A/N - Sorry for taking so long but I have just been swamped at work. Anyway, hope you enjoy the Games ;)
The 19th Hunger Games – You Reap What You Sow
Part X – Dog & Bone
Rachel knows she's still alive only because she feels the acute pain of her heart constricting at the sight of Quinn running away from her. Only Quinn runs in an arc and then skids to a stop before turning around to stare at her. Some of the tributes running towards her stop to pick up small knives or packets of food, while a few of the others continue on, knowing she had better supplies like food, medicine and water but more importantly, weapons.
When they're near enough though, they veer off a bit as they notice the plate she's still standing on and she has to put her hands out to stop them before yelling that her mine is still active.
Nick, the large boy from District 2 does not seem to believe her as he grabs hold of the knife on her back, only, it does not release and his other hand shoots out to grab her around her throat in frustration. And that contact finally spurs Finn into reacting as he tries to pry Nick's hand away and Brittany already looking around for something, anything to put on Rachel's plate.
Sam had seen Quinn run the other way and without understanding anything, he follows her anyway. "So what's the plan?" He can see from her solemn expression that she has one and hopes she understands that he's on her side whatever that entailed. He does not want to think too far ahead but he made a promise to his mom and he won't ever forget that.
Quinn had guessed that it wouldn't be easy to get to Rachel. Some of the tributes were already fighting each other as she sees one or two go down, blood staining their clothes. "They're already turning on each other... "Her voice is tinged with surprise and fear even as she sees Sam's mouth set in a grim line as he nods at her words.
"So if you have a plan, we need to put it into action soon." However, before she can react, his hand reaches out to pull her towards him. Quinn tries to pull back only to see the boy from District 6, Axel, rushing towards them, his teeth bared and a small dagger in his hand.
Quinn feels Sam's arm around her, almost pulling her off her feet as he pivots on his front foot before throwing a punch at the oncoming boy. However, it does not stop his momentum as all three of them fall hard to the ground when the boy makes contact, his knife opening a wound on Sam's upper arm.
Quinn kicks out, her foot eliciting a grunt out of Axel as well as his attention as he turns the dagger on her. Only Sam is determined to keep his word as he scrambles to his feet and kicks Axel in his side before aiming a kick at his head. The sound of Sam's foot connecting actually makes Quinn sick as she turns her head away.
"Good, don't look." She hears Sam's voice, flat and unemotional and she realizes that she's as much part of the Games as he was. She had volunteered and she can't not look and she definitely can't let Sam fight all her battles for her. So she turns to see Sam holding the boy in a chokehold as he tightens his arms. His face red with exertion and the tendons on his arms bulging as he chokes the boy.
Quinn knows that the sound of the tribute's neck breaking will stay with her for a very long time. But she knows that this is still only the beginning as she crawls over to Sam, her hand reaching out to grab his and her voice surprisingly strong. "I need you to get most of the tributes to stand near the front of Rachel's plate."
Sam's trying his best to focus on something, anything besides the body of the boy at his feet. He knows that he had no choice, that the boy had just come at him, at Quinn and he was just trying to stay alive and keep his promise. He feels Quinn's hand on his arm and focuses on that touch and her voice, blocking everything else out.
But it' still not enough as he bends over and retches next to the body, only to feel Quinn's both arms go around his shoulders and her voice in his ear, "You saved my life and I am so sorry you had to do this but we need to go now. We need to save Rachel and we need to go."
Sam looks at the tributes surrounding Rachel. About ten of them there, and six other bodies scattered around not including the boy from District 6 at his feet and the rest probably already in the forest, trying to buy time for themselves. "What do you want me to do?" He sees relief on Quinn's face before her eyes widen when she hears a cry from Rachel.
Quinn sees Dave and Nick, the District 2 tribute pulling on Rachel even as Finn tries to run interference but she can see it's not working or at least she can hear it as Rachel cries out in pain again. "Can you get as many of them in front of Rachel as possible? I'm going to trigger her plate."
"What?" He's pretty sure that she's not crazy, at least not yet but she does look determined as she makes eye contact with him, her jaw grinding down when she hears another cry of pain from Rachel.
"They're hurting her. I'm going to get her off the plate and you need to ensure that the blast will get as many of them as possible." Quinn knows she does need Sam's help here even if every fiber of her being is focused on Rachel and trying to just get to her. "Just trust me, please. Try and get their attention and stay about fifteen feet away if you can."
"Okay. But I swear to god Quinn, if you get yourself killed, I'm...Katie made me promise so just don't ok?" He waits to see her nod in assent before he jogs to where Rachel is. He can see a fight brewing even as the tributes surround Rachel, trying to pull off her supplies and weapons while Finn and Brittany try their best to protect her. She already has a cut on her face and bruises on her arms and Sam's almost sure sooner or later, one of them was going to just pull her off her plate and kill her along with any number of tributes.
