Okay. I'm estimating for this story to end around the 40th or 41st. Probably the 41st. So, I'm giving you all a heads up!
So, what'd you guys think about last chapter? The beginning of the 3rd Quarter Quell? Crazy, right? Well, just to say, that the last chapters will really center on the group instead of span out to Haymitch, Prim, or any of the rest of the world. I want you all to use your noggins and really give a prediction of what YOU think might happen. SO, I will center in Katniss' point of view for the whole rest of the story, so nothing is confusing. Okay?
So, with all that being said, I hope you all really let your minds wander after this chapter. Sound good?
Carry on reading, Buttercups.
Carry on.
I'm a dead man
walking here
But that's the least of all my fears
Ooh, underneath the water.
The Civil Wars, "Barton Hollow."
Katniss POV
It's been a few hours ever since the Games began. No cannons have gone off yet, which makes it clear that they're waiting until the announcements. My bow is in one arm while my quiver rests on my shoulder comfortably. I have an arrow loaded just to take precautions.
Cato takes the lead alongside Finnick; both seem to get along fine. I stand back with Mags, who looks on guard yet at ease in this surrounding. Of course she is-she grew up around it. That's how I felt in the previous Hunger Games.
We keep walking through the dense jungle, where you'll hear the occasional squawk of a bird, or footsteps from retreating tributes. I hate it here; the air is humid, almost suffocating. The plants will brush up against you, and you feel as if something touched your leg. The trees are thick above, and underneath, it's dark and ominous. You feel as if you're being followed, even though when you turn around, nothing seems to be there.
The birds all have longer, sharper beaks than the ones at home. And they're colorful, which is a sign that you stay away. Bright colored animals are a tell-tale sign that they're dangerous and poisonous.
It's around sunset when everyone decides we should camp out for the night. No one complains, us all flopping down after walking many miles. The backs of my legs are stiff and it hurts to bend them inward.
As I sink to the ground, Cato brings me to his lap. I rest my head on his chest as we take this time to build camp. Mags managed to grab a couple bags from the Cornucopia. Three sleeping bags remain between the four of us, so Cato and I share while Finnick and Mags take the other two.
After everyone goes to bed, Cato wakes up.
"Katniss, why aren't you asleep?" I shake it off.
"Because I can't. I can't sleep Cato; not here." He sighs and wraps his arms around me.
"Look, I'll always watch over you. Here, out of the Games, anywhere. With me, you'll always be safe." His eyes dig deep into me, the sharpness bringing me into reality.
After a few minutes of just holding each other, Cato kisses my forehead and tells me to go to sleep.
I obey, yet it doesn't put me off my guard.
The next morning, we are on the move again. The jungle is much more full of vines now, and it seems that we've made it through the beginning. But after about two hours of walking, a small square-like object is seen in the force field. Before I can move any further, Cato puts an arm out to stop me. I'm inches away from the force field, the heat radiating onto my face. Mags looks at the force field and then to a tree full of nuts. Her toothy grin is seen by Finnick and he just laughs, leaving the old woman to go and pick a handful of the foreign nuts.
She throws one against the forcefield, where it bounces back charcoaled and cracked. The inside isn't as burned as the outside, a light brown color replacing the creme aura it gave off earlier. Mags plops half into her mouth and I almost expect her to fall down dead over the thirty seconds she chews and swallows.
"Are you sure those aren't poisonous?" I ask Finnick.
"Nope. They're littered all over our district. Many people use them as a food source if they're in poverty." He explains. I just nod and grab a nut, throwing it at the field much like Mags did. It bounces back, landing a couple inches before my feet. I pick it up, handing one half to Cato. He opens his mouth but before he can chew it, we all hear an odd sound. Looking towards our right, a white mist is seen coming our way. But it isn't a regular fog wandering aimlessly. You can almost see tentacles, little wisps trying to move and touch anything.
A burning sensation overcomes my skin and I can feel the nerves in my arms start to twitch.
"Run!" yells Finnick.
And like hell we do.
Everyone is running and soon we come to a down hill slope, which leads to another beach and a body of salt water. My legs start to give way, but I still keep running.
After ten minutes of jogging and the fog still creeping up on us, my legs collapse under me, spasming in erratic moves. I end up flying past the group, rolling down the large hill and over many item along the jungle floor. I hear Cato yell my name and a crashing noise is heard behind me. It's either Mags who's fallen and followed in my footsteps, or Cato who is running after me.
