the color drain from his face when the grim news reached him, he looked around at the masses of people. All of their lives now hanging on a thread. "What good would I do here?" He thought to himself "I have to go. There's no reason for me to stay above ground. That group will need all the help they can get. A couple of people had been faster than him and had already volunteered. He raised his hand into the icy air and spoke. "Bishop Stauton will volunteer." A few of the people near him gave an odd look, they had never known him as a violent or courageous man, just a merchant.

Lee stood silently in the sidelines of the crowd, listening with his brow furrowed and his left hand still twitching. He clenched it and tried to keep the nervous tick under control as the Governor spoke. He didn't want to mingle in with the rest, there was no point in pretending he belonged. He didn't want to seem approachable, he didn't want friends, he didn't want any one else to mourn for when they died. He saw the portly man arrive with a cart full of children. He watched as they dispersed to their parents in their own little clusters.

The situation seemed dire indeed and the only hope was flimsy at best. The chances of survival - if there was some form of creature down there - were low. He didn't need much more convincing than that. He'd go. There was no one to miss him in the Colony so no one would have to feel guilty about sending him to his death, nor did he care if he came out alive or not. Perhaps if there was nothing, no danger or monsters, then he would just end it regardless. Better there were he wouldn't be a burden even in death. They could just stuff him away in a corner and forget about him within days.

Without so much as a single word of announcement, or even a raise of his hand, Lee walked around the crowd and up to the front. He stood alongside the rest, his expression giving no sign of any sense of the solemn responsibility some of the rest seemed to be displaying..

James blinked when the Governor finished his speech. 'Is that all? Crawling around underground? That's what has these people all riled up?' he thought. In his 8 months as a citizen of the Colony James had never seen these alleged 'monsters of the night'. He was under the impression that the monsters were just animals that some overzealous guard had decided to make up a story about. Looking at some of the people around him, however, James began to think that maybe the threat held some level of merit. He couldn't help but consider the repercussions of these 'monsters' actually existing; going down there could be a death sentence. Thoughts of Sam flashed into his head; without power, there wasn't any heat. Without heat, and considering the recent drop in temperature, Sam's recovery will be long and difficult. And on the off chance that the 'things' were real, if they were to come up to the surface...

James set his jaw as he raised his hand in silence. No way was he going to risk Sam's life. He began working his way through the crowd, hand still raised as he breached the mob of people to stand right in front.

No fucking way.

Calli glanced around, looking at a few of the other medical staff. They silently shook their heads, knowing what she was thinking. Not knowing what was down there, that group would need a medic. No other medic would volunteer, so she would. She raised her hand and pushed her way forwards as well. There was no way this would wend well.
The group was led inside the Governors home as the general public was instructed to gather their belongings and bring them to the center of town. Louie glanced over at Serbitar, remaining silent. This was the most rag-tag team he had ever seen... He diverted his eyes from Serbitar and returned to watching the Governor. Derek watched the toymaker, confused by his choice to volunteer. What could he possibly bring to this team? He sighed, leaning against an old bookcase. If this was the group chosen to save the Community, it was doomed. His eyes then switched to the tall man who looked like he was stuck in a state of depression. What was his story? Calli gave a grin to Lee before she returned to whistling an unknown tune. She turned to the remaining members of the group and gave a happy wave. The Governor cleared his voice, indicating the intent to speak. Calli silenced her whistle as he spoke, "Thank you all for volunteering. I would ask you to get to know each other first or some 'teamwork building exercise' but we simply don't have time. I have the manual to the generators. Don't lose this." He handed it to Louie, as he was the closest. "Give this to someone who won't. Now, I hate to rush things along but you have to go. Those creatures will be back in about 2 or 3 days. Once you enter the Maze, the door will be closed and locked behind you. We are sending you with enough food supplies for those days. Who carries them is your choice. If you haven't returned by the beginning of the third day, we will have to abandon the Community. We will not take time to leave the door propped open. Do you understand?" Derek understood perfectly; Do this or you're staying down there. The Governor spoke again, "You have 5 minutes to get ready. Meet outside the entrance."

Lee had already resigned himself to his fate. As far as he was concerned he was already dead, he had been for months now. It only seemed right to make it official. His time was counting down and he did not yet know how long he had.

He followed at the back of the group as they were marched like condemned criminals into the building. He said nothing and kept his head low. He'd barely taken a second glance at any of the others, he wasn't interested in becoming at all attached to anyone. There would be no point. He was going to remain as distant as he could, without offending anyone. He had no intention to come off as rude but he would prefer not to form any sort of bond with anyone. It would save both them and him a lot of pain. Despite how much he was intent to keep to himself he was aware of what was going on around him. As such he did notice when the only woman in the group gave was a wide grin. He didn't have enough time to respond until she turned away and so just stared blankly back at her. He furrowed his brow a little, unsure as to why she seemed to cheerful in what was such a dire situation. He could never understand optimists.

