Seven

Chapter 11- The Connection

"Mario? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. What can you see?" Mario asked Carmen.

"Not much. You're too far away right now. Luckily, the lights are reflecting off your bald head, so I should be able to keep up with you pretty easily," she chuckled.

"It's nice to see you're still an asshole under these circumstances," Mario scoffed.

"I'm not afraid of dying. I just don't want to be the reason you die. So we're gonna do this, okay?"

"Of course we're gonna do this. That's the only choice we have."

"Okay, we have exactly seventeen minutes and it looks like you're already getting close to the center. It's a good thing I'm here and you're there. There's no way you could see me over those hedges," she said.

"Can you see me? Or just my bald head?" Mario asked, looking around for the box Carmen was supposedly encased in. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the opposite end of the maze from the mansion. You'll be able to see me soon. I'm in a clear upright coffin that's dangling about ten feet in the air."

"A coffin?"

"Might as well be," Carmen sighed. "Anyways, lets get you through this maze. I think I can see you. Can you...wave or something?"

Mario stood on his tippy toes and waved his arms around. "Can you see me?"

"Yes! Awesome! Okay, so it looks like if you go to the left, you'll come out to a square."

"A square?" Mario asked in confusion.

"Yeah. There's shapes carved into the maze. Not sure if they mean something, or what. Just keep going straight until you get there. I'll figure out your next move then."

Mario followed the path he was on for what felt like forever. He had no watch, no phone, no way of knowing how much time had gone by. But with every passing second, he felt more and more anxious. His legs started to feel heavy and weighed down, as if they were filled with lead. His breaths were becoming short and labored.

Suddenly, he came to a dead end. He stopped and looked around in a panic. Carmen said this path would lead to a square, but this was definitely no square.

"Carmen!"

"Mario, please! Hurry!" Carmen's strained voice cried out. "I know I said I wasn't afraid to die, but drowning is definitely not how I want to go!"

"Where do I go?! This is a dead end!"

"Uh...."

Mario could hear the water rushing into Carmen's encasement. That must've meant they were running out of time. "Carmen!" he shouted again.

"Just a second! Uh...go back and take a right," she finally shouted back.

Mario went back the way he came, taking a right this time. Finally, he came out to the square Carmen was talking about. "Okay, I'm here at the square and there's three paths. Which one should I take?"

Carmen's breathing had started to quicken and there was a certain quiver to her voice that exposed her fear. Mario hated being in enclosed spaces already, so he could understand. But her life was on the line. She had to think clearly and get him through this maze.

"Carmen, listen to me. I know you're scared. I need you to focus, so I can find you and get you out of there, okay?" Mario asked in the calmest voice he could muster.

"Okay," she whimpered. "Take the path directly across from the one you just came from."

Mario started down the path, walking quickly, yet carefully. There were lots of twists and turns, lots of ways to get lost. He could hear Damon shouting from the other side of the maze. It seemed as if he wasn't one who worked well under pressure. Not that Mario was any better, but when he knew Carmen's life, and probably his own, depended on his levelheadedness, he knew he had to keep his quick temper at bay.

"How far do I go?" he asked her.

"Um..." she paused and the roar of the rushing water became even louder.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, please hurry!" she begged him.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming up on a wall. There's two paths. Left or right?"

"Right. No! No, left!"

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

"I-I think so!"

Mario took a right and almost immediately hit a wall. Instead of telling Carmen that, he turned around and went back, taking the path to the left instead. When he reached a clearing, this time, in the shape of a circle, he looked up and saw the case which held Carmen. It was made of glass, so he could see the water rising. It was at her hips already. At the bottom of the case was a timer which displayed seven minutes and twenty-seven seconds.

Mario looked up and waved his arms around. "Carmen! Can you see me?!"

"Yes! Oh my God! You're almost here!"

"Where do I go next?" he asked, looking around.

There were five paths, one of which he could rule out since he had just came from that direction. "Which way?" Mario asked Carmen.

"Um..." It seemed to take her forever to answer. Mario anxiously watched the time tick down on the timer. They had less than six minutes now and the water was over Carmen's waist. "I don't know how to explain this, so I need you to walk around the circle until I say stop. When I say stop, take that path."

"Okay," Mario said, making his way around.

"Stop!" Carmen called out when Mario came up on the third path.

Mario didn't even hesitate. He darted down the path that led him to yet another fork. "Right or left?"

But Carmen didn't answer.

"Carmen!" he called out, looking around for her.

When he spotted the case, he gulped when he saw the water rising up to her neck. She was running out of time.

"I can't see!" she cried. "I'm sorry, I can't see anymore!"

Mario panicked for a moment, but he quickly pulled himself together. He had to stay calm and get out of this maze for Carmen's sake. So he took a deep breath and started on his way to the left, towards Carmen.

As he continued down the path, Carmen's case came back into view, but Mario couldn't see the timer over the hedges. Carmen was tilting her head back, trying to get a last few breaths in before the water completely swallowed her up.

