Interaction [Dreamnotfound]

4 | Escape

Zak would have been fascinated if he hadn't been so terrified.

Darryl was hastening down the tunnel, but then paused, consulting two different paths before them. One down the left, and one led to the right-

In the direction of the forest.

Zak tugged on Darryl's sleeve. "This way!"
Darryl frowned. "But that's just the forest. We should probably go towards the center of town, which is this way-"
Zak shook his head. "I know the forest, Darryl. Like really well. We can escape this way, I'm sure of it."
Darryl hesitated. Zak knew the forest? How? Since when?

But if he was sure...

Cautiously, Darryl nodded. "Ok, Zak. I... I trust you."

They headed down the right tunnel.

The darkness was uncomfortably present, enveloping both of them as they walked, the only source of light being the dim glow of their wristbands.

The floor became gradually damper, and Darryl walked carefully, while Zak trampled right through it. He dealt with wet ground all the time in the forest. It was normal, at least to him.

The shouts and bangs from their house slowly faded away, but they both knew they weren't safe. The next stage of attack would be to search all around the house, including the forest. Darryl was especially aware of that.

They must have walked for at least 20 minutes by the time they reached the end of the tunnel. The concrete walls had all but become stone, and the ground was grassy and damp, somehow having managed to grow foliage without much light.

There didn't appear to be a clear place to exit. Zak looked around, confusion etched on his face. "Where do we go?"
His wristband was still beeping annoyingly loudly, accompanied by Darryl's, making it rather hard to think. However, Darryl knew what to do.

Reaching up, Darryl ran his fingers along the wall, searching blindly in the darkness. His fingers touched, then firmly grasped the rusty iron lever located at the top of the right wall, pulling it down with as much force as he could muster.

The lever squeaked, and then slowly began to move, sliding along the wall and slowly lowering a large, circular trapdoor from the ceiling far above.

Darryl motioned to a metal ladder climbing up the left wall. "You go first. I'll follow."

Zak, confused, couldn't seem to feel his arms. Or legs. In fact, it seemed that his whole body had gone numb. Out of what? Confusion? Maybe.

Nevertheless, he was somehow able to grasp the ladder in front of him, climbing up one rung, then another, and another. His consciousness retreated to the back of his mind as he climbed, leaving his arms and legs on autopilot and his mind spewing an endless supply of questions.

What was even going on?
One second it was a normal day, and then Darryl was late home... And then half the government was at their door, pointing guns at them, and then the wall opened up right in front of his eyes and he walked right through it and god knows where he's going-

Zak's thoughts were cut off abruptly when he reached the top of the ladder, crashing back into his own body as his head hit the edge of the trapdoor closest to him. He winced in pain.

From below, Darryl yelled something, but Zak couldn't hear him. He focused on his arms, which had begun to ache, moving along the side of the ladder until the trapdoor was no longer above him. The fresh forest air wafted around him, allowing his muscles to just slightly relax as he inhaled. The scent of comfort. The scent of... home.

Reaching above him, Zak's hand made contact with the damp, mossy ground above. He hauled himself up with a grunt and brushed himself off as he stood up.

The sun had gone down, leaving the forest in a beautiful, yet slightly erie, state. The branches around Zak rustled slightly with the wind, and he shivered, not used to the cool night air. He would have been back hours ago on a normal day.

But today wasn't normal.

Zak turned back to the trapdoor, noting how well disguised it was: The top was covered in foliage, and would easily fit in with the forest floor. No wonder he hadn't ever found it.

Looking down the ladder, Zak made out Darryl at the bottom. Cupping his hands to his mouth, Zak yelled down. "Come up!"

He could see Darryl nod, and then he began to ascend the ladder slowly, climbing up one rung at a time. Zak stood, shifting his weight from foot foot, impatient.

Panting slightly, Darryl reached the top of the ladder. He looked up at Zak. "Uh... how do I get... out?"
Zak rolled his eyes, but bent down, grabbing Darryl's arm. "Here."
With Zak's help, Darryl managed to climb out of the hole, and stood, gasping, staring at the open trapdoor below him. "Should we close it?"

Zak hesitated for a moment, and then kneeled on the wet ground, grabbing the edge of the trapdoor from the inside and pulling it. After a moment, he looked up at Darryl. "You gonna help, or just stand there?"
Darryl, flushing, gingerly kneeled on the forest ground and helped pull the trapdoor. Before long, they had managed to get it most of the way up. A soft click was heard as it settled back into place, the grass on top blending with the environment around them and making the door nearly invisible.

Both stood up, not quite knowing what to do. After a moment, Zak awkwardly took the reins. "They'll be searching here soon, right?"
Darryl nodded. "They've probably already started, and they can track us through our microchips and bands, so they'll be on our trail..."
Zak nodded, restlessly shifting his weight once more, just another coping strategy to him. "So should we like... go somewhere? I know the forest pretty well..."
Darryl hesitated. "What if we..."
Zak raised an eyebrow. "What if we what?"
Darryl took a deep breath. "What if we just... turned ourselves in? I don't know why we're running... we're innocent anyways, and we've done nothing wrong. What could they hold against us?"
Tears pricked at the corners of Zak's vision.

Darryl didn't know.

"Zak? Are you okay?" Darryl asked, concerned.

Zak looked up, blinking rapidly.

"Darryl..."
Darryl frowned. "Yeah?"
Now it was Zak's turn to take a deep breath. "I... I may have disobeyed the rules a bit..."
Darryl furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
Zak looked down. "I... I'm not always... in the house during the day, you know?"
Darryl stared. What did Zak mean? He wasn't in the house? Where else could he-

And then it clicked. Darryl's head jolted up, making eye contact.

"You were in the forest? All those times?"
Zak nodded.

Darryl was overwhelmed. But why? And why would he risk... everything? It could ruin our lives!

Zak, sensing Darryl's confused state, sighed. "I... I hunt... in the forest. I'm pretty decent with an axe."
When Darryl didn't respond, he tried again. "Well, you didn't really expect me to spend every day alone in our house... did you?"
It was apparent Darryl had. However, the tense silence was broken by a crack.

A branch.

But neither of them had moved.

Zak, without hesitation, grabbed Darryl's arm. "We need to go. Now."
Darryl moved without complaint.

The two continued through the forest.