What happens next? Well, here's chapter 11!
Fireflies. Litteraly. I've seen fireflies before with my sister. They don't burn or light anything on fire. These are lab-engineered from the Capitol, Muttations. Flying fire mutts.
My sister reacts immediatly, getting out of the sleeping bag, pulling Delphi and Tym to their feet, grabbing what supplies they have and telling them to run. Zev is ready as well. He jumped out of the tree and hurriedly stuffed the blanket in Delphi's backpack. Now he and my sister are running away from the flames the fireflies started. Delphi and Tym are trying to keep up but they're not completely awake yet and they keep tripping. They're choking on the smoke and after a last effort to push himself forward, Tym falls to the ground and Delphi soon follows. My sister pulls Delphi onto her back and continues to run. Zev, after a look at my sister, does the same with Tym.
It's hard to see. It's dark and there's only a small slit of a moon for light. Besides the growing fire. It consume the dry pine trees very quickly. If you've ever made a fire with pine, you know that the needles make a crackling sound when they burn. I always found it fun to see and listen to. But not with this uncontroled fire. The forest is overwheilmed by an orchestra of sizzling, as if it was in a frying pan. Animals on swift feet cry out in alarm as they run (more like fly) away. Whatever peacefullness my sister created by pointing out the stars has vanished, incinerated by the flames. All that is left is chaos.
They run hard, their paces slowing under the weight of their passengers.
"We should just leave them." shouts Zev.
"No." Her tone is final.
They take a few more steps and are out in the marshes, the ones we saw on the first day in the arena. Their feet sink in the muddy ground. The fire seems unable to reach them. There aren't anymore trees to burn and the grass it wet with mudd and swampy water. They put Delphi and Tym down and lie on their sides, coughing out the smoke and trying to suck in some oxygen.
A canon fires. My heart sinks to my heels. Is it my sister? Did she inhale too much smoke? No. And it's not Zev either. My sister shares my alarm. She moves quickly to Delphi and Tym's side. Delphi gives a faint cough and slowly breathes. But Tym. Is still. My sister desperatly searches for the rise and fall of his chest, signs of life in his little body. But Tym is still. Dead.
My sister cries. She holds Tym in her arms and her tears wet his face. And then, when her sobs have subsided, she sings him lullabies. The one from the Chicory field, the one she sang when she first found them and every other one she can think of. When her supply runs out, she brushes away the hair fom Tym's face, kisses him on the forhead and sets him down very gently. As if not to wake him. As if, he is simply asleep.
Delphi is still uncounsious and Zev watches my sister get up, give Tym our district's three fingered salute, pick up Delphi and walk away from Tym, towards the forest, the one opposite to the flames. Zev rises and follows her silently. At least, he has enough humanity to respect Tym.
A far away bird gives the warning call, and sure enough, the hovercraft comes and takes little Tym away. My sister looks above as the mechanical claw pulls Tym up.
"Goodbye, Tym." she wispers. And they enter the forest.
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