Mario's heart pounded as he made his way to the end of the path, which only had one right turn. And he laughed in relief when he saw the gate. He ran for it as fast as he could, bolting through it and over to the platform underneath Carmen's case. He spotted the release button and quickly slammed his hand down over it.

Water began pouring from Carmen's case as it slowly lowered back onto the platform. Mario walked around to the front and saw Carmen bracing herself against the walls. She was still alive, but very overwhelmed after her brush with death. When she saw Mario, she started to cry.

The glass wall slid down and Carmen was able to escape. She jumped into Mario's arms and hugged him tight, both of them trembling.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Carmen cried over and over.

Mario just held onto her, thankful that they had both made it through this. He looked over and noticed that Brandi's case was still raised. He could hear Damon shouting, but couldn't quite make out what was being said. The timer on Carmen's case had stopped when Mario pressed the release button, so he had no idea how much time Brandi and Damon had left.

That is, until a warning horn sounded three times.

Mario and Carmen could hear Brandi kicking and banging on the walls of her encasement, but it was too late. Damon had run out of time and they had failed.

Damon came barrelling through the gate just in front of Brandi, screaming her name over and over. He pounded the release button several times, but nothing happened. He could only helplessly watch on as Brandi realized her fate had been sealed.

Carmen turned away from the sight and buried her face into Mario's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, offering her as much comfort as he could, though he himself couldn't look away. Brandi finally quit fighting and went still, her blonde hair flowing around her face in waves as her last breath expelled from her body.

Damon sunk to his knees, buring his face in his hands as he sobbed.

Mario wanted to say something to him. He couldn't imagine what he must be feeling, knowing he was responsible for someone else's death. Only, he really wasn't, was he? They were brought to this place to compete. They knew what the consequences might be, but they never chose this. None of them did.

"Congratulations players 4 and 6. You have passed the second game. Please follow me," Winston said.

Mario gave Damon one last look before following behind Winston. He wrapped his arm around Carmen and kept her close, knowing what she had just went through probably scared her for life. He was just grateful she was still alive.

For now.

Winston led them back into the mansion where one of the maids handed Carmen a towel and a new uniform. Mario watched her as she took her glasses off and dried her face and her hair. He had taken notice of her before, but watching her now, he couldn't believe how naturally beautiful she was. He knew he had a connection with her, but it was more than just a connection, especially after what they had just went through together. They were bonding.

He smiled to himself, allowing himself to get a little caught up for a moment. That is, until he looked up and realized Nine's body was gone. He didn't think they'd leave it up there for long, but he was still surprised it was left on display at all. Especially with no kind of explanation as to what happened to him. They watched the other players' deaths in full, graphic detail.

"The final game will take place in two days. Please enjoy the mansion and all its amenities until then," Winston told them. "All parts of the first and second floors will be open to you. You will have access to food, toiletries and an open bar."

Carmen and Mario exchanged a look. They wanted to enjoy themselves, but there was a certain darkness that loomed over them. The final game was coming soon and Mario couldn't shake the feeling that only one of them were going to leave this place alive. He had told himself from the beginning that he wouldn't get attached to anyone here, but he couldn't deny that he was attached to Carmen even before the second game had started. He couldn't explain what kind of connection it was before, and honestly, he still couldn't. All he knew is that he cared about her. He cared about what happened to her. And if they both couldn't win the final game, then they would both break out of here, together.

Somehow.

After Carmen had changed into some dry clothes, she and Mario sat in the library located on the second floor. It had a nice fireplace and since Carmen had been shivering since the game, Mario thought it would be nice to just sit in front of the fire and relax for a while. It was the middle of the night and neither of them had gotten much sleep since they arrived, but it was hard to sleep when you felt the presence of danger all around you.

"What do you think happened to Damon?" Carmen asked as she rested her head on Mario's shoulder. "Do you think he's still around?"

"I have no idea," Mario answered. "I didn't see anything happen to him, but that doesn't mean nothing did."

"They told us they'd answer our questions, but thinking back, they've danced around every question they've been asked."

"Because they don't want us to know what's coming," Mario said. "They want us to be confused and afraid. It's easier to control us that way."

"Control us?" Carmen asked, sitting up and looking at Mario in surprise.

He nodded. "Yeah, I mean...they have to have some kind of control over us, or we wouldn't be here. Or at least, I wouldn't. I never wanted to come here. Even before I knew what would happen."

"Me neither. Not that my life was great or anything. Both my parents are dead and I have no one now," she said, catching Mario by surprise. "My father died just a few weeks ago and my step-mom..."

Her face seemed to turn pale at the mention of her family. Until now, Carmen hadn't told Mario much about herself. He just assumed no one here could've had it as bad as he did. But he was wrong. Very wrong. Even if their lives were perfect before, coming here destroyed them. Their last moments of life were full of fear and dread. And even worse, someone knew their deepest, darkest secrets, which is why they were all here.