Chapter 1- Last of the Labyrinth

          Brevin opened his eyes. His surroundings were dark; it was impossible to see anything. A pounding pain thumped behind the boy's eyes. It felt like someone was beating his skull with a hammer. It took a few seconds to realize that he was lying on a concrete floor. The surface was rough and cold, and smelled like dirt. Picking himself up off of the ground, Brevin tried to get a glimpse of his surroundings. But there was nothing to be seen. He reached his arms in front of him, trying to find something solid; something that would tell him where he was.

          His fingers brushed against the rough surface of a wall. It had been made of the same material as the floor. Keeping one hand on the cold object, Brevin started walking. Feeling around, he tried to find a light switch of some sort. Or possibly even a door. The boy's foot hit something long and metallic. It rolled away due to the small impact. He could hear the faint scraping as it moved. The sound was familiar, he had heard it several times before. Suddenly, the area was bathed in a bright light.

          Brevin shielded his eyes with his hand, glancing at his surroundings through a small gap between his middle and ring fingers. He was in a long hallway that branched off in several different directions. The walls around him stood almost 5 stories tall. Looking up, he saw that the ceiling stood several more meters above the top of the barriers. Large, covered lights lined the walls with a large gap between each. This left room for dark shadows to form right in the center. Dark stains covered various areas of the walls and floor. The corridor was worn horribly, with many gauges and scars running up and down its surface.

          Directing his gaze to the small area around him, Brevin spotted the object that he had kicked over earlier. It was an aluminum baseball bat. Its surface was covered in numerous dents and scratches. The rubber grip was almost completely gone; what was left were small shredded bits. A small distance from the bat lay a small electronic device. The object looked a little like a Kindle, but thicker and a lot sturdier. A voice echoed in the mysterious space, its source unknown.

         'Please turn on your map.' The voice chanted. It was feminine, and robotic sounding. Kind of like the prerecorded tone of Siri or Cortana. 'Please turn on your map.' It repeated. The recording said these words a few more times, and then stopped abruptly.

          Frowning, Brevin looked down at the device in his hands. Turning it over, the boy noticed a small button at the top; as well as eight slots that burrowed through the gadget. Cautiously pressing the button, he watches as the machine turned on. A small white blip in the center grew until it covered the entire screen. Almost immediately, the white changed back to a dark onyx. For a moment, the boy thought that it had shut off on its own. He was about to press the button again when a figure came into view.

          A mask floated on the screen. It was an olive green, and covered the person's entire face. Bright orange markings covered the disguise to give it the appearance of a complicated maze. Just looking at it for a second made Brevin dizzy. He was unable to see the rest of the stranger's body, only a black outline. "Welcome. You have been chosen to play a very interesting game." The mask stated. Unlike the voice from before, it was obviously a male. And no obvious computer editing had been added. "I have placed you in a maze with several other people. And just because it makes the event more entertaining, I shall not reveal the total number. 

          "The rules of the game are very simple. Kill. Or be killed. In order to escape my maze, you will need to kill at least eight others. Each of you have a portion of the map that had been surgically installed inside of your bodies. Don't worry about food, we will supply that for you. Your biggest concern is killing, remember that." The form flickered off of the screen for a moment. His broadcast was done.

          It took a while for Brevin to process what the stranger had just said. Kill? As in... Murder each other? He rested his back against the concrete wall, and sat down. This had to be a dream, a horrible nightmare. There was no way that someone could expect him to do something like that. The boy had only turned twelve last month. And now he was being expected to... "It really is a dream." Brevin noted. "I'm still at home, asleep in my own bed. And this is just a nightmare that I'm going to wake up from at any second." Standing up, the boy was already convinced by his words.

          He picked up the bat, and looked down at the blank screen of the tablet. All he could see was his own reflection. Light brown hair and bright blue eyes stared back at him. Brevin noticed the large bump on his forehead. The wound had split a little, and dried blood had crusted around the opening. Shrugging it off, the boy tapped the screen experimentally. A picture popped up on the map. 

          It appeared to be a grid at first, with nine faintly outlined boxes. One of the boxes held a complicated pattern that was similar to that on the mask. It sat in the lower right square. A small red dot flashed in the center of the maze. It reminded Brevin of one of those red markings on maps in a mall; the ones that read 'You are here.' Shouldering the bat, the boy decided that he should try to find the exit. Surely he would be able to get through the maze without killing anyone. If he stayed to the right, he should be able to get to the end eventually. 

          Momentarily forgetting about the potential danger, he wandered around unguarded. Turning a corner, Brevin stepped in a puddle. Looking down, his eyes widened with fear as he saw the coloring. An almost black crimson liquid spread across the floor, slowly creeping further from its source. A man sat in the center of the puddle, hunched over a ripped figure. "Where is it?" He demanded. Using a small blade, the stranger cut a long slit into the other's chest. Laughing, the person held up a small, rectangular object that looked like an SIM card for a phone. By the way he was hunched over, the murderer looked like Golem from Lord of the Rings. 

          "I found it!" He gloated. "I found the piece!" Shoving the chip into a device that looked just like Brevin's, the figure continued his small celebration. Standing up, he turned around. The boy had been frozen in fear the entire time. This wasn't...this couldn't be real. The maze. The blood. None of it could be part of reality. Brevin started shaking as the killer advanced. An eerie smile had plastered itself on the man's face. The fear moved the boy's limbs for him. 

         Without looking back, the boy ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction. The cold reality of the situation hit him almost as hard as the fear. This was no dream. And Brevin would die if he didn't escape.

Idea: Thorn Brush

 Summary: 
          Once upon a time (sorry for the cliche), there was a land ruled by a very selfish king. He had been targeted for assassination several times, and each attempt had failed. This, alongside his country's many victories in battle, was the cause of a group of people. This group was supposedly made up of demons, and past slaves. Each one was fierce and bloodthirsty. And as the rumors went, they had mysterious powers as well.

          The story will follow the newest and youngest member of the group, Kye. She is one of the more feirce characters, but cares more for her morals than most others. Having lived a life of slavery, the girl finds the opportunity of working for the King as a sort of freedom. Though, as told from another character, Xander's, point of view, she is even more trapped than she had been before. Quickly closing the ranks and becoming a skilled assassin for the King, the girl is sent to a small village on the border of the land to fetch a supposed important document. There, she meets Xander who had been sent there as well. But his purpose is to stop whatever rebellion may be brewing inside of the small town. Kye ends up helping him with this mission, not knowing that he belongs to the same group that she does. A third character, Rider, is quickly dispatched to fetch Xander and bring him back to the King.

          Basically what happens when the 3 get back to the Royal City is Kye sees how cruel the King could be. He treats her new companion, Xander, as an object and a pet. The girl has had to watch, on several occasions in the matter of days, as her friend was beaten and humiliated. Rider and Xander are soon sent on another mission, and Kye tags along. A lot of stuff happens, and she somehow finds herself becoming the leader of a rebellion. 

Characters:  

           Name: Kye

         Age: 16

         Physical Characteristics: Short black hair that is barely long enough to cover her bright green eyes. 5'2. Pale. Has numerous scars and burned in markings on her arms and back from previous owners. Black tattoos resembling a thorny vine wraps around her arms, covering most of her scars. Vey very fast.

         Personality: Quiet and a bit serious at times. Cares more about her fellow members than most others do. She tends to keep her emotions in check, and rarely shows what she is feeling. Occasionally, the barrier would break and Kye will go one or two days riding a wave of every feeling she had tried to hold back

          Name: Xander
          Age: 19
          Physical Characteristics: Short brown hair and hazel eyes. Always wears some kind of high collared shirt or cloak. He has a wound around his neck that had scabbed over and scarred several times. This is from a collar that the King forces him to wear, in which the inside is barbed and is meant to cause the man constant pain. Archer.
          Personality: Doesn't talk, but has a way of communicating with simple hand motions and expressions. Quiet. A bit too willing to kill others, but after a while of hanging around Kye he starts to be a bit more sympathetic. 

