Chapter 28
POV: Dalia (District 11)
Time: Night 6
Tributes Remaining: 18
We're lucky we made it out alive with the Careers on our tails. I'm glad Lacie had the idea to use the Hydra Vines.
However, the vines did take hold of Soren for a moment, which left him with some lasting injuries.
Robin and Lacie stand behind me as I examine Soren's injuries. His shirt was ripped off at the bottom where the Hydra Vines removed it, and a red rash covers the skin beneath it. Soren is in some sort of pain in the area but I can't figure it out, even with my medicinal knowledge.
"Lacie, did you read anything about Hydra Vines releasing a poison?" I ask her.
"Uh... it did say that the vines envelope nearby objects and inject poison into them," she says. "Maybe it's transmitted through touching the vines too."
Soren groans in dismay.
"Did it say what type of poison?" I ask nervously. Even though I'm not supposed to get emotionally attached to other tributes, Soren has always been kind to me.
"No, but it did say the vines are partly based on prowler cacti in the way the poison is transmitted... maybe the poison's the same?" Lacie suggests.
I flip through my plant handbook, landing on the prowler cacti. It's a cactus with what seems to be legs. There is also a diagram of what looks like an arm cannon with spikes inside. I scan the paragraph of information.
"Okay, it says the poison is impossible to cure-"
Soren interrupts me with another groan, but I continue.
"But only until its final stage. Once it spreads deep enough into your system, it will turn black and begin shutting off your vital organs. We just have to wait until then to feed you the antidote, which should deactivate the poison."
The others sigh in relief. There is some hope. He can't be cured now, but he can be cured eventually. It's the least we can do to pay him back for saving us from the Careers.
"Do we have the antidote?" Soren asks.
"No, but I'm sure it's around somewhere," I reassure him. "It's found in the petals of the lion lily, a large yellow flower. They wouldn't put Hydra Vines in the Arena without hiding some lion lillies somewhere."
I hope I'm right. I don't know if I can bear to watch Soren slowly die after what happened with Nia.
"Okay, we'll look for those. I'll be okay for now," Soren says, determined.
We pause as the sky lights up with the words "THE FALLEN" with the Panem anthem. Felix from District 1 appears first, followed by Nia from District 11. It seems like Nia's death was a decade ago. I can't believe it's only been 24 hours. Hit by the realization of Nia's death, tears pool in my eyes and I feel my throat constrict, making it hard to breathe. I let out a sob, wiping my eyes. Now is not the time for me to cry.
We're interrupted by a girl's voice. "Help! Please, help..."
I look up to see the two District 10 tributes