Dare I do It

"Okay, I'll do it.", I said

That was my first mistake. I should not have done this.

------

Anyone who had even the faintest trace of common sense knew that Daedalus' maze was never, ever, to be entered. With its towering, ivy covered walls that stretched to about two hundred feet in the air, its giant rustic metal door and lack of any clear or apparent exit, the structure was easily the most horrific building in all of the nearlands.

No one in their right mind would ever even think about entering the labyrinth. 

Unluckily for me, I'm an idiot. A stupid, prideful, egotistical idiot.

Now, there I stood, standing in front of the giant silver doors as they towered over me, as if mocking my lack of self control.

I squeezed my fists and clenched my jaw (As if looking like an angry clown would do me any good), and beads of sweat dripped from my forehead and down to my chin, then splattered on the rocky ground on which I stood.

I ran a beady hand through my raven black locks, pushing them back so I could properly see the monstrosity that awaited me.

"Go on then! Do it!", someone cheered from behind me, and I shushed them.

"Don't rush me!" My voice was raw with fear despite trying to hide the terror I felt. I would not give them the satisfaction of knowing I was afraid, despite it being obvious enough.

My eyes returned to stare at the giant structure in front of me. The ivy strung walls loomed over me and my hometown.

I took a step forward. Then another. Then stopped.

"Come on!", the same person yelled, despite me telling them not to. But this time I ignored them.

I took another step forward. Then another. Then another. Then another, then another, then another.  Several more until I was already in between the two humongous columns in which the doors were tied.

Twenty steps in, I had already been engulfed in the darkness that the labyrinth was so known for.

"There! I did it!", I yelled. My voice echoed throughout the maze, bouncing off of cobble walls. "Twenty steps! Just like I said I would!" I waited for a response, but when none came, I turned around.

"Guys?"

All of a sudden, the world around me began to shake. The walls trembled, and I fell to the ground, scampering on my hands and knees. Bits of rocks fell upon me, likely chips of the maze. 

What is happening?, I thought, but I had no clue, so instead of laying there waiting, I got up, and I ran.

I darted for the mazes entrance, horrified at what was happening but unable to do anything.

"Help!", I rawed, but nothing happened. "Somebody help me!"

As soon as I was close enough to see the entrance, I stumbled forward, terrified at what I saw. The gates were closing!

I lumbered on, careening towards the large metal gates, but by the time I made it, they had already closed.

Why is this happening? I thought. Never in my life had I seen it happen before. Maybe that was because no one had ever dared to enter the maze before.

I reached the metal surface, and banged on it with my fists.

"Someone!", I screamed. "Somebody help me!"

I turned around, half expecting to see someone, or something for that mather, but all I saw was the deep empty depths of the labyrinth.

I continued to bang on the iron gates, tears starting to stream down my face.

No no no no no!, I thought. This can't be happening!

"Somebody help me!", I rasped one more time before falling to my knees.

For a solid twenty minutes, I lay there, hopelessly lost and utterly alone. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was just supposed to be a stupid dare.

Then, just like it had before, the ground began to shake.

I got up, and desperately turned towards the doors. But they didn't budge. The iron glades stayed put.

Wait . . . It must be opening up somewhere else, I thought.

I took a few steps deeper into the maze, before hesitating. I couldn't just, go in, now could I? I knew nothing about mazes in general, less likely this one. But I couldn't just wait there till it became night. Who knew what horrors lurked the labyrinth at nightfall.

I looked back at the doors, then at the corridor, then at the doors again. My face was stained with tear marks, and my eyes were hazy, making it harder to see.

I had to do something . . .

I nodded my head, my decision resolved. I would make it out of this maze, even if the journey--- dare I say, killed me. I would not wait here to die, I was too stubborn to do that (To tell the truth, I was only acting brave to hide the sheer amounts of pure terror I had running through me.)

I shuffled forward, taking slow and short steps as I lightly half tip- toed into the darkness of the maze.

. . .

The labyrinth was truly that, a labyrinth, a maze, a nearly impossible puzzle. I stuck to the right, continuing even as I hit several dead ends.

The sun had already disappeared over the edge of the looming walls, ushering me to take longer strides and quicken my pace. I didn't want to be stuck here for more than a day, although I knew that it was likely.

My stomach grumbled more often the longer I walked, constantly reminding me of the pain of having no food, no water, no clothes, no nothing with me. I didn't plan for any of this to happen. I didn't want any of this to happen. None of this was supposed to happen. But it happened. And now, here I was, in the middle of a never ending maze, no nothing with me but the clothes on my back and the measly pocket knife I always had on me, night already beginning to creep its way over the horizon.

I sighed, squatting down to rest my aching legs.

That's when I heard it. Like the sound of a wolf howling into the moon, but this time much, much, louder. And much, much deeper.

I jumped to my feet like a startled cat.

What was that? I thought, but nothing came to mind that made such a monstrous sound.

And then, I saw it. It was tall, and muscular, with hooves the size of my hands, and horns that stuck out of its hairy head. It had fur all over its chest, and was almost as hairy as an animal.

I saw a minotaur.