[To Be Named] - Chapter 2

[To Be Named] by Ho-Oh16
A QuizUp fantasy adventure story.

Chapter 2.

   I opened my eyes.
   "Oh... well this is interesting...". The shaking had ceased, and the interior had morphed.
   I picked myself up off the floor and did a full rotation, taking in our surroundings.
   "Hedges?" chuckled Ozy, brushing his hand against the leaves. The hedge didn't like that, it turned out, and its branches grabbed his hand. "WOAHH! BAD HEDGE! BAD HEDGE! Let go of my hand!". He attempted to yank his hand free, but didn't succeed.
   "Allow me.". Shadow spun his scythe in his hand, and then swung it downwards onto the hedge, narrowly missing Ozy's fingers. His hand now free, Ozy stepped back into the middle of... wherever we were.
   Idea!
   "DD, if I give you a boost up, do you think you can suss out where we are?" I asked. Time to put five years of lifting and throwing people to good use.
   "Sure thing!" she smiled. I cupped my hands and she placed her foot in carefully.
   "Ready? On the count of three... one... two... three!". I pushed DD upwards so she was able to see over the hedges. I did my best to keep steady, slowly turning so she could get a full view.
   "OK, you can bring me down!" she called.
   "One of you grab her hands and help her down." I said. Rashaun obliged, and DD hopped back onto solid ground.
   I rubbed my hands together. They were slightly red, but that was standard. I'd had much worse. Muuuuuch worse...
   "Wow. Good job." commented Shadow.
   "Thanks. It actually pays to do sports! I mean, who'd a thought it?" I replied.
   "Cheerleading isn't a sport." I heard someone say.
   "Who said that?!" I snapped. Of course it was a sport! Participated in five competitions... Won four trophies... That champion title didn't just earn itself!
   Do you even lift, bruh?
   I made myself laugh, leaving the others wondering what at. I swiftly stopped myself, and changed the subject.
   "OK, so what did you see?" I asked DD.
   "Well, it would seem that we are in some sort of... giant... hedge maze.". The pace at which she spoke notified me that there was more.
   "What else?" I asked. "We need to know everything you saw.".
   "Uhh... well... I can't be specific, but I saw many things. Uh.. fire, things crawling along the top of the maze walls... and a tower. Made of glass, I think.".
   "A tower? Which way is it?". DD pointed behind me. "Ah.. Well then.. I guess that's where we're headed.". I was about to head out of the opening behind me, when I saw something move past. I froze and held my breath.
   I heard noises coming from behind me, so I put my finger on my lips and glared at them. Everyone's jaw dropped except for Shadow's. He simply stared over my shoulder.
   What? It's not like I haven't told you guys to be quiet before...
   I turned back to the opening to see a pair of glowing red eyes looking straight at me.
   "SWEET BABY JYNX!" I screamed. It was only a few feet from my face. I could feel it's hot breath, and it absolutely stank. It stuck it's pink forked-tongue out at me and continued to stare.
   I didn't want to look away for fear that it would kill me and my family, and there was no way I was going to let that happen. For a few more seconds, it squinted slightly.
   What? Are you deciding how you're going to eat me? "Oh, I know, let's add some chilli, parsley and a dash of lemon juice before slowly roasting it. That'll work a treat!"
   My brain was not helping.
   I took out my bow and loaded it. I aimed at one of its large, bulging eyeballs. "Don't even try it... giant, scary, fanged, possibly venomous, snake.". I continued to aim my bow and steadied myself.  "You've got three seconds to slither away or I swear to Arceus, I will do it.".
   It hissed at me, sending saliva and germs flying everywhere, then proceeded to slither away.
   "EWWWW... That's so gross!" exclaimed DD.
   "Anyone have a towel? Or some tissue, perhaps?" asked Anton. He ended up wiping his face with the sleeve of his jacket, before removing it and tying it round his waist. "I'll be burning that when we get home.".
