MADISON

"I'm starving!"

"And I need the bathroom!"

"Whoa, buddy! TMI."

Madison shot a glare at Rick and Roy. "Would you two be quiet? I'm trying to concentrate here."

"Come on, Madison," Roy said, leaning on a crate. "How much concentration can moving a bunch of boxes take?"

Madison grunted as she threw the crate she had picked up to the side. "You know this is a serious situation, right?"

"Of course," Rick said. "We're just trying to lighten the mood a bit."

"Well, it's not helping," Madison muttered, more to herself than to the boys. She had only been with them for a half an hour, and she was already starting to wonder how they could stand being locked up together. But she was still going to rescue them, and if it meant lugging around crates, hoping to find a door, then that was what she would do.

"Can't you at least help?" Madison asked as she tossed another out of her way.

Rick and Roy looked at each other.

"Sure, we could help," Rick said.

"Actually, my hands are a bit sore from being tied up," Roy said.

"You're hands are sore? What about mine?"

"You haven't been tied up as long as me!"

"Well you didn't fall from the ceiling--"

"Cut it out!" Madison snapped. She took turns glaring into their eyes. "What's the matter with you? Why do you have to argue about everything? You used to be friends! I thought you'd be over it by now!"

Rick and Roy stared at Madison with wide eyes, speechless. "I..." Rick started. He looked at Roy, then back at Madison. "I don't know."

"Haven't you forgiven each other?" Madison demanded.

"Sure we have." Roy shrugged. "A while ago."

Rick scratched his head thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it.... Recently, I've wanted to argue with Roy more and more. I can't explain it. It kind of just happens."

"Me too," Roy said. "It's weird."

"Well, you two need to get a grip, work together without fighting, and help me find a way out of here!" Madison exclaimed.

Rick and Roy nodded quietly and both went for the nearest crate, which happened to be the same one.

"After you," Roy said.

"No, you," Rick said, gesturing to the crate.

Before Roy could protest, he caught himself. "Together?" he suggested instead.

"Together," Rick agreed.

Madison let out a small sigh of relief and continued to shove aside the pile of crates. She had just moved another two when she heard a sound that made her stiffen.

"Quiet," she hissed to Rick and Roy, holding up a hand. The boys' eyes flicked nervously around the room. They were so still, they barely even breathed.

"Footsteps," Madison whispered. Her pulse was pounding in her ears, so loudly that she was almost afraid the noise would escape from her head into the silent room.

"It's the murderer!" Roy breathed. "We're dead!"

"How do you know?" Madison asked, hoping he was wrong. "Even if it is the murderer, maybe we'll just be tied up like...."

"No," Rick said, shaking his head. "Last time we were tied up, the murderer told us--"

"'Don't even try to escape again,'" Roy finished. "'If you do, I'll cut your feet off.'"

Madison swallowed. "That's...pleasant."

The footsteps had grown louder while they had talked, but now they seemed to be getting farther away.

"The murderer is leaving!" Roy said, relieved.

"No," Madison said with a single shake of her head. She felt the hairs at the base of her head tingling. "The murderer is going through the maze."

Sure enough, the footsteps gradually came back and grew louder than before. When they were close enough, Madison realized something. "There's more than one set of footsteps."

"More murderers!" Roy exclaimed.

"I bet they're the maids!" Rick added.

Madison's eyes widened. "No, shh," she said. "Be quiet again."

The boys did as they were told and became still and silent. As they listened, they could hear faint voices.

"I hear Amanda," Rick whispered.

"And Star," Roy said, his nose crinkling. "That diva talks so loud."

"Julia and Heather are coming, too," Madison added, hearing another two voice. "They all found us!"

Before they could celebrate, the students that they had heard, as well as all the others, burst through the door. Julia was the first to enter, and she made a noise that sounded like both a gasp and a scream when she saw them. Amanda entered right behind her, her mouth falling open when she saw who Julia was looking at. "We found them!" She turned to the other students who were rushing in. "Look! We found them!"

Madison dropped the crate she was holding and ran to the door, Rick and Roy following closely behind her. "You found us!" she exclaimed, smiling at all the familiar faces. It was strange to be so excited to see them. She had never cared much for most of them before, but now.... Her smile was huge. "How did you get here?"

Amanda began to explain, "It's a long story, but we found these blueprints...."

Madison wasn't listening anymore. "Lara!" she shouted when she saw her friend inch her way in front of the other students. When Lara saw Madison, she smiled as much as her gentle face would allow. "Madison," she replied, giving her a hug.

Madison pulled back. "It's so good to see you," she said.

"Did you have any nightmares down here?" Lara asked.

Madison shook her head. "Nope. Ever since the one that led me here, I haven't had any."

Star was the last to enter, still walking. "I don't see why all of you are in such a hurry," she said as she stepped through the door. "I...." She stopped completely when she looked around the room. "Oh my stars!" she squealed, placing a hand over her heart as if to soften the shock, using the other to point at Rick, Roy, and Madison. "They're alive!"

Roy grinned, leaning toward Rick. "Do you see the look on her face?"

"I see it."

"I heard that, both of you!" Star exclaimed. But Madison could see a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. Wow, Madison thought. This is probably the first--and last--time Star will be happy to see people.

The reunion continued with more hugs and a few high-fives and jokes. But the high spirits fell when Rick noticed something.

"Hey," he said, looking around. "Where are Stewart and Kathryn?"

The students fell silent. Madison looked around at their suddenly somber faces, wondering what was wrong.

Amanda cleared her throat. "We...." she started. "We were hoping you would know."

"Why would we know?" Rick asked. "What's going on?"

The other students looked at each other gravely. "Stewart's gone," Amanda said, her shoulders slumped. "Kathryn is the murderer."

Madison's jaw tightened. Her head pounded as her pulse quickened. How much happened while I was gone?

"Wait, when you say 'gone,' do you mean Stewart is...?" Roy began.

He didn't have to finish. "He might be," Nathan said.

Heather shrugged. "We don't know. Kathryn took him, and we can't find her."

Lara sighed. "We hope we're not too late."

"Wait, just to be sure, you said Kathryn is the murderer?" Madison asked, still unable to process what she'd heard.

"Yes," Julia said. She looked around the room. "We were hoping we would find them here, but I guess we were wrong."

"At least you found us," Rick pointed out.

"Yeah," Madison said. "And now you can help us find a way out of here."

"There's no way back up the elevator," James said. "We checked."

"I know," Madison said. "But you could help us move some boxes around down here."

The students glanced at each other in confusion at first, but when Madison explained that they might find another door behind the crates, they got to work.

"Good," Madison said, pleased that they had so many extra hands to move the crates. Now they just had to hope there was actually a door hiding behind them.