After entering through the Lion Gate of the labyrinth, whether one went left or right, there was a long basalt corridor. The walls were covered in climbing vines, and faces with closed eyes seemed both embedded in the walls and walled up within them, fast asleep.
Pomona walked forward timidly. Before long, she heard a sound, like an animal tearing at flesh.
"Stop!" a strange, Gollum-like voice shouted. "Don't ruin his face, you useless beast!"
Some animal let out an unhappy grunt.
"These are the rules set by the master," the strange man continued. "You can eat the meat. The face belongs to me. Otherwise, you can hunt for yourself next time!"
The creature grunted twice more, then leaped over the labyrinth wall and left.
"What a mess," said the strange man. "This is going to take ages to clean up."
Pomona could not decide whether she should go over just then. Then she remembered that she knew the Disillusionment Charm, so after turning invisible, she walked over.
A mangled man lay on the ground. Beside him crouched someone who was scooping up the blood flowing from the man and drinking it.
After finishing the blood, he let out a cry of pain. Since his back was to her, she could not see what was happening. Before long, his face fell off.
More precisely, the skin of his face fell off. He placed it on the ground, then skillfully used a small silver-white knife to peel the facial skin from the man lying there.
"Damn beast, it ruined it all," the strange man complained as he fitted the freshly peeled face onto his own.
When he turned around, Pomona discovered that he looked exactly like her.
Pomona opened her eyes.
Every inch of her skin was covered in cold sweat.