I felt around the dark cavern with my hands, running them along the damp stone walls. I had gotten used to walking around in the dark, which was hard, considering I had just come from the city, where light was more often seen.

I round a bend in cave, opening up into a high-domed room. I walked into it slowly, not being able to use the wall as a guide anymore. My foot caught on the edge of a crack in the stone floor. I stumbled, barely managing to catch myself before I face planted.

I scowled at nothing in particular as I stood, brushing off the dust that had been kicked up. I heard the familiar sound of water dripping into a metal container about three feet away.

I carefully walked towards the sound. My toe hit a metal bucket, sending it toppling over, along with the water inside. I cursed. It had been closer than I thought.

Great, I thought angrily, Now I’ve lost all that water I’ve tried for so long to get.

I bent down to grab the bucket, hoping I could salvage at least some of the water. I lowered my fingers inside the container, feeling for any moisture whatsoever. My fingers touched liquid, cold refreshing liquid. I sighed with relief when I took a sip of what little water was in there.

I jumped when I heard a grunt behind me, from where I came in. I set the bucket down silently and turned towards the noise.

Suddenly, a glow illuminated the walls of the cavern from around the bend. I scrambled backward. No one, no one except the guards from the city could have that.

In the dim light, which to me was almost blinding, I looked around, searching for a boulder or other large stone to hide behind. Another grunt sounded from around the corner, along with a quiet curse.

I guessed they fell. Which bought me more time. I scurried over to a large stalagmite over by the wall of the large cavern and hid behind it. I peeked out nervously, watching as a shadowy figure stepped into the room.

“Avery! It’s me! Marcus!” The figure whispered loudly, his words echoing slightly.

Marcus? What was he doing with light?

I hesitantly came out from my hiding spot and got a better view. He was holding a long torch, the end rapped in cloth and lit with fire. I had never seen what he looked like, thanks to the lack of light, and I must admit it wasn’t what I was expecting.

He had tousled brown hair and hazel eyes. He was tall, dressed in plain jeans and a normal t-shirt with a camo jacket over it.

“Marcus? What are you doing with that light?” I hissed.

“There you are. Good to see you too. No pun intended.” Marcus teased.

Despite my concerns, I felt my traitorous lips curl into a smile. Then I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “Sorry. Hi. Why do you have fire? Why you have any form of light at all is crazy, but one that doubles as a source of warmth?”

“I got it from the city. I was out trading as usual today and I got this for crazy cheap. I also got meat and gathered some branches to cook the food with. It might sputter out at some point but…”

“It’s better than nothing.” I finished.

“Yeah.” He gave me a smile. “Let’s get to cooking.”

(A/N: BTW Avery, the main character, is a girl, in case anyone was confused. :). Thanks for the support and feel free to leave some feedback! I always love and look to improve my writing!)