A/N- I cannot even explain how much writer's block this chapter caused me... but finally here it is, Chapter 7, completely finished. :D

((DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Hunger Games.))

CHAPTER 7: "Live to Die Another Day"

"Tracker Jackers!" screams Clove not bothering to wait for us as she runs back through the woods. My eyes flit around trying to make sense of the situation. I see Glimmer's sleeping bag now has a crushed nest that must belong to the Tracker Jackers on it and right next to it there is a swarm of the metallic bugs. From the center of the swarm I hear a high-pitched mangled scream. It takes me a moment, but I end up matching the scream to the girl I pretend to love. Once I realize this, my first instinct is to help her but in the same moment I realize it's too late for that. So, I just stand still frozen from shock.

Why am I not getting stung? I start to wonder, my mind still not registering that I should be reacting to everything going on. That's when I start noticing something that sounds like rain on one of the metal roofs in District 2. I look down at myself and see a volley of Tracker Jackers throwing themselves at my body only to bounce off my armor and fall to the ground. And as soon as I look down it's as if the Tracker Jackers suddenly realize my face is exposed, because a group of them rush up, heading straight for it. I swat them away and finally start running, no longer worried about what's happening to anyone else.

I rush through the woods heading for the lake, hoping the water will stop the attack. Once or twice I think that it would be okay to stop, but then I am proved wrong by the sound of buzzing close behind me. Once I'm within a few feet of the lake, I lunge forward holding my breath. I plunge into the water, which is astonishingly cold and the shock of it causes me to suck in water. I struggle to keep calm gasping for air only to take in more water. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, but couldn't have been more than a few minutes, I bob up to the surface and after recovering from my struggle realize there aren't any Tracker Jackers near the lake.

As I make my way to the edge of the water, I notice that I must have jumped quite a ways into the lake because I have a good amount of distance to swim back. I look around once I reach the shore and don't see any of my allies near me. I decide to head back to the tree and see who we've lost today. Halfway back to the tree and I can see a body. I feel my breathing quicken and I have to fight off the urge to run in the opposite direction. I keep going on glancing at the number on the jacket as I tread past. District 4. Why don't I know her name? I wonder to myself, realizing how horrible it is to not even know the name of a lost ally. It's not like I can ask anyone now. I guess I'll just have to wait until the Recap of the Games during my interview after I become Victor.

As I look away from District 4's body, I see another one up ahead. Even from here I can see the unmistakable blonde hair of my supposed-to-be love. And I feel a knot forming in my throat. You didn't even love her! I scream in my mind trying to stay emotionless. But that just makes it worse. I take a deep breath and choke back a sob, because it was wrong the way I played her. Even before I talked to Marvel I knew there was no way that Glimmer was that good of an actress. She really loved me. And I honestly couldn't have cared less about her. Until now. Now that she's gone. Cato! Focus! My logical mind takes over again. This is game. You have to play it to win it. So shut up and keep going.

Ahead of me I see somebody walking. "Marvel?" I call, guessing at who it is. I get a little closer and I'm wrong. It's Lover Boy. He's not moving though. I think he's talking to someone, so he must not have heard me. Wait... did he just say get out of here? And is that Katniss?! I'm near enough now to know that I'm right. And I can see Katniss turn stumbling away, I'm pretty sure I even see a few stings on her. Less work for me.

A little to the left of my feet I see a knife on the ground that one of us must have dropped in the chaos and silently pick it up. Then I press the very tip of it to his back and say, "Well, hello there, Lover Boy."

He turns around with a smug look plastered on his face. "You'll never beat her."


Not again. I think when I realize that I'm back at the cornucopia and there is a group of people clustering around me asking all sorts of questions. Nothing is registering; no words; no faces. The only thing I can tell is that I am out of breath and am holding a very bloody knife. I feel chills run up and down my spine, causing me to drop the knife. I killed Lover Boy. I actually killed him. No, I don't remember hearing a canon shot. Yeah, but you don't remember anything after seeing Lover Boy talking to Katniss.

"Cato! You're not even listening to us."

"Oh, what?" I ask, still not really listening.

"Is that Katniss' blood?"

"Lover Boy's. He, uh, he let her escape. Told her to run. Who's left?" I attempt to change the subject.

"Me," replies Clove, "Marvel and Ryland."

Not so good. "Hunting, anyone?" I change the subject again, still not able to focus.

"Sounds good," agrees Marvel. Clove nods as well. Ryland doesn't even bother to answer; instead he walks over to the Cornucopia and sits on the edge of the mouth of it.


