Shards of A Dark Dream

It is the deafening roar of thunder that wakes me. The rain falls thick and heavy outside and chills the air. The rock overhanging the mouth of the cave prevents the rain from getting in and washing me out, but the air chills me to my bones. Goosebumps pimple my skin and I shiver, my teeth chattering. The cave is completely shrouded in darkness, and I feel around the unpleasantly cold rock floor. "Peeta," I whisper. I receive no answer and my blood freezes in my veins. "Peeta? Peeta, answer me!" My voice gets more and more shrill, and fear drums my heart.

A faint scream reaches my ears through the pounding rain. I stumble along the rocky floor to the mouth of the cave, and peer out into the darkness. Lightning flashes in the sky and thunder makes the arena rumble and tremble. I am relatively sure that such weather will keep Cato from prowling the arena tonight. Foxface will be hiding out in her den, and I hope that Thresh will be keeping his head down and hidden too. I take the chance and yell out Peeta's name again. I wait in agony as seconds clock by. No answer. I open my mouth to scream again when I hear another agonized scream.

I put my hand against the cave wall and feel my way back to where I awoke. I pat the floor, searching for my bow. It's gone! I search helplessly and blindly with both hands, my breath coming out in short sharp gasps. Another scream and another force me to abandon my search and scurry back to the cave entrance. I will have to go out there unarmed.

"Katniss!" Peeta's cry is filled with pain and suffering. I scream his name and bound out into the night.

The lashing rain blinds me and the crushing darkness severely hampers my vision. I slip on the wet rocks and plunge into the swollen stream. The storm has turned the stream into a wild, rushing, powerful current that batters me about. I brace myself and slowly force myself across. I'm terrified of losing my footing. That thought just crosses my mind when a rock turns under my foot. I flail, desperately trying to keep on my feet, but my legs fold beneath me and the rushing water rushes up to greet me. The current immediately grabs a hold of me and drags me along the bottom. Sharp rocks cut and bruise my flesh as my body painfully crashes against them. My lungs scream for oxygen, but the current has me trapped in its constricting embrace. My feet come into contact with a particularly large rock and I immediately spring off it.

My head breaks the surface of the stream and I gratefully take a big lung full of air. I kick with all my strength, until I make it to the bank and haul myself out of the water. I stand there uselessly, soaked and frozen to my marrow. I search the opposite bank, but can't see the cave. There's no telling how far downstream I have been swept. No telling how much time this has cost me. No telling how far it has dragged me from Peeta. I ball my hands into fists and call his name again, desperately, into the impenetrable darkness. I scream for him again at the top of my lungs.

"Katniss!" he cries in answer. "Katniss please!" His voice is faint, but I can hear the horror colouring it.

I crash into the woods, feeling the sodden ground fold beneath my tread. The darkness is too thick, and I collide with trees, and stumble over sticks and litter on the ground. Only the brief flashing of lightning illuminates the arena and gives me the chance to see my surroundings. The rain pounds into my face and whips it raw. I'm forced to squint as I run, thus limiting my vision further. A vine snakes around my ankle and I crash heavily into the saturated ground. I fumble through the leaves, crawling on my hands and knees. "Peeta!"

"Katniss! Katniss, where are you? Help me, Katniss!" Peeta's voice sounds closer and I bound in that direction, crying his name over and over.

A heavy mist cloaks the woods. I freeze before it uncertainly. What if this is some dangerous thing put here by the Gamemakers to stop me from finding Peeta? What if he is being tortured right now? I summon all my determination and run straight into the mist. I refuse to let the Gamemakers prevent me from helping Peeta. The mist is just as impenetrable as the darkness, and I keep my hands outstretched as I run. How this must be entertaining the citizens of the Capitol! Seeing me running blindly through the woods. The darkness, rain and mist obscuring my vision. I can imagine them in their ridiculous garb laughing and I burn with rage. I can hear Peeta calling for me. The rage dissolves to pure fear. After everything Peeta has done for me I need to help him. I need to save him. He sounds so close!

I enter a clearing when I hear a second scream. I feel the blood drain from my face and a pure terror grip me. Tears fall down my face and I sob for breath. Please no, I beg silently. "Katniss!" I hear Prim's shrill voice scream.

My heart aches, but I follow Prim's cry. I'm so sorry, Peeta, I think. "Prim! Prim!" My throat is throbbing from screaming. I hear Prim call for me again, her voice so close, and I stumble through the misty darkness towards her. I think I hear the sounds of footfall and I break out into a sprint. "Prim!"

"Katniss?" Prim calls for me before suddenly screaming in utter agony. I howl in despair and stagger. I crumple to the ground, and meet Prim's eyes. They are half closed and a flash of lightning illuminates the blue iris. She moans my name again, and her small hands tighten around the spear buried in her belly.

The world melts away. There is nothing but Prim and me. There are no Hunger Games. No arena. There is only dear Prim curled on her side and bleeding out. I think of Rue and I scream in horror. I scramble towards her and kneel before her, cradling her head in my lap. My eyes burn with tears. Prim takes my right hand and gives it a weak squeeze. "Katniss."

I bend down and kiss her temple. "I'm here, Prim." I hear Peeta again, and I close my eyes, wishing to block out everything. Thunder roars and the rain cracks against the trees creating a deafening din. My grief threatens to consume me. Prim's eyes find mine and she glances over my shoulder and her eyes widen. I follow her gaze and my stomach plummets.

Dead tributes walk out from the dark. The tributes that died at the Cornucopia are covered in blood. Some have open wounds on them that show their entrails. One girl I think was from District 3 has loops of intestines hanging from her. They swing in time with each step. Glimmer's body is still swollen from Tracker Jacker stings. Her dead green eyes glare at me with unwholesome menace. The District 1 boy that killed Rue still has my arrow in his throat. I can hear him gurgling on his own blood. Clove grins at me in a twisted, macabre way. I can see the dent in her skull. I rip my eyes away, heart hammering. I look down at Prim but she has gone. Rue lies in her place, her hand twisting mine painfully.

"Why did you let me die, Katniss?" she snarls. "You let me die." I pull my hand away to cover my ears and block out her accusations. "You let me die!" she screams over and over. I can't block her out and I start to scream hysterically. "You let me die!" She giggles and begins to whistle her Mockingjay tune, but her throat is full of blood and it bubbles out her mouth.

I feel someone seize my shoulder and I jump to my feet and run. I've never known terror like this. I hear the dead tributes howl like wild dogs and run after me. I trip over sticks and bump against tree trunks but I don't slow down. Fear drives me on. Is this some evil trick from the Gamemakers? I don't know. How could anybody find this entertaining? As I run I think of how Haymitch, Cinna and Effie must be feeling. Are they disgusted? Horrified? I sob for breath and tears blur my vision.

I grab a thick tree trunk for support and press my face against it. The smell of wet wood fills my nose and I dig my fingernails into the softened bark. Another smell fills my nose and makes me rear back. Blood. I circle the tree warily and find Gale pined there. Arrows have pierced the flesh of his wrists, upper arms, thighs and ankles. He wears a dark necklace of blood from his slit throat. I cover my face and turn away. I can't bear to look a second longer. Prim's death and Gale's death are too much pain for me to handle. Something pounces on me. It's Gale, his blue eyes blazing down at me.

"You let me die, Katniss." His voice is hoarse and I thrash about on the wet ground. His hands grab my throat and he tries to choke the life from me. I kick about and manage to knock him off me. He falls off me and twitches on the ground and shouts, before Tracker Jackers pour from his open mouth. They buzz angrily and surround me. I beat at them before I take off back into the trees, and scream for Peeta.

I hear him answer and I run frenziedly towards the sound of his voice. I have to find Peeta, the boy with the bread, who saved me from Cato. He teamed up with the Careers to protect me. He made a declaration of love for me in front of the Capitol. Now they see us as star-crossed lovers. Star-crossed lovers now separated in the dark storm screaming for each other. My head spins, but I don't slow down. The Tracker Jackers may be following, or even worse, the dead tributes.

My legs ache, and just when I think I'm going to drop, I hear Peeta's voice. "Oh Katniss, you found me." I turn and see him slumped on the ground. I drop down beside him and wrap my arms around him, sobbing into his chest. His chest rises and falls shallowly and his breath comes out in wheezes.

"Peeta," I sob. "I'm sorry." I raise my head and see the wound on his thigh. I finger the soaked material of his pants and see just how bad the wound is. It runs down his entire thigh, leaving the bone exposed. The smell of blood is thick on the frigid air. I close my eyes, unable to take any more pain and misery, and bury my face back into his chest.

"Katniss, I love you," Peeta rasps. "Please say you love me."

I look mournfully into his blue eyes. "I… I… I." I try to say it, but the words stick in my throat. I can't swallow my grief and I'm reduced to a stuttering mess. "P… Peeta… I…"

He dies before I can choke the words out. I ball my hands up into my hair and shriek, just as the screaming fills the woods around me. Lightning flashes and thunder booms, rain pelts down relentlessly, and the screams ring on. Prim. Haymitch. Cinna. Effie. Gale. Peeta. My mother. All fill the woods with their agonized cries. I hear the dead tributes surround me and laugh. I lift my head to the sky and shriek on and on.

Someone shakes my shoulders while I shake. "Katniss," they whisper. "Katniss, wake up!"

Suddenly everything stops. I look up into Peeta's eyes. I feel my jaw drop in disbelief. Peeta's hands cup my face and his thumbs gently stroke my face. My hands grab Peeta's face and I stare at him, my body still quivering. "Peeta?" I whisper hoarsely. I look around. It's night and we're back in the cave.

"Shh," Peeta whispers back. "You were just dreaming, Katniss."

I begin to sob. I clutch his chest and pull him against me. "You were dead! And Prim. And Gale! All dead! Haymitch, Cinna, Effie, and my mother were screaming! The tributes were after me." I can't quell my tears. Peeta's hands encircle me and he rubs my back soothingly.

"No, it was just a nightmare. You just had a nightmare, Katniss. Everything's all right. I've got you."

I sob until I have no tears left and Peeta pulls me down to lie against him. His fingers gently brush the hair on my temple. It's raining outside, loud enough that my screams should have been muffled. I have my head pressed against Peeta's chest and his heartbeat is comforting enough that my sobs and sniffles soon stop. "I was so scared." I murmur.

"I know," he replies. "You were screaming. Don't be afraid. I've got you."

I think of my nightmare. I'm losing it. There are shards of it evaporating from my memory. I still see Prim, Gale and Peeta dead and I feel two tears run down my face. I still remember Rue. Peeta stirs underneath me and I lift my head up.

"No tears," he tells me. He leans forward and kisses them away. He hesitates and strokes my face before leaning in and kissing me on the lips. "Don't be scared. I'm here."

"Prim and Gale.." I begin

"... Are fine," he finishes. "They're fine and so are you." He leans against the cave wall and cradles me in his arms. I put my head back against his chest. My hand finds his leg and I look up into his eyes.

"Your leg?"

He smiles tenderly. "It's fine. Relax Katniss. I've got you."

I close my eyes again and let him hold me. He rubs my back until I've stopped trembling. The warmth of his body, the beating of his heart and his gentle even breathing relaxes me. Tomorrow will be a new day with new dangers, but for now I'm safe in Peeta's arms.