Throughout this chapter, everything will be from multiple POVs. Every time you see a * line, it indicates me jumping to another POV. This chapter might be a bit longer than the others. I hope you enjoy it. (POV changes will be signified by a line of * and their name in bold right under it.

Julian

 Can anyone explain to me how to decide between your head and heart? Because I have two battling convictions, and I'm unable to determine what to do.

On the first hand, Autumn is fantastic. She's everything I've ever wanted in a girl. She's funny, insightful, beautiful, and she calls me out on my issues. I know exactly where I stand with Autumn. That's what my heart is saying.

On the other hand, she's a competitor in a game where we are fighting for our lives. Everything about her being alive means the chance that I can still die. The fact that she is missing right now, and I'm beside myself, is yet another liability to me in this game. This girl has a hold on me that I can't explain, which is what my head is saying.

So does my mom, my dad, and my brother who I know have missed me terribly since I was taken. We were all such a close family. The only thing standing between me getting through to them is five little white lights that are shining on my ankle.

"Wait," I say looking down at my ankle. "Where's the fifth light?"

"What?" asks Katherine looking over at me.

"WHERE IS THE FIFTH LIGHT?!" I scream.

Both Katherine and Alicia look at me scared as I jump up from the area that we are currently sitting in, and run towards the maze. Both girls get up and chase after me. Both are calling out my name as I sprint down the maze hall screaming Autumn's name.

Right, left, right, left, right-

"A dead end," I whisper to myself as I hit the wall. How ironic is this? A dead-end signifies the end of a path or journey. I don't know if I can accept this sign though. This can't be the end of my time with Autumn.

You weren't brave enough to protect her, Julian.

What would my dad say if he saw how I handled that situation? I got stabbed by a girl from the lollipop guild, and I passed out. Katherine took this girl out in a literal three seconds according to Alicia.

You're weak, Julian.

"You're weak Julian," I whisper to myself.

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Autumn

"Stand up," says Eddy as he starts to pick at the knots in my rope. "When I finish untying you stand up. Do as your told, and don't try anything stupid. You're dying one way or another. If you try and run, I'll drag it out."

My heart is beating so fast I think it might burst. I've never been able to hear my heartbeat before. I imagine this is what it sounded like when soldiers would ride into war on horseback back in the old days.

"I said stand up," he says grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet. I wince as he squeezes too hard, and see his eyes are blazing with fire. "You're going to fight me, Autumn. Right here, right now, a battle to the death," he says. "You're going to die," he says.

"Eddy let's talk about this, please," I plead with him.

"The time to talk was over the moment my brother ended his life," says Eddy with a monotoned voice. "You're time is up, Autumn."

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Katherine

This might make me sound like an awful person, but I don't see the urgency here. I like Autumn, but her death wouldn't exactly be the worst thing for me. If she dies, that is one less person to have to go through and get home.

I know that Julian is like, in love with her or whatever though I severely doubt the feelings that they've pronounced, he needs to get a grip. If she dies, then he's in the best spot to win.

"Where did he go?!" asks Alicia as she runs down the hallway. I'm trying to keep up, but I can't stop the thoughts in my head from spinning. This game has truly taught me a lot about myself. One of the things being that I am a lot more than I look. I'm stronger than I appear, more fierce, and willing to make the hard calls.

"I think he turned a lot," I say honestly. I catch up to her and grab onto her arm. She pauses and looks at me with sadness in her eyes.

"We are towards the end of this, aren't we? There's no way we are going to find them; I don't even know if we should."

"Yeah," I say with a sad expression, "We are,"

She turns to me and then sinks into the ground of the maze. Her back is against the wall as she looks at the light coming in from the ceiling of the warehouse we appear to be in. I come beside her and join her, and she places her head on my shoulder. "We are going to have to kill each other, aren't we?"

"Yeah," I say softly. "We are,"

This is something that I've thought about for a long time. If Alicia and I are in the final 2, I think the only advantage that I have on her is the fact that I'm willing to kill. She has yet to make that jump that I have several times throughout this game.