   "I don't think snake spit is good for the skin." remarked Ozy. "It's hardly your typical spa treatment... N-not that I would know, of course! I don't go to the spa for relaxation time at all! Haha, don't be so silly!" he said, rubbing the back of his head with a grin.
   "Hey, nobody's judging you." joked Rashaun. Ozy's smile flattened.
   "Save it guys. There are things out there that clearly aren't all that friendly, so we must be careful and stick together." Anton reminded us.
   Yeah... Just what the doctor ordered. Menacing monsters, hungry hedges and-
   Me.
   I looked around at the others, but they were talking amongst themselves.
   "What? Did someone say something?" I asked.
   "Uh...no?" said Rashaun.
   "Come on, we need to make a move.". Shadow's eyes were moving quickly. I assumed he was checking for any more unwelcome visitors. "Now.".
   I scratched my forehead and counted my arrows. I had 8 normal arrows, and 4 incendiary arrows left. I had to use them wisely, incase I was unable to retrieve them.
   "After you.". Shadow gestured towards to the opening and looked at Ozy.
   "What, so I can be attacked first?".
   "If anyone will get attacked, it'll be the person at the back of the group." Shadow insisted. "So, after you.".
   "...right. OK then.". Ozy took his katana in his hand and stepped out of the small clearing. He looked at the hedge ahead of him and waved his beloved Masamune at it. "Leaf me alone, alright?".
   "Uh... I'll go next." volunteered Anton, nudging Ozy. "The tower is that way.".
   "I'll go second to last. DD and Chloe, stick to the middle." Rashaun insisted. I wasn't going to argue with him. I told DD to go in front of me, and eventually we all stood in a line outside of our minuscule sanctuary.
   "SO, who is ready to get mauled by some monsters?".
   "Positive thinking, Chloe." sighed Anton.
   "Apologies, let me rephrase that..." I coughed. "SO, who is ready for a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'-" I started to say with sheer sarcasm.
   "Better.".
   "-to get mauled by some monsters?" I finished. I gave Anton 'the look'. It consisted of a slightly raised eyebrow, a straight face, and crossed arms. The moody teenage look that I knew he loved so very, very much.
   Before Anton could reply, a recognisable voice carried through the maze.
   "Who said you could work together? This is unacceptable! Only I make the rules around here!" It was the voice from earlier. The one that spoke before the lights went out in the house. The owner of this voice did not sound happy, and I was worried about what that meant for us. "Time to change the playing field.".
   Change the playing field? What does that mean?
   We all looked at each other, when I noticed something. The hedge. It was growing. Right between me and DD.
   "No, WAIT!" I shouted. With both hands I started to tear at the foliage. He was trying to separate us so we'd be lost and unable to communicate. And that didn't please me.
We can't be separated. I cannot let us get separated!
   Unfortunately, the hedge had grown too quickly to combat, and we were now cut off from each other. I could just about see Ozy hacking away at the hedge with Anton. I took a step back.
   "Stop! It will just grow back if you cut it!" Shadow said. I felt like I needed to punch a wall, but figured that if punched one of these walls, it'd punch me back harder.
   Anyone got a pillow?
   "Well, now what are we supposed to do?" called DD from the other side.
   "Just-". Rashaun was unable to finish his sentence, as he was interrupted by an Adele-wannabe.
   "HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIIIIIIIIDE!". I assumed that was Ozy.
   "If there wasn't this thing in between us, I would totally do a duet with you.".
   "Wait...Really?".
   "Yeah! I'd do the slapping, you'd do the aching!" I said in the most cheery tone I could manage. I didn't get a reply.
   Music to my ears.
   "Just keep walking towards the tower and we will meet you there. Stay safe." ordered Rashaun, finally completing what he had tried to say.
   "We'll be fine." Anton replied.
   "That's still up for debate." interrupted our favourite mystery man. "I have one more surprise for you. I have some...friends...and they absolutely love the darkness.". And just like they had the night before, the lights flickered off. I held my hand in front of my face, but I couldn't see it.
