The dark and lonely atmosphere was getting to Reed, but the fact that the tunnels were empty meant he was still safe.
Well, not necessarily. Thanks to the cave-in, the dark, empty tunnels no longer seemed as safe as they once almost did. Danger could possibly now lurk beyond every bend and turn. Reed had lost all sense of direction and honestly had no idea which way to go to return to the Cornucopia.
It had been a while since he left Krasimir and already Reed missed him terribly. He wondered how the older tribute was faring in the dark, alone. Krasimir seemed really brave and strong, but for some reason there was something about the dark that really frightened him. Reed shook his head, trying not to think too much about his new friend. He needed to focus on staying alive himself.
The tunnels continued to twist and turn and Reed was getting tired. It did not help that he kept tripping occasionally, stumbling over heavy rocks and his own feet. Finally he decided it was time for a break. He slumped down against one of the tunnel walls, leaning heavily against the dirty surface.
It might have been that he was too tired to notice at first, but only a moment or so after having sat down did he realize the dirt wall behind him was caving slightly behind his back. Confused, Reed turned around and pressed his hand upon the wall of the tunnel. He could not see anything, but he could feel dirt giving away and crumbling down due to the pressure his hand was putting upon it. This was definitely different. Worried that he would bring another cave-in upon himself, Reed pulled his hand away, wondering what to do. What if there was something beyond the wall? It could be a different tunnel or even a secret room. Was it worth checking out despite the possible risk of another cave-in?
Reed decided that, yes, it was. Anything that might help him make progress had to be a good thing. So he carefully starting scraping at the dirt wall again, using both hands this time and not letting himself think about the state his fingernails were going to be in afterward. Normally that sort of thing would bother him, but the time had probably passed for worrying about dirt under nails or in hair.
As the dirt caved away and the hole in the wall became bigger, Reed realized there was faint light coming through. Eager for a chance to get out of the darkness finally, Reed tore away the dirt. The hole in the wall was getting wider and soon he would be able to slip through. He paused a moment to take a break, his arms aching from the work they were not used to, and took a second to peek through the hole. What he saw surprised him. The flooring on the other side of the hole was stone, cracked, dirty gray stone. It seemed to continue the entire way across the floor to the other wall. Whatever was giving the room light seemed to be located higher up upon that wall. Once he started working away at the dirt hole again he continued with much energy, feeling hopeful that whatever was on the other side was going to lead him somewhere better than the dark, dirty tunnels he had spent hours and hours in.
Finally he was able to slip through, making sure to drag his bag along with him. The air was a lot less stuffy in this new area, although a bit chillier. Reed stood and looked about, brushing the dirt off his self as best he could. He was in what looked to be a stone corridor. The light was coming from a torch that was mounted upon the wall. This was definitely different than the dark, dirty tunnels. He examined the wall he had just dug through and realized the small area was the only part of the wall there that was not covered with stone. Was it just this spot or were there more spots down the corridor that could be broken through from the dirt tunnels? Nothing to do but investigate; the corridor stretched in two directions, going on as far as the eye could see. More torches lined the walls every ten feet so Reed felt much more comfortable and safe.
Further down the corridor Reed spotted another dirt spot, this time on the opposite wall. It looked untouched, but was big enough that if someone dug through from the other side they could make it out into the corridor as well. Now that Reed knew his spot was not the only one he knew he had to be cautious. Other tributes might have been lucky enough to have made his discovery as well. He could only hope Krasimir would be just as lucky.
He was just about to continue walking when a loud boom echoed off the stone walls of the corridor. His heart just about stopped and without thinking he let out a choked, quiet 'Kras?' There was no way to know which tribute had died until the Capitol's symbol showed up again on the wall. The tears pooling in his eyes made him feel silly. Why did he care so much? Even if they both survived till the end, only one of them was allowed to live and win the Games. Either way it would be terrible if he allowed himself to care, only to find out in the end it wasn't mutual. Krasimir had been waiting five years to win the Games after his cousin's death. Someone like Reed was no match for him. Maybe he was going about this wrong. Maybe it would be best if he didn't meet up with Krasimir again. He had to continue trying to survive for himself. If he happened to run into Krasimir along the way, well, then…he just did not know. He just needed to continue focusing on his main goal: surviving, any way possible, and right now that meant figuring out where this stone corridor led to.
Hopefully he had not just escaped the dark maze of tunnels only to find his self in a lighted maze of tunnels. There had to be something more to all of this. Reed just had to keep on moving and be alert for any signs of danger.
The corridor did go on and on for ages, but it was not long before Reed found something that cheered him up at least a little bit. He had been walking for a while when he finally saw an opening in the right wall of the corridor. The entrance led to an upward leading staircase of crumbling stone. The big question now was whether he continued down the corridor he was in or take a right and head up the stairs.
A faint sound of trickling water quickly grabbed his attention and helped him make up his mind. He took a right and carefully started up the steps, doing his best not to trip. It would be just his luck to trip up another staircase in front of everyone again. They were probably expecting him to do so too.
He reached the mid-way point of the stone staircase without incident. That was when he saw the small stream of water running down the stone wall next to him. The stream flowed down from the ceiling and disappeared through a good sized hole in the staircase, right at the base of the wall. He could not see down through the hole for it was too dark below, but that was not something he was entirely worried about. There was finally water in front of him and that was what was most important. The bag he had grabbed at the start of the Games had held a small empty container of some sort, not exactly something meant to be used as a canteen, but it had a lid and would do. He needed to carry water with him somehow anyway. After all it would probably be just as pathetic as falling down the stairs if he died from dehydration, not that it hadn't happened in the games before.
Now that he had water with him he felt a bit better and more motivated to carry on. He wondered where the stairs were leading and what he would find once he got there. And, as much as he was trying not to think about it, he could not stop wondering when he would get to find out which tribute had just died.
