By the time Tobin picked himself up and formed another sort of plan, it was already getting dark. As he headed back toward the Cornucopia, the sky of the arena was pitch-black and the air was still notably hotter than the average night in Panem. Toby had to wonder if any of this was even real. His irritated skin seemed to insist that it had to be. He was exhausted at this point. He had been for some time now but that never seemed to matter; the dead weren't supposed to rest. He'd now gone almost two full weeks with barely an hour of sleep between them. Now would be a horrible time to finally give in. No, he needed to press on. He needed to be better than that. For Kalla even if she still refused his help, and especially for Karen. It still seemed fairly obvious that protecting her sister would have been Karen's dying wish. It was a task she'd left for Toby and he still firmly believed it.
His fingers curled around the ring in his pocket as he walked. In addition to the itching and tiredness, there was a sense of hunger and thirst that seemed extreme, even by the standards of a normal, living person. Toby sighed. The plan had been to head back to where he'd started and look for Kalla from another direction, maybe. He wasn't sure, but there was no point in risking getting lost and putting Kalla, himself (and Axel?) in even more danger. He'd been prepared to sneak up to the Cornucopia itself and possibly create a distraction for the Career tributes but as the shining structure came into view, he finally remembered: it was suspended several feet above an active volcano. It seemed unlikely the kids would stay there any longer than they had to. Even if there wasn't a risk of falling, it was still miserably hot. It looked as though everyone had just taken what they could carry and gone to camp elsewhere for the night. This was the first piece of good news for Toby because it meant several weapons and even a few packs and cases of food had been left behind.
Smilingly faintly for what felt like the first time in years, Tobin didn't hesitate to head back toward the platform and the path to the center structure. On an impulse, he looked down and his smile disappeared. The lava was flowing in an inconsistent pattern, back and forth against the walls of the volcano. The Gamemakers probably planned on an eruption some time before the final five or so, but in the meantime, it contained no serious threat, just a river of miserable, scorching fire. Resolving to keep his eyes on the path in front of him instead, Tobin pressed on. His mind was a little more distant, thought, and thoughts of Karen distracted him enough that he tripped over the first object he encountered. He collapsed onto the ground beside it but didn't hesitate to pick it up: a small canteen that, miraculously, was filled. He forgotten the temperature for just a moment but that was long enough. He cursed himself and the entire arena when he choked and spit out the mouthful of hot water, feeling worse than before. Of course these supplies had been sitting in the direct sunlight for hours now. He'd have to be more careful handling them, and put in some serious consideration before he decided which of them to take to Kalla.
Kalla! Holy hell! How had Tobin been so stupid. He'd wasted most of the first day failing to find her and nights tended to be even more dangerous. He hoped she had the sense to stay put- quiet and safe until morning. Of course she did. Toby mentally kicked himself. She was smart, she was organized and whether or not she cared about the other tributes, she still had a sense of self-preservation. She was, after all, Karen's sister. Karen. The sudden rush of agonized emotion hit Tobin like a physical blow. He tensed but he recognized the necessity of movement. He hadn't been able to save Karen. He at least owed it to her to keep going. "I'm trying," he whispered to her, somehow believing that she could hear. Maybe someday she would answer. He stood and turned in a full circle. In any direction, the arena seemed to go on forever. He'd need a better look and the solution was suddenly obvious. Katniss and Peeta had managed it during the 74th. Their cornucopia had been hot as a bread oven during the days and miserably freezing at night. It looked as though the one Tobin faced would remain hot as hell. Fine. He'd already been in hell for some time.
The climb took several attempts and it did some damage to his already-red hands, but, finally, he pulled himself into a stand at the top. Pacing the length of it, he strained his eyes, squinting and looking for any sign of life in the distant darkness. Somewhere close-by, he thought he heard a sort of metallic clink followed by a weird groan, the unmistakable sound of a chain protesting the weight it held, but that was nothing. Karen. His thoughts rushed back to her, as if seeking comfort and familiarity. Karen would have a better solution than this. Karen would have never lost Kalla in the first place. Of course the girl was more important that a stupid bag of supplies that he'd lost anyway! "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'll fix it..." That was meant to be a promise but it felt like more of a lie than anything else he'd ever said. He crouched at the edge of the structure and prepared to climb down right when the entire thing shook, like a single momentary tremble of an earthquake and threw him to the ground.
Groaning, he stood in a sudden panic and rushed to grab one of the survival packs. He was looking for a knife when a second tremor caused a chain to snap. Faster than could be believed, the cornucopia and the entire structure that supported it, tilted toward the missing link. It was slight at first, Toby still had time to run but the sudden, unbalanced strain on the opposite side had most of the chains pulled taut. Tobin launched himself toward them but, in that very second, two more broke and left the structure shifting once more, leaning heavily on the left side this time and dangling a little closer to the lava below. Without even thinking about it, Tobin pulled Karen's ring from his pocket and made a tight fist around it. "It's okay," he said, as if speaking to Karen herself. Kalla must have struggled with the decision to return that token to him but he was glad she did. Somehow, the simple piece of jewelry gave him the strength to hold on. At this point, he'd have to choose the safest of three remaining exit paths and use the chain to climb out of the volcano. It was possible.
As if to confirm just how wrong he was, the chain he'd been heading for tensed further and finally snapped. The shock sent Tobin spiraling in the opposite direction and both of his hands opened instinctively, desperately seeking something to hold on to. Stupidly, he'd let go of his only means of helping Kalla in order to save himself. What was the point? He couldn't die again. He had nothing to fear. There would be pain but that was nothing new. If he did end up in the lava, he'd be disfigured at best and paralyzed at worst. He might lose a limb or two but there was a chance that...
With an agonized cry, Tobin forced himself to concentrate. He'd grabbed on to what used to be the entrance of the cornucopia. Miraculously, the pack was only a few feet away. He'd be able to grab it in his free hand without even letting go. But where was the ring? His heart raced. If he'd lost it.... no. There it was, sparkling like a beacon of hope for him, a guide in the endless dark. It had rolled almost to the back wall, among swords, maces and a number of other nightmarish implements. Tobin crawled, scraping himself several times in the process, all-but oblivious to the blood and pain. He had the ring in hand when he felt it. The final two chains didn't have a chance. The cornucopia was hanging vertically now, dangling dangerously and it would only take a matter of seconds for it to...
Tobin screamed as he was thrown against the wall, colliding with yet another blade. This one tore into his side but he had bigger concerns. He had moments until lava would fill the already scorching room. Using the wall for support, he dragged himself forward as quickly as he could. The air at the mouth felt like a twisted version of heaven. Tobin felt like he could breathe but the relief didn't last long. He was staring at the edge of the volcano, overlooking an impossibly high drop. He could survive this but something else would not. He had no choice. With tears in his eyes and his face contorted in sheer agony, he opened his hand and pitched the ring with all his strength toward the exit. It would roll for some time and finally end up buried in the jungle but he prayed that Kalla would be able to find it. That would be a bit of hope for her, wouldn't it? If he ever managed to crawl out of this pit, Tobin would find her again. No matter what it took, he'd do... something to keep her safe. "I'm sorry," he said again. There was fire on the floor and he'd only managed a flat, defeated tone. "I'm so so sorry," he tried again, sounding like he felt: like a man who had died twice and still never accomplished anything. "Karen..." This time, his mouth filled with something that wasn't air or water. His last words were lost, swallowed beneath the sea of hell, but they were easy enough to guess. I'm sorry.
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