Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of its characters.

Chapter 3

The day started pretty bad. And that is saying something; he's had pretty terrible days in his life.

One hit to the face and the bruising that is going to be there in a couple of minutes is enough, he decides as he runs away from his mother's reach and tumbles through the door just to see Gale and Katniss waiting outside for him.

Gale immediately gets mad and clenches his jaw in his characteristic way and Katniss simply looks down. This is not something they haven't seen before and Peeta usually made up some sort of lie to cover the bruises and stuff but there's no point now as Gale and probably the whole town knows about what happens inside his house.

They walk to school and when they get there he goes to his locker like everyday only to find, like everyday a bouncing Delly waiting for him. There's not much left of school and so she's been insisting over and over again that he has to tell Katniss how he feels. She is Katniss' number one cheerleader even if the brunette doesn't know about it. But like everyday he finds a reason not to. In his head there's still plenty of time even if he knows that that is the way he lies to himself in order to keep her from running away from him. Because he knows that is what she is going to do when she finds out. He's been close to her enough through the years to know how she is going to react. He waves off Delly and walks over to Katniss and Gale.

He knew something was wrong with the day, the people, everything seemed off today. The thing is he didn't know what.

When he hears Cato's laugh he remembers his friend telling him to stay clear from the hallway today. Maybe not even go to his locker that day specifically. He hadn't paid much attention. When he heard the gunshots and saw Katniss frozen in front of him he had wished he had paid more attention or taken his friends words more seriously.

He wants her safe as fast as possible and that is why even when he feels something off with his leg he doesn't dare look at it until they make it into the art room. If he is honest he didn't feel a thing for a while there and then the burning sensation started.

When she notices she wants to get out of their little cave but he doesn't allow that to happen. He isn't going to put her at risk after taking her out of there. From the looks of that hallway when they left there was some serious damage done to other people. He feels bad because he didn't stop to help anyone else but then again when it comes to Katniss he really doesn't think clearly.

His nonexistent survival instinct had kicked in and gotten him to take her out of there as fast as he could.

When he sees her face he knows she is feeling guilty, that she probably thinks of a million reasons why this was her fault. So he reassures her that it isn't. It really wasn't.

She makes a makeshift bandage that hurts like hell but at least helps with the blood flow. He knows he's got better chances to get out of there if he loses as little blood as possible.

When he feels himself blushing when she takes her sweatshirt off and is left only in her tank top he knows he isn't as bad as he could be, because he can still blush.

The hardest thing inside that classroom isn't the knowledge that he was shot and that he may die but convince Katniss that she can't tell Gale a thing. He knows his friend. He knows that if Gale finds out he will go out of wherever he is hiding and come here even if it means getting killed by having an encounter with Cato.

He starts dozing off and only realizes when she tells him to open his eyes. He feels tired, really tired and he knows he is sweating like a pig because he can feel his shirt damp with sweat.

It takes more than a few words to convince Katniss after all. He has to tell her, to recall the day they met. The day his mother hit him so hard and kicked him out in the yard not caring if someone saw. He even tells her that he heard her singing and he sees her blush, he really loves when she blushes.

Then they hear the door opening fast and then closing. They both freeze and he thinks that he must be the person with the worst luck in the world if Cato managed to get in here because that only means that he found them and that they are probably dead. He couldn't protect her.

He thinks of ways to beg him to spare Katniss, after all they are friends and he may do this as a little favor to Peeta. All of those things go through his mind in a span of a few seconds and then he sees Katniss taking a piece of wood.

He's never hated his body more than in this moment.

He tries to pull her hand to stop her from investigating but his body is failing him and she easily removes her hand from his. He doesn't feel as strong as he usually is. He knows this is bad.

"We have to get out…" says one voice.

"I know but I'm scared…what If we cross paths with him on our way out…he's going to kill us…he's gone mad! Or what if is any of the other guys?" the other voice says.

"I know but…we have to get out! Your shoulder is bleeding badly! There must be something here to help" the voice says and that's when Katniss steps outside from the hiding spot.

"Peeta?" they ask as they come into his view with Katniss. It's Beete and Wiress from his chem. lab.

"Are you okay?" he asks coming closer to where Peeta is and his eyes widen as he sees the made up bandage on his leg.

"Yeah, you guys okay?" Peeta asks.

"Yeah, but a bullet grazed Wiress in the shoulder" he tells him. "We are heading out…he doesn't seem to be around here…last I heard he was in the library so we have to take advantage of that. Come with us!" He says as he turns to look at Katniss as if the decision is hers.

"I can't" she tells him. And Beete nods; of course he sees where Peeta has been shot. He knows there's no way he is walking out of here. At least not without help, help he can't give him because he is too short and weak to do so.