From the corner of his eye, he can see Quinn run parallel to the forest before aligning herself to Rachel and he finally understands what she plans to do. He knows she's fast but he's not sure she's fast enough. Only, he does not want to second guess her as he stops about ten feet away from the fray and calls out. "Hey."
He sees some of the tributes turn to stare at him but not all of them and it just spurs him on to shout louder, "Hey, morons, maybe we just need a better plan to get her off without…you know killing her and ourselves." He sees anger on a few of their faces now and knows that at least he has their attention.
Sam wills himself not to stare at Quinn, hoping her plan actually worked because if it didn't both of them would wind up dead in a few minutes.
"So what's your plan?" Finn shouts at him even as Nick takes a step forward, his face contorted in anger.
"District 3?" Sam looks at the two tributes off to the side, "Either one of you know how to disarm the mine?" It was a long shot and Sam knows Quinn was already making her move and all he needed was maybe half a minute more. He sees a shift as all the tributes now turn slightly to the boy and girl from District 3.
Lucio knows he probably can and almost takes a step forward only to see a girl barreling towards them. He recognizes her from District 4 and the second he sees her launch herself forward towards Rachel, he understand exactly what has happened and grabs onto Claudia's arm pulling her down.
The blast is not huge but it does do it job as the bodies of all the tributes, dirt and stones are thrown in all directions.
#$#$#$#$#
The second Quinn hears Sam's voice call out, she starts to run forward, gauging the distance of Rachel and the speed she needs to attain to gain enough momentum to push Rachel off the plate and hopefully use the strength of the concussive blast to propel them away, hurt but hopefully not dead.
She sees deep brown eyes staring at her and it spurs her on faster. They don't need words really as she sees Rachel's hand on her heart again. And when Rachel's eyes slip shut, Quinn launches herself forward, her body of the ground as she grabs hold of Rachel's waist pushing her off the plate and to the side.
The blast occurs almost instantaneously and Quinn feels the heat of it on her back as her arms wrap around Rachel. The sound and force of it scrambling her senses and all she feels is pain but all she knows is she is holding Rachel and still airborne only to twist her body at the last second such that she takes the brunt of the fall as they land on the ground about ten feet away.
Sam is the first tribute on his feet as he frantically looks around, the acrid smell of smoke and the dust making his eyes water but he does not care when he spots Quinn and Rachel about twenty feet away. He hears groans and sees movements from the other tributes scattered around and knows they only have a small window of time to make their getaway.
He runs towards the two prone bodies and is unsurprised to see Quinn's arms still loosely held around Rachel. The only issue was Quinn looked unconscious but at least Rachel's eyes were blinking open. "Can you stand?" He says the words even if he himself can hear them clearly and he can see that Rachel doesn't either as she does not look at him.
So he reaches out and touches her cheek only to have her jerk back as she looks at him before looking back at Quinn, her arms reaching out to grab at Quinn's shoulders. He can see her frantic look as her hands roam Quinn's body, touching her face and back, her hands coming away a bit wet with blood.
"Quinn, please baby, please.." There's a ringing in her ears but she needs to call out to Quinn, to make every single connection she can, physical and verbal. She's on her side, Quinn's arms still around her and she rises slightly, still anxious because Quinn's arms fall away and she has to reach out to grab Quinn's hand. There's blood on hers partly from her but mostly from Quinn and she does not want to think the worse even if she knows that it's a distinct possibility.
Rachel sees Sam touch Quinn's neck and wants to swat his hand away only she understands he's checking to see if Quinn was still alive. It's only when he looks at her, his own features now showing relief that she feels her heart beat again as she scrambles to her knees, her arms holding Quinn, not knowing really what's going to happen next but realizing that from now onwards, keeping Quinn alive was her only goal.
She sees Sam trying to talk to her and tries to concentrate even if all she wants to focus on is the girl in her arms.
"We need to get out of here." He reaches out to take Quinn only to see Rachel pull back. Sam knows that they only have a few minutes maybe just a bit more before the other tributes regain consciousness and come after them. He already sees Nick starting to stir and he knows that he can't protect Quinn and Rachel and fight more than one tribute.
So he reaches out and pulls Quinn towards him, Rachel resisting but he's still stronger and manages to get Quinn and sling her over his shoulder. Only he does underestimates Rachel's resolve as she pulls out a nasty looking knife before she stands up and confronts him.
"I'm not going to hurt her or you. I…" He can see that she's still having trouble hearing him and all she's focused on really is Quinn even if she's waving the knife around like she's intending to use it. So Sam gently places Quinn's prone body on the ground before raising both his arms in front of him in a pacifying gesture. He enunciates each word slowly, exaggerating the sound and for once thankful for his large mouth.
"Rachel, I know you're worried about Quinn but please trust me because I am worried about her too and I guess by extension I have to look out for you as well." He sees her blinking at him but can tell that she does get the gist of what he's saying when she lowers the blade slightly. Only, the movement at the corner of his eye distracts him as he lunges forward, taking her by surprise, her loosely held weapon slashing him shallowly on his cheek but he does not stop as Nick rushes towards them.
