The air had cooled as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving Emily with a chill that had nothing to do with the fading light. She had been wandering through the corn maze for what felt like hours, every turn only leading her deeper into the labyrinth of rustling corn stalks. The festival sounds had long faded behind her, leaving only an oppressive silence that pressed in from all sides.

Her phone had died, and her nerves frayed. Each path looked the same, every shadow twisting in the corner of her vision, playing tricks on her mind. She paused at a fork in the maze, biting her lip. Did she hear a distant laugh? Or just the wind?

“Hello?” she called hesitantly, her voice sounding small in the vastness of the maze. There was no reply—only the endless rustle of dry leaves brushing together.

As was turned her next corner, a figure appeared at the end of the path. A man, a stranger, with a face half hidden in the shadow of a worn baseball cap. His clothes were dark and dusty, his eyes glittering like flint. He looked up at her, the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

“You lost?” His voice was calm, almost too casual for the situation.

Emily felt her stomach knot. She didn’t know this man, her instincts screamed at her to be careful, but she forced a nervous smile.

“Yeah, a little ... trying to find the exit.” She pointed vaguely in the direction she thought she had come from, but even as she did, she realized she had no idea where she was anymore.

The man’s smile widened, a little too much.

“Lucky for you, I know this maze like the back of my hand. I can help you out.”

Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down her spine. There was a crisp element to his voice, something that set her on edge. But she was lost, and the maze was starting to feel like it was closing in on her. Against her better judgment, she nodded.

“Thanks. I’d appreciate it,” she said, though her voice trembled.

He turned and waved for her to follow without saying another word, and Emily followed, her heart thudding in her chest. The path narrowed as they walked, the corn stalks pressing in tighter, blocking out what little light remained as the sun continued to set. The maze grew darker with each step, the rustling leaves around them whispering like voices in the night.

After several minutes, Emily’s unease deepened. Even though everything looked nearly the same, she started to notice a pattern. A fork here, a turn there, all the same paths taken over and over.

She stopped abruptly, her voice shaking as she called out to him.

“Are you sure this is the way? It doesn’t feel right.”

The man stopped too, but he didn’t turn around. For a long, tense moment, he stood perfectly still, his back to her. The silence stretched on, and Emily felt her pulse quicken.

“What doesn’t feel right, Emily?” He spoke in a low, chilling voice.

Her blood froze. She hadn’t told him her name.

The man turned slowly, his face now fully visible in the dying light. His grin had faded into something else—something cold and calculating. His eyes were dark, too dark, glinting with a malicious hunger that made her stomach lurch.

“I never said my name,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

His smile returned, wider this time, stretching unnaturally across his face.

“You didn’t have to,” he said softly.

Emily took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest. Her throat tightened, fear wrapping around her like a vice. She glanced at the paths behind her, trying to remember which way she’d come, but the maze twisted and turned in her mind, everything blending together in the oppressive darkness.

“Where are you going to go, Emily?” the man asked, taking a step toward her. “We’re not done yet.”

She turned and bolted, running blindly through the maze, her breath quickly becoming panicked. The narrow paths seemed to twist on their own, closing in around her. Dry corn stalks were snagging on her clothes, seemingly reaching out for her, clawing at her as she passed. The thin fabric of her shirt started getting caught on jagged leaves, ripping the fabric open and slicing shallow cuts into her skin.

But it was her legs that bore the brunt of the maze’s cruelty. Each frantic step propelled her deeper into the labyrinth, and the sharp edges of the leaves mercilessly scraped against her thighs. Her short denim shorts provided little protection, and with every turn, the stalks reached out like skeletal fingers, leaving angry red marks that quickly morphed into deeper, crimson gashes.

As she turned the next corner, her foot caught on a hidden root beneath the dry leaves. Time slowed as she stumbled forward, arms flailing, desperate to regain her balance. But the ground rushed up to meet her, and she fell hard, her body hitting the earth with a thud that knocked the breath from her lungs.

Pain radiated through her knees as they scraped against the rough ground. The stalks closed in around her, looming like sentinels, and the man’s laughter echoed through the maze, a chilling sound that made her skin crawl. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain of her injuries, adrenaline surging through her veins. She pushed herself up and sprinted down the path.

“Why don’t you just stay down?” His voice echoed through the field. “You’re making this so much harder for yourself.”

Emily didn’t look back. Instead, she focused on the dimly lit path ahead, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest. A single thought pushed her forward: escape. She dashed blindly around a bend, her lungs burning, when she suddenly felt a tug at her shirt. A leafy branch, sharp and unyielding, seemed to grasp at her as she ran past, snaring her fabric like a hand reaching out to stop her.

Emily’s heart raced as she glanced back, instinctively searching for the source of the voice. But the path behind her was empty, the darkness swallowing everything in its wake. Panic clawed at her throat, but she couldn’t stop. She turned back to the path ahead of her and was instantly snagged by a leafy branch, grabbing her shirt and forcing her to stop

She looked at her shoulder, the branch almost appearing as a hand holding her back. Panic surged through her as she felt the fabric tighten around her, threatening to drag her back into the shadows.