Maybe that's more of a reason for Alicia to win though. She hasn't had that moment of completely breaking herself and everything she believes in merely to survive. She hasn't corrupted herself for the benefit of living. I've decided that numerous people's lives were less important than my own. And for what, the chance to keep living?

"Let's take it to the end then, okay?" asks Alicia looking at me with hopeful eyes. She sticks out her pinky finger, and I almost laugh. Something as simple as a hand gesture is being used to make a promise in a life or death situation.

I extend my pinky to her, and we agree. "Until the end," I say.

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Autumn

He takes a swing at me, and I barely get out of the path his fist was heading. I take a deep breath and realize that this is the fight of my life. It is now or never. I will either walk away from this moment victorious, or I will die at the hands of Eddy.

He comes quickly recovers from the punch he threw at me and turns around to face me once again. He starts to run at me, and at the last second I kick my foot up and slam it into his chest. He falls backward and screams in pain as I take a deep breath and attempt to run from the area in the maze.

I sprint down the hallway screaming for help when I suddenly feel something colliding with my right shoulder. I let out yelp and fall to the ground face first. Eddy closes the space between us and quickly puts his foot down on my back.

"I had no idea that would work," says Eddy as he leans down and pulls something from my back. Pain sears through my shoulder, and I start to feel blood pool up over my back. "I threw this knife as a chance but was ready to run. Guess this is divine intervention, huh?"

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Julian

"Autumn!" I call out through the maze.

My dad always told me to go with the person that makes your heart beat a little faster than usual. That when you find that person that you feel changes everything, hold on because if you let go, you're making a huge mistake.

I can't let go of her.

The fact that out of everything Eros' little fun house could have been he chose a maze is a thing that is pissing me off. A psycho currently kidnaps the girl of my dreams, and here I am running around like a dumb ass looking for a way to get through the maze and find her.

"Autumn!"

I continue to run, I've hit three dead ends so far. Three times that I could have been productively searching for her. Three times that I've failed her.

I come to a long hallway and sprint down it. As I approach the end of the hall, a high pitch scream fills my ears. "Autumn!" I scream back.

I round the corner right as Eddy is holding a knife above her head. I don't even hesitate and run directly at him, tackling him to the ground.

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Autumn

Julian appears like a white knight in one of those princess stories that I used to read as a little girl. My shoulder is still pouring blood, but at least I can get up now, and we can probably take Eddy out.

I take a deep breath, knowing that pushing on my arm is going to hurt, and quickly get up from the ground. My breath leaves my body as I have to take a second to gain my balance again. I turn to the back of me and see Julian on top of Eddy punching him. Eddy is getting hit over and over again, but I notice him reaching for the knife that he threw at me earlier. It's a couple of inches away from where they are currently struggling, and Eddy has more than enough reach to get it.

"Julian, no!" I scream.

I start to run towards the two of them right as Eddy is about to plunge the knife into Julian's back. Julian looks over at me confused as I run and slam my body into his. I wince as I feel the knife pierce the back of my neck, and travel through to my throat.

I cough, and blood shoots out of my mouth and onto Eddy's face. His smile as he pulls the knife out from behind my neck fades as soon as I fall on top of him. He tries to get me off of him, but Julian is already wrestling with his arm that has the knife in it. He grabs onto the blade and plunges it into Eddy's head.

At least I lasted longer than you.

"Autumn!"

He lunges over me and cries. I lift my hand onto his face and smile at him as he looks at me. I do my best to smile as my blood is pouring out of my body. I know that my time is coming soon, but I want to use what I have left to look at him. "I love you," I mouth to him as he hunches over me cradling my hands in his.

"Don't leave me, please," he whispers. "Please don't leave me, Autumn, I love you too. I need you, please don't leave me,"

The world starts to fade around me as the once color filled world slips into a dark gradient. My vision gets fuzzier, and Julian sounds farther away as I begin to feel myself move into death. A bright light shines ahead of me, and then everything around me fades as it engulfs my body.

I'm at peace.