It was almost like a dark cave, but it was just a house with no lights on. Water dripped from the ceiling but it was all just the rain seeping through the collapsing ceiling. I scurry to a steady stance, the moonlight simmering through a window. We had been chosen to go to the Labrynth. No one ever wanted to get chosen. No one could find the exit.

The labyrinth was the largest house ever, built in 2034, its architecture was poorly built for a reason—to challenge the contestants that were chosen for the show. It was all just a game show hosted by the government—all to keep the population in check. At least they give you a chance to live. It wasn’t really a house—but more of an escape room to mess with your mind. When I woke up the next morning in the Labyrynth, I was, understandably, upset. I knew it was random, but out of the 10 billion people in the world, you would think that I wouldn’t be chosen. Some people theorized that they picked people who were troublemakers because then they could focus they’re time on smarter and more intelligent people. The other 9 contestants came to a stance. The ceiling was starting to cave in on us. Water was flowing down from the walls. Mold encapsulated every wall. Coughing was surely expected. I’ve never seen it this bad before. Some contestants ran wild around the house, they’re footsteps quickly fading away, the house had no end some say. Sometimes they just think it wraps around the entire earth, but maps don’t show it, so I don’t believe it. 

The government doesn’t let us know history, for they say that it is best not to know how ignorantly our ancestors acted. Schools are like houses—right next to each other so each different grade doesn’t get too far ahead in their classes. Houses have shrunk to only around 500 square meters. We simply cannot support the overpopulation in the world. The Labryinth however disregards every house size law. Maybe it is the reason houses can barely support four people. Or maybe it’s just to prohibit people from giving birth so much. If you have twins and already have one other kid, one of the twins is confinscated and put up for adoption—a family of more than 2 is not allowed in any part of the world, but the population still climbs. I search around every room in the house, every fake bedroom with moldy covers. Every window that is sealed too tightly for anyone to pry off or break it. 

Others find keys. They can’t even locate the front door, what good is a key. Some go down into the basement that stretches farther than the actual house. Everywhere you look it seems to infinitely stretch on with no end. Every hallway is more like a corridor that is most likely more than a couple miles long. The government built the Labyrinth for a reason—to make people so mentally unstable that they die. We can’t do anything to protest. Anything made by the government is protected, and will never be removed no matter how hard people try. I search every dark corner with almost no light, I search every crevice and drawer, I search all the closets, but even after 12 hours of searching—I have still not reached the end of the house…



I keep questioning wether or not I’ll make it. But this house is simply too long to escape, and who knows if there even is an exit—no one’s lived long enough to find it…