Wyatt groaned as he sat up, feeling a wave a nausea hit him as he let out a pitiful groan and laid back down. He felt a cold hand touch his feverish forehead and closed his eyes once again. He breathed in deeply. 

"You seem to be enjoying this."

His eyes flew open as he shot up quickly, looking over. "Thane!"

Thane rolled his eyes as he sat criss-cross on the ground. "Good to know you're fine."

Wyatt scowled slightly as he felt another wave of nausea hit him. He braced himself with his hands, letting out a breath. "I'm not fine."

"But of course. What dumbass sits up when he knows he's feeling queasy?"

"The kind of idiot that almost died because he listened to a dead guy."

Thane held his hands out in a shrug. "I saved your life, didn't I? I even carried you all the way here to the checkpoint."

Wyatt tilted his head as Thane disappeared back into smoke that trailed into his mouth. "What checkpoint?"

"Meaning that from now on, there's no way for you to go back where you started."

Wyatt noticed the flashing yellow sign that had "CHECKPOINT" in bold, blue letters with a picture of Erik holding a thumbs up and winced. "Well isn't that wonderful."

"I would advise you find Jackson as fast as possible. And then get the hell out of this place."

"So useful," Wyatt muttered as he wandered down the maze, looking around. 

He made a left turn when he arrived upon a strange room. It was circular, and, like everywhere else, the stone walls were covered with ivy and moss. The stone floor had suddenly changed to dirt. Wyatt hesitantly walked in, looking around. 

He stiffened when iron bars rose up from the floor and blocked the way back. Wyatt pressed his back to the wall, sweat running down his face as he looked around cautiously. 

There was a limping figure walking closer and closer to him. Wyatt braced himself, nervously calling out, voice cracking. "Who's there?"

"What a hot voice crack, I'm sure all the girls line up to hear you," Isabell grumbled as she walked over. "I miss the blonde. His voice was like butter."

Wyatt sighed in relief as he refrained from hugging her. "Oh my god you're here."

Isabell nodded as she glanced around the arena. "For some reason I don't think this is by coincidence."

There was a small giggle from the other side of the arena. "But this is a maze, isn't it?"

The two of them spun around, looking through the mist as they cautiously walked forward. 

Erik smiled and waved at them, swinging from one of the vines as if it were a swing set. Next to him, Griffin was cleaning his knuckleduster. 

Isabell growled next to him, holding her bow tighter. "Both of these two somehow manage to piss me off just from the sight of them."

Erik pouted as he took out the lollipop from his mouth, tongue stained blue. "I'm not that bad."

"You're childish, immoral, and heartless. Look at you. You're...what? Fifteen? Yet you don't seem to hesitate to do anything that's considered not normal," she scoffed. 

Erik dropped the unfinished lollipop, watching as it landed on the ground. "I don't like to think about what I'm doing. For some reason I always end up connecting it to my dad in the end. If I want to buy and raise a rabbit, I will do as I damn well please. No need to think about it."

Griffin sighed as he looked up. "No, she's right, you are exactly like a child. Don't forget about why we're here."

Erik frowned as he got off of the vine. "Fine. This is a test for both of you. And it's actually pretty easy. All you have to do is fight to the death. We'll see if the friendship really prevails. I mean, after all, she keeps fantasizing over a dead guy."

Isabell growled. "He's not dead, and I know that for a fact!"

Erik giggled and waved, climbing back up the walls. "Have fun!" The two of them disappeared, leaving both of them alone once more. 

Isabell let out a string of curse words, most of them about Erik. "Damn them! This maze is just a game to them!"

Wyatt closed his eyes, fists tightening. "I hate my life."

"So do I! What now, Royce wants us to kill each other?"

"He never said 'kill', Isabell. He said 'fight to the death,'" Wyatt clarified. 

"What's the difference? Someone's gonna die either way," she mumbled. 

Wyatt let out a bitter laugh. "I know Royce well enough."

"What? What are you thinking, Wyatt?"

He stared at his hands. "It's like playing dead. It'll be fine, don't worry."

*****

Chase Clark

Chase walked into the hallway, closing the door to his bedroom before he left. Instead of the haze he had felt when Wyatt left, he had a clear mind. He felt like punching something, preferably Royce's face. 

In his anger, he bumped into someone. There was an 'oof' sound and he found himself staring down at Dagger, who'd fallen against the wall. Dagger rubbed his jawline angrily and glared up at Chase. "What is it that you're eating everyday? You're a wall."

Chase managed a sardonic laugh. "My diet's consisted of saltine crackers and strawberries these past few days."

Dagger stood up carefully, brushing the dust off of the back of his pants. He eyed Chase warily. "You still don't look okay. Not since that day you just...drank."

"Got a problem with it?"

He shook his head. "It's nice to have you back, that's all. Royce called you too, didn't he?"

Chase nodded. "Do you know why?" he asked hopefully. 

Dagger pursed his lips nervously. "Yes. Not completely, but I heard he has a 'wonderful, action-packed video' for us to enjoy."

