It took some convincing, but in the end, Fai managed to get the group moving.
Surprisingly enough, Johnson didn't put up much resistance. In fact, he accepted the idea far more easily than Fai had expected, which was ironic, considering that Johnson himself had been the main reason the group had decided to wait in the first place.
As for Sarah, she didn't argue at all. She understood Fai's reasoning almost immediately. Time was against them, and lingering any longer would only work against their chances of clearing the assessment.
With that settled, the team set off once more.This time, Sarah took the lead.
Just as she had told them earlier, she planned to guide them toward the center of the maze. According to her understanding, reaching the center would make it far easier to locate the exit afterward. The maze wasn't random,it followed a pattern. And patterns, once understood, could be exploited.
Walking a short distance behind her were Johnson and Fai, moving side by side. Their pace was steady, neither rushed nor slow, each step measured as they followed Sarah through the twisting stone corridors.
They had been walking continuously for over an hour now, yet none of them felt tired.
Even as the harsh midday sun hung directly above them,its rays pouring mercilessly into the maze through openings above, the heat didn't seem to weaken them in the slightest. Their bodies felt light, energized. No heavy breathing. No slowing steps.
Their motivation was too strong.
The determination to make it through this stage of the assessment stood firm like solid rock. It wasn't something as trivial as sunlight that could pierce through it.
As they continued forward, Johnson began to notice something strange.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Since the moment they had resumed their journey, not a single word had been spoken. No complaints, no jokes, no random comments. Just the sound of footsteps echoing softly against stone walls.
And for some reason… that didn't sit right with him.
Johnson had never been a fan of silence. Silence gave him too much time to think, and thinking, specially in a place like this..wasn't always a good thing. He preferred noise, conversation, anything that reminded him he wasn't alone in his own head.
So the longer the silence dragged on, the more uncomfortable he became.He turned his head slightly and glanced at Fai.
Fai was walking forward, his gaze fixed ahead, his expression serious and distant. His eyes looked focused, but not on the maze itself, more like he was lost deep within his own thoughts.
Johnson then shifted his gaze toward Sarah.
She was the same.Calm. Focused. Silent.
'I wonder what they're thinking about,' Johnson thought as he studied their serious faces.
'Whatever it is, it's definitely not worth all this silence.'
Nope. Not a chance.
This just won't do, he decided.
'Someone needs to talk. And clearly, that someone is me.'
Walking in silence wasn't the real problem. Johnson could tolerate quiet for short periods. But they weren't going to be walking for just a few minutes. This was a maze, one that could take hours, maybe even days to navigate.
If they turned this entire journey into a silent march, it would feel longer than it already was. More exhausting. More boring, And Johnson hated boredom.
Guess I'll have to save the day again, he thought proudly.
"Hey, guys."
His voice immediately broke the silence.
Fai and Sarah both turned slightly toward him while continuing to walk, clearly giving him their attention.
"I was wondering," Johnson continued, scanning their surroundings as if he were examining the maze more closely, "doesn't this place remind you of something?"
He slowed his pace just a little, looking around like he was inspecting the walls, the turns, the long corridors,as if he expected to find a missing piece of a puzzle hidden somewhere.
His words caused Fai and Sarah to pause internally.
Both of them instinctively began reviewing the maze in their minds, wondering if they had overlooked something important. A trap, a symbol, a pattern,anything major that might have slipped past their awareness.
But unlike Johnson, they weren't looking for tiny details.
Johnson, on the other hand, was examining everything like an inspector,every corner, every shadow, every stone,searching for something small, familiar, and oddly specific.
"Not really," Fai replied after a moment. "I don't think this maze reminds me of anything."
He then turned toward Sarah.
"What about you?" Fai asked. "Does it remind you of something?"
Sarah shook her head slowly.
"No," she said. "Not really. Unless there's a detail I missed."
Her tone was thoughtful, not dismissive. If there was something important, she wanted to know.
Both of them then turned their attention fully toward Johnson, waiting for him to explain himself.
Johnson stopped walking for a brief moment, staring at them in disbelief.
"Seriously?" he said. "This maze doesn't remind you of anything? Not even a tiny bit?"
Fai and Sarah both shook their heads again, clearly signaling no.
Johnson let out a low sigh, rubbing his face with one hand.
"Have you guys ever heard of a game called GTT?" he asked, looking from Fai to Sarah.
"GTT?" Fai repeated, confused.
"Yeah!" Johnson said quickly, nodding his head with sudden enthusiasm. A flicker of hope appeared in his eyes. Maybe...just maybe,Fai knew the game.
If that were the case, then it was settled.
He and Fai would spend the rest of the journey talking about it.
And if Sarah didn't know anything about the topic? Well… that was fine.
Games were a guy thing anyway.
'No room for the ladies here' , Johnson thought smugly as he imagined himself slamming a door labeled BOYS ONLY right in front of Sarah's face, a satisfied grin plastered across his expression.
"What does that even mean?" Fai asked, completely lost.
The question shattered Johnson's imaginary scene into pieces.
'What the..'
'How does he not know GTT?' Johnson thought, horrified.
What kind of guy doesn't know that game in this generation?
.
There were some things that never changed. No matter the era, no matter the generation, people would always love certain things.
Music,Movies,Novels,Comics.
And video games were right up there on that list.They transcended time.They were universal.
So how...how...did Fai not know GTT?
Johnson stared at him as if he had just confessed to never hearing music before.