Liam stood back with the cold feeling of helplessness he had grown accustomed to ever since all this had happened. Nat looked on, a worried, pained expression on her face as the pounding on the other side of the door grew feebler. Tears slid from her eyes and froze midway down her face.

“We can’t just…can’t just l-let this happen,” Liam stuttered, suddenly working himself into a rage and hurling anything in sight at the door.

“Liam, think logically!” Nat yelled. “Find a good way to get in!”

“There is none!” he shouted. Then he collapsed against the opposite wall.

“He has the other torch…” Nat said with sudden realization, then fell to the ground with Liam. ”...Why does this have to be so terrible?” she sobbed.

Liam’s beard brushed against Nat’s hair as he held her tight, rocking back and forth.

She hadn’t seemed to have come to this question yet, so he didn’t want to worry her. But on the inside, he was wondering, What shut the door?