Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace (Dexter) novel Chapter 400

"Freeze, don't move. If you trigger anything by accident, I can't save you," I warned Stella, stepping back slowly until my back pressed against the wall.

Stella barely dared to breathe.

"Phoebe..." Stella's voice quivered with fear, her greatest phobia being rats.

I gestured for her to be silent and slowly crouched down.

The pristine floor beneath us was marked with the layout of a maze, its exit at the very center.

The safe passage out was located in the heart of this floor.

Navigating the maze wasn't the hard part; the real challenge lay in its walls, which shifted positions at set intervals.

Moreover, stepping on certain triggers could unleash dangers.

"Countdown begins... 10, 9..."

That eerie voice filled the space once more.

If we hadn't found the correct exit by the time the countdown ended, the maze would rearrange itself.

Once the walls started moving, rats would swarm out from the underground, trapping us alive in this space to meet a grisly end.

Stella was panicking, too frightened to move.

"5, 4, 3..."

Right as the countdown neared its end, I stepped on a specific floor tile in the corner.

In the nick of time, I solved the numerical equation above the maze and determined the right tile to step on.

The room's walls shifted, but at the same time, another wall slid open, unleashing countless rats from the crevices below.

I dashed into the next room, looking back at Stella. "Come on!"

But with the rats now out, she was paralyzed by fear and wouldn't move.

"Ten seconds before the wall closes, hurry!"

I yelled at Stella.

Terrified, she started jumping around frantically as the rats surged towards her. "Phoebe... save me."

She was so afraid of the rats swarming the floor, she had nowhere to step.

In her panic, she triggered another mechanism, causing the walls to start moving.

It was too late.

"Stella..."