skull on fire: A skulduggery pleasant/ hunger games crossover fanfic

Chapter Twenty-One: Leaving Safe Ground

                                              Chapter Twenty-One: Leaving Safe Ground

After lunch I express my concern about finding a water source. I look towards Fionn, and he shows me the map he has drawn. There are barely any animals here either, according to Skulduggery. Only scavenger birds and small lizards, barely enough for a meal even if you managed to catch one. I ask if anyone has any ideas, and each of us takes our turn to voice our plans.

Rosaline goes first, "Look at us!" she exclaims, "Most of us got top marks in training, the rest are frickin adorable, and we're just sitting here waiting for something to happen. In my opinion, we can count on the sponsors to look out for us. We should get away from here, head towards the mountain maybe. If we run out of water we will rely on parachutes."

Fionn speaks up from where he is leaning at the back of the cornucopia, "I agree with Rosaline about the parachutes, we have the most sponsors as a group in the arena. After all, the star crossed lovers, the angelic child of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark themselves. How could the Capitol resist? But we shouldn't be running just yet. After all, some of us are to weak right now to travel fast or far," he nods to his leg and Rye, "I suggest a different course of action. It is my belief that there is a water source nearby, the Capitol would not have left us here without one. There's no pools or springs, and Skulduggery assures me the trees are dry as a bone. No water in the sky above us, so what remains? I believe if we dig down deep enough there will be a clean water source, a natural underwater spring."

I gasp at the suggestion, "You're a genius Fionn!" I exclaim in delight. I hope for all our sakes that he is right.

We begin digging while Rosaline clears away the rations. Me and Skulduggery find some spades in the weapons pile, and even little Rye helps out with a trowel. We dig a hole half as wide as Skulduggery is tall, getting deeper by the second. We find no signs of water by dinner time, and our enthusiasm is wearing thin. We decide to take a break to eat some food before having one last attempt at digging.

Rosaline divides the food this time. A packet of crackers between us, along with an apple and two squares of chocolate for lunch. We decide to have one of the cartons of milk to drink instead of water.

Finally, after our sparse meal has been scoffed with vigour, we begin our last ditch attempt at digging. The food fuels us on, and we dig about three feet deeper before something unexpected happens.

My spade pierces the dirt with little resistance, and I almost fall forwards as my weight tips over my balance. I manage to right myself as I stare at the hole we have dug. My spade has broken through the top of some sort of tunnel, a circular space wide enough for two to walk side by side. The tunnel stretches in both directions and I cannot see where it leads. I can hear a distant noise echoing from the left, and tilt my head to one side to listen before realising that it is the sound of running water. Fionn was right.

I yell to the others to come as I peer into the darkness. It looks like well need to find some sort of light source if we want to explore properly, but we will at least be able to find water and maybe even some nocturnal animals to hunt. It seems rather like the sort of place a bat would hide.

Rosaline grabs my arm in excitement as she listens to the sound of water, jumping up and down in happiness. This really means everything for our survival, and I almost start jumping myself as Skulduggery leads the trail into the tunnel, an empty water bottle in hand. I hope this water is clean, and I hope there is plenty of it. This could change everything.

A/N: Not as long as normal, but at least its something. I'm so so sorry for leaving this one so long. I have been extremely busy and tired, but I promise I will try to get uploading more regularly again.

   -Faye.