Or both. My suspicions are confirmed when the old lady is seen rolling past me, yet in a graceful manner. As if she meant to fall.
By the time we are clear from the jungle and on the beach, my body feels like electric shocks are flowing through it. My muscles are tense, yet I feel like my skin is sagging. Cato and Finnick have both made it, and I look up to see the fog disappearing into the dense foliage.
"Cato," I cough out, even though talking is a struggle. I see his eyes open up, but his arms and hands are twitching horribly. I end up rolling myself to the water, but once my hand touches it, I retract it quickly. My skin stings where the salt water touched it, but a white liquid clouds up in the salty h2o. Relief comes shortly after and I realize the salt extracts the poison from my skin.
Taking all the strength I can, I completely roll myself into the water.
The first minute makes me feel like I'm paralyzed. I can't move anything because of the searing pain that courses through my body. But then I can feel my muscles moving again and I instantly feel better.
Coming up for a breather, I see Mags already stepping into the water.
"Cato, Finnick!" I yell to get their attention. Cato's head snaps in my direction, which must be hard considering he can hardly move. "The water! It removes the poison." Cato looks again at me and then rolls along and into the water. His eyes light up in pain and he moves himself out, his eyes glued shut. Finnick ends up swimming before Cato tries to get in again.
I step out of the water and try to move Cato. He won't budge.
"Cato, come on. It hurts, but you're a Career. You've dealt with pain."
"Katniss please. Don't force me to do this."
"Well the only way to get you to do so is by forcing you. Get your ass in the water or I'll carry you over."
Finnick returns to land helps me move the struggling Cato, who groans at the touch of the water. I've never seen him like this, but I see the wisps of air leave from his body. Soon, we have his whole figure submerged underneath the surface. He's screaming in pain underwater, but soon stops at the sudden relief. I see his whole face relax and soon, he's swimming in the water, enjoying its salty depths.
We all head out to the sandy beach of the cornucopia, all breathing hard from the excess work. Swimming and holding down one of the strongest persons in Panem can be more challenging than it sounds.
I meet Cato and sit next to him, leaning against me arms. My face is shielded by a palm tree, with coconuts hanging from the top.
"Thank you," he whispers loud enough for only me to hear.
"I had to... you'd die." I said blatantly. It's true; he'd die with all the poison in his bloodstream.
"But I could've hit you in the process. I could've knocked you out by the way I was thrashing. Yet you still helped me." His eyes are boring into mine, the iciness of them soft and bright. It's not the cold look he gave to so many; this was filled with hope and guilt.
I leaned down and whispered into his ear, so no one (not even the Capitol cameras) could hear us.
"Because love can drive a person to do crazy things."
His eyes go wide and his killer smile brightens up the whole arena. I lean down and kiss his smile, our lips molding into one. After a minute of a heavy makeout session, we pull apart and I rest my forehead against his.
"We're going to get you out," he says. "I promise."
That night, I stayed up. His words haunted me, kept my eyes awake. My mind raced. What would he do if he heard my thoughts? My plan to save him? What would he do if I died tonight? The next?
Something in my head says he wouldn't be Cato anymore. He would turn back into the monster he was before the Games. The one who blocked people out except for his family.
As the night drags on, Finnick wakes up and takes over my shift. Once my head hits Cato's hard chest, my mind blanks and darkness clouds my vision.
Morning comes quickly and I feel my head pounding. I remember the last time I had water, which wasn't in the arena. I can see everyone parched and tired from the running. In this heat, we'd be dead in a few more days without the life liquid.
I feel my tongue in my mouth, dry as sandpaper. My forehead is sweating and we keep trudging through the hot sand.
After we get to a small oasis, I collapse underneath a tree, the shade making things only the slightest bit easier. My eyes wander to a camera hidden nearby and I close my eyes.
"Haymitch, please," I whisper loud enough for it to pick up. Just a few seconds after my request, a parachute falls from the sky. It lands in Mags' arms, her eyes scanning the container.
"Rolls and... a device of some sort." I stand up shakily and walk towards our gift. "Twenty four to be exact. It's from District Two." The square, wholegrain roll has a symbol for Masonry, which leads me to believe Brutus is working with Haymitch. He was never fond of me, but he didn't hate me either. Enobaria was different, but I know she had a liking for my skill.
That's about it.
"Two..." Finnick says quietly, and Mags looks to him.
"But what's the device for?"