"So do you love me yet?" questions Clove as we walk through the woods hoping to stumble upon a lost tribute.

"Let the man grieve," Marvel answers before I can. We walk in complete silence the rest of the way, not finding a single tribute, which is to be expected at this point in the game. However this leaves me with time to think about what I've done. Lover Boy... What was his actual name? It was some type of food... Oh, Pita, that's what it was... Who names their kid after bread, probably a baker... Well, who kills a kid named after bread? A mental case, that's who! He wasn't even that bad of a kid. I mean sure he couldn't lie and had an irritating face. But he was just protecting the girl he thought he loved. Maybe he did love her. I don't know. He did sacrifice himself for her. I wouldn't have done that for Glimmer. What's wrong with me?


"Cato?"

"What!?" I respond loudly to Clove.

"You alright over there?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You just haven't seemed right since we got back to camp... Don't worry about it, tomorrow will find her. I'm sure of it." She smiles a smile that is supposed to reassure me, but it doesn't work.

I can't think of how to respond and thankfully the anthem starts playing and she won't be able to hear me anyway. It seems too early to start the Recap; I feel like the Sun has only been up for a few hours at most. The four of us look up in the sky anyway and see District 4's picture followed by Glimmer's. But that's it. No Lover Bo— I mean, Pita. I didn't kill him! ... Oh no, I didn't kill him.

As the anthem closes the Recap, I can see in the glow of the projection that all three of my remaining allies have wide-eyed stares locked onto me.

"Why wasn't he on the Recap, Cato?" Clove asks me through what I imagine are tightly gritted teeth.

Well, I can't say I didn't kill him. And I can say the truth which is that I don't really know what happened to him. So I go with my usual plan; lie. "I know where I cut him. I cut him right where it would be the most painful; where it would make it impossible for him to move or even stop the bleeding. He'll be dead soon enough. And all the time he'll be wishing it would just end."

The three of them nod in a way that would make people think I was asking if that was okay by them. So the next thing I say, I do ask as a question, just so they'll feel important. "Well, I'm tired. Anyone else feel like it's a good time to sleep?"

"I'll guard," volunteers Marvel as the rest of us prepare for bed. I make the smart decision of taking off my boots and socks before I go to bed and end up revealing feet that have been irritated so much by wet shoes that they are covered in rub spots and smeared blood.

"That's disgusting," groans Clove looking away as she rummages through a backpack. "Put this on them," she orders, throwing a can of some type of ointment and a pair of fresh socks at me. After doing so, I realize just how bad my feet hurt, by the fact that they feel so much better already.

I go to lie down again but Clove stops me, "You know there's blood all over your shirt, right?"

I look down and see large red-maroon colored stains on my shirt. I can't even stand to look at it and I rip my shirt off throwing it as far from me as possible.

"There's some on your pants too," warns Marvel. But that I'm just going to have to deal with.

"Wait! Do you hear that?" I ask referring to a quiet humming noise.

"No," both Marvel and Ryland reply.

"Kind of, yeah..." says Clove with her head cocked to one side. "It's coming from over by you." She scoots closer. "I think whatever it is, it's in your sock!"

I drop to the ground and pull both feet close to my face. It is coming from my sock! I unroll the edge of it and out pops a Tracker Jacker. And if metal bugs have emotions, this one was not a happy one. Clove screamed and it rushed for the first thing it saw. My face. Before I am able to react I feel a prick on the bottom of my chin and then another one by my eye. This time I can react and I smash my hand against my face, but not before the stupid thing turns around and is able to sting my hand. Apparently Iron skin doesn't protect hands either.

Thankfully the bug is dead and can do no more damage. But I am not okay. My face and my hand burn with an insane pain that's feels like concentrated fire.

"C-C-C-ATTT-O!?" a girl voice echos in and out of my mind, I don't know who it is. A hand touches my face. It's a weird hand blue and swollen. It hurts when it touches me. "Demon!" I scream. The hand pulls away. My vision comes and goes in flashes. My legs give in. I hear a snapping sound. I'm broken. There are people touching me. They're not people. They're hurting me. Burning me with their touch. What's on top of me, they're burying me. What are you putting on me? Is that President Snow? Who's he? Him, of course. He's laughing. He's evil. Die!

And with the words "Itt'S the Vennomm, keepP hIM St-iIL!" buzzing in my mind, I die. At least for a while. Until I wake and return to lead these demons.

~theeShadyLady~