We all sat together, staring at the floor as it opened and closed in front of us. Aster used his glasses to time how long it was open and closed for. It remained closed for three minutes, took thirty seconds to open, and then remained open for five minutes.

We had found that information an hour ago. Why were we still sitting?

"All right." Aster stood up, clapping his hands together. "I think we can get across safely."

He explained his idea to us. There were multiple times where one of us tried to interrupt him, but Aster kept talking. Once he finished, Ed and Aster started right away. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants. The plan wasn't complicated, and I could have thought of it in two seconds. It was risky, though. The odds of us surviving weren't higher than Charles' chances were. How did Aster expect us all to survive?

The two boys stood back to back, locked arms, and lifted up. They began walking right when Aster placed his second foot on the wall. They started just like when Charles and Ed walked across. They were more stable, though. Aster and Ed walked across it with ease. Their arms and legs tensed, but besides that, they seemed fine.

My hands shook as the floor opened under them. Aster looked straight ahead, ignoring it. Ed had seen it before. He didn't even flinch when it opened completely, groaning and clicking in place. It was as if it wasn't there.

They continued moving across. Their steps started to slow as they got further and further, though. Even from where I was I could see their chests rising and falling at a rapid pace. Ed's hair was stuck to his forehead, and Aster's glasses slid down his nose. It would only be a matter of time before they had to do the next part of Aster's plan.

On cue, the floor began to close again. It screeched and groaned as it did so, taking its time to seal shut. Aster and Ed didn't hesitate to jump off right as it snapped closed. They ran, not wanting to waste any minute. They were roughly half a mile from the other side. If they kept sprinting, they would surely make it.

They both reached the end, jumping to reach the edge. Aster, who was taller, made it over first. He grabbed Ed's wrists and pulled him up, grunting as he did so. The floor began to open right when they made it.

Tilly and I waited for it to open and close before walking towards the wall. I wiped the sweat off of my palms. They had made it look easy. Their feet had glided across the wall effortlessly, and they didn't even look that tired. The boys just smiled, giving us a thumbs up. They were confident that we could make it.

What Aster and Ed didn't realize, though, was that Tilly and I were completely different heights and didn't weigh the same. I would probably crush her. We also didn't have the leg muscles that they did. I didn't think we would make it half as far as the boys did. This isn't going to work, I thought. We're going to fall before we're supposed to.

This idea wouldn't have scared me if it was just my life on the line. But Tilly's life was in danger, too, which meant that I would have to do everything I could to keep us safe.

We turned and locked elbows. Tilly's shoulder blades dug into my back. Her head only reached my neck.

I sucked in a deep breath before lifting my foot on the stone. My soles gripped the rock. I hoped that they wouldn't slip off while I was walking. Tilly placed both of her feet on the wall. I hesitated before doing the same.

My legs bent slightly, and I assumed that Tilly's were doing the same. I tightened my arms around hers. We stood there for another second.

"Right," I muttered. We both slid our right feet. "Left."

The rhythm of my voice matched our feet, and soon enough I didn't have to speak. We went at a moderate pace. I was surprised at how easy it was for us to walk. I thought it was going to be more difficult, but so far, we were moving across the wall smoothly.

We were about a quarter way in when my legs started to ache. My shoulders were also beginning to hurt, but I couldn't move them to relax the muscles. My feet shook with every step now. Everything inside me wanted to stop. To drop down. The floor was closed; I could just take a break and run the rest of the way.

A groan came from underneath us. I looked down to see the floor opening slowly, revealing the black pit under us. Chills ran up my spine. From far away it didn't seem intimidating, but now that it was under me, my mind was overwhelmed with the fear and anxiety of falling. Would it ever end, or would my body just keep falling? Would I find Charles before dying, or would my body be resting next to his? I tore my eyes away and kept going.

Tilly's spine trembled against mine, but she said nothing. I knew that she was scared of heights. Just looking down was torture for her. She didn't freak out, though. Tilly took deep breaths and continued on.

The five minutes that the floor was open felt like forever. I sighed in relief once it began closing. We stayed put, waiting for it to fully shut. Only then did I slip my feet off of the wall and allow my body to fall.

My shoulder collided with the metal floor. Tears clouded my eyes. I blinked them away and stood up. I didn't have time to worry about the pain. Instead, I checked to see if Tilly landed safely and then broke out into a sprint.

We dropped a lot sooner than Ed and Aster did, meaning that we would have to run faster. I picked up my pace, my feet clattering against the ground. Aster and Ed's figures came closer and closer as I moved. The edge was right there, nearly asking my hands to grab onto it.

Tilly was at my heels. I knew that she was slowing down, though. "Come on, Tilly!" I shouted over my shoulder. She responded by running faster, her feet right next to mine.

We were only a couple of feet away when the floor started to move. My heart jumped into my throat. I moved with the floor by running at a diagonal. Tilly followed, barely keeping up with me.

I jumped on the edge right as the floor fell under me. Tilly jumped too, her fingers brushing the surface. Ed's fingers wrapped around her arms before she could slip. I let out a sigh of relief. Aster grabbed above my elbows and pulled me up. I rested my stomach on the floor and hoisted my aching legs onto the ground.

I laid on the floor, breathing heavily. My lungs stabbed me with every breath. My legs were limp. I was too sore to move them. Aster sat next to me, waiting for me to say something. I turned to see that Tilly was lying down, too. Ed was helping her sit up so she could breathe better. I looked away from them and back at Aster.

"Can we," I gasped, "take a break?"

Aster cracked a smile. "Yeah. Of course we can."

I'm back with a chapter, just as I promised! I will make sure to keep my weekly schedule going once again. :)

They all managed to not end up like Charles. Yay! They really had to use their muscles with this one, didn't they? As Kat said, they used a risky strategy. Do you think there was any other way to cross the double-wall? Comment below if you have any ideas.

As always, don't forget to read, vote, comment, and share this story with your friends. Make sure to vote for this story with your leg. Stay excellent, as always.

Thought I'd mix the songs up by putting Falling by Alesso. I hope you enjoy listening to it and being grateful that they didn't fall off of this obstacle.