He listened to what the Governor had to say, feeling a tension rising in the room as they all came to terms with what they had just agreed to. Lee wouldn't allow himself to turn back now, he'd called himself a coward before for not pulling the trigger but down there... well, perhaps he wouldn't have to. Even if there was nothing down there if they got lost or delayed for too long then they may not make it back in time. Death certainly seemed to be looming with an ever growing presence.

Lee said nothing once the Governor had finished his little 'prep-talk', if it could really be called that. He turned to go back to his tent and retrieve his holster and the rest of his ammo. Chances were that they'd need it. He was aware of how terrible he probably looked. Personal hygiene seemed so pointless when he had nothing worth living for. He skin was pale from lack of sun, his brown hair messy and greasy, and he suspected he didn't smell all that great either. Well for the sake of the others he could spare a few minutes to at least make an effort to fix some of that.

Serbitar walked from the gathering. In his tent he calmed down. Packing his stuff, he placed it beside him. Closing his eyes he said a prayer . Then he stood up. The moment he stepped out from beneath the rubble he looked into the sky. "Guess it's done then. No turning back from here on." He said to himself. Slowly he began to move towards the metal doors, which lead into the underworld.

By the time the Governor said 5 minutes, James was running. He dove into the crowd of people that had yet to disperse and moved nimbly through them as quickly as he could. It only took him half a minute of flat-out sprinting to arrive at the apartment. James burst through the door and hurried to Sam's room, where his crowbar rested. When he entered he was surprised to see Sam out cold. 'That'll make this easier.' He thought, grabbing his weapon of choice. He picked up his gas mask, a relic from what happened to him years earlier. He stroked the mask almost lovingly; it had seen almost as many miles as James had, and it still worked just fine. James slid the gas mask into a pocket on his coat. 'That's everything, I guess.' Without a word and quiet as a ghost, James left the apartment. He knew that if Sam was awake, he might not have the strength to leave. He stopped at the neighbor's door across the hall, quickly scrawling out a note asking them to check on Sam. They wouldn't see it until well after he was in the Maze; no way for them to say no that way.

With his business settled, James sprinted back passed the Governor's Office, slowing to a stop in front of the heavy metal doors separating the community and the Maze. He joined the group of people that had gathered there, looking them over. He knew some of them, but he couldn't think of any names to match their faces. He did recognize the man with dreadlocks and the woman; the man was a scavenger, and James might have worked with him once or twice. The woman was a medic; one of Sam's teammates, probably. The others were variably familiar to James, but nothing significant.

Calli moved quickly from the Governors office, rushing towards her tent. She didn't have much to grab, other than her medical kit. She reached into her pillow case and acquired her hidden handgun, along with 12 or so bullets. Her medkit was sitting on the ground next to her sleeping bag, almost fully stocked. She could treat a pretty serious wound and a few minor ones. She brushed her hair out of her face as got ready to leave. She took a deep breath, her stomach in her throat. She had to keep it together to help them keep it together. If she smiled, they wouldn't be as badly worried. But despite this logic, the dark feeling in her stomach didn't go away.

Louie was already to go, his flashlight and revolver on his person. However, due to this, he had to take the boy to get his things. All the kid had was a wrench, and two shanks. One of these shanks, he kept hidden in his sleeve. Louie didn't question it, maybe it was a last defense kind of thing? They were now sitting outside of the large metal doors, a few members already had made it. Louie closed his eyes, his arms were stretched above his head as he tried to calm his nerves. The boy obviously hadn't done this as from around the corner, retching sounds could be heard. This was going to be a long trip, and it didn't help that they had a kid to worry about.

Bishop took a look at everyone, ready to go through some shit with them.

He went to his tent and was followed by some children whose parents lived in tents near his. "Where are you going Mr. Stauton?" One of them asked. "Oh children...I am going into the belly of the beast, The Maze. But do not worry for me. It will take more than anything down there to take me down." He gave them a confident but fake smile. Bishop gathered up a all of his toys and trinkets, some of them finished some of them not. "Take these. If I don't return then at least have something to remember me by. No go one. I must prepare." He shooed them away and they slowly walked, watching him as they left.

He took a deep breath and went to the back of his tent, pulling away a tarp to reveal a large green trunk, he hoped he would never have reason to go through its contents again. In large black text it read ALEXEJ STAUTON. A relic from many years ago. He undid the brass clasps on it and revealed its contents. A pump action shotgun, 3 shells, a length of wire and 4 pipe bombs. He stuffed everything but the gun in his backpack and loaded the gun. "Chcete-li válce."

Bishop appeared at the metal doors leading to The Maze. He put on a smile and lifted his hat a bit. "Greetings. We might as well get to know each other. I am Bishop Stauton. Though I'm sure you might've already known that. I guess we'll be brothers in arms here in a few moments." He nodded to them and waited for their greetings.