Path to the Apocalypse

Chris yawned as he sat through his high school graduation ceremony, just waiting for it to be over. Why was everyone so obsessed with these meaningless events full of pretentious speeches and a brief moment on stage after your name was called? Wasn't the monotony of sitting through eight hours of classes five days a week for over a decade enough? Why add an extra couple hours on top where you didn't even learn anything?!? Chris would never get people. As the principal launched into a second speech, closing out the ceremony, Chris began to nod off, until his friend Derek nudged him with his elbow, letting him know it was time to stand and file out, which had to be done in a specific order for no known reason.

"Ugh, finally." Chris grunted as they finally made it out, spreading his arms wide as he stretched. "I was beginning to think they'd never let us leave."

"But it's finally over! We're free! We can do whatever we want!" Derek announced, throwing an arm around Chris's shoulder. "We can hit the bars, find you a girl, or three-"

"Dude, no." Chris stated flatly, shaking his head. "I just want to relax tonight, alright? You, me, Penny, Thad, that's it."

Derek frowned. "Are you sure? You only have a week until…"

"I'm sure." Chris nodded. "I'm not going to suddenly turn into a different person just because of the Trial."

"But-" Derek began.

"Hey, you said we can do whatever we want, right?" Chris interjected. "This is what I want."

Derek grimaced. "Ugh, fine. Let's find the other two then."

They looked around a bit, until they saw a girl waving at them through the crowd. "There you guys are!" Penny exclaimed as she rushed up to them. "So, what are we doing tonight? I just got my fake ID, so-"

"Chris already vetoed that." Derek sighed. "He wants a quiet night, just the four of us."

Penny turned to frown at Chris. "Chris, quiet nights are not the appropriate way to spend your pre-Trial week! You have to live! Do you really want to go through the Trial regretting everything you didn't do?"

"No, but do you really think I'm going to regret missing out on getting drunk and acting like an idiot?" Chris retorted, raising an eyebrow.

Penny grimaced before sighing and shaking her head. "Why can't you just be normal for a change."

"Would he really be Chris if he was?" Another voice chimed in as Thad walked over from the same direction Penny had come from. "Let me guess. You want to spend the week training and hanging out."

"That would be nice." Chris nodded. "I will take a break the day before the Trial, though. I should be in peak condition when I go in."

"As if it'll change anything." Penny grumbled bitterly.

"Hey, no sense in just rolling over and taking it, right?" Chris shrugged. "My chances may be low, but if I don't even try, then I won't even have low chances. I'll just die. I'll be facing the lowest of the low, so they aren't that much more powerful than I am and if I play my cards right… Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and run into a benevolent high-tier."

"If you can find a place to hide, maybe I can find you and-" Derek began.

"Dude, no. You need to focus on yourself in there." Chris interjected, shaking his head. "You're a mid-tier. You don't have the leeway to worry about me."

"You just said we're facing the lowest of the low!" Derek retorted.

"Yeah, which means if I'm really careful, I might get lucky. If you're careless, you could be unlucky. This is the Maze we're talking about. If you don't take it seriously, you're screwed." Chris countered.

"But-" Derek began.

"Derek, he's right." Thad interrupted him. "Don't underestimate the Maze. I don't want to lose two friends."

The group fell silent at that, a heavy mood weighing down on all of them. Or, at least, everyone except Chris. He'd accepted his condition years ago, and this was just the final stage. He wasn't about to suddenly make a big deal over something he'd always known was coming. You see, Chris lived in the City, the last stronghold of humanity, hidden deep underground, far away from the rest of the world. Above the City existed the Maze, a labyrinth of tunnels weaving their way to the surface, full of creatures that would attack any human on sight. The Maze protected the City by naturally filtering the creatures, the strong rising towards the surface for better conditions, while the weak retreated to the lower levels for safety. Humanity could then venture into the Maze for resources and hunt the weaker creatures for food. In general, those with low-tier abilities could hunt on the first four levels, mid-tier on the next four, then high, superior, and finally omega, before reaching the surface.

However, as time passed, a problem began to arise. Humanity was becoming weak. Even superior-tier abilities were unheard of nowadays, let alone omega-tier. Almost half the Maze was completely unreachable by humanity. Even the high-tier levels were too dangerous to safely explore, the death rate skyrocketing as the high-tiers were forced to face the creatures of the Maze on even ground, without any superior-tiers to back them up. Finally, humanity decided to make a change, and the City started the Trial. Once a year, every eighteen year old would be sent into the lowest level of the Maze and left to struggle all alone, for an entire month. If they survived, they proved their genes were worth passing on, while if they didn't… It was a necessary sacrifice.

At first, the public outcry was fierce, entire sections of the City boycotting the Trial, refusing to send their children into the Maze. However, the protest fell flat when the Trial actually worked. More and more high-tiers began to be born, some even brushing the edge of superior-tier! With a heavy, but determined heart, the Trial was accepted City wide, everyone willingly sending their teenagers into the Maze to test their ability. In a week, Chris and Derek would be those teenagers, venturing into the Maze to struggle for an entire month, to prove that their ability was good enough to be passed down. There was only one problem. Chris didn't even have an ability.

