“And here we are…” Martin said, giving the leash in his hand one final sharp tug. The 26-year old blonde woman on the other end stumbled forward with a quiet whimper, muffled by the heavy leather panel gag which covered the lower half of her face. Her efforts to stay upright were hampered by the leather cuffs padlocked around her ankles, joined by a 1-foot chain. Behind her back, her hands flailed uselessly, locked in a similar set of shackles.

The only clothes the young woman, a certain Miss Jennie Devere wore, apart from the thick, stiff leather collar around her neck, was a low cut, lacy-black silk bra, a matching set of skimpy panities, sheer black silk stockings and a pair of shiny black high heels. She’d had a gorgeous red dress on, but it had been removed not long after her captor had kidnapped her enroute to the fancy party she’d been going to.

Her captor seemed to have dressed for a fancy dress party as well. He had on a pair of black trousers, a black vest over a frilly white shirt and a long black coat, lined on the inside with red silk. His dark hair was slicked back with gel, giving him the look of a discount Dracula.

Martin reached up and unclipped the leash. Looking his terrified captive in the face, he spoke in an excited voice, his cheerfulness belying the sinister meaning of his words. “I’ve been watching you for some time, Ms. Devere. I am something a collector, not of art or memorabilia, but of women: the most beautiful I can find, collected just as you have been and trained to fulfill all my needs.” He grinned leeringly, eyes running up and down the half-naked woman’s trembling body. She whimpered in fright, face flushing red.

“But I am also a sportsman and I believe in fair play, so I will offer you a chance at freedom.” He directed her attention to a set of large oak doors. “Beyond is my maze. On the far side of it are the doors out of here. In one hour they will lock. If you fail to reach them, or fall victim to any of the traps in the maze, you will become part of my collection of enslaved beauties. Escape, and you are free to go back to your boring, ordinary life.” He stepped forward and held the door open. “The clock is ticking, Ms Devere.”

With a yelp of panic, Jennie stumbled forward, nearly tripping over her ankle fetters in her haste. Martin watched the blonde’s pert, silk-clad bottom as it passed into the maze, then he shut and locked the doors. Whistling a jaunty tune, he walked over to another door.

This led into the control booth for the maze. Inside was a semi-circular desk with a comfortably padded swivel chair. Along the top of the desk were a row of monitors. One, at the center, showed a map of the maze. A tiny dot, derived from a radio tracker in the collar Jennie wore, marked her current position, slowly making her way up the first corridor. Other monitors were connected to cameras scattered around the maze.

The maze was constructed much like a haunted house, with fake walls and ceilings concealing mechanisms behind. It was styled like one as well, with dusty carpets underfoot, peeling wallpaper and cobwebbed furniture and decor. Light came from flickering LED candelabras, enough for the young woman to slowly shuffle up the hall, but too dim to make out any of the hidden traps or devices around her.

In front of the monitors was a wide array of switches, knobs and controllers, carefully labeled with the name and position of the traps in the maze they corresponded to. And speaking of, on one of the monitors Jennie was approaching the first trap now. Martin glanced at the map, watching as the tiny, moving dot approached a square which marked the danger zone for the trap. His hand hovered over the button, waiting to trigger it. His finger stabbed down.

On the camera monitor, Jennie jumped, giving a squeal of fright as a section of floor behind her suddenly swung downward on hinges with a loud clang. Had it triggered a second sooner, or had she been a hair slower, she would have fallen in the trapdoor and slid down the chute which led to a cage on the floor below, to hold her until her new master came to collect his slave.

“But that would be too easy…” Martin said to himself. It was too soon to end their little game. He pressed another button on the control panel and when he spoke, his voice was broadcast throughout the maze. “That was a lucky escape, my dear! But move quickly or my next trap will get you for sure!”

For the next half hour, Martin toyed with his captive plaything, watching her struggle through the maze, getting increasingly turned around and lost. From time to time, he would trigger another of the traps, always just a little too soon or too late to capture her and end the fun, but near enough to scare her and send Jennie stumbling on as fast as her chains allowed.

“Half your time is now gone, my dear!” Martin taunted over the speakers. “But don’t hurry on my account. I’m enjoying our little game.” He toyed with the switch of another trap, waiting until the woman on the monitor was about to step under it before he flipped it, dropping a heavy net right at her feet.

Finally, more by luck than anything else, Jennie found herself on the right path. Straight ahead of her, at the end of a long corridor, was a set of double doors, similar to the ones she’d entered through. A large glowing ‘Exit’ sign told her that these were the ones she was looking for, though. With a muffled cry of joy, the young woman shuffled up the halls towards it.

Martin smiled, watching her progress on the monitor, hand hovering over the button for the final trap. He’d toyed with her long enough. Now it was time to end it. When he hit the button, the snare trap snapped closed, cinching around the young woman’s ankles. Jennie squealed in shock and fright as the cable was pulled upwards, dragging her off her feet and up into the air. She hung inverted, her head swaying scant inches above the carpeted floor.

Jennie squirmed and struggled, swaying wildly from her frantic movements, but it was immediately obvious she was caught. A quiet sob escaped her gag as the implications sunk in. She had lost the challenge and would now pay the penalty: trapped in bondage here forever.

“So close my dear.” Martin taunted. “But alas, you’ve been caught and now you’re all mine.” As his newest toy sobbed and struggled, Martin left the control room and made his way to the secret passage which led to the end of the maze, eager to collect Jennie and begin her training.