A World Beyond the Waterfalls

The Great Escape

I feel a tear slip down my cheek. I may not even know Dylan that well, but he still doesn't deserve to get captured or whatever the hell happened to him. He's too young.

"Liam, we have to find him. We have to." I say, sniffling.

Liam nods and squeezes my shoulder. "Don't worry. We will. Trust me."

We walk around for a few minutes. Well, more like Liam walks, I hobble, slumped against Liam's side. "Wait! Look!" I shout pointing at another boulder. "Kick it." I suggest.

We make our way to it and Liam rears his leg back and smashes his foot into it. But instead of it moving like a lever, Liam's foot goes straight through it as if it's paper mâché, and he slams to the ground.

I stare, wide eyed at Liam's foot, sticking out from the fake Boulder. "What the-" I say, my mouth hanging open in awe.

Liam lets out a soft laugh. Pulling his foot away, he reaches his long arm in and yanks out a control panel.

I raise my eyebrows and drop into a sitting position beside Liam, my body exhausted from the effort of walking. "What is that?"

"A control panel."

I sigh. "No duh, Captain Obvious. What's it do?"

Liam throws his hands up. "How am I supposed to know?" He exclaims.

I shrug my shoulders. "You're the one with the tech skills." I say, eyeing the panel. He puts it in his lap, the small screen displaying a quick message: Hello!

Liam starts tapping away, pushing buttons and clicking the screen. I can't keep up with his fingers, but my eyes follow his. His eyes dart around the screen, filled with determination. A look of utter concentration passes over his face as a loud beep slips from the machine.

The corners of Liam's mouth curl upward into a full on grin. "I did it. I got it!" He exclaims happily.

We wait. And wait. And wait. But nothing changes. The screen displays the word 'complete,' but nothing moves. Nothing happens.

"What's it supposed to do?" I ask.

Liam shrugs and looks around. "Definitely not this." He huffs and his shoulders slump. He turns the panel over and over in his hands, running his fingers along its edges. "I don't understand. I did everything right and I hacked it's system and it says complete. What else am I supposed to-oh!" His fingers find a hole in the back, about the size of a regular USB.

Liam hops off the ground and runs over to the boulder. Reaching inside, he connects the machine box to a little stump sticking out of the middle of the fake rock. It clicks into place and displays 'Access Granted. Welcome!'

Liam grins at me and I smile back. We wait. And wait. And just as my last hopes diminish, the wall lurches open and a door slides open, revealing a dark hallway. I look at Liam. He steps through the doorway.