The beginning of this is pretty much the same as in the Hunger Games, up to the point where Thresh Saves Katniss, then it's all me.

She carelessly wipes away the blood from my wound with her jacket sleeve. For a moment, she surveys my face, tilting it from side to side as if it's a block of wood and she's deciding exactly what pattern to carve on it. I attempt to bite her hand, but she grabs the hair on the top of my head, forcing me back to the ground. "I think . . ." she almost purrs. "I think we'll start with your mouth." I clamp my teeth together as she teasingly traces the outline of my lips with the tip of the blade.

I won't close my eyes. The comment about Rue has filled me with fury, enough fury I think to die with some dignity. As my last act of defiance, I will stare her down as long as I can see, which will probably not be an extended period of time, but I will stare her down, I will not cry out. I will die, in my own small way, undefeated.

"Yes, I don't think you'll have much use for your lips anymore. Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?" she asks, I work up a mouthful of blood and saliva and spit it in her face. She flushes with rage. "All right then. Let's get started."

I prepare myself for the agony that's sure to follow. But as I feel the tip open the first cut on my lip, some great form yanks Clove from my body and then she's screaming. I'm too stunned at first; too unable to process what has happened. Has Peeta somehow come to my rescue? Have the Gamemakers sent in some wild animal to add to the fun? Has a hovercraft inexplicably plucked her into the air?

But when I push myself up on my numb arms, I see it's none of the above. Clove is dangling a foot off the ground, imprisoned in Thresh's arms. I let out a gasp, seeing him like that, towering over me, holding Clove like a rag doll. I remember him as big, but he seems more massive, more powerful than I even recall. If anything, he seems to have gained weight in the arena. He flips Clove around and flings her onto the ground.

She hits the ground harshly and rolls onto her stomach, she's coughing, trying to appease her need for oxygen. But before she can get a decent breath in, Thresh lifts his foot and it slams into her ribs and she cries out and hits the ground again.

I feel my head throbbing, and the blood from my wound is running down my face, irritating my eyes. Thinking only about my own safety I haul myself to my feet with every bit of strength I've got and I stumble towards the forest. With my good ear I can hear Thresh grunting and then I hear Clove; she gives out a high shrill scream. At first a smile crosses my face and I hope he has killed her, but it takes less than three seconds before I realize the scream wasn't a scream a victim would give.

It's a war cry.

I turn just in time to see Thresh fall to the floor, one of Clove's little knifes wedged deep in his skull, she spits at him then looks up at me. Then just as the cannon booms to confirm his death, she leans down, her dark eyes still on me and she puts on boot on his throat, and then yanks the knife out; she wipes his scarlet blood on her jacket before turning to me.

"Didn't think a fool like him could stop me? Did you?" I turn and sprint towards the forest, ignoring the burning in my legs. I hear the whistle the knife makes as it skims by my cheek and I cry out, and throw myself to the left, out of her aim and I hide behind the Cornucopia. I know I have mere seconds to decide what I'm going to do, I know I dropped the bag; the bag with Peeta's medicine in, my first goal is to find it.

I refuse to leave without it, but I feel I'm too weak to fight back. Clove cries out and drops down next to me, she had crawled up and over the cornucopia. She pulls the knife back and I drop onto my bottom as the knife slides through the metal. She lashes out with her foot but I grab it and this time I'm the one who fights back. I twist it and even I can hear the crack of her ankle as it breaks. She cries out and falls to the floor, but she does her best to ignore it and she slams a knife down on my hand.

I feel the sharp sting of the blade as it cuts through flesh, muscle and even bone. It goes all the way through my palm and into the soil. Tears mixed with blood obscure my vision and then I feel another knife slam into my leg. Fortunately for me, my instincts tell me to kick out, doing so takes away the sting of pain…and cracks a couple of Clove's teeth.

She spits them out along with a puddle of her blood, she looks up at me and fear rides through me. Her face is smeared with blood-Thresh's and her own-and her cracked teeth are bared, she seems to be growling at me. I scrambled backwards with my hands pulling me away but the pain is too much.

She is limping over to me quickly and she lifts one of her knives high. I know that if I don't do anything. If I let Clove kill me now, Peeta will surely die. He will wake up, come looking for me and then either be killed by Clove and Cato or he'll die from natural causes, starvation, dehydration, or the infection.

I know I have to fight back.

So I simply grab her foot, which is still broken and I pull, she doesn't fall as I hoped but she does loose balance so when she falls towards me, knife aimed at my throat, she is thrown off aim and the knife stabs into the earth. I realize she is laying on top of me, her throat inches away from mine, so without hesitation, I open wide and my teeth rip through the surface of the side of her neck, spilling her blood into my mouth but I don't stop until her screams because too loud and I'm sure they'll burst my ear drum.

This time she's the one to crawl away, her hand applying pressure to her neck. "Y-You bit me!" she yelled. I spit the foul tasting blood out and my good hand tightens its grip on my bow and I stab the end into the ground, using the strong metal to help lift me to my knees. I know I didn't bite deep enough to kill but it did well to hurt her which is fine with me, for the time being, that is.

I reach back for an arrow but remember my last arrow was shot off in her direction, and I can't wait time looking for it. I raised my bow high and bring it around like a baseball bat, it smacks into her cheek, instantly cutting it open and she drops down. I know my bow won't be enough to end her; it'll take too long for me to kill her with my bow.

I suddenly remember the knife she stabbed into the ground next to my ear, I turn and reach for it and pull it out, I turn and without any worry for myself, I launch at her. She opens her eyes.

"Cato!" she yells but the word finishes with a gurgle because of the knife I just stabbed deep down into the middle of her forehead.

Another cannon booms and I jump, forgetting about it. I role over next to her, her mutilated face inches from my own, her eyes still filled with rage look into mine although her eyes are empty. I breathe in…and out. I lay here for only a minute until I know I am breathing properly. Then I get up and hobble over to the orange bag, all the way across the field.

"Clove!" I hear Cato yell, he's not here yet, I'll have enough time to escape I'm sure. So on my way out me drop down next to Clove and take as many knives as I can. "Clove!" He's closer now. So I grab all my belongings and hold onto them as tightly as possible before running away from Cato's voice and back towards Peeta, where I can only hope he is still alive.