Test and Sacrifices

The real key

On the page was a drawing of Ryan. Why did the creature draw Ryan? It wasn’t a hateful drawing either . It was actually rather sweet looking due to the hearts drawn around Ryan’s face. She flipped through the notebook some more and found more drawings of Ryan.

Each one was absolutely beautiful. Some of the pages even had tear stains on them. Was Ryan the one thing that the creature loved? Would it calm down if it saw Ryan alive?

Julia finally had an idea. First get to Owen and see if he’s alive, then find the creature. She woke Ryan up and said “Come with me I have an idea, but you need to trust me.” Ryan just nodded and took her hand. They left the room together, and headed to where Owen was last seen.

When they reached the room Julia had Ryan stay outside. If Owen was dead, she didn’t want Ryan to see him. She hesitantly walked in. “Owen” she said softly. She heard a quiet voice say “Julia?” in a questioning tone. Owen didn't know if she was real or a hallucination.

She was pleasantly surprised to know that the creature hadn't done any lethal damage before she came. She quickly rushed to the table in order to untie the restraints. She softly apologized to him and told that he'd be okay. As he realized that she was really there he cried tears of joy. His tears and the way he looked broke her heart.

He had cuts,red marks, bruises and blood all over him and his face was hard to recognize. His shirt was torn and there were claw marks on his chest. He looked terrible but he was going to be okay and that's what mattered most. Well as long as he didn't get attacked again he'd be okay.

“Owen, do you think you’re able to walk?” She asked. “That monster didn’t get my legs so I should be able to.” He said in a weak voice. “You got the monster out of here just in time.” Owen got up but almost fell immediately. Being dragged by the ankle must have hurt his leg. Julia caught him and held him up. She helped him walk out of the room.

Ryan gasped when he saw Owen and a smile formed on his little face. “He’s alive!” Ryan said happily while bouncing up and down. “Yeah but he’s hurt, so we’re going to have to move slowly.” Julia said in a motherly voice. Ryan just nodded and smiled. He was just happy that both his savoirs were alive.

The three of them moved carefully through the maze. Julia took Owen to the bedroom. “What is this?” Owen asked. "It's the creature’s room.” Julia said. “That sicko get’s a bedroom?” Owen asked. His voice held a tone of anger and disbelief. “Uh… Owen, lay down and wait here with Ryan. I’m going to go somewhere and when I come back please trust me and stay calm.” Julia said as she left the room. Owen called out to her. "Julia, what do you mean by that?" She didn't respond to him.

After she left Owen began to talk to Ryan. "How did you and Julia get away from that monster?" Owen asked. " Julia picked me up and ran. We lost it in the maze." Ryan said. " So it's still alive and roaming around?" Owen asked in alarm. Ryan shrugged and said "I think so." " Then what is Julia doing out there alone?" Owen asked. Ryan shrugged again "I don't know. She didn't say much."

Owen rolled his eyes or more like tried. He couldn’t even see clearly because of the swelling. He was tired but couldn't seem to fall asleep, and Ryan staring at him with his big brown eyes made it even harder to relax. Ryan was surprisingly calm now. He trusts Julia completely. Owen, is a different story. He cares for the young girl but he also thinks she's crazy and reckless.

She walked pretty far away from the room before she yelled. “Come and face me, and I'll give you what you want” She stood and waited for a bit. Nothing happened. She began to get impatient and called out again. "Come and face me." Her voice quivered. She was unsure of what the creature would do.

She gulped as she heard heavy footsteps and knew the creature was coming. "So you decided to give up the key and your life?" The creature asked as it approached menacingly. She felt sick and wanted to scream when she saw Owen's blood on the creature's claws. It smirked as it saw her step back in disgust. "Where is the key?" The creature asked as it approached menacingly.

She went quiet and the creature looked at her impatiently "You said if I come, you'll give me what I want. A deal is a deal. I came, so where is the key? " I don't have it with me." She said, " I didn't ask if you had it with you. I asked you where the key is ." The creature said. She could tell it was annoyed by her hesitation but she was finding it hard to speak, with the creature staring at her.

" Fine!" The creature yelled. "I guess we'll find it together." It grabbed her wrist and dragged her with it. They walked around for a while. Julia soon realized where it was taking her. They were going back to the room with the table.

Her words were caught in her throat. She knew squirming would only anger the creature so she just walked silently with her wrist in its hand. She couldn’t imagine how Owen must have felt when he was in her position.

They reached the room and the monster strapped her down to the table. She looked at him with pleading eyes. For a second he felt remorse but quickly ignored the feeling. "Are you going to give up the key and that guy''s location?" The creature asked. Julia shook her head.

"Are you serious?" The creature hissed " You are trapped, so just cooperate. Now Are you going to give up the key and the lives of you and whoever he is?Have you finally realized that your life has met its end." Julia took a deep breath and said "No… I have Ryan.