   "Just answer me one thing. What is the purpose of all of this? Clones, mazes... giant, beastly, hungry snakes... Why? Why are we running around in here like lab rats?" I demanded an answer. Now we knew there was someone behind the goings-on, I was desperate to get the bottom of our deep situation.
   "That would be telling.". And with that, he was gone, leaving us to our own devices.
   "That doesn't really sound like an answer Mr Guy in the Sky." I uttered to myself. Of course he wouldn't have said. That'd spoil his fun. Ruin the surprise. I took one of my incendiary arrows from my quiver and set it to ignite.
   "I'm so glad I made these modifications. Now I can preserve my phone battery." I scoffed. It was a victory moment in my eyes, but I decided not to dance.
   "It is definitely a good job we have our weapons with us." Rashaun agreed, resting his palm on the hilt of his sword. The reassurance soothed the atmosphere, but it was short-lived.
   "Oh, why, thank you for reminding me. You won't be needing those.". It turned out our new best friend hadn't gone completely. I aimed the light of my flaming arrow at Shadow and Rashaun, and noticed small particles appearing in the air around them. "Time is ticking - you need to escape before the end of the day."
   "NOOOO!! HONJO MASAMUNE, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" I heard Ozy yell in the distance.
   "DD, try and become a dragon!". That was Anton, who now also seemed to be in a panicked state.
   "It.. IT ISN'T WORKING!!". Now DD sounded worried too.
   "Have fun, everybody! I'll be watching very closely.".
   Is he serious? This guy needs to get out more.
   I reached for my bow, but instead of grabbing the finely crafted wood, I collected a handful of particles. Like the ones around Shadow and Rashaun.
   "Our weapons are dematerialising. No.. disintegrating..." observed Shadow.
   The light from my arrow began to dim, and I could feel it getting lighter. I hastily pulled my phone from my pocket. I hurriedly searched for the 'on' button and pressed it so that the screen lit up. Once more I opened my trusty torch tool.
   "So much for battery conservation." uttered Shadow.
   I observed the flakes in my hand as they floated upwards into the dark void above.
   That bow... That meant a lot to me... A lot.
   Don't worry. You'll get it back sooner or later.
   "Ahh..!" I winced, rubbing my forehead. My head felt like it was being ripped in half with each syllable.
   "Hey, are you alright?" asked Rashaun, putting an arm around me.
   "Uh, yeah... I'll be fi-". I thought carefully about who was listening. "Don't worry about me, we need to go." I said, removing my hand from my head.
   "Sure?".
   "I'm sure." I replied, giving Rashaun a smile before hugging him.
   "I hate to interrupt, but if we stay here, we'll die.".
   Shadow. The one person you can rely on to notify you when the weather forecast is cloudy with a chance of death.
   "Yeah, yeah." Rashaun regarded. "I reckon we should turn right first. That way we are facing the tower thingy.".
   Agreeing with what he had said, Shadow and I followed him around the corner and further into danger. We kept close, just incase there were any more surprises.

      "I can't turn into a dragon anymore...".
      "It's alright. We should get everything back once the day is over and this place changes." reassured Anton.
   "Yeah, if we can get out of here." added Ozy, peering around a corner to see if it was clear. "This way, come on.".
   "What if our phones die before we get out? I don't want to walk around this place blind.". DD checked the battery left on her phone. Fifty-nine percent.
   "Portable chargers. I have two with me, just incase." replied Anton. He was probably the most organised person in the household.
   The trio turned a combination of lefts and rights when they approached a clearing, similar to what they had started in. There was a feint yellow glow which raised several red flags in Ozy's head.
   "I don't think we should go in there..." he whispered. "It might not be what we assume it is.".
   "Which is what?" Anton asked, still whispering.
   "Either a light, or a very hungry monster.".
   Unbeknownst to Anton and Ozy, DD had already started to walk into the clearing. The curiosity was compelling, and she'd snuck past the others to find out what it was. She put her phone away to draw attention away from herself and stood in the centre of the circle.
    The yellow glow was coming from a group of fireflies that laced the leaf walls. It was a very pretty thing to see. Even in what might seem like a horrid and frightening situation, there was always a glimmer of hope. Or the glowing butts of fireflies. That was also a thing.
