I may have screamed as loud as whatever creature it was that had roared before and I all but passed out from sheer terror. I struggled to break free and run, but then heard a voice calling my name, a familiar voice...Gaius's voice. It was at that moment too that I realised I was still hollering at the top of my lungs.

I finally managed to close my mouth and I took in Gaius’s apperance for the first time. His clothes were torn and spotted with blood, a long bloody scratch ran across his cheek, his hair was in complete disarray.

“Where are the others?” He was asking me, his eyes wide. “Did they come this way?”

“What?” I blinked hard a few times, attempting to clear my head, there seemed to be a constant dull roaring sound making it difficult to hear, but I couldn’t tell if it was coming from the outside or was inside my own head.

“Have you seen the others!” Gaius grabbed me by the shoulders and all but shouted into my face.

“No,” I shook my head and looked around, the fog was starting to disperse, almost as quickly as it had come. “I haven’t seen anyone.”

Gaius’s eyes looked even more fearful if that was possible and letting go of my shoulders he turned and ran back towards the Labyrinth, I followed not wanting to be left alone.

Gaius was shouting out names, but there was no answer, I joined in, thinking that maybe our combined voices would carry further. The fog had almost disappeared now, and while I was expecting our surroundings to look as dishelved as Gaius now did, it looked exactly the same, there didn’t seem to be a leaf out of place.
“Alice! Richard! Roderick! Elric! Osric! Ian! Maxim!” Gaius hollered at the top of his lungs, pausing at the entrance to the Labyrinth, obviously not wanting to re-enter it, I couldn’t blame him.

“What happened in there? Where did that fog come from?” It was perhaps not the best time to ask, but I thought perhaps that would provide some clues about where exactly the rest of the group may be.

Gaius didn't answer, instead returning to calling out the names of his friends. Finally he held his hand up to the sky and shouted an incantation.
It sounded like something powerful, but the effect was hardly that, it was a puff of smoke, but it was at least quite visible. Hopefully, the rest of them would be able to see it.

"Couldn't you see the pole?" I looked over my shoulder, in the dispersing mist the red saddle blanket is as clear as day.

Gaius shook his head and called Alice’s name again.

We moved closer and closer to the entrance of the maze and I steeled myself to enter it, fearful that if we did we would never come back out. I hadn’t read about people disappearing into the Labyrinth never to return but then I had only done a very cursory amount of research and I utterly regretted that now. Perhaps if I had this never would have happened.

Finally after what seemed like hours there was a sound, it sounded like sobbing.

“Alice?” Gaius called out.

“Gaius?” A small voice called back, I didn’t recognise it, but Gaius clearly did, bolting into the Labyrinth. I took a hesistant step forward but didn’t enter, fearful that the exit would somehow disappear if I did.

Fortunately Gaius didn’t round the first bend in the Labyrinth because Alice stumbled around it, looking in even wore shape than Gaius did, the bottom of her dress was torn to shreds and her shoes had disappeared. Her feet were covered with dirt and blood as was her face, except for where streaks of tears had washed it away.

No sooner had Gaius put his arm around her shoulders to lead her out of the maze, then Roderick and Ian appeared, their eyes wide with fear as if they had seen something too horrible for words. Then Elric and Osric followed, limping noticibly and clutching his shoulder.

And then Richard, who charged at me. "Didn't you hear us?" Richard demanded, his eyes blazing.. "We were shouting for you to tell us which way to go!"

I shook my head. "I heard nothing at least...not until the screaming and the fog, it was so thick I couldn't tell where the maze was."

"Fog?" Richard looked around, the fog had entirely cleared now. "What fog? There was no fog, you bastard, you fell asleep!"

"I did not!" I protested desperately, for all the good it did me, Richard grabbed hold of the front of my tunic and I was quite sure I was about to be punched in the jaw.

“Richard let go of him!” Gaius shouted. “It’s not his fault.”

“Not his fault?” Richard spluttered. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the idiot knocked the pole over! Why couldn’t we see the flag?” He turned back to me. “Where the Hell was it?”

“It’s right there,” Gaius stepped between us, pointing the branch which did indeed still stand. “There was fog when I got out of the maze, obviously whoever protects this place didn’t want us to come. You can’t blame Geoffrey for that. We survived, that’s the important thing.”

At least...that’s what we all thought, until suddenly Alice cried out. “Where’s Maxim?! He’s not here!”