"You are bleeding a lot dude!" he says and he seems nervous and concerned. Well, he knows he is bleeding but is not like he can do anything about it.

"We can't leave you guys here" says Wiress appearing behind Beete.

"Katniss…" Beete looks at her imploringly. He wants her to go with them. Peeta doesn't want to be here alone but if he is honest with himself he has little chances of getting out. He is starting to feel breathless and that just means his time is running out. He doesn't want Katniss to stay just to see him get worse. Or…he doesn't even want to think of the word…even if he might as well be getting used to the idea. It's not really the fact of that happening to him that scares him but the fact that it could happen here while she is alone with him.

He should've told her how he felt. So many times. And there was him thinking that he still had time, he should've told Katniss how he felt like Delly wanted him to.

"Come with us!" Wiress voices out what Beete was trying to imply. "We will get him help as soon as we can but you come with us!" Katniss looks conflicted. Of course she wants to leave but she would feel guilty. She's too good to abandon someone. She didn't leave him when he was a kid and he told her to.

"Go with them" he tells her and he is surprised at how tired his voice sounds. He just wants her to get out.

"What?" she asks turning around so fast that her braid hits her face. This is something she does when she is surprised he has learned.

"Go with them...I'll be fine!" he tries to smile but it comes out more like a wince. The pain has gradually grown just like his tiredness.

"No! I'm not going to leave you! I'm not going to do that!" she tells him but he knows that deep inside he wants to get out of there. She is a survivor after all and her instinct must be yelling at her to leave with Wiress and Beete.

"You have to get out while you still can Katniss! This is the perfect chance to get you to safety!" He tries to reason but she shakes her head.

"No", agh! Why does she have to be so freaking stubborn?

"Yes, leave with them and send help when you can it's not like I'm going anywhere" he tells her, serious but a little annoyed at her stubbornness. In his head it sounds reasonable and in all truth he wants her to go out. First, because he wants her to get to safety so he doesn't have to worry about her still being inside the school with psycho Cato on the loose and second because he doesn't know how much longer he will hold on and he doesn't want her to see him like that.

She ponders it for a few seconds. He knows she is considering it but right when he thinks she has come to terms with a decision (that he hopes is on her benefit) she turns around again and looks at him. Her eyes widen and she shakes her head.

He looks down and sees the small pool of blood that's under his shot leg and he sighs. Nope, she's not leaving.

"I'm staying with him. I can't leave him alone, not like that" she tells Beete and he nods.

"We will tell them that he is hurt and where you guys are. I promise!" he says looking at Peeta. "I'm sorry" he says and looks to the floor.

"It's okay" he tells him. He is apologizing for not being big enough to help him. He is apologizing for leaving them here for wanting to survive. He doesn't blame him.

"We are going to send help! We promise! Lock the door Katniss!" says Wiress behind Beete and they both leave being as silently as they can.

Katniss is still standing where she was.

"You should've left" he tells her.

"Shhh!" she says and turns around. She is mad. "You…shouldn't…agh!" she says as she sits on the opposite side from where he is sitting. It kind of is better to have her in front of him even if she is doing it to distance herself from him.

"I'm sorry" he tells her. For making you mad, for keeping you here, for not telling you how I feel…it conveys all of them.

"Shut up Peeta" she says. They stay silent.

He doesn't know how much time passes or what happens but the next thing he feels is Katniss shaking him.

"Don't fall asleep!" she tells him and there's a frantic look on her face, she is tense and she's got her cell phone in her hand. He doesn't think much of it. He is too tired and he is having a hard time getting air into his lungs.

"I won't…sorry" he tells her but he is tired. The pain…it is still there but it is bearable. Nothing he hasn't felt before.

Her cell phone vibrates again and he notices just now that she is sitting next to him again. She stands up and gets a piece of fabric that is covering a painting and places it over him. She sits next to him and passes her arm over his shoulders. She's trying to warm him up.

"You're cold" she tells him. She's not asking. He didn't notice before but he does now, he is starting shiver a little. He wonders how much time they have spent here…how much time has passed since this all started…how much time does he have left? With the way he is feeling he is guessing it can't be much. He makes a decision.

"Yeah, listen" he tells her and he knows that If he is going to die today the last thing he can do is make the most out of this situation. Even if she doesn't reciprocate he has to let her know. She starts rubbing his arms with frantic movements that are more fueled by her fear than anything else. "If I don't…" she doesn't let him finish. She takes her arms and squeezes hard. If he weren't feeling numb he guesses it would have hurt.

"Shut up!" she says and glares at him.