   "Hey, where did... Where's she gone?!" exclaimed Anton, worried that they'd lost DD already.
   "She's there." replied Ozy, pointing to the clearing. "I guess there isn't a very hungry monster in there after all.".
   Together, they started to walk to the clearing. Some of the fireflies had left their leafy beds and were flying around DD, illuminating the area. It looked like the scene from a film.
   A small twig snapped under Ozy's foot, and the fireflies stopped flying. They remained in one spot, and were joined by the remainder of their swarm. The yellow glow became a shimmering gold, then transitioned into a burnt sienna, and then finally became a blood red. The fireflies swarmed together and took the form of a giant bull.
   "I may or may not have spoken too soon..." remarked Ozy, staring at the giant, luminous bull. "I prefer the drink, if I'm honest.".
   "Now is not the time! We need to go! NOW!".
   Anton ran underneath the bull, followed by Ozy. He rapidly escorted DD away from the danger as the large bovine turned around, trying to trample them.
   "Go go go go go go"  Ozy yelled repeatedly.
   "With pleasure!" called DD, as she turned her phone back on started to run away from the imminent danger.
   Anton and Ozy followed closely behind. The hellish red glow was visible on the leaves to their sides, but they didn't stop.
   Left. Right. Left. Left again.
   "Over here!" cried Anton, changing the group's course. He darted around a corner, making sure the others followed and that they weren't seen.
   He signalled for them all to stay quiet and ushered them around the corner again and into a dead end.
   Ozy gave him a concerned look. One that screamed "Great. We are now cornered. Whyyy?!?". DD, on the other hand, was looking out for the raging bull of light. She was tired from running, but did her best to stay quiet.
   Anton peaked around the corner having been notified by DD that the bull was close. However, instead of seeing one large bull, there were now three smaller ones, able to run freely through the maze's narrow corridors. They had stopped chasing and we're investigsting the area. Hunting them.
   He turned back to others and put his finger on his lips.
   DD and Ozy didn't dare move, blink, or breathe, for fear that their presence would be noticed. Instead, they thought about how the other three were getting on in this hell-hole.

   "How much closer are we?" I asked impatiently. I would have preferred being back in the house surrounded my more clones of me.
   "A bit... I think." answered Rashaun. I sighed, and continued to walk.
   "I wonder if there are any murderous dragons out there..." Shadow thought aloud.
   "Why do you say that?".
   "Just a thought. We can't be sure of what lives out here, after all.".
   I shook my head slightly, and we pressed onwards through the foliage.
   Why did it have to be a maze?
   A straight road would have been boring.
   "Go away!" I whispered angrily.
   "What?" Shadow asked.
   "What?" was my reply. I didn't want to tell them I was hearing a voice in my head. I didn't want to add to the already strenuous predicament we were in.
   He looked at me with an accusational glare, then carried on.
   Rashaun turned left then did an emergency stop, causing Shadow to walk into him.
   "Woah.. why did you stop?".
   "Don't. Make. A sound." whispered Rashaun.
   "What? What is it?!" I questioned in a very hushed voice.
   "Dragon..." he replied.
   "And that is our cue to leave." I remarked, turning around and starting to walk. I reminded myself of what Shadow had said only moment before.
"I wonder if there are any murderous dragons out there..."
   "SHADOW! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!". Rashaun wasn't yelling - he kept his voice rather quiet - but the sleeping dragon grunted, and moved its tail.
   Oh boy.. please tell me he isn't doing what I think he is doing...
   I dashed back to Rashaun and saw Shadow standing a few feet from the dragon's head. Without thinking, I ran to him. I had to stop him from doing whatever he was doing.
   "No! Don't! It'll wake up!" I could hear Rashaun say behind me. And it did.
   He had spoken a bit too loudly, and the dragon was now picking itself up from the ground.
   "Who dares to wake me?" bellowed the beast. Its eyes were bright blue, and appeared to glow with rage and thunder.