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“Wiggle your shoulders,” Hawke tells him. “And rotate your hips. It’ll feel strange, but relax your body and worm your way through. There you go, you’ve got it. Excellent worming—you’re a natural.”

When Zander’s feet disappear from view and Hawke calls out that it’s my turn, I find myself rooted to the spot.

“Charlie?” Hawke’s voice comes again.

Still, I’m pinned in place.

“Hey, you’re all right,” Bentley says reassuringly, breaking his unspoken rule of being as cameraman-ghostlike as possible. “They’re both much larger than you. If they could squeeze through, you’ll have no trouble.”

I want to believe him, but I can’t stop the trembles racking my frame as I lower myself onto my knees and shove my backpack into the hole in front of me. I try to be grateful that the stream dried up before the canyon narrowed, so at least my clothes aren’t getting soaked, but I can barely think beyond the walls pressing in on me.

“That’s it, Charlie,” Hawke calls as I ease my way through the impossibly tight gap, nudging my pack forward inch by inch ahead of me. “You’ve got this.”

For a moment, I think that maybe I do, and I start to breathe a little easier. But then I reach a point where the crawl space is no longer wide enough for me to remain on all fours, and I have to drop down on my stomach. I want to go back—Idesperatelywant to go back—but when I try to?—

I can’t move.

“Hey—Charlie—hey, listen to my voice,” Hawke orders after realizing I’ve stopped. “You’re absolutely safe. I wouldn’t have made you do this if I didn’t think you could. Do you hear me?”

“But I’m—I’m stuck.” Unlike when Zander said it, my words come out breathy and afraid. “I don’t know how—I can’t—I can’t?—”

I’m unable to finish, my heaving gasps making the space around me feel even smaller. But then my backpack moves forward of its own accord, sliding along the crawl space and out of sight, and a moment later, Zander’s face appears right in front of me.

“What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?”

A strangled sound leaves me, part incredulous laugh, part terrified moan.

“What do you say we get out of here?” he asks, his voice soft, his blue eyes steady on mine.

“I don’t know h-how,” I say shakily. “I c-can’t move.”

“That’s okay, I’ll help you,” Zander says, his confidence a balm to my nerves. “If I can ass my way backward to freedom, then you can worm your way forward. You’ve got the easy job, trust me.”

He takes my hands in his, offering a squeeze of encouragement, before he begins to shuffle on his stomach in reverse, drawing me slowly with him.

“I don’t think ‘ass’ is grammatically correct in that sentence,” I say between panted breaths, wiggling my shoulders and hips awkwardly as we advance through the narrow space.

“What would you have said?” he asks.

I know he’s trying to distract me, but since it’s working, I answer, “Maybe something like ‘slither ass-first backward.’”

“Ugh.” He pulls a face. “Let’s not use the word ‘slither’ when we’re surrounded by snakes. I beg you.”

My lips curl up at the edges. “Surrounded? We haven’t seen a single one.”

“They’re watching us. I can feel their eyes.”

My smile grows. I can’t believe he’s managed to turn my panic into mirth so effortlessly. “As long as you don’t feel their fangs.”

He doesn’t have a chance to respond before the crawl space opens up into a cavern large enough for him to rise to his feet, pulling me out with him. I stumble slightly once I’m vertical, my head spinning and my feet unsteady, but he keeps holding my hands, not letting me go until I’ve found my balance.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asks, his eyes dancing.

I brush canyon dirt and damp moss from my clothes as I answer, “I can one hundred percent guarantee that I’m going to have nightmares about this for the rest of my life.”

“You were amazing, Charlie,” Hawke says, looking me over to make sure I’m not hurt. “Have a rest while we wait for Ben to come through.”

My legs are like jelly, so I sit on a nearby boulder, intending to take a moment to clear my mind of all that just happened. But when Zander crouches in front of me and quietly asks if I’m okay, there’s only one thing I can say: