Wow, okay so this is the final chapter of Catching Fire - The Boy With The Bread, I really hope you all enjoyed reading this story, and I wanted to thank everybody who has stuck with it until the end. Please let me know if you want me to write Mockingjay from Peeta's view, I've got a few idea's floating around, but I won't write it unless people want me to. Once again, please review to tell me what you liked and how I can improve. I really hope that you enjoy this final chapter. Thanks - Hermia :)
Chapter 25
Gradually the sky darkens, and the anthem starts to play. There are no faces in the sky tonight, though it's pretty much guaranteed that there will be tomorrow. I don't really know how I feel about that fact. I don't want anyone else to die, I've seen so much death over the past year I don't think I can take anymore. But if Katniss is going to live, then death must come to every last one of us. The audience must be thirsting for blood by now, but Beetee's plan holds enough promise. I bet the Gamemakers must be as curious as we are to see if it actually works.
At what Finnick and Katniss judge to be about nine, we leave our shell strewn camp, cross to the twelve o'clock beach, and head off in to the depths of the jungle. The air itself feels thick and humid, and our full stomachs make the trek uphill even more uncomfortable.
Beetee asks Finnick to assist him, and the rest of us stand guard. Before he even attaches any wire to the tree, Beetee unrolls yards and yards of the stuff. He has Finnick secure it tightly around a broken branch and lay it on the ground. Then they stand on either side of the tree, passing the spool back and forth as they wrap the wire around and around the trunk. At first it seems arbitrary, then I see a pattern, like an intricate maze, appearing in the moonlight on Beetee's side. I wonder if it makes any difference how the wire's placed, or if this is merely to add to the speculation of the audience.
Just as the work on the trunk is complete, we hear a rushing of water far below, which can only be the ten o'clock wave. Time is starting to run out. This is when Beetee reveals the rest of the plan. I feel a distinct sense of unease as he states how he wants Katniss and Johanna to take the coil through the jungle, unwinding it as they go. Then they are to lay it across the twelve o'clock beach and drop the metal spool, with whatever is left, deep into the water, making sure it sinks. Then run for the jungle.
Well there's no way after the moment with the pearl that I'm going to willingly let her out of my sight. And although I know that the plan is our only option, I hate the thought of Katniss having such a huge and dangerous part in it. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her, especially seeing as it was my idea to not break the alliance until later.
"I want to go with them as a guard," I say immediately.
"You're too slow. Besides, I'll need you on this end. Katniss will guard," says Beetee. "There's no time to debate this. I'm sorry. If the girls are to get out of there alive, they need to move now." He hands the coil to Johanna.
I can't argue with his logic, we established long ago that even when I had both of my legs I was too slow. That doesn't mean I like the sound of the plan any better.
"It's okay," She tells me. "We'll just drop the coil and come straight back up."
"Not into the lightning zone," Beetee reminds her. "Head for the tree in the one-to-two-o'clock sector. If you find you're running out of time, move over one more. Don't even think about going back on the beach, though, until I can assess the damage."
She takes my face in her hands, and looks me straight in the eye. "Don't worry. I'll see you at midnight." She gives me a kiss, and before I can object any further, she lets go and turns to Johanna. "Ready?"
"Why not?" says Johanna with a shrug, "You guard, I'll unwind. We can trade off later."
As I watch the two of them disappear in to the darkness, a feeling of nervous tension fills me. So many things could go wrong with this plan.
"Peeta, you stand on the right side of the tree. Finnick, you on the left." Says Beetee, "Keep a close look out while I make some final checks on the wire."
I stand, knife poised, eyes straining in to the darkness. A thousand thoughts are flickering through my mind, none of them good. I can't help but feel incredibly guilty, that I watched as Katniss departed in to the darkness, with Johanna Mason. A woman who didn't even try to hide her hatred for Katniss.
I start to hear a clicking sound and realise that it must be after eleven and the insects have started. We wait in silence, Finnick breaking it about ten minutes later.
"Beetee," he says in a wary voice. I turn around to look at him. He's starring fixated on the wire, which minutes before had been stretched tight, and now lay quite loose.
"I think the wire's been cut," Finnick says so quietly it's almost a whisper.
The three of us stare at one another in horror, my grip on the knife that I'm holding tightens.
"Katniss," I choke out, my throat tightening. I look over at Beetee his eyes darting back and forth, the reality of the situation dawning on him. Well there is no way that I'm just going to stand here and let Katniss risk her life out there.
"We need to find Katniss and Johanna!" I say in a panicked voice. I stumble forward, but Beetee stops me.
"I need your knife Peeta," He says.
"What!" I shout, panic rising up inside me. Katniss is out there in danger, and all he cares about is my knife?
"Your knife Peeta," he says, even more insistently.
"I'm going to find Katniss," I say starting to move towards the tree's once again, but Finnick pulls me back roughly.
"Give him the knife Peeta," he says. There's something in their eyes that isn't quiet right, like they know something that I don't.
"Why should I!" I shout, the knife is my only weapon, and who know's what kind of danger Katniss is in. I haven't heard the canon yet though, I know she's still alive.
"Just trust us!" Finnick shouts, and he snatches the knife from me, and hands it to Beetee.
I have no idea what is going on, but I don't waste any more time. Katniss needs me. Leaving Finnick and Beetee behind, and run off in to the jungle.
"Peeta, wait!" Finnick shouts after me, but I ignore him.
"Katniss!" I scream, "Katniss!"
It's foolish I know, running through the dark jungle with know weapon, screaming at the top of my voice. But I don't care, my life only had a limited amount of time left anyway.
"Katniss!" I yell, hoping against hope that she hears me, and is unhurt.
I hear a rustling up ahead, although it's impossible to tell whether I imagined it or not. I squint in to the darkness, there's definitely something, or someone moving up there.
"Katniss?" I say hoarsely, and perhaps rather foolishly I start walking towards the shadowy figure.
"Peeta?" It says gruffly, it's not Katniss but I definitely recognise that voice. The man limps out from behind a tree, and walks in to the light of the moon. I gasp as I realise. It's Chaff.
"Peeta, boy am I glad to see you!" He says, slapping me affectionately on the shoulder, "I've been trying to find you and Katniss for days."
I gaze at him, he seems miraculously uninjured, despite a slight limp. His face his covered in grime, as well as a few scratches. To my relief I see he has an array of knives arranged in his belt.
"Chaff," I say breaking in to a brief smile, "say, can you spare a knife?"
"Sure," he says, handing me one from his belt. "Where is Katniss? I figured she'd be with you."
"I'll explain on the way," I say as start running again. I briefly explain Beetee's plan about trying to electrify the sea water, but how the wire must have been cut.
"I don't know where she is Chaff!" I say desperately, "I'm sure something's gone wrong!"
"We'll find her, I promise." Chaff replies.
I don't know how long it is that we run through the jungle, but suddenly Chaff falls to the ground. Thinking he's just tripped I carry on running, but when he doesn't immediately rejoin me, I double back.
What I see makes my blood run cold. Chaff is cowering on the jungle floor, a knife wedged deep in his thigh, the huge form of Brutus towering above him, spear raised.
"No!" I yell, and dart back to protect Chaff, but I'm too late. I'm not even half way back before Brutus launches the spear, and impales it in Chaff's chest.
Brutus doesn't wait, yanking the spear from Chaff, and with a sick smile on his face, he runs from the scene. Laughing and wooping with the satisfaction of his kill. I don't think he saw me or heard me, he must have been too 'caught up in the moment.'
I reach his side, and see that Chaff is breathing heavily, the gaping hole in his chest making me feel sick. I can see his lips moving, but I can't make out what he's saying.
"I'm so sorry Chaff!" I say hopelessly, trying to stem the flow of blood, thinking of Haymitch having to watch this.
"Go!" He hisses through gritted teeth, "go and find her, save her, save yourself. Don't let them take you." It sounds like every syllable is costing him a huge effort.
I give his hand a final squeeze, "I'm sorry, I could save you," the words sound so pathetic, but it's all I can say, before I go off in search of Katniss. The boom of the canon echoes through the silence, and I know that Chaff has just died.
"Katniss!" I yell at the top of my lungs. A soft laugh to my left, brings my head whipping round. Brutus stands there, lazily tossing his spear from his left hand to his right.
"Didn't you hear the canon loverboy?" He says with a sadistic grin. "She's dead, I killed her!" Then he throws back his head and laughs.
Anger surges up in me. "You killed Chaff! I scream at him, "I saw you kill him!" And then I lunge at him, frantically swishing at him with the knife Chaff gave me.
I see the slightest fleeting glimpse of panic in Brutus's eyes, before his expression becomes cruel and sarcastic once more. He should be able to beat me easily, spear in one hand, knife in the other, but I'm so fuelled by rage that we're evenly matched.
He throws the spear, but I manage to deflect it my knife, and it becomes lost among the trees. His knife slashes at my upper arm, making a deep cut, but I ignore it, pushing the pain down, and fighting back furiously.
"What's going to happen to her once I've killed you?" He yells at me, whilst I try to swipe at him. "I'll enjoy her! So young and fresh, I'll rip her limb from limb!" He screams with a hideous cackle.
"No!" I yell, "You won't hurt her! I won't let you!" and my knife makes contact with his stomach. I pull the blade out of the soft flesh, and Brutus falls to the floor clutching his gut.
"Katniss!" I shout as loud as I can, and I glance back down at Brutus. His lower torso is covered in scarlet blood. I know that he's hurt enough to not pursue me.
"Katniss!" I shout again, and I fight my way through the undergrowth.
"Peeta!" She screams out, "Peeta! I'm here! Peeta!" I hear her shout back. Relief floods through me like a torrent of water. I furiously follow the direction of her voice.
"I'm here! I'm here!" She yells, her voice seems much further away than I first thought. "Peeta!" She sounds desperate. She must be in trouble, why else would she be calling out like this?
Another canon goes off. Either Brutus has died from his knife wound, or…
"KATNISS!" I howl in utter desperation, but she doesn't answer. The tears are streaming down my face so fast, that I can barely see where I'm going. I'm disorientated, and I try to find my way to the lightening tree. I start sobbing, tearing through the vines in bitter desperation.
And then, the world is blown apart. The earth explodes into showers of dirt and plant matter. Trees burst into flames. Even the sky fills with brightly coloured blossoms of light. Have the Gamemakers had enough? Decided to end it all in an eruption of flame? But why? What was the trigger?
The force of the explosions has thrown me on to my back, and knocked all the breath out of me. I lie there, waiting for the end to come. Katniss is probably dead, so I don't want to live anymore. I want it to finish. But then the hovercraft appears in the sky above me, its metal claw drops down.
"Don't let them take you" Chaff's final words come back just as the metal claw slides underneath me, and I black out.
I wake up, and I'm blinded by whiteness. As my eyes slowly adjust I realise that I'm in some kind of hospital, the white tiled walls and floors glinting brightly. I try to sit up, but I'm strapped down to some sort of table. As I look around the room I see Peacekeepers in every corner, all clutching machine guns. I look down my body I see all sorts of wires and tubes sticking out of me.
"Katniss?" I croak.
A female Peacekeeper whispers something to her neighbour, and she leaves the room.
"Katniss!" I say louder, "Where is she?"
I start feverishly struggling against my restraints, just as a doors slides open and I see President Snow enter the room.
"Where's Katniss?" I shriek.
"She's in District 13 Peeta," Says President Snow. "She's gone, she's left you behind."
I stare at him incomprehensible. In District 13? She left me behind?
"What do yo—" I begin, but I never get the words out. The President nods at the Peacekeeper closest too me, who flicks a switch on a machine nearby.
My whole body convulses, consumed by the most intense pain I've ever felt. It feels like my blood, my very bones are on fire. Then the pain leaves me, as soon as it came.
Through all of it, I can only form one solid thought. She left me behind.