          Name: Rider

        Age: 22

        Physical Characteristics: Long blonde hair that he usually ties back. Deep blue eyes. Muscular. Tall. Tan. Since he travels often, Rider usually has a bit of stubble growing. Sometimes even a full on beard. Stronger than most humans.

        Personality: Loud and carefree. He tends to drop really bad jokes at the worst possible times. His favorite victim to tease is Kye, because unlike Xander, she gives some pretty interesting reactions. Rider has a small issue with split personalities. One version is the man as described above. The second is his "loyal dog" personality. With this he is very solumn and tends to only think of whatever job the King has given him. He will think nothing of any of his comrades, only about his assigned mission. 

Idea: The Mystery of Markus Wheeler

Summary:

          Markus is dragged to a small town by his parents. He instantly makes friends, but they aren't very loyal ones. The boy's new "friends" convince him to go to an old cemetery on the anniversary of an infamous witch's death. 

          Inside of the cemetery, Markus trips and accidentally cracks an unmarked gravestone. Thinking nothing of it, he leaves. Little does he know that he's been cursed. The male is given the ability to see ghosts, and it is slowly driving him insane. Nobody believes him, and his "friends" become his most dedicated bullies. Having no one else to turn to, he goes back to the graveyard after hearing a rumor about a witch that had been buried there. Suspecting that she was the cause of his grief, Markus talks with the ghost of Martha Roswell. 

          She then manipulates him to take revenge on those who had disgraced him. Little does he know that his bullies are the ancestors of her killers. Markus begins with cruel pranks that may cause serious harm, but not death. But, once he does accidentally kill someone, the boy disappears. After years of searching, his parent move away in grief, and the police halt the investigation. 

          Years later, a girl named Faith moves into the same town with her grandparents, since her parents are always working and do not have time to care for her. She is obsessed with all things paranormal, and wishes to be a Paranormal Investigator when she is older. The girl finds out about Markus, and instantly starts her detective work. Because she considers the abnormal, Faith gets a lot farther than the police had in 3 years. Her hunt eventually leads her to Martha's grave, where she questions the spirit. 

          Ghosts are only able to speak in riddles, which creates a temporary obstacle in Faith's search. After a few months, the girl finally tracks down Markus, who had been living in the basement of a rundown church.  He is mentally unstable, and is pretty much a fleshy spirit at this point. He only speaks in riddles, and even then can't speak in complete sentences. 

          Either I'm going to have the girl almost killed, and move away from the town, or have Markus kill her and then come to his senses. 

          Back story of Martha Roswell: The young 11 year old had never been popular with the other kids. She had always been an outcast, mostly because of her very vivid imagination and refusal to live in reality. Because of this, Martha is accused of being a witch by her peers, a few years before the time of the Witch Trials in Salem. Instead of being placed in a proper court, the older children take it upon themselves to test the girl's innocence. She is then drowned in a river, as it is one of the "tests" to check if someone is a witch or not. Haunting the town, Martha does all she can to take revenge on the others. She pulls others into insanity, and have them do her dirty work. 

Characters: 

           Name: Markus Wheeler

           Age: 12/16

           Physical Characteristics: Before his disappearance, Markus had short cropped black hair and brown eyes. Not very strong. Has a birthmark on the back of his knee that kind of looked like a blotted sideways cross. 

           Personality: He is quiet, and doesn't really get along with people that well. So, when he gains a friend, Markus will do anything he can to keep them. 

