CHAPTER#68

"Leave me like what?" Dana was suddenly aware that she was neither hot or cold. The room just sort of existed around her.

"Ugh. You're a little slow, aren't you?" Daryl crossed his arms over his chest, a look of arrogance on his face. "I'll give you the Cliff Notes. I am a very powerful man who has used forbidden magic to turn you into a zombie. And not one of those shitty brain eaters you see in the movies. Well, not yet anyway." Daryl laughed. "Now, I'm only going to ask this once? Do you want to see your beloved Alex again?"

Tears forming in her eyes, Dana nodded.

"Good. Then you will do exactly as I say."

-

The minotaur glared at Beth, each puff of his loud, hot breath causing Beth's heart to pound. He contemplated her from a distance, his hand tightening on his weapon. His large, curved horns glistened in the moss light, and he let out a blast of hot breath through his nose, his golden nose ring twitching.

"What do I do?" Beth asked Abella.

"Run! Get away!"

"That's just it." Beth stepped off of the pile of rubble. "I'm too tired to run. This place is full of traps, and I think if I try to get away, he will catch me."

"Then fight!"

"I don't want to do that either." Beth wasn't stupid. The minotaur had the physique of an action movie star, his body carved of solid muscle. He wore only a loincloth, which left very little to the imagination. "I have no idea how to fight." She held the spear to her side and dropped it, the wood clattering to the floor.

"Beth!" Abella hissed.

"It's ok," Beth said. "It's going to be okay." She was watching the minotaur closely. Though he carried a giant axe, he wasn't holding it aggressively. While intimidating, it occurred to her that the minotaur seemed more curious about her than aggressive. "My name is Beth. Do you have a name?"

The minotaur snorted, tensing up.

"No, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you or cause problems. I was brought here by someone else against my will."

The minotaur tilted his head. When he spoke, his voice was a low rumble that made Beth think of James Earl Jones's voice with a rough edge to it.

"You aren't here for the treasure?" He looked uncertain.

"No. I don't even know about the treasure, and I don't want to know."

"Are you the new Caretaker?" He asked.

Beth recognized the term. "No. The new Caretaker is here, but I'm not him."

"She wants the new Caretaker." The minotaur lowered his axe. "Can you take me to him?"

"I have no idea where he is." Beth gestured around her. "The Labyrinth has him."

"Hmm." The minotaur was lost in thought for several seconds. "You are not afraid of me."

"I am, a little," Beth admitted. "I've never met a minotaur before, and you are quite... large."

"I like how you talk to me." The minotaur approached the pile of rubble. Grabbing one of the stones, he dragged it away a few feet and easily flipped it over. He sat down, his loincloth shifting. Beth's eyes widened at the sheer size of his penis, which vanished back beneath the cloth. "She does not speak as kindly to me as you do."

"She who?" Beth asked. The minotaur regarded her for several seconds, contemplating his answer.

"The Lady of the Labyrinth." The minotaur set down his axe. "She commands, so I must obey."

From where she stood, Beth could see the minotaur's eyes briefly glaze over. The way he had said those words led her to believe that something more was going on. "Do you have a name?"

"My name?" He pondered for a second. "It has been so long since I have spoken my name. My name is Asterion."

"Well, Asterion. I sure could use your help."

Asterion shook his head. "Not without the Lady's permission."

"Well, then what does she want you to do?"

"Hmm." Asterion's furry brow wrinkled. "She has given me many jobs lately. Keep out intruders. Bring her the goggles. Bring her the goblin. Bring her the Caretaker."

"It sounds like she is keeping you busy." Beth drew nearer. "I'm curious, Asterion. What are you supposed to do if an intruder gets in?"

"Hmm." His forehead wrinkled again. "I'm supposed to kill them."

"But you haven't killed me."

"No." Asterion put his chin in his hand, a perfect replica of the Thinker statue. His biceps bulged out, making "Because you are not an intruder."

"I'm not?"

"The Lady tells me that intruders are mean, and will run or hide or fight. You stayed to talk to me, and you are nice. So you aren't an intruder, so I'm not supposed to kill you."

"I see." Beth saw the opportunity and took it. Asterion's gifts were clearly limited to his physique. "So if I'm not an intruder, I must be something else. You said that I'm nice. Do you know what a nice person is called?"

"The Lady tells me that she is nice to me and I should do what she says. But you are not the Lady, so I shouldn't do what you say."

"So, I must be something that isn't an intruder or a Lady." Beth was sitting next to Asterion now. "I don't want to tell you what to do, and I'm not an intruder. I'm nice, and I like talking to you. So that would make me a..." Beth waited, expecting Asterion to finish the sentence. After several seconds, the minotaur turned to look at her, his eyes expectant.

"...a friend." Beth finished.

"Hmm." Asterion's lips twisted to the side, his face scrunched in concentration. "A friend. I don't think I've had a friend before."

"No? That's too bad, Asterion, because you seem very nice. I think lots of people would like to be friends with you."

"A friend." Asterion grunted. "I don't know what a friend is supposed to do."