Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

Chapter 401



The mice seemed to have a phobia of entering other spaces. After Stella made her escape, they just peered through the cracks, as if they were watching a horror movie they were too scared to star in.

The walls of the room shifted again, sealing off the way we had come. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood, like a butcher's shop at the end of a long day.

Colin, poor guy, looked like he was running on fumes... Battling non-stop for what felt like an eternity, he was about to crash.

"Phoebe..." I approached him, and he looked up at me, exhaustion etched deep in his eyes.

I didn't say anything, just ruffled his hair, trying to offer a bit of comfort.

Colin tensed for a moment, swallowing hard, his gaze heating up as he looked at me.

"Take a break. I've got us from here," I whispered, my voice low, and turned to survey the room.

Pushing himself off the floor, Colin moved slowly towards the wall. "I've got a plan. There are 187 rooms on this floor, with the exit smack in the middle. We're currently due north."

I nodded, sketching a map of the maze on the wall with the blood that was, unfortunately, in ample supply.

"The last room with the mice had a map of the maze. It's like it's burned into my brain..."

"We're here," I pointed to our location on the north side. "The maze shifts every ten minutes, but the overall layout remains the same. We can't wait for it to shift on its own; we need to find the mechanism that opens the wall we need."

I pointed towards the center. The straightest path was due south.

Stella stared at me, dumbfounded, before whispering, "Phoebe... You memorized the maze from the floor?"

I nodded, not bothering with an explanation.

"How do you know about the ten-minute shifts without a watch?"

"My resting heart rate is 68 beats per minute. It took 683 beats between shifts. Minus a small margin of error, it rounds to about ten minutes." Stella looked at me, speechless for a long moment.

Colin, leaning against the wall, remained quiet, his emotions unreadable.

"Indeed... It shifts every ten minutes, clockwise," Colin's voice was hoarse from fatigue.

He had fought his way through by timing these shifts.

"How can you tell north from south in this cage?" Stella asked, puzzled.

"It's pitch black everywhere, with no just artificial light. If

g time by heartbeats We're

we find our bearings?" Cont

do

"The ventilation shaft on the eighteenth floor lets through a sliver of sunrise. From darkness to dawn," Colin explained.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"And how long have you been awake?" I frowned, reaching out to touch Colin's forehead.

His eyes were red, bloodshot from exhaustion or stress, it was hard to tell. He seemed nervous, almost hesitant. "Phoebe... I'm so tired."

swr

"Rest for a bit. Trust me," I whispered, trying to soothe him.

Colin reached out, tentatively grasping the hem of my shirt. "Phoebe..."

It seemed he was seeking reassurance. "Are you worried about me?"

"Worried," I answered directly. I was.

For some reason, after that fall,

had numbed, but

nvinced than ever

I

feelings I could discern. Content

Colin paused, his gaze burning into me. "Is it like how you worry about Howler?"

He seemed desperate for a clear answer.

I paused, looking into his eyes, and shook my head. "No, it's different."

His Adam's apple bobbed, his gaze growing even more intense.