With her heart racing, she reached up, grasping the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head. She slid her arms out of the sleeves, the fabric slipping smoothly against her skin as she wriggled free. The cool night air hit her damp skin, sending a shiver down her spine.

She glanced at her side where the fabric of her shirt had once covered. Her breath hitched when she caught sight of a deep cut running along her side, from her bra band down to the top of her waist. Blood flowed freely from the gash, the warm liquid running down her side, dripping off her skin onto the dirt path.

Instinctively, she pressed her palm against the wound, trying to stop the flow, but the pain only reminded her of the urgency of her situation. The moonlight illuminated her sweat-slicked skin, making the injury seem even more vivid against her pale body.

She forced herself to look away from her wound, and back at her discarded shirt, now hanging from the branch like a flag, fluttering softly in the breeze. It was a reminder of the chase, a piece that had almost pulled her into the darkness. With a final glance at the shirt, she turned and sprinted into the maze once more, her heart pounding as she didn’t have time to focus on the stinging cuts and scrapes that covered her body.

“Is this your shirt? I think you’re forgetting something,” the voice echoed, and she could feel him, his presence drawing closer, the maze bending around him.

She didn’t look back, pushing her aching body forward, her legs burning.

“Are you sure you’re going the right way?” The voice was close now, just behind her, and Emily felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

She spun around, but the path behind her was empty.

“It’s almost like you’re running in circles,” the voice said, and Emily turned again, panic rising in her throat.

“No!” she shouted, her voice breaking. “Please, just leave me alone!”

She started running again, the rustling leaves and snapping twigs echoing ominously around her. Just as despair threatened to overwhelm her, she burst into an opening she hadn’t found before, her heart racing with a mix of hope and fear.

In the center of the clearing sat a large, rusted tractor, its paint peeling and the metal frame covered in a patchwork of grime and moss. It loomed like a forgotten giant, casting long shadows in the dim light. Emily’s eyes widened at the sight, thinking that this may be her turn of luck.

She approached the tractor cautiously, her heart pounding in her chest. She reached the tractor and climbed up the rusted metal steps, her heart racing as she hoisted herself into the driver’s seat. The interior was dim and musty, filled with the scent of old machinery and dust. She hesitated for a moment, glancing around the cramped cabin, hoping against hope that she might find something useful—a key, a tool, anything that could help her escape.

She rummaged through the compartment beneath the steering wheel, her hands trembling. Fingers grazed over cold metal and dusty levers, but there was nothing of use.

Please, just let me find something,” she whispered to herself, frustration rising as she dug deeper into the darkened corners of the cabin.

As she pulled up the dusty mat beneath her feet, something glimmered in the moonlight. Emily leaned down, heart pounding, and retrieved a small metal object. A rusted key. It was old and weathered, but it felt like a lifeline in her trembling hands.

Without hesitating, she sat upright in the seat and slipped the key into the ignition, praying that it would work.

“Come on, come on,” she whispered, her voice shaking as she turned the key.

Emily twisted the key in the ignition, but the engine didn’t speak. She frowned, twisting the key again, her fingers shaking with frustration.

“Please, just start!” she urged, but the old tractor remained unresponsive.

With a desperate glance around, Emily realized she was wasting precious time. She needed to abandon the tractor and find another way out. Disappointed, she climbed back down the rusted steps.

As she stepped onto the ground, a belt loop on her shorts snagged on a sharp piece of metal jutting out from the tractor’s frame. Panic surged through her as she felt the fabric catch and tug her back. She tried to pull away, not knowing what was grabbing her, but the metal held firm, forcing her to lose her balance.

The world spun as she fell off the edge of the tractor, her head nearly brushing against the rusted metal frame. The metal piece through her belt loop has twisted, keeping her body pinned to the tractor, dangling upside down. She kicked her legs in the air, attempting to break free. But it only caused the belt loop to twist further and push the metal into her skin.

She was stuck, hanging helplessly above the ground.

Emily struggled against her snared shorts, desperation clouding her thoughts. As she thrashed her legs, she could feel the sharp metal cutting into her skin, drawing blood. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she tried to free herself.

Just when she thought she might have found a way to twist free, a rustling sound caught her attention. Her heart sank as a figure emerged from the shadows, the same man from before. He stepped into the dim light, his silhouette tall and menacing, a cruel smirk curling on his lips.

“Looks like you’re in quite the predicament,” he taunted, his voice smooth and mocking.

Panic surged through Emily, and she instinctively kicked off her shoes and began to fumble with her shorts. She couldn’t let him get closer. She quickly unbuttoned and unzipped them, hoping that freeing herself from the constricting fabric would give her a chance to escape. But in her frantic effort, the shorts fell away from her hips faster than she anticipated.

With a startled gasp, Emily tumbled down, landing hard on the ground. The shock reverberated through her body, and for a moment, she lay there, stunned.