"So, what was going on back there?" Aster asked once I had caught up with him. He immediately left Tilly when his eyes caught mine. The way he lit up made me sad. So much had happened. We had all changed, we had all nearly died, and yet he could still smile.

Ed was far enough so he wouldn't be able to hear us, but my voice still came out as a whisper. "Just talking."

"That was definitely more than 'just talking,'" Aster made air quotes with his fingers. I grinned. He nudged my shoulder. "Come on; I can keep a secret."

I sighed. I knew I could trust him. That's all I wanted. It wasn't like he could tell anyone, anyway. "We were talking about Ed's daughter."

"Oh, that."

My head snapped his direction. My eyes widened. "You know about it?"

"He used to talk about it in his sleep," Aster explained. "I figured that that was why he liked Tilly so much."

I nodded. "It's really sad."

"What about Tilly?" Aster stumbled but caught himself before he could fall. I laughed, and his cheeks turned rosy in embarrassment. "Has anything happened to her?"

"Her brother has cancer," I said. I looked around me, feeling guilty for sharing this information. It wasn't my place to tell him any of this, but it was so easy to let loose. Aster clearly had good intentions, and I couldn't blame him for wanting to get to know his allies. It was something that shouldn't have come from me, though. Well, too late now.

"I knew it."

I stared at him, puzzled. He knew that her brother had cancer?

"No." I cursed under my breath. I didn't realize that I had said that out loud. "There's a pattern. Everyone here has had a hard past. Ed's dead daughter, Tilly's brother, and you..."

The vision burned in my mind as clear as the day it happened.

I shrugged, kicking a rock. "Ran away from my parents."

"See? Pattern!"

"And what have you gone through, Einstein?"

"Family problems," he replied smoothly. I could tell that the answer wasn't as simple as that. A secret was leaking through the cracks of his mask, and it would only be so long until it broke. As much as I wanted to question it, I couldn't. I was interrupted by Ed, who was now standing next to us.

"Looks like the next obstacle is coming up," Ed said. "Better get ready."

I only saw it once we were right in front of it. It was a cave that I would have to go on my hands and knees to crawl through. The cave was pitch black. My eyes immediately searched for another way out, but all I could see were rocks. If there was a way to climb it, it would be impossible to get to the top. There was obviously only one way to get past it: by going through.

"So, who's going first?" Aster asked, chuckling nervously. I wasn't sure whether it was the tight space or the dark, but I knew that something about it made him anxious.

Ed shrugged and got on his hands and knees. He began crawling. We stared at the tunnel until we couldn't see him anymore. Tilly didn't hesitate to follow.

I wanted to stop her. I wanted Ed to give us the okay before anyone else went. But it was too late. Tilly was already long gone.

There was only me and Aster left. I couldn't help but notice how frail he looked. He was crumbled over himself, and I could nearly see every bone in his body under the torn and dirty suit. His hair was a rat's nest and his glasses were foggy. Every inch of his skin was covered with either dried mud or blood, especially on his hands. He still had the dirty cloth wrapped around his injured fingers. It pained me to know that they probably wouldn't ever be the same again.

"What are you worried about?" I asked.

Aster flashed me a closed-lip smile, but it was weaker than normal. "I don't like closed spaces."

"Don't worry," I reassured him. "I'll go behind you and make sure that nothing happens."

His grin widened. "Thanks. That...that means a lot."

Suddenly, Ed's voice traveled from the distance. I ran towards the cave and slid on my knees. "What did you say?!"

"All good!" he repeated. I could barely make out his voice, but I managed to hear those words. I released a long breath, relieved. "A little tight, but manageable. Also..."

I couldn't make out the last part. I asked him to repeat it, but even then I didn't catch it. With a sigh, I went back to Aster.

"All good," I said. "Let's go."

He nodded, his hands trembling. Once he made it to the entrance, Aster slid onto his knees. Even then he was a little too tall, so he rested on his stomach. Only then could he slide in. I waited for him to slither a little further before crawling in myself. I squeezed my eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath. You got this. Just make sure that Aster's fine. It's just a cave.

I realized how close the walls were when it came to where I couldn't even see the tip of my nose. The sand and rocks were scratching my palms, and the heat was unbearable. Any water that was left in my body turned into the sweat that slid down my forehead and neck.

My breathing grew heavier. Was Aster even in front of me? I couldn't hear him anymore. I knocked on the wall. A tap responded. I smiled in relief.

At one point, I smacked my head on the ceiling. My eyes watered in pain, but I said nothing. Sand sprinkled over me, raining down to the floor. I took a moment to refocus and to slow my breathing.

Aster tapped the wall. I tapped back. His knock was more distant.

I started crawling again, not wanting to fall too far behind. I wanted there to be a sign of light or at least a sign of another side. Ed and Tilly only took ten minutes. Why did it feel like an eternity for me? Was it because the walls felt like were slowing closing in tighter? Was it the darkness? Or was it both?

After a few minutes, I knocked on the wall again. This time there wasn't an answer. Panicked, I called out Aster's name. No response. I started to crawl faster. I could barely make out a bright light of where I assumed was the end. Maybe he had already made it. I smiled. I was almost to the end.

Sand started falling again. I had to close my eyes as a couple of grains got caught in my eyes. I blinked frantically. I didn't realize that as this was happening, the sand was falling faster and faster. Soon enough it was covering my hands and knees. It was getting harder to crawl.

"Aster!"

The sand fell in piles now. I had to make a swimming motion with my arms to move. It was raising higher and higher, to where I couldn't even move.

I was trapped between the walls. Tears slid down my cheeks as the sand stung my eyes. Even though I couldn't see, I knew that the sand was going to suffocate me in a matter of seconds. Once it reached my chin, I inhaled deeply (even though my chest could hardly raise with the sand crushing it) before holding my breath.

I began running out of air instantly. It was only a matter of seconds until I wanted, needed to take a breath, but I knew that I would only swallow a mouthful of sand.

I remained in the darkness, too scared to cry and too afraid to even try to move. I knew that my hands and knees would've been trembling if pounds of sand didn't surround them.

My lungs were ready to collapse, and my mouth opened a little by reflex. Sand poured onto my tongue and down my throat, scratching it on the way down. My muscles were worn and dead. I could feel myself slipping away.

This is it, I thought. Win for me, Aster. I love you, Caden.

The last thing I felt was two hands grabbing my wrists before I went motionless.

Happy Tuesday! Did someone save Kat just in time? Or is it too late? Why did the sand fall for her but not for anyone else? What do you guys think?

I can't believe that this story has reached Chapter 44! It has gone so far, and it's not even finished yet! This has been the longest story I've made yet, and I have loved writing every part. You guys are all so supportive and understand me even when my chapters are late (so sorry!).

Also, this story has recently reached 4,957 reads. That's almost 5K, which is crazy! Thank you guys so much. This story would still have 0 reads if it weren't for all of you. I love you guys so much!

Don't forget to comment, read, and share this story with your friends. Don't forget to vote with your earbuds/headphones (they really helped me write this chapter today. Go music!). Stay awesome.

This song is calledThe Cave and is sung by Mumford and Sons. Please listen to it; it's definitely a song worth hearing.