A World Beyond the Waterfalls

Nowhere Near

"Liam." I warn.

He puts a hand up. "Shh!" I follow close behind him, even though my heart pounds and my head says "don't go in."

I know all the voices in my head screaming at me to stop and grab Liam's arm, squeezing it roughly.

I trip on a rock and he catches me. "Careful." He whispers. In the pitch black, his face illuminated by the control panel, he looks frightened.

But that doesn't stop him. "Where are we going?" I ask, sharp pains shooting through my ribs with each cautious step.

"I don't know. But do you got any better ideas?" He responds quietly.

I shrug. "It just seems-"

"AHHH!" The scream makes me jump.

"Liam?!" I say nervously.

"That wasn't me." He steps forward cautiously and his body jerks back, as if he hit something.

"What the-" a hand clamps over his mouth, shutting him up.

"Shh!" The person hisses. I step behind Liam, scared out of my wits.

"Who are you?" I question carefully.

"I said shh!" Is all I get in response.

Liam and I stand there, held back by this random person, a hand clamped over each of our mouths. Liam catches my eye over the hand on his mouth and sends me a twin telepathy message. I can tell by his eyes that he's telling me to stay quiet and go with it. So I do.

"Wait for it." The person says, bouncing in anticipation.

I look at Liam. Man this guy is crazy. More like insane actually. Mentally ill. What the hell is he waiting do in a place like this? But I still feel his presence, so I stay quiet.

"Here it comes." The person's voice is filled with eagerness and hope. "Five. Four. Three. Two." He doesn't make it to one.

With a loud screeching sound, the walls of the cave start moving in. Yes, moving in. How is this even possible. I stare in awe as the cave becomes smaller and smaller in front of my eyes. The walls enclose us, but don't stop.

"Eek! It's happening!" The person claps his hands together. The cave fills with the sound of grinding metals and the smell of scorching iron.

"That doesn't smell good." I whisper to Liam.

He doesn't respond. He stares wide eyed at what's happening in front of us. Still closing in, the walls skid across the floor, coming closer and closer. "They're gonna crush us." He whispers, as if he can't comprehend it. "I don't believe this."

The boys next to me starts looking up frantically. "Perfect! It's open." He grabs one of my arms and one of Liam's. "On three."

Liam makes a noise that resembles a goat. "What on three?" He asks anxiously.

"One." The walls come closer.

"Umm," I say, eyeing Liam suspiciously.

"Two." And closer.

"What is going on?!" Liam shouts, the walls inches from my face.

"THREE!" The boy shrieks. "JUMP!" He leaps into the air, pulling Liam and me with him. Adrenaline and electric pain surge through my body as we hurtle into mid air and the walls close beneath us, exactly where we had been standing only seconds earlier. We land on hard ground, on top of the closed walls. My heart pounds in my chest and I try to comprehend what just happened.

After falling into a waterfall, seeing it close before my eyes, exiting a tunnel into a cave, and then seeing the cave doors close as I narrowly miss getting squashed between them, I have learned not to be surprised.

But then the three headed snakes come into view.