fly forward, or fall back

INTRO:

Fly forward 50 years from now, and enter a world of complete and utter distortion. Say goodbye to the continents of the 21st century, and introduce yourself to the 8 mazes that now make up the planet that is no longer called Earth, but The Spine. Here you will find yourself fighting to survive, and constantly on the hunt for food. You may find yourself alone when you wake up, or you may be accompanied by others. Either way you must find the solution to the maze. Do so, and find yourself back home in one piece, fail and find yourself stuck in the maze forever, left to the creatures that live deep in the heart of the maze.


Her eyes flutter open, and shes surrounded by cold darkness, and stale dusty air. She gropes around for anything familiar but there is nothing. Nothing but the four walls, dented and rusting. She places her bruised, bloody hands on the cool metal and pushes. Nothing. Nothing but the sounds of metal scraping against metal. Then she notices a stream of light, though its not warm or yellow like the sun. Its a dark red, the color that runs through the veins of humans, helping power the heart that hides beneath the cage of ribs, beating. Slowly that sliver of light becomes bigger and bigger, revealing a light that shines down on her bruised face. As she stands, she notices she is surrounded by huge green walls, with vines thick as tires on trucks. She steps out into the open area, scanning for signs of any other human life. Only after seconds of stepping out of the rusty metal box does she realize how cold she is. Her teeth are chattering as loud as fingers running across a keyboard, and she can see her breath in front of her, like smoke billowing up from around a crackling camp fire. She is frozen in place, wearing only a small t-shirt, stained with old, dry blood and dirt, and a pair of jeans with giant rips in the knees. Her hair, normally blond, is covered in dirt, as if she were buried underground, and she has broken twigs, and leaves sticking out from all directions. She can smell smoke, hear murmurs, but which direction is it coming from? Its like she has stopped in the middle of an intersection. She decides to follow her nose and go in the direction she thinks the smoke is coming from. As she walks she drags her hand along the ginormous forest green walls towering over her. The walls are surprisingly warm, and have a slightly rough surface, like dry old leaves you would find in a book after a long time of being preserved.
As she walks farther and farther away from the metal box, she can feel uncertainty creep up on her, can taste the blood in her mouth from biting the insides of her cheeks out of fear. Though as she walks she notices small huts coming into view, getting closer and closer with each step. She is able to see inside the small windows of the huts, but all they contain are furniture. She decides to keep walking, and as she does the sound of murmurs is back again. Its not loud, more the volume of a tv turned down low.
Continuing on, the maze suddenly takes a sharp left turn, bringing on the smell of smoke. Though this time its strong, entering her nose like a cologne thats been sprayed on to thick.
As she comes to the end of the stretch, she can see a small campfire just 20 feet from her, and just beyond that, and line of trees. Though inside the trees is something she didn't expect to see, something she thought she would never come in contact with again.
Humans.