"Just act normal now. Answer the door like you normally would. Take your son, thank your babysitter and close the door. Don't think of trying anything cute, or I'll carve a few more wrinkles in your mother's precious face."

Amy nodded and tried to compose herself as Brenda approached the front door. The doorbell sounded, and Amy hesitated for just a moment before answering. Darrell Gene growled at her. "Do it!"

Amy opened the door and forced herself to smile. "Hi Brenda."

"I'm so sorry to bring Peter back so soon. I tried to call, but I couldn't get through. I think something's wrong with my phone. I know I was supposed to keep him until nine, but Danny's had a breakdown on the side of the road. I've got to go and pick him up, and I'm afraid I'll be out a lot later than nine. I hope I'm not ruining your plans for the evening."

"No, no." Amy took Peter and kissed him on the head. "I understand completely. You go and take care of Danny. Tell him I said h.e.l.lo."

"Aaahhhh!" Peter cooed and pointed at Darrell Gene who stood quietly behind the door. Darrell Gene grimaced at the toddler..

"Okay, I'll see you at church Sunday."

"G.o.d willing. Thanks a bunch, Brenda. I appreciate it."

Darrell Gene waited until the door was closed before moving in front of the window again. He watched as Brenda's Oldsmobile backed out of the driveway.

"Now where were we?" He eyed the two-year-old. "Oh yeah, right. We were talking about what a horrible childhood I had. I'm sure this little guy wouldn't know anything about that."

"You leave him alone!" Amy turned her back on Darrell Gene and shielded Peter with her body.

"Well, now that's not very Christian. I was just going to play with the boy. But I guess I'm not cla.s.sy enough to a.s.sociate with your child."

Amy's screaming scared Peter, and he quickly joined in.

"Shut him up! I'm not going to listen to much more of that."

Judith's strong resolve wilted as she realized that Darrell Gene wouldn't hesitate to harm Peter. Her face turned a ghostly shade of pale.

"Please don't hurt us! Especially the baby. We'll do whatever you want."

Darrell Gene thought about that for a moment, and an idea quickly formed in his head. "Is that right?"

Amy nodded. "Don't hurt Peter, and I'll do what you want."

Darrell Gene smiled a predator's smile.

"Do you still have your wedding dress?"

Chapter 31.

I knew Darrell Gene was a volcano that could erupt at any time. I also knew that Asterion was the master of this maze and the only one who knew where the exit was.

"Asterion! Show yourself. It's time to end this!"

The minotaur didn't come. The only response I received was a deafening knock like the ones before.

Boom!

It was the sound of two planets colliding in s.p.a.ce.

Boom!

It was a noise made by a herd of stampeding elephants.

Boom!

It was the sound of a mountain being picked up and dropped.

Boom!

It was the sound I heard the first time I ever fired a shotgun.

"Asterion! I've played your game. Now it's time you played mine. Come out and face me!"

Boom!

"Connie!" I struggled to make my voice heard over the ruckus. "I need your help!"

"I'm here."

"I know you can communicate with Asterion. Tell him I want to challenge him to a duel."

"That's not the wisest course of action."

"I'm not in a position to make decisions with my head. This maze is designed to react to decisions made from the heart, good or bad, and my heart is telling me to do this. There is a madman loose in my house, and my family doesn't stand a chance of survival without me. I may die trying to escape from this place, but it's a sacrifice I have to make. I can't just sit here and do nothing."

The voice of the maze hesitated. "Asterion makes the rules here. He doesn't like being told what to do."

"I thought this maze was built using my heart as a blueprint. I'm The Architect, remember? If that's really the case, then I make the rules here and I demand to see the minotaur."

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try to get his attention. Just be forewarned- he doesn't really listen to me. Conviction doesn't really matter much to a creature that feasts on sin. In fact, he'd prefer I not be here at all. He'd have more to eat that way."

"Just tell him. That's all I can ask.'

As I talked, I felt something happening all around me. It was like being in the middle of a hot tub just as the jets are being turned on. Cool air eddied around my ankles and a slight breeze tousled my hair. The buzzing of flies filled the air, and I whirled fully expecting to see a swarm of insects. The killing floor, however, was empty.

The buzzing, I realized, was like static electricity, or the excitement of a big crowd. It was a harbinger of something larger.

I headed back into the de-hairing chamber and peered deep into one of the smoldering pots. Boiling water bubbled and roiled, churning up bits and pieces of me that were better left buried and forgotten. Gouts of steam filled the air and crept along the floor like an early morning fog. I kept waiting for Asterion to emerge from the haze, but he disappointed me. The smoke hid nothing, except the gruesome remains of all the cows that had the misfortune of wandering into this place. Their bones were stacked to the ceiling in bleached white heaps.

The kettles, however, hid much more...

"Asterion!" I listened to the way my voice echoed.

Had I turned around at that moment, I might have seen the minotaur emerging from one of the pots of boiling water. However my attentions were focused too intently on the set of eyes that peered out at me from the darkness. They weren't Asterion's reddened, bloodshot eyes; they were a bronzed shade of yellow that could have been the color of golden streets or jaundiced skin. Cautious of what new sort of beast this might be, I took a step backward, readying myself for a fight.

Without warning, a vicious, growling shape charged, leaping through the air. It was only as he got closer to me that I realized it was Midnight. His sights, however, weren't set on me. He had an enemy to face.

The minotaur stood up, ignoring the impossibly hot water that swirled and bubbled around him, and stepped out of the de-hairing kettle with his pelt still intact. Midnight hit him in the center of the chest and knocked him back into the water. Asterion roared and struggled to his feet again, accompanied by Midnight's ferocious barking.

These two knew each other and were none too happy to be meeting like this. My sentiments were a little different. I had never been so glad to see a dog in all my life.

"It seems someone is praying for you." Asterion motioned toward my dog. "Otherwise, he wouldn't still be here."

"Someone needs to be praying for you."

"You challenged me." Asterion lifted a hoof and kicked over one of the kettles.. Scalding water poured from the stainless steel pot and flowed in my direction. I took several steps back to avoid getting burned.

"I want to fight you. If I win, you let me out of this place."

"And if you lose?" Asterion kicked over another kettle.

"I'll stay here for eternity."

"You'll stay here for eternity anyway."

"I'm learning by the minute. I'm The Architect, remember? Aren't you worried that I'll figure out how to manipulate this place and blink you right out of existence?"

Asterion narrowed his eyes, contemplating my threat. "You have lasted longer than I thought you would."

"You're frightened of me." I noticed the way that the minotaur's hands trembled gently at his sides.

"I will crush you into dust."

"Prove it."

Midnight barked to show his disapproval. I knew he was right to be concerned, but I was desperate. My family needed me.

"I'm a.s.suming this is a fight to the death." The minotaur grabbed a sledgehammer off of the wall.

"Is there any other kind?"

"Your arrogance is impressive---and misguided. You have no idea what you're about to do."

"What I don't know, I'll learn." I found a sledgehammer of my own. My shoulders protested and my muscles ached after hefting a hammer of similar size not so long ago on the killing floor. I knew the odds weren't in my favor. Any chance of success would rely on fighting smarter and not harder.

"I don't normally make deals, but you intrigue me. You've shown considerable fort.i.tude in your time spent here."

"You ain't seen nothing yet. My family's in danger. That gives me added incentive."

"Let's see what you've got."

As the minotaur charged at me, I did something totally unexpected that caught him off guard. Instead of bracing myself for an attack or rushing to meet him, I threw my sledgehammer. The weight of the weapon caught the beast on the side of the head, slowing his charge and knocking him into another of the boiling kettles of water. He emerged quickly, and for just a second I saw myself etched into every strand of his DNA like some sort of elaborate tattoo. Then the creature reverted to bull form and snarled as clouds of steam swirled around him.

I wasn't just battling a minotaur for supremacy of my soul. I was fighting my own stubborn will. Somehow, the minotaur seemed an easier opponent.

Midnight took a bite out of Asterion's thigh while he was down, and the beast roared with anger and pain. The water swirled with blood, looking like the beginnings of transgression soup.

Tiring of the nuisance, Asterion grabbed Midnight by the neck and squeezed. The dog yelped once and struggled to free himself, but the minotaur was too strong. I raced toward the bull-creature as I heard the bones in the dog's neck popping and crackling. He tossed Midnight away like an unwanted toy a second before swatting me against the wall with the back of his hand. Midnight whimpered and tried to move, but something vital was broken inside of him.

The minotaur was impossibly strong, much more so than I had given him credit for. My situation was made even worse by the fact that I no longer had a weapon or a dog to leap to my rescue. So much for brilliant plans.

I looked around for something to fight with and was unable to come up with anything suitable. The sledgehammer I had thrown was too far away to reach, and the rack was empty.

The trouble I was in was much deeper than the water in any of these enormous kettles. My only other alternative was hand-to-hand combat, and I knew that I would lose miserably at that. I didn't know what else to do.

Boom!

The forceful drumming started up again, unexpectedly. Asterion looked at me with something akin to fear and then snarled to mask his expression. "This place has been more effective than I realized. The knocking is fierce."

Boom!

It was like listening to a jet break the sound barrier. Asterion c.o.c.ked his head and listened. "You have been learning, haven't you?"

Boom!

"What is that?" I noticed that the minotaur trembled with each new explosion.

"Think about it," Connie said.

"Shut up, wench!" Asterion growled at her. "You're not supposed to help him. That's part of the rules."

"Only because you made them part of the rules. And it's not as if I'm giving him the solution."

"I wouldn't complain if you did."

"Think, Jamie. Think. Come on."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was a steady, percussive knocking that could have been made with a ba.s.s drum or a repentant heart.

Boom!

"I don't know." I wondered why Asterion hadn't attacked again. I was surprised to see that he had climbed into one of the empty de-hairing kettles and cowered inside.

Boom!

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" There was a tiny hint of frustration in Connie's voice.

"Yes!" I struggled to be heard.