Cato takes it out and examines it, but after ten minutes gives up. Mags just shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head.
It's then handed to me, since Finnick has no clue what it's used for. My mind reels.
Have I seen this before? Images pop up from my father and I hunting, but I can't remember what we used it for.
It's only a few hours later when we're in the jungle once more that I find out what it is.
"It's a spile!" I say. Everyone looks at me, and soon confusion sets in. A spile is used for extracting sap from trees. How does this help us when no Maples are here?
"Katniss, I think I know why he sent it." Cato says. "The water isn't in the ground. It's in the trees."
Everyone's frantic, trying to drill a whole in the biggest tree trunk. As soon as the bark becomes thinner, we stick the spile in and turn the faucet.
At first, nothing happens. Mags has already woven a bowl to contain the water and keep it with us. Cato has a water bottle in his small bag that he'll fill just in case the bowl water is stripped from us.
Then a few droplets make their way out, followed by a gushing stream. The water's luke warm, but at the moment, no one cares. We fill the bowl completely and soon we're all taking gulps and refreshing our bodies. My tongue immediately feels itself filling the cracks, and my chapped lips are now moist and full.
We all make a feast and celebrate our new discovery.
I lay with Cato that night, away from the group. We're holding each other while intertwining our fingers. His lips mumble against my forehead, and I grin sleepily.
"If I don't make it out of here with you, just know that I love you. So, so much, Katniss." I close my eyes, but quickly open them. Every time the darkness settles, I get an eery feeling. Like someone is watching, other than the cameras.
"I love you too," I whisper. "Too much to explain."
After ten minutes, Cato is snoring lightly in my ear while I anticipate some tribute.
Everything stays still.
It's today that raises hairs on the back of my neck. We're trudging through the foliage when plants starts rustling. It's contant, pinpointed to the left.
I lift my bow, an arrow poised in position and ready to fire. But the people that race through and stop once they reach us surprise me. At first, I don't even recognize them until one speaks.
Johanna, Beetee, and Wiress stand before us, stained in a bright brick color. Almost like blood.
Johanna is the first to speak, her voice hoarse.
"Thank god we found you. Nice to see you Finnick." She looks over at me and gives me the eye, which I return using my whole face. She looks away and rolls her eyes.
I look to Wiress and Beetee, whom look half dazed. Wiress mumbles small words that I can't make out, and Beetee consoles her, whispering into her ear.
"Well, come on," says Cato. "Either you're with us or not, we're going to keep moving."
No one questions him and we all are on our way quickly.
When the birds come, my mind goes into hyperactive. Cato is in front of me, Finnick on my left. Mags is with Beetee and Wiress remains with Johanna.
The shrieks are ones I know all too well. Ones I've prayed to never hear.
My little sister, Primrose.
The nightmare drags on, and soon I'm screaming for her. I have that feeling that Snow is torturing her, and my mothering sense is going crazy.
"Prim!" I scream. "PRIM!"
Finnick is on his feet, listening to a young woman's screams. "Annie!" he calls out. His voice is vunerable and it seems as if he's dying just hearing it.
In under a few minutes, I'm on the ground and rocking myself. I try covering my ears, but the screams echo in my head anyways. I can hear Gale too, and my father. How Snow got his cries blows me away.
Time passes, but I feel like I'm stuck in the same moment. I look to see Cato bashing against some plexiglass, his facial expression wild and scared. But the only thing I can hear, feel or think is Prim. Prim. Prim.
Prim. And soon, I feel strong arms around me. I'm rocking back and forth... back and forth... trying to get the horrid sound out of my head. I hate it. So much.
"Katniss.." he says. Cato. "Katniss, come back to me. It's those damn birds. Prim is okay."
Okay? She's okay? I think. Only if I believed it. He doesn't know.
"I swear on our love that she is. She's okay, Katniss. She's okay.."
I look up to see tear stains streaking his face. His small smile warms me a bit and he picks me up.
The day drags on, and I finally come out of my shell and I hug him. The one who was there for me. The one I can only focus on without thinking of the people I love suffering.
I fall asleep and I can only think about getting out. Finnick said something about two days. Till what?
I drift off into nothingness.
Okay, since this was a long chapter, I would love some feedback. Just saying! But if you all are tired and have commented many times, that's fine too. Just know it will fuel my fire for writing c;
Hugs and kisses to all my lovely Buttercups.
xoxo,
HeyoMyFellowReaders101
(Remember, two chapters left!)