Part IX: This Is Just The Beginning Chapter 35

"Courtney, what happened to your eyes?" Kristen's concerned gaze locked onto Courtney, whose eyes were shrouded by a makeshift blindfold fashioned from a torn strip of Niall's shirt.

"I'm okay, Kristen," Courtney reassured with a faint smile. "Let's go find the others, okay?"

As the trio reached the imposing steel door leading out of the arena, Niall pushed it open, revealing a seemingly endless hallway stretching into the distance. The cold metallic echoes resonated as they stepped into the dimly lit corridor.

"So, this is going to be fun," Niall remarked, grinning at them.

"Yeah, in your dreams," Kristen replied with a fake smile.

"What's wrong?" Courtney inquired, holding onto Niall's arm.

"Oh, Niall thinks it's going to be fun going down this long hallway, and it looks like it goes on forever," Kristen explained, exchanging a glance with Courtney.

"Oh," Courtney responded with a smile. "That sounds like Niall for you."

"See, even Courtney thinks it's funny," Niall declared, pulling Courtney into a hug.

"Okay, okay," Courtney agreed, hugging Niall back. "Let's get going."

The hallway stretched endlessly, with locked doors lining both sides. Each door, like those in the arena, bore cryptic combinations of letters and numbers, etched onto the cold steel surfaces.

"What's up with all these doors?" Kristen pondered, stopping to examine one of them. "Like this one, it doesn't make sense."

The door Kristen scrutinized had a chaotic arrangement of letters and numbers scattered around its edges. "There aren't any words," Niall observed, peering at another door. "It's just nonsense."

"I know that," Courtney said with a smile. "I think it could be a word scramble, that's all."

"Oh," Niall replied with a smile. "That makes sense."

"So, what are the numbers and letters?" Courtney asked, retracting her hand from the steel door Niall was inspecting. "I'm good at scrambled word puzzles."

"Okay, all the doors have the same numbers and letters on each door," Kristen explained, looking at another door. "So, we'll say each part and then work our way around the door."

"Okay, that works," Niall agreed, focusing on the numbers and letters on the door. "We'll start at the bottom left and work our way to the right side of the door."

"That works," Kristen confirmed, examining the bottom of the door where the letters started. "Okay, the first part is T8E."

"Okay," Courtney said with a smile. "Are all the numbers and letters in any space that looks like it stops and continues to another part?"

"Yes, there was," Kristen confirmed as she looked at the next part of the numbers and letters on the door. "That's why I only told you T8E."

"Okay, so what is the next part?" Courtney asked, leaning against the wall.

"The next part is 4OO25," Niall stated, placing his hand on the letters and numbers.

"Okay, if I'm not wrong," Courtney began with a smile, "the numbers need to change into letters, and we'll have our words."

"Okay, so what do you think we got so far?" Kristen asked, looking at Courtney.

"THE DOOR is what the two parts are saying," Courtney explained. "What's the next part?"

"9s," Kristen replied. "And the next part is 1T."

"Okay, so," Courtney said, "we have THE DOOR IS AT."

"Okay, let's keep going then," Niall suggested with a smile. "The next part is 20H5."

"After that, it will be E24D," Kristen added right after Niall finished. "And after that, it's 15F."

"So far, we have THE DOOR IS AT THE END OF," Courtney said, leaning off the wall.

"Nice," Niall laughed as he looked at Courtney. "The next part is 20H5."

"And the last part is H1L12," Kristen said as she looked at the final part of the letters and numbers. "Then it repeats itself all around the door."

"Okay, got it," Courtney said with a smile, holding her hand out to find Niall. "THE DOOR IS AT THE END OF THE HALL."

"Nice, hope that is right," Niall said, grabbing Courtney's hands. "Let's hope this hall ends soon."

"Hopefully," Kristen added as she started to walk down the hall. "Or we are screwed."

After passing numerous locked doors, Niall, Courtney, and Kristen finally reached the end of the hall, facing a colossal steel door similar to the one in the arena. "Yes, the end of the hall," Niall said with a smile, stopping in front of the imposing door. "Let's see what's behind this door."

"Hope it leads outside," Kristen laughed as she walked over to the steel doors next to Niall. "Let's get this door open."