Noah didn’t move. He kept looking at the men until they turned a corner, getting out of sight. Jacob mumbled shyly.

“I think… maybe… should we follow them?”

Noah looked at him. Had Jacob been so brainwashed, so frightened by his captor that he would blindly obey any commands given to him? Didn’t he have any instinct left in him?

In a way, the anger and frustration that Noah felt was a welcome change of mood: he prefered it to being scared and shaky. Still, his new companion was not his enemy, and so he had to keep his temper in check. Losing his cool would prevent him from thinking rationally. Of course, that only mattered if reason really applied or had any meaning in this palace of madness.

For the moment, though, it looked like they didn’t have much of a choice. The endless corridors, the creeping darkness, the noises and screams straight out of hell… There was no telling what kind of danger they could get into if they took a wrong turn. Besides, their host seemed almost omnipotent and powerful, he probably didn’t need to lay a trap for them if he wanted to harm them. He would play along… for now.

“Alright, Jacob. If you think that’s what we should do, that’s what we’ll do," he said as calmly as he could.

Jacob lagged behind Noah. They followed the bald man quietly for several minutes until they stopped in front of a closed door. There was a faint light coming from the other side.

“Who are you? And who is this master you mentioned?” asked Noah, looking at the door. He wanted to gather as much information as he could before he attempted to escape this gloomy place.

“I cannot speak of the master,” the bald man said. “Go in.”

“What about you? What’s your name?”

There was a pause. Noah turned around to face him, wondering what took him so long to answer. He saw him convulsing.

“My name?” he asked, before turning to the other man. “He asked for my name!”

The man got increasingly agitated, a rage building up. He grabbed Hamster-Face by the shoulders and started screaming. “He asked for my name! Why did he ask for my name?” He kept getting louder and angrier. “He shouldn’t have asked what’s my name! I have no name!” he continued, now yelling at the top of his lungs. His partner didn’t react, completely oblivious to the person screaming an inch away from his face, likely disconnected from it all, some stupid serene smile drawn on his stubbly face.

The bald man threw a hook. And then another punch, and again and again, until the defenseless idiot was on the ground. The barrage stopped for a second as the attacker contemplated his victim, then it resumed with more violence and intensity, beating him senseless, a bloody massacre splattering all over the floor. The aggressor kept going, grunting with every blow, not stopping until the skull was split open. A cavernous whimper came from inside, followed by one final breath.

He stood over the corpse, observing his work. He grabbed his own crotch, held it, shook it. He groaned again. He turned towards Noah and Jacob, a grave expression on his face. “Go in”. Jacob obeyed, utterly terrified. It took a moment for Noah to compose himself, to understand what had just happened. Ultimately, he was unable to make sense of it, to comprehend why it would throw this insane person into such a fit, but he didn’t want to provoke him further. He entered. The madman stayed outside and closed the door.

A clattering of metal against the rocky floor resounded in the room. Jacob let out a feminine scream of surprise, causing Noah to rush in, hoping to fend off any danger and defend his friend. However, there was no imminent threat. A familiar face looked at them, then turned to the ceiling and yelled in anger.

“No! You goddamn clown! I will not play your freaking games, you hear me?” the person said.

Both Noah and Jacob knew him: it was Isaac. Like Noah, he was twenty years old. Short and greasy brown hair, he was a little smaller in height and build, though just as overweight. They all had attended the same school and had a few social circles in common but, while Isaac had occasionally hung out with Jacob, Noah had a harder time with him. He didn’t hate him, but his loud personality made him somewhat annoying. The question remained, though, why was he here? Was there a pattern to the three of them being locked in here together? Was the school they went to the solution to the puzzle? The cause for their captivity?