           Name: Faith Macaulay 

           Age: 14

           Physical Characteristics: Long, curly red hair and green eyes. Small splash of freckles on her nose. Average in almost everything appearance-wise. Has a preference for loose, comfortable clothing, despite the fact that her family could easily afford many of the more fashionable styles. 

           Personality: Free-spirited and willing to make friends with virtually anyone. She is a smart student, but has a bit of an ADHD problem that gets her into a lot of trouble with teachers. Faith tends to always try to look to the bright side of things, and refuses to give up when she sets her mind to something. 

           Name: Martha Roswell

           Age: 11 at time of death

           Physical Characteristics: Originally had long blonde hair that she always kept in a braid. Originally had blue eyes, and was small for her age. Used to be eternally pale, no matter how much sun she got. Wore the typical dress and clothing for the time period. In her ghost form, all of these characteristics are a silvery white and transparent. 

           Personality: Martha used to be very quiet and kind to everything and one she came across. Your stereotypical "Disney Princess" personality. After death, she became very bitter and sought out revenge. The girl wasn't able to physically harm her victims, but was able to drive them insane. Either this or cause someone else to become paranoid enough to physically harm people for her. 

           

Idea: Last of the Labyrinth

Summary: 
         An unknown amount of people are cast into random points of a large maze that stretches miles in all directions. Each are given an unmarked map and a weapon. In order to escape from the maze, they must kill the other people trapped inside to gain a piece of the map. The portion is hidden somewhere inside of the victim's body, and its location varies. There are also random checkpoints in the maze that contain supplies that are needed to survive. These checkpoints change every day, so one player cannot camp out and take all of the needed items daily. There are also numerous traps and beasts inside of the maze that are revealed when someone has not died within a certain time period inside of each section of the maze.
     
          There are a total of 8 unmarked sections on the maps, and 1 marked section where the person starts. Inside of each person, as I mentioned before, there is a marked portion of the map. However, as the location of the piece is unclear, as is where the marked shard highlights. Basically, the "players" have to kill at least 8 people each in order to escape; assuming that they do not get repeated pieces. It is impossible to escape just by pure luck. The acquired shards also act as a key. So, even if someone finds they exit, it is impossible to escape unless they have taken all of the needed elements.

           All of this is explained to the victims when they first enter the maze. Except for the part about the pieces being keys. Also, if a person is killed by one of the traps that have been automatically set inside of the maze, then it is possible that another can come along and collect their shard. As a bonus penalty, it is impossible to climb to the top of the maze. Even if one manages this, there are various security systems that will immediately dispose of the "cheater."

Characters:
          Name: Brevin Tate
          Age: 12
          Physical Appearance: Short brown hair and blue eyes. Tall for his age. Tan. Skinny. About as muscled as a 12 year old can get.
          Personality: He is that kind of kid that everyone likes for no reason. Brevin isn't very loud, but is still sort of a social butterfly. Before being cast into the Maze, he played baseball and was a little over average at everything. The boy is a straight C student, but is smarter than he lets on.
          Weapon: Baseball bat.
          Likeliness to kill: Medium

          Name: Kenzy Davies
          Age: 8
          Physical Appearance: Small for her age. Long, unruly blonde hair and brown eyes. Skinny. Pale. Isn't very strong, but is fast.
          Personality: Kenzy is very quiet and doesn't speak often. She is a bit emotional, being a kid and all. Also, she is afraid of her own shadow, and will cling to Brevin or Grady when she gets scared. Brevin is her favorite, but she will just as willingly go to Grady for guidance if needed.
          Weapon: Spear
          Likeliness to kill: Very low.