It's only belatedly that Sam notices that the knife is connected to Rachel, thin wires inserted into her back allowing her and only her, the ability to wield it comfortably. But that does not stop Sam as he pulls Rachel in front of him, not as a shield but just to be able to grasp her hand and at least use the knife to protect them from Nick's blind rage.
Sam does not think of the consequences of his actions, of what this act could do to Rachel or what would happen if he failed. He just knows that they need to survive by any means necessary as he ignores Rachel's cry even as he pushes forward, the sharp blade catching Nick on his side and drawing blood.
He does not register Rachel's cry of pain as he extends his arm too far and pulls the wires taut, causing Rachel immense pain. His next move even more severe as he surges forward, almost pulling Rachel off her feet, this maneuver drawing blood from Rachel but at least wounding Nick across his neck, the gash bleeding profusely.
It's only when he feels Rachel sag against him, falling to her knees such that the weapon is pulled from his hand. But he cannot help her though as Nick pushes him to the ground, blood dripping everywhere but still he does not stop as he kicks out, catching Sam in his stomach. He kicks out two more times and Sam almost loses consciousness. But he sees Rachel's pained expression and Quinn still body off to the side and it reminds him that he has one job to do and he would do it or die trying.
So, he catches Nick's foot when the tribute kicks out again, this time pulling it into his stomach, ignoring the pain and causing Nick to fall backwards. He sees the Rachel's knife on the ground and reaches out for it. He sees Rachel steel herself against the pain as she rolls forward her hand holding the knife, reaching out, giving Sam the leeway he needs. Allowing him to firmly grab hold over her hand and cut into Nick, the blade entering his chest.
This time Sam is ready for the death, knowing that it's the only way and he does not throw up although he can finally hear Rachel's sobs as she tries her best to swallow them but it doesn't work and she finally lets it out, hoarse cries but still, Quinn's name on her lips.
There is so much blood, Nick's, Quinn's, Rachel's and definitely his, all mixed together on him, on the ground and the smell is almost overpowering but he finally gets his focus back as he crawls to Quinn, preparing to carry her. Before he can do so though, he sees Finn helping Brittany to her feet and knows he just does not have it in him to fight them.
For a split second, he wonders if it's just easier to kill Quinn and then himself. To make it as painless as possible for Quinn and maybe set her free the only way he knows how. But that thought vanishes quickly when he finally sees Quinn stir. Her hazel eyes blinking open and despite the pain and desperate nature of their circumstance, Sam smiles for the first time since the morning of Reaping day.
"Hey, are you ok?" his smile disappearing when he sees how pale Quinn is and blood still pulsing out of her back. "Quinn, hey, no…you're going to be fine." He knows he needs to stop the bleeding and he starts to take off his shirt only to have Rachel still his arm before fumbling with the zipper on her side.
"I have bandages, maybe some medicine…I think. Let me." Sam can see her hands are shaking so badly but the second she touches Quinn, it's as if she's grounded as she focuses on the blonde's injuries. Stemming the slow flow of blood from the wound on her back and using most of the ointment she has until he stops her.
"Not everything. Don't use everything; we may need it for someone else…we may need it later." He can see Rachel hesitate and he knows exactly what she's thinking and the sacrifices she'll make for Quinn. And the sudden sadness that shrouds his heart makes him lose his breath because he can see so much love and knows that it's the most futile of endeavors but he knows that it still won't stop Rachel at all.
He tenses when two shadows fall over them and Finn reaches out to Rachel. "Rach, are you ok? She could have killed you, that was.."
"That was brave." Brittany's voice cuts over his as she look at Quinn, "I mean you were. You were way fast, like my pet rock back home. He disappears and appears like magic. I mean sometimes I forget where he is but he's just superfast."
Quinn just feels like a giant bruise but having Rachel's hand touching her and hearing Brittany's ridiculous story actually let's her know that she's at least alive. And it does make a tiny difference, even if she knows that her life span can be measured in a matter of days and if she were lucky, a week or so. But she had saved Rachel's life. And all she needs to do is to take this one day at a time and just focus on ensuring Rachel survived each day.
"We need to get out of here." Quinn stifles her cry of pain as her hands grab onto Rachel's, that touch actually soothing her more than the ointment on her back. She sees Dave and the other tributes moving slowly and she knows that they need to disappear into the forest.
Her arms are around Rachel and Sam as Finn and Brittany lead the way towards the dense foliage. When she glances back, the sight she sees makes her shiver as Dave Karofsky makes eye contact with her. He's standing with Suzy Pepper on her knees in front of him. One large hand holding her head up while the other wields a small knife that cuts opens Suzy's neck from ear to ear.
But it's the smile he gives her that scares her beyond reason because it's a clear message that he'll enjoy doing the same to her but its only when his eyes flick to Rachel does she understand that more than their killing, he'll want to enjoy her suffering most.
Quinn does not know what she can do but at least she knows that no matter what, the only way Dave would ever get close to Rachel was over her dead body.
End Part 10