Chris knew he was going to die. He'd accepted it. The amount of luck he'd need to survive an entire month in the Maze without an ability was insurmountable. He'd pretend otherwise for his friends, so they wouldn't worry about him, but he knew his fate. Over the next week, he'd spend all the time he reasonably could making sure his friends knew he cared about them, making sure their last memories of him were good ones, not ones of some crazed degenerate doing everything he could to wring every last drop of life out of his little remaining time. Not that he was particularly interested in doing something like that anyway. He'd never quite gotten the allure of 'partying'. Then he'd enter the Maze, and then he'd die.

*

The week passed, Chris spending almost every waking moment with his friends, as if they were somehow trying to make up for lost time. They even managed to convince Chris to go to a party, which Chris regretted the moment they arrived, more than happy to leave after only an hour. Who would actually enjoy something like that? Still, as it inevitably did, time passed, and it was finally time for Chris and Derek to enter the Maze. They bid goodbye to Penny and Thad, before traveling to the first floor of the City and joining the rest of the eighteen year olds in a large lobby, waiting for their names to be called.

"Are you ready?" Derek asked, glancing at Chris nervously.

"Would it really matter if I wasn't?" Chris replied, raising an eyebrow. "It's too late to change anything."

Derek nodded slightly, before turning to focus on Chris. "What's your plan for when you get in there?"

"Hide as much as possible, only fight if there's no other option, and hope I get really, really lucky." Chris shrugged. "What else can I do?"

"Just- stay safe, alright? I'll- I'll find you, and-" Derek replied, before Chris cut him off.

"Derek, we've been over this! Do not focus on trying to find me!" Chris demanded. "The Maze is too big and too dangerous to risk your life on the slim chance we end up near each other!"

Derek's expression hardened. "I'll be careful, but I'm not just going to abandon you! You-" Derek choked up. "You're my best friend, man… I can't- I won't just give up on you."

Chris gave Derek a complicated look, before sighing and shaking his head. "Fine. But! You find a beacon first! Then you can search for me, and you get out of there the moment it gets too dangerous!"

Derek hesitated for a moment, before sighing and nodding in agreement. "I- I can do that. Just- try not to die on me, alright?"

Chris grinned bitterly. "I'll do my best."

They didn't have to wait long before Derek's name was called and the two shared one last hug before parting. Chris watched him go, hoping he didn't waste too much time or do anything dangerous on the vague hope that he might somehow find Chris before he died. Derek had too much to live for for him to waste his life trying to save Chris.

A few minutes later, Chris's name was called as well. "Christopher Vincent?" The attendant asked as he stepped into the room, and Chris nodded. "Okay, good, let's see, ability… oh." The attendant's eyes widened, glancing up at him with pity in her eyes. "Are- are all your affairs in order?" Chris nodded again. He didn't have much to leave anyone anyway, so it was pretty simple. "Good. Please step inside and the machine will confirm your identity before transferring you to the Maze."

Chris silently stepped into the machine as it whirred to life, scanning him in detail, confirming he wasn't someone with a shapeshifting ability pretending to be him. Then there was a flash of light, and then darkness. Chris looked around at the cramped tunnel he'd appeared in, slowly adjusting his vision to the low level of illumination provided by the bioluminescent moss, examining some of the surrounding fungus to see if it was the edible variety. Slowly, he let out a weary sigh. "Alright… let's do this." He muttered, dropping into a crouch as he crept forward.

*

"Die! Die, die, die, die, die!" Chris growled as he slammed the goblin's head into the ground until it released a soft squelch. Groaning as all the energy drained out of him, Chris collapsed against a nearby wall, clutching his side. So far, Chris had survived in these tunnels for four days and he was not doing well. On the very first day, he'd run into a swarm of rats, a battle which left him covered in scratches and bite marks, at least one of which he was pretty sure was venomous. The next day, as he was assaulted by a fever and chills, he found himself a quiet corner to curl up in, only to wake up to find a spider slowly covering him in its web. Breaking free, he'd had another desperate battle, though thankfully this time he wasn't bit. He wanted to stay in his little hiding place, but he knew he needed water, so he dragged himself forward, searching for a water source. The next day, when he'd finally found a small stream, just as he was about to drink, he'd been ambushed by this goblin! The creature had dug its bone shiv into his side and they'd wrestled, Chris eventually coming out on top as he'd bashed the goblin's head into the ground.

Chris looked down at the ragged wound in his side, wincing in pain. "Fuuck! Damn it! Urgh! Ugh… yeah… that's definitely poisoned." He groaned as he stared at the bone shiv that was covered in some sort of dark, sticky substance, probably goblin shit. He kicked weakly at the dead goblin. "You prick." He stared bitterly at the corpse for a moment, before sighing and dragging himself over to the stream, shakily scooping handfuls of water to his mouth, before collapsing in exhaustion. "I wonder, will I die of all this crap, or will something else come by and get me?" Chris wondered aloud as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness. "Ah, who cares." He let out one final sigh, before everything went dark.

*

Chris blinked awake, sitting up and looking around the… room? He frowned slightly as he got to his feet, checking himself for wounds. “Healed?” He muttered. “And naked… Who healed me? Where is this?” He looked around again at the perfectly white room he'd found himself in. “Why is there no do-” He cut off as a hole opened in the wall. He frowned at it for a moment, before walking over and looking out to find a tunnel with a small stream running through it, his clothes lying next to it, and a goblin corpse lying not far away. “Huh…” He turned back to look into the empty room. “Anyone there?” He called out, getting no response. “Well… thanks for the heal?” He glanced back at the tunnel, then the room again. “I- should probably get going.” Chris stepped out of the room, and as he expected, the door closed behind him. He wasn't sure who was controlling that room, or why they'd helped him, but he was pretty sure they didn't want him staying long, or they'd have made the place more hospitable, instead of just… empty. The fact that his clothes were still outside and the door had closed behind him pretty much confirmed it.

Chris shook his head as he put his clothes back on. “Weird. Lucky, but weird. Hopefully I can make something of it.” He sighed, expression twisting slightly. He shook his head again, kneeling down to get another drink as he considered his options. He could head back to his previous hiding place to try and wait things out until the end of the trial. It wasn't too far from here, so he'd still have access to water, and there was more than enough fungus around, so he wouldn't starve. That just left the issue of the beacon… in order to leave the Maze, he'd need to find a teleportation beacon, and they weren't exactly common. Ideally he'd find one as soon as possible so he could leave the moment the Trial ended, but before the trail ended the beacons were hidden, meaning he'd need to search nooks and crannies for one, probably finding creatures hiding there, fighting them and getting injured over and over again until he was right back in the same position he was before. After the trial ended, the beacons would start to glow, making them easier to find, but also attracting creatures, so he'd probably have to fight something, or multiple somethings, to get it, after spending a month living on fungus and stream water, probably having picked up a few parasites and infections, leaving him weak. Chris grimaced. The Trial was not something someone who had to risk his life in every fight was meant to survive.

Chris considered his options for another moment, before deciding to at least search the area around the stream to see if he was lucky enough to have a beacon nearby before hunkering down for the rest of the Trial. If he was using this stream, the odds were he'd be running into anything that lived nearby anyway, and if he found them first he might be able to ambush them and reduce his injuries. Chris nodded to himself and began making his way back to his hiding place, deciding to begin his search there. He didn't want to get ambushed in his sleep again.

*

“I hate the Maze.” Chris groaned, another four days later, clutching his wrist as he slowly bled out. He'd been doing rather well, taking out a few dens in the area with minimal injuries, before he got a bit overconfident and tried to ambush a dog. He'd gotten a few paces away before the dog noticed him, immediately whirling around and lunging at him. He'd managed to keep it from getting his throat, at the expense of his arm, which the dog had savaged as he beat it in the head with a rock. The dog died, eventually, but not until it'd ripped apart his wrist. He'd tried to bandage it with his shirt, but it just bled through. “Stupid.” Chris mumbled as he felt the world go dark again. “Should have just avoided it.”

Chris blinked awake again, finding himself in the same white room as before, naked and fully healed. “Again?” Chris frowned as he sat up, wondering who was doing this, why they were following him, and if he should be concerned that they seemed insistent on stripping him every time. “Not that I'm going to complain about being alive, but still.” Chris muttered as he got up. “Are you going to talk to me this time?” He asked the room, getting no response.

Chris sighed, shaking his head as he began looking for the door, a section of the wall opening the moment he did. He made his way towards it, before he suddenly froze. “Wait…” He stared at the opening, narrowing his eyes. “Close?” The opening snapped shut and Chris’s eyes widened. “Open.” It opened. He didn't even say anything next, just willing it closed, then open again, doing it a few more times before he finally accepted that he was the one controlling it. “I- did this?” Chris muttered, looking around the room. “Is this… mine?”

Chris stepped out of the room, the opening not snapping shut behind him this time so he could see that it was actually a portal, checking out the other side, which was just a white barrier. He hesitated for a moment before willing the portal closed, then willing it open again. He closed it, walking a few paces down the tunnel before willing it to open again, it popping open in front of him, revealing the same white room. “Well, that basically confirms that… this thing is mine.” He paused. “So I've been healing myself? How does that work? Does it just take me in there whenever I'm close to death?”

Chris hesitated for a moment, before heading back to the dog's corpse, taking a rock and bashing its jaw, breaking loose a tooth and picking it up before heading into the room. He took the tooth and cut a small scratch on his arm. He watched the wound for a moment as a dot of blood welled up, before dropping his arm with a frown. “Is it not healing then? Or does it only work if I actually die?” Chris eyed the tooth for a moment, before shaking his head. There was no way he was going to kill himself just to test whatever was going on here. Besides, he was sure the Maze would figure out a way to do it for him.