Annie POV:
I cannot shake this horrible feeling in my stomach. The knotting, twisting, rumbling, here all day, has made me sick twice. I have not been able to eat. The cereal with milk did not count beings I lost it. Was the milk bad? I hide my queasiness as best I can, but it seems I am not alone in my predicament. Another girl at the shop has to go home today because she is sick. She almost didn't make it to the restroom in time to get rid of her breakfast.
My stomach is making the most horrible noises. I swear it sounds like fireworks going off in my belly. I am hungry but the thought of food makes me want to say hello to the toilet. Even crackers have no appeal. The only thing that doesn't make me sick, are ice chips, which at least help to relieve my mouth from desiccating into salt cod.
I have no energy at all today. I feel as if the air is too heavy for my limbs to lift. My hands, feet and back are clammy to the touch. I smell gross and my mouth has a nasty taste I can't get rid of for some reason. All I want to do is lie down and take a nap.
My head is killing me, and I feel chilled one minute hot the next as if I am running a fever. I have to find something to take the edge off so I can make it through the day, and tell the invisible little bastards jumping on my skull gouging with jack knives and hammers to go find someone else to torture.
I don't want Finn to worry. He frets over me like a mother hen when I'm feeling great already, so I know I cannot whine to him. I will just have to put on my big girl panties and not show any weakness while around him. I am a tough cookie, I can do this! *Burp* Ok, so this may be a little harder than I thought, but I am up to the challenge.
What is going on around here? No one is ever sick, much less me. I refuse to be ill. I am no child, and will not act like a puny kid either. This isn't something to worry about, right? It's just a virus or something? I remember watching Mom tend to my little sister when she had a virus. It wasn't pretty at all. Has anyone ever caught a virus in District 14?
Haymitch POV:
I finally met up with Beetee and can tell that Finn has already come and gone, with the smell that is in this room. God, how could someone be around that stench all day? That shit stinks! He must have found something that smelled worse than butt fried over, because I am vomiting in my mouth over here. Apparently he found something out of sorts when he was out playing around out on the water. It isn't as if what he does could be called work, but it keeps him out of everyone's way for most of the day. Pretending that his little endeavors splashing around equal a job, is really a conspiracy we all agree upon simply for our own sanity.
"BeeTee, give it to me straight up. What the hell is going on around here?"
"I haven't pin pointed anything yet Haymitch, which is frustrating the dickens out of me. I can't seem to make heads or tails of these readings. They are all over the place, and it is not a virus, or any disease I know of from what I've gathered so far."
"BeeTee, what the hell is that up your arms? It looks like the inside of a dead cow and smells worse than one! And for God sake man, quit touching your damn glasses, you are getting guts all over them!
As BeeTee looks down, he shrugs and gives me a little smirk. "It is all part of it Haymitch, I have to do what I have to do for the sake of man, right? We have to get this figured out."
"Then what the hell is it? I have seen people puking their guts out on the side of the street and stumbling around like the walking dead. It's not something I have seen before, not here." The stench is so bad I have to hold my breath to make my stomach understand it will not loose this tug of war battle. I will not puke. I will not puke. Seriously how is he not gagging?
"Yes, I've heard some reports of people getting ill. Peeta called me earlier and is sending some blood vials from various patients over here for me to examine. They all seem to have similar symptoms. Something serious is definitely going around and if my suspicious are correct, it is airborne."
"Well, Fuck! That's just Absoufuckulutely bumfucking wonderful Beetee. We are the air! THIS DISTRICT IS THE AIR! Everyone will be sick within days if we don't stop whatever this is going on. What happens if we spread it through all districts? Did it start here, or somewhere else? Shouldn't we be thinking about quarantine?"
"Finnick's samples show the fish have been depleted of oxygen, causing them to die rapidly. They show high levels of Iodine, Cesium and Uranium in them which is also odd. Iodine is to be expected, but not like the levels I am seeing in these fish. I am missing something vital, a common denominator, and can't put my finger on it. Any ideas?"
"If the fish are bad, and people are eating the fish, then we have to stop that immediately. Could the fish be making people sick? Thank God I don't like eating that shit unless I have to." I made it through the games for a reason, I am a smart mother fucker!
"Yes, we definitely need to look into that a little more, but I will make sure all fish consumption is stopped until further notice just in case. People should probably stay out of the water too."
"Here are my samples from this morning, what do want me to do with them?" I hand him my carefully detailed and obviously more important bark samples. They will certainly provide more information than those putrid fish-gut offerings of Finnicks. BeeTee grabs them and violates them with smears from that nasty ass fish laced grossness.
"I have to make sure to take care of Finnick's samples first since his are perishable. As soon as I'm done with that, I'll inspect your bark and leaves."
"BeeTee, they are dead fish, how much more perishable can they get? How can you stand to deal with those nasty things? They stink worse than my feet after a good butt whooping on a hot day!
"Haymitch, I could get a lot more done if you weren't in here bugging the crap out of me!"
"Well…. Guess that is my clue to leave you the hell alone then! Just let me know something soon, will you?" Mr. PissyAss. Geez what has him all asstarded?
"Don't I always?"
I glare at him, grinding my teeth together to keep from going off on him. The self-control I have to keep around the extremely troubled little peons, is more than they sometimes deserve. I leave BeeTee to his wallowing in the fish-gut rancid glop. Air is my priority, not explaining the obvious.