Katniss POV

I silently wake up as I notice the fire's flames slowly going out. I lift my head up from the icy cold floor and realize I'm still holding Cato's hand. He's breathing. Just barely. So I know he's still alive. I gently let go of his hand and touch my head. I can feel my hair out of place, and my braid nearly falling off. I can just picture myself right now if I looked at a mirror, and I'd probably be unrecognizable.

I lick my chapped lips and try to swallow my saliva to get some liquid into my system. I'm so thirsty…

My blue eyes avert around the cave to see if there's water anywhere. But of course there isn't. I'm going to die here with Cato, I think to myself. My weak self just merely crawls into a ball and I shut my eyes.

Peeta…I wonder how he's doing? The Gamemakers probably announced both me and Cato dead. Or are they trying to get to us from the rubble we fell into up above? Probably not. I'm sorry Prim…I'm sorry Gale…I couldn't survive. Gale….if you can magically somehow read my thoughts from far away, which I'm guessing not, please…promise me you'll take care of my mom and Prim. And tell them I love them. Don't let them mourn my death, they have to keep going on.

I try to crawl away from my spot near the fire and wander blindly off towards one of the cave walls. I press my hands up against it and try to push against it, hoping that it'll fall. I try this for what seems like hours on ever single cave wall, but not one of them even budges.

I sigh, and helplessly lean against one of the walls. I press my hot forehead against the cold surface of the wall, and instantly feel relief. I probably have a fever from all the trauma and the freezing cold.

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow…" I softly sing, the song I sang to Rue as she died. "A bed of grass, a soft green pillow. Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes. And when they open, the sun will rise…"

I continued to hum the rest of the song while I crawl into a ball, slowly becoming nothing. I can feel the air getting slimmer every minute I spend in this stupid cave. I start to feel sorry for the ones that have to deal with Claustrophobia.

I begin to drift off into sleep again, the only thing I can do, really. I hate being so weak. I wish I could find out a way to get out of this cave.

I hear someone screaming, which jerks me out of my slumber.

Cato!

My eyes open and I instantly run towards Cato. He continues to moan and scream, his whole body thrashing around.

I grab onto his hand and try to soothe him in the best way possible. "Cato…Oh Cato, look at me. Look at me." I try to gently lift his face towards mine without hurting him. He groans in response and tries to keep himself from thrashing around. His one un-bandaged eye slightly opens and looks up at mine. I can hear him gasping for breath, his thrashing around probably wearing him out.

I stroke his hand again, and watch as his head restlessly falls to one side. His moans quiet down, and I feel myself breathe a sigh of relief. I hate seeing anyone in this state, even Cato. I close my eyes and continue to tiredly stroke his hand, figuring that it would be best not to leave his side.

However, my sleep is again interrupted by vicious growling. I pay no attention to it, though. I'm probably just hallucinating from the dehydration. The mutts snarls and growls still play in my mind from when we were back in the Arena. How can they possibly be in the cave anyway? They were crushed by the falling rubble when me and Cato both fell.

I close my eyes again, laying my head down on my knees. The growls won't go away. But I try my best to ignore them. I sigh and try to count sheep. A common method for sleep that unusually doesn't work for me. It works for Prim though. I count sheep and stroke her hair every night she went to sleep from the day she was eight. I taught Gale this, which seemed to be particularly useful for him with his brothers.

One sheep.

Two sheep.

Three sheep.

The growls grow closer and more realistic now, but I fight not become a victim of the hallucinations.

Four sheep.

Five sheep.

The growling almost seems to be coming from a few inches away from my face now, which causes me to shiver. I slowly open my eyes and focus them towards the ground. As soon as I believe there's nothing there, my body freezes as I see one single drop of drool drop down onto the floor near me and Cato.

No way…..

I gape at the floor in awe and slowly begin to lift my head up. The sight that comes before me is horrendous.

A mutt is staring at me, with it's bulging vicious brown eyes. It's teeth are bared and it's ears are back in an aggressive position. The mutt's white teeth almost seem to be wildly grinning at me, and I can see blood fall from it's night black fur.

I gasp and shut my eyes, hoping that the hallucination would go away. It's just a hallucination….

It's just a nightmare….

When I open my eyes, it'll be gone…

I open my eyes and my blue eyes avert back to the creature. As soon as it lunges at me, I scream. It bites me on the arm and draws a heavy amount of blood from it. I instantly crawl away from the creature, holding my bleeding arm in pain.

It's not a hallucination.

But how did it survive? I stare in horror as I'm faced with even more mutts, their gleaming eyes staring at mine with hatred and blood lust. The one that bit my arm snaps at me again but I smack it on the nose and roll away from it. The mutt yelps, but not before more mutts surround me and Cato.

I grab Cato, and muster up the strength to drag him off to the other corner of the cave with my good arm. I am silently thankful that he's passed out and not conscious, or else it would be even harder to drag him.

Carrying a fully-grown muscled 18 year old is not an easy task for a small 16 year old girl like me.

I manage to drag the both of us in the other corner of the cave, which proved to be un-useful became now, we're trapped in the corner like mice, waiting for the mutts to devour us. As one of them lunges at us, I throw my bag at it, which seemed to be a good idea at first until I realize all my necessities are in there.

"Kill." One of them growls, which completely baffles me.

Several of them start lunging at me, and while I scream, the cave wall gives off and I'm sent tumbling out of the cave. I bounce on rocks and grass as I rapidly roll off a hill. As I land, I hit my head against the hard grassy floor, which leaves me dazed. I open my eyes and see the world spinning around me. I also hear yelps and growling of the mutts, as well as gunshots and weapons being thrown.

"Huh…?" I let out a tiny croak as figures begin to surround me and stare at me with curiosity. One of them touches my face, but I protest by vigorously shaking my head and shutting my eyes.

"Don't move." A hear a voice say.

I blink and suddenly feel myself blacking out as the figures begin to get farther and farther away. The only thing I can make out in the darkness is a small medallion representing a district I'd never seen before, hanging from one of the figures' necks.