He groaned. "That can't be good."

"I hate agreeing with you."

Both boys gave each other another glance before trudging down the hall together. After an awkward silence, Chase cleared his throat uncomfortably. For some reason, Dagger was a person who was not easy to hold a conversation with. "You think Cassie's gonna join us?"

"No, I heard Royce gave her a mission instead. She'll be missing out on our premiere."

Chase rolled his eyes at Dagger's sarcastic comment. "I hate Royce."

There was a pause before Dagger sighed. "I think I hate him too."

He rose an eyebrow in shock.

"I hate him, but at the same time I admire him. He's a brilliant scientist, he really is. And now at least I don't have to worry about weather and where to sleep."

"He kidnapped you," Chase reminded him.

Dagger gave a wan smile. "Minor details."

Chase shook his head in disbelief as he pushed the door open to Royce's office. "You're crazy."

They looked around the room. There were blueprints scattered about the floors and tables, diagrams and measurements everywhere. In the midst of the mess, Royce was staring at the large screen in the middle of the room, watching the download bar like a child captivated by a rainbow. The closest thing to a genuine smile was plastered on his face. 

At the sound of the door, Royce turned around and smiled slyly, folding his arms over his chest. "You came."

"We're supposed to listen to your every command, aren't we?" Chase retorted. 

"There's always rebellion within everyone. You never know how much tolerance a person has until it breaks. Take Wyatt, for example."

Chase bit the inside of his cheek. Teeth gritted, he seethed. "Don't bring my brother into this."

"Why not? Your brother is the focus of this video. Get used to it," Royce gestured to the screen. "Have a seat."

Reluctantly, he pulled a chair out, sitting down. 

"Now, I'd suggest you focus on this. Your brother is in a pretty bad situation, if I say so myself. If he continues to get hurt at the rate that he is, he'll die of a fatal injury or blood loss. Believe me, I've tried telling Crimson and Erik. Crimson agreed to being nicer but you know Erik. He's too stubborn for his own good."

"He'll have a breaking point. We just need to find it." Chase leaned forward. "And I'll do it for you even if it means hurting him to the brink of insanity."

Royce cracked a smile. "Everyone has a breaking point, Chase. It just depends on who it is." He sat back, legs crossed and hands together in the shape of an A. "You have a breaking point too, Chase."

"I'm strong. I won't break that easily."

Royce studied him for a moment before laughing. "Is this tough talk just to piss me off, or are you that much of an idiot?"

"I'm serious."

Royce pondered for a moment before looking at him in the eyes. "Alright, I'll be serious too. Why are you here?"

"Because you asked me to be here."

"And what are we going to watch?"

"My brother."

"Don't you care about your brother?"

"Of course I do."

Royce's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Then what the fuck are you doing here? Shouldn't you be trying to stop me?"

Chase's eyes widened slightly as he sat up more. "I-"

"No, I can answer that for you. Back to our breaking point talk. You and your pompous ass think you can't break. Truth is, you've already broken. That happened the moment your brother left."

He scowled. "This isn't a fair argument."

Royce leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the table. "Nothing is fair, Chase. I thought I taught you that. Nothing is fair in this world to me."

"Because you're a lunatic," Dagger muttered. 

Royce ignored him and continued speaking. "Cassidy and Dagger already tried to take action. They're not even related, and Dagger's known him for maybe a month now." Royce's gaze hardened. "Yet, you're his twin brother. You both went through hell and back together. You've known him for sixteen years. You share the same mother. Why aren't you fighting?"

Chase gritted his teeth. "It's better to stay down at this point. I'm weaker than you. If I die here then I'm gone for good."

Royce shook his head in amusement. "You're such a fool."

Dagger sighed as he sat back. "On the topic of our...subordinates. I need something from you, Hunter."

Royce tilted his head. "And what would that be?"

"Give me my memories back."

Royce blinked before he burst out laughing. He rested his chin on his hands, scrutinizing Dagger in a creepy way that made Chase shudder.

"Oh, Daggy," he mocked. "You're a special case. You've hit your breaking point years and years ago. I'd say it's made you a bit...impatient. My apologies, but not now. You're not getting your memories back until I can look at you without feeling a sense of failure."

Dagger clenched his fists. "I. Need. Them. There are countless things I need to know, Hunter. I've feel like I've seen Wyatt and Chase before in the same person once upon a time. Crimson...her bitchy attitude reminds me of someone too. The only thing that I remember about my family is that I had five other brothers!"

Royce nodded, barely listening. "And what a bunch of brothers they are," he murmured. 

Dagger scowled as he slammed his fist on the table. "Tell me what I'm missing, dammit!"

Royce smirked as he clapped twice, the movie flickering on. "I might after this. But, for now, you're weak. You don't deserve the truth."

He glared at the movie in anger, before shock turned his face shades of green and yellow. 

Chase paled as he watched the movie, looking at the bloody scene between his half dead brother on the ground and the small, giggling figure in the video. 

Erik Killman really was a spawn of the son of the devil.