          Name: Grady Lieth
          Age: 12
          Physical Appearance: Short curly black hair and brown eyes. Dark brown skin. Grady is taller than Brevin, but only by a couple of centimeters. Lanky. Not really that muscled, but still strong.
          Personality: Grady is the type of person who would rather stay home, playing video games, than do anything else. He is only fit because of his competitive nature, which enables him to be "that one kid in P.E. that treats the class like its the Olympics." Because of his gaming habits, he is a bit of a strategist and is very quick thinking, even though he isn't very book smart. He is also a very brotherly character towards Kenzy, even though he is not her favorite.
          Weapon: Large hunting knife.
          Likeliness to kill: Medium/High

(If you find this idea a bit morbid, blame my English teacher. He's the one making us read books about murderous 12 year olds who offer pig heads to made up demons) 

Idea: Buzzers and Stuff

Summary: 
     Tyler and her brother go on a camping trip with their grandparents. All of a sudden, strange disappearances happen at the campgrounds and no one knows who is doing it. This strange family warns Tyler  and her family that it is no longer safe there and that they should go to this certain shelter that was made for this situation. Tyler's grandparents laugh at this idea and don't actually head towards the coordinates until her brother is almost taken.

Along the way, they meet some very interesting people who are headed towards the same place. It turns out that the shelter is really the Hive for an alien group known to humans as Buzzers; and the mysterious family had lead them to their doom. Buzzers are carnivorous, insect-like aliens who gain their nutrition from large animals, specifically humans.

Tyler and her brother escape, but their grandparents are caught and dragged into the Hive. The two escape along with a few of the people they had met along the way; 4 other kids who range from the brother's age to a little bit older than Tyler. These 6 humans make it their mission to go around, killing any Buzzer they come across, and help any person who wishes to survive. However,  as they do this, the world is slowly being taken over  by the aliens. So, their mission might be completely pointless.

Characters: 
     Name: Tyler Bates
     Age: 16
     Physical appearance: Long black hair and green eyes. 5'3. Has a long jagged scar running up her leg from when she fell off of her skateboard; but she always tells people a different, more epic story.
     Personality: Basically, every word that comes out of her mouth is sarcastic. She doesn't really have a filter on her brain, so she tends to say everything that pops into her mind. Tyler, since the whole Hive incident, is very protective of her brother.
     Weapon: Lead pipe.

     Name: Allen Bates

     Age: 13

     Physical appearance: Short brown hair and green eyes. 5'2. Tends to always wear sports jerseys and jeans. 

     Personality:  Is very sports obsessed and is the kind of person who will try to sign up for any sport available at his school. Not very bright in school, but is kind and is the kind of person to act without thinking. Unlike his sister, however, Allen actually thinks about what he's going to say before he says it. 

     Weapon:  Aluminum baseball bat

     Name:  Hyde Clark

     Age:   17

     Physical appearance: Buzz cut black hair and brown eyes. 5'7. Is always wearing some kind of sweatshirt. Latino.

     Personality: Is a bit more serious than the rest and considers himself the leader. Tends to be the more strict kind of "leader" and will not stand for any lying or stealing. (He counts sarcasm as lying). 

     Weapon: Sharpened stick. 

     Name: Dino Bowman

     Age: 15

     Physical appearance: Messy sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. 5'5. Has a little failure of a mustache that he refuses to shave because it makes him look more "manly" 

     Personality: Is the joker of the group. Every word that comes out of his mouth is sarcastic or is a really bad joke. Because of this, him and Ty have sass-offs almost daily. 

     Weapon: Hatchet

     Name: Reece Howell

     Age: 13

     Physical appearance: Longish red hair and green eyes. 5'2

     Personality: May or may not be gay (have  not decided yet). Is quiet but is always willing to give a helping hand. He is a bit of a bookworm and doesn't really play any sports, but always tries to prove that he's not weak. More or less becomes best friends with Allen. 

     Weapon: Long metal pole. 

     Name: Joanne Friedman

     Age: 14

     Physical appearance: Dark brown skin and long black hair.

     Personality: Is quiet and rarely speaks. She isn't shy, just doesn't like people all that much. She is the type of person who will do whatever is needed without question.

     Weapon: Kitchen knife duct-taped to a broomstick.