A Collection of Hunger Games One-Shots
~Rue's Final Moments~
I watch Katniss go, pausing for only a moment to collect my thoughts. Our last words are still ringing in my head. I'm too afraid that they will be our last. With eight other tributes in the arena, is it possible that either Katniss or I could run into one of them? Is it possible they could disrupt our plan? Of course it's possible.
I promised my whole family I would be optimistic throughout these Games. I wouldn't let myself stop for one second to doubt I could survive. They teach us that back in District 11. You never give up; no matter what hardships your trials bring you. Of course, this was said only to make us work harder, but I look past this and find the deeper meaning. I won't give up. Not for my parents. Not for my younger siblings. Not for Katniss and especially, not for myself.
I turn to run towards the first campfire. Katniss and I have already set it up, so I need only light the wood on fire. I wait for a little while, remembering that Katniss needs time to reach the Careers' site. When I feel I've delayed long enough, I carefully take out a match. I make my first attempt to strike it and fail. On a second match, I get a small flame which I immediately throw onto the logs. The fire blazes and the smoke drifts up in a small column over the site.
Without another thought, I run. I'm sure the Careers will be here in a few minutes, so I need to make sure I clear the site as soon as possible. The ground is soft underneath my feet. In some places, it gets slippery. A few times, I almost lose my footing and fall to the ground. But I manage to stumble over to the second campfire site in a short amount of time. This time, I wait a lot longer. I need to make sure the Careers have enough time to get to the first fire and inspect the area.
After about a half hour, I take out another match and the second fire starts. I dig my fingers into my skin, forcing myself to wait a few seconds before I run. In my head, I recite the names of my younger siblings. This is generally what I do when I want to calm down. I go from the youngest to the oldest: Reid, Samrett, Ainslie, Pax, and Mayla. Their names bring me peaceful thoughts. All of them are so young, Mayla being only nine.
Then, I bolt. The Careers should spot the fire any second now. The distance between the second and third campsites is much farther than the first two. I'm worried when I arrive at the last fire site that I am too slow. I create the third fire. Wildly, I search for a match. I know I placed the pack in the bottom right pocket of my backpack. But through the confusion, the matches had been lost.
That's when I hear a noise in the distance. The voice is distinctly one of a Career. I believe it is the male tribute of District Two, Cato. He screams at the top of his lungs, "I will find you and kill you!" His voice echoes loudly in my eardrums. Over and over I hear him sentence me to death, but somehow, I feel like the threats aren't meant for me. The way he says them is in a way that makes me think he believes that Katniss is starting the fires. My eyes dart from tree to bush. If I climb a tree, the Careers will surely spot me, but can I remain concealed in a bush? I take this as my only option.
Within moments, I find myself confined in the small space of the bushes. I watch as the Careers come near me. I can smell their sweat, almost taste it as it runs down their foreheads. Their weapons are ready. I hold my breath.
All of a sudden, there is a huge explosion. I know it must be coming from the Cornucopia. My head dashes to Katniss. Is she alright? What if something just happened to her? It doesn't take long for the Careers to abandon their search for me and run for the Cornucopia. I take a deep breath and exhale. I'm at a loss of what to do, so I decide to climb up a tree and stay there for the night. I don't dare start the hike to meet Katniss.
I watch the skies light up and see that the boy from Three and the cripple from Ten are the only deaths of the day. I feel immediate relief, but I'm still afraid that Katniss may have been wounded. I fall asleep concerned for her.
The next morning comes earlier and brighter than expected. I climb out of my tree silently and take out some food to eat. I eat slowly even though I'm famished. As I eat, I decide that I should head for our meeting place. If Katniss is alright, I'm sure she's made it there by now. I travel cautiously, knowing that the Careers are probably looking for whoever started the fires.
Around noon I spot movement. I'm not sure who it is, but it's enough to scare me. I walk a little bit faster towards our meeting place. Then I see a mockingjay. I look to it and sing my song. I hope it carries it to Katniss so she knows I'm alright. I look at the bird. It is perched in a tree. The beautiful color of it reflects in the light. A sky blue mockingjay, the rarest color of them all. I'm used to brown ones, even black ones, but seeing a blue mockingjay brings peace to the world. I take another step closer and then another.
I feel the air whoosh from under me as I am pulled up into a net. It doesn't take me long to realize that I've stepped right into a Career trap. I scream wildly. The only thing I can think of is to call Katniss. So I call out her name again and again. "Katniss! Katniss!"
I stop screaming and look over to my side. There he is: the District One Career. He has a spear poised. "Rue!" I hear from off in the distance. I look forward and so does the Career, facing the sound of her voice. "Rue! I'm coming!" The boy from One looks back and waltzes right up to me.
I reach my hand through the mesh of the net, struggling to get out. I can just see Katniss and I call out her name once again before the Career stabs the spear through my stomach. Extreme pain. Blood begins pouring out from my body. I barely notice that my killer has fallen.
"Are there more? Are there more?" Katniss asks nervously, moving around with another arrow set for fire.
"No… no…" I say quietly. I roll over, unable to take the pain anymore. Katniss breaks away the net and I feel her take my hand. I can already feel myself slipping away. "You blew up the food?" I say softly.
"Every last bit," Katniss answers.
I know that she's tough. She has the willpower, the strength and the courage to survive. "You have to win," I tell her.
"I'm going to. Going to win for both of us now," she says.
The cannon for the boy from District 1 fires and I hang on to Katniss' hand. "Don't go," I plead her.
"Course not. Staying right here," she says. She pulls my head onto her lap and brushes my hair behind my ear.
"Sing," I say. If there is any way I'd wish to die, it would be in the arms of someone I care about hearing a song. Music has always been what mattered to me most and I wanted music to take me away.
Katniss sings to me, "Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a bed of grass, a soft green pillow. Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes and when again they open, the sun will rise."
I don't recognize each word but the tune of the song is peaceful, a blend of familiar, beautiful chords. I close my eyes and thank Katniss on the inside. I repeat the names of my siblings and picture their smiling faces. I remember the blue mockingjay. Then, I feel myself succumb to death.