"Katniss…just in case I need you to…"

"Peeta, please!" She tells him and he sees the look she's got. She's scared. He is scared too but he needs her to know. He needs to tell her just in case. He's waited too long now, too long and maybe he won't be able to tell her later.

"We were five the first time I heard you sing" He tells her. This is the next best way, if she won't have it any other way.

"Oh!" she says and he sees relief in her face. She places her hands on her lap and starts playing with her fingers. It is like if not talking about him dying is going to keep it from happening.

"It was the first day of school. My dad pointed you out in the line while you were with your father. You had a red plaid dress and your hair was in two braids instead of one. Then in class when they asked who knew the valley song your hand shot straight up. You sang beautifully" he tells her and she looks down as if recalling the memory. "I knew I was a goner as soon as the song finished! I've liked you ever since Katniss!" he tells her. There! He said it! After all these years...he finally said it…too bad he did it when he is dying. He looks at her and she pales her eyes wide but locked on the floor. It's as if something is finally making sense, like she is realizing something just now. He wonders what that is.

"Peeta I…" she starts and looks up at him her eyes full of tears, he sees her swallow as if there's a big lump in her throat and then she looks at him. His heart falls to his feet.

"You don't have to say anything…I just wanted you to know…just in case…" he tells her and her eyes widen.

"You are not going to die in here! Stop talking like that!" She tells him and he once again has managed to make her mad.

"Katniss…" he starts. He feels like somehow she has to be prepared in case it happens.

"No! Promise me! Promise that you won't die on me Peeta!" she tells him as she takes his hand in hers and squeezes tightly and he looks at her. How can he promise something like that? Oh, the irony of it all.

Her eyes fill with tears at his silence. She looks at him imploringly like willing him to promise.

"I'm sorry" he tells her. She shakes her head.

"This is my fault. Always my fault! You can't die on me, you hear me? We are getting you out of here!"

"We?" what is she talking about?

Her cell phone vibrates again and then they hear movement by the door. He sees her check her cell phone again and she sighs in what seems to be relief. She stands up and runs to the door.

"You made it!" he hears her say with relief and then he hears an oompf as if someone's air got knocked out.

"You should've told me sooner Catnip!" Oh no! What has she done?

"Gale?" he asks and he appears looking utterly mad. As mad as he is himself at seeing him here all he can think about is Uh Oh!

"What the fuck dude?" he asks kneeling next to him. He places his hand over Peeta's forehead.

"Why did you come? Why did you call him?" He asks her looking at her like if what she did was unforgivable.

"Shut up! How could you ask her not to tell me? Just shut the hell up" Gale tells him looking at him seriously.

"We have to get you out of here dude…this doesn't look good" he says standing up and running his hands through his hair much like Peeta does every time he is nervous or desperate.

"No" he answers and Gale turns to look at him sharply.

"You don't have much time Peeta. Your breathing is shallow, your skin clammy, you are shivering. All of those signs that you are going into shock dude! You know what follows?" he asks him.

"What do you know?" he asks him but he knows Gale is right. They took the same health class. They learned all of those things in the: what to do in emergency cases part of the class.

"I'm not an idiot Peeta!" he yells and Katniss jumps. "I know you didn't want to risk me or Catnip here but we have to get you out! As soon as I found out I called 911 but they said they can get in until it is qualified as a secure area. That's not happening soon…no one knows where the hell Cato is so we are taking you out right now" he tells him and he sounds authoritative.

"I don't think I can" he tells them both. He knows he is not okay…he's known for a while now.

"Peeta" Katniss tells him as he looks at the floor and winces. "I know" she tells him taking his face between her hands. "That's why I called Gale! We are getting you out of here okay? And after that we are going to talk about what you told me! We are going to but you have to be strong okay?" she asks of him.

He doesn't think he wants to talk about it if it is what he saw on her face. That face can't be good news.

He nods tiredly. He has to try. That's all he can think.

"Come on" Gale says as he helps him get up and Peeta pales as he tries to stand on the leg. Gale seems to notice because he passes Peeta's arm over his shoulders and Peeta places the majority of his weight on Gale. "It's okay Peet! Small steps! We are getting you out of here"

"I'm not worried about that" he tells him seriously but he feels as if everything is blurring around the edges. He shakes his head a little to get rid of it.

"I know what you are worried about. But we are going to be okay…you are the one that matters right now, okay?"

"Why don't you guys just go out and look for help and then come back later?" he asks as Katniss takes his other arm passing it over her shoulders.

"You are not alone Peet! You have not been alone since you were seven and Catnip found you. So you are not alone now…we are not leaving without you…"

The thing was that he felt too tired to keep his eyes open, too cold without the fabric covering him and in too much pain to move. He couldn't tell them but just standing there with them being his support he felt extremely tired.

"Let's go" said Gale and Peeta thinks that maybe for a moment he lost consciousness because he doesn't remember them walking all the way to the door.

"You can do this Peeta, we know you can!" Katniss tells him. All he can think about is that if he is incapable of walking out of here, they won't get out of here and Cato could find them. They have to get out because he doesn't think he is going out of here.

"Wait…please" he asks them and he sees the worried looks on their faces. He probably looks like shit. "Katniss…I…"

"Peeta please…we have to get you out of here…" she says urgently. She looks at everywhere but his eyes and that only make his stomach drop further, even when he knows that that shouldn't matter right now because he is as good as dead or that is how he feels.

They start walking out of the classroom that was their protection for the time they spent there. Everywhere they look they can see blood and in some places even some bodies. He shivers and he is not sure if it is because he is cold or because of the sight of the bodies. How could Cato do something like that? Why Cato?

"We'll stop here first" says Gale suddenly and again he thinks that he blacked out because he doesn't remember walking all the way to the nurse station.

They get in and surprisingly there is no one there. They sit him in a chair and run inside to grab bandages and stuff.

"We have to put this on you" says Katniss taking one of his arms and putting it inside one of the sleeves of the hoodie. Then the other arm and she hugs him rubbing his back with her hands to give him some warmth. Best part of his day, he thinks.

"The best part is going to be when we are out of here" she whispers in his ear. His eyes widen because he didn't think he had said that aloud and because Katniss' voice sounds so sincere…like she believes he's going to get out of there.

"This may hurt Peet but I'm going to apply another bandage, tighter okay? We need to buy a little more time, we are close now". he only nods and grunts a little when Gale tightens the bandages around his leg. He feels dizzy and he wishes he could scream but that would put them in further risk. "Now we go" Gale says and just like before they support him with their bodies as they walk out again.

Miraculously he knows where they are and he feels relief knowing that they just have to turn to the right and at the end of the hallway is the exit.

But it was too good to be true and just as they turn to the right there is no other than Cato standing there with a rifle or something like that hanging on his shoulder.

"Whoa Whoa Whoaaaa!" he says putting his hands up. Peeta turns to look from Gale to Katniss noticing their pale skin as it dawns on them that they are not going to make it outside. "What the hell happened to you Peet?" he asks. He looks genuinely concerned.

"What do you think happened to him?" asks Gale as he sends daggers with his eyes towards Cato's way.

"Shit, I told you to stay away from the hallway today!" he turns to look at Peeta angry.

"I forgot…" Peeta manages to croak out, his voice sounding foreign to him.

"Shit, shit shit! This isn't my fault! It's your fault! I told you! I told you God damnit!" he starts yelling and pacing in the corridor.

"It's done dude…just let us get out!" Gale tells him slowly. It's as if he is approaching a wounded animal with his voice calm and neutral. "We have to get him out or he is going to die…he's shivering like mad now…there's not much time left" Gale tells him and Cato's face scrunches up with some sort of worry and indecision.

He seems to ponder for a few seconds what his plan of action is going to be. Seconds that tick away from Peeta who keeps bleeding. He knows because the spots around the corners are growing threatening to surround him in blackness.

"Please Cato, Please! Let us take him out please" Katniss begs but he only shakes his head.

"No! No one is going out!" He yells. "I'm sorry Peet I'm really sorry I can't let you go" he says and he sounds genuinely sorry.

"He is your friend! Are you going to let him die?" Katniss yells. "If he dies you killed him! You are killing your friend!" she yells again and Cato shakes his head.

Peeta wants to tell Katniss to shut up. To leave Cato alone and hopefully he won't do anything to hurt Gale or her but he can't. At this point he can't utter another word.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" he yells and points at them with his gun.

Gale looks at something he doesn't know what it is but he sees something and suddenly he pulls them down and they hear the doors banging open and shots.

Everything happens in a blur. Police officers enter the school. Katniss is screaming for help as someone applies pressure to his leg. It probably is Gale. Someone is talking to him, someone takes his hand but he can't understand what is happening. He doesn't understand. He is tired, he wants to sleep. He feels cold, too cold.

He can't breathe. He is cold. He is in pain. His eyelids are drooping and he is surprised because he thought his eyes were closed as all that surrounded him was blackness. He doesn't want to sleep but his eyelids finally drop and even when he hears someone calling him he just wants to sleep. He wants to sleep; he thinks he is going to start right about now.

AN. Hey guys! Hope you like the chapter! Let me know what you think! Only a couple more left. First we are going to hear from Gale and then Katniss again. Hope you like it!