( pov Chetan)
The cold had not disappeared.
I had simply gotten used to it.
I was still walking.
One step at a time.
Then another one.
My right leg was trembling more, probably because of hunger.
My feet felt twice as heavy. Each breath burned my chest a little more.
Yet I continued.
To stop here was to let someone decide your death.
As they turned a corner in a gallery, voices echoed.
I slow down.
A group.
There were five of them.
An old lamp hanging from a pipe illuminated their faces. One of them was cutting a piece of dried meat while a woman distributed the portions without discussion.
I remained in the shadows.
They were idiots.
Five people shared the same reservations.
If one of them were to betray the others...
Everything disappeared.
I shook my head.
They wouldn't survive long.
Yet...
My eyes never left the scene.
The youngest received a larger portion.
No one protested.
An old man discreetly pushed his own ration towards the child.
The woman noticed the gesture and sighed before handing him back some of the food.
They continued talking.
Laughing.
As if the Pit no longer existed.
I resumed my walk.
I had nothing to do with them.
…
But a few meters further on, my vision wavered.
The walls seemed to ripple.
I placed a hand against the stone.
Breathe.
Again.
Just a few seconds.
My eyes are closing.
…
Total silence and this feeling of freedom, of floating…
When I opened my eyes...
The lamp in the next corridor had gone out.
He remains still.
How long...
My heart suddenly raced.
I had fallen asleep standing up.
I immediately tightened my metal bar.
Person.
Nobody had attacked me.
I was lucky.
A chance that might never come again.
I immediately resumed my journey.
Faster.
As if walking could erase this weakness.
…
The smell of soup wafted from a nearby gallery.
I turned my head involuntarily.
Another group.
This time, two adults were mending a teenage girl's clothes while a child slept against a man's shoulder.
He was fast asleep.
Her mouth was slightly open.
Without fear.
I froze.
How could he sleep like that?
Who was watching the surrounding area?
A thought crossed my mind…
But then a man finally looked up towards the tunnel.
He was holding a spear.
He was standing guard.
The others could close their eyes because someone was protecting them.
I left immediately, what a shame.
They were weak.
They were dependent on each other.
They would eventually die.
…
My legs suddenly gave way.
I fell to my knees.
My hands met the damp stone.
I was breathing too fast.
My head was spinning.
I knew that feeling.
Hunger.
Again.
I remained motionless until the tremors subsided.
Then I looked up.
For a second...
I heard laughter.
Clair.
Light.
I turned around.
Person.
Only darkness.
I closed my eyes.
The sound of water.
A fish was thrown in my direction.
A smile.
A shoulder that bumped against mine.
…
No.
I shook my head violently.
Not now.
I didn't need those memories.
They weren't feeding anyone.
They only hurt.
I got up.
My legs protested.
I continued anyway.