She didn't want to leave.

Lacey couldn't bring herself to stand, let alone keep going. The Maze had killed her boyfriend. Grief and hurt were swallowing her with gaping jaws. The love of her life was gone. Stolen from the land of the living, he now laid speared through at the bottom of a pit. She didn't care if the Maze killed her as well.

Bitter, endless tears poured from her eyes. How could he be gone? She couldn't comprehend. She didn't want to. She didn't know how to begin to accept the colossal void that had opened in her life. "Vince." She cried, repeating his name over and over. "Come back, baby. Please come back. For me."

The sadness was overwhelming. She ached, feeling the physical effects of her pain consume her body. She cried out, half hoping someone could hear her, half grateful no one did. She didn't want comfort. She didn't want pity. She wanted Vince, and Vince alone.

Lacey didn't turn back to his body. She already had the gory image seared into her mind. She couldn't bear to turn her eyes to it again. She let the grief come and take her. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wept, half hoping the bridge underneath her would snap. She could fall, too, and cease to feel a single thing.

X

Neon lights and pulsing music kept Gerard dancing his way across the room. A rock song pulsed though large speakers. It was eerie, being in a room set up for a party with no guests, but Gerard stopped minding the moment he found chips and salsa.

Propping himself against the wall, he nodded in time to the beat as he ate. This had to be a club, of some kind, anyway. He wondered if he would see the partiers come in if he waited around long enough. Time was passing, but he wasn't finding anyone. Maybe he should just let them come to him.

The idea seemed like a good one. He munched on chips, dipping into the hot salsa. The spicy taste was as loud as the music. He liked it.

A strobe light flashed as he dug into a bowl of pretzels. He couldn't help but dip them into hot cheese. The tasty flavor exploded in his mouth. Oh, that was good. Nothing beat hot cheese on a salty pretzel. Gerard plopped another in his mouth, savoring the pure deliciousness. He could get used to this. He hadn't had this much fun in a room since he and James had left that kitchen in the beginning.

X

"Oh, come on! No." Shawn stared at Ross, shocked. "I can't believe you think that. Batman completely trumps Iron Man!"

"No. No way!" Ross protested. "Iron Man made his own suit from a box of scraps! He ran on a freaking car battery. Bruce Wayne was just some rich guy who bought ninja toys. Get over it."

"Did Tony Stark stop the Joker? I don't think so." Shawn retorted. "Did he save Gotham City by taking out Bane's bomb?"

"No, but he took a missile into space! And he did it himself. He didn't play it cheap and take a helicopter." Ross grinned, knowing he had won this argument.

"He only did that because he can't fly-"

"And Tony Stark can! So, I win." He grinned triumphantly. "Ha! Better luck next time."

Shawn only scowled. "So you won this round. Everyone knows Batman is still better. He just is."

"Except we just established that Iron Man is the true best." Ross reminded him.

Regardless of the fact that Iron Man and Batman were essentially two versions of the same character, Ross and Shawn always liked to disagree on the subject. What had started as a simple game meant to pass the time, rounds of who-would-beat-who in a fight had transformed into their typical argument of who-bested-who in general. It had been decided that Thor would easily win over Hawkeye, Batman could get the better of the Hulk, and Loki would lose to Catwoman.

"Halle Berry's Catwoman. Not Anne Hathaway." Shawn had stated.

The Batman verses Iron Man argument put to rest, Shawn came back with a new twist. "Okay. But, how's this? Batman verses Wolverine."

It only took a moment for both to decide. "Wolverine."

The next room they came to decided to keep them. As soon as the door shut in that ten foot by ten foot room, a lock clicked into place. Shawn crossed over to the next door. His attempt to open it was unfruitful. Neither doorknob would yield to any amount of turning.

"What on earth…" Ross tried the first door, then the second. Both were locked. "What do we do now?"

Shawn rammed himself into the second door. "I tried."

"Is there a code or something…" Ross murmured, scanning the walls. The room was all walls and floor. The white ceiling loomed above them, but it offered no hints. They were trapped.

"This is stupid." Shawn declared. He stared at the door, giving it a long, hard look. "Open sesame." When the expected nothing happened, he turned to Ross. "You ever realize that 'open sesame' is just 'open, says me?'"

A cracking sound shot through the air. The floor opened up beneath them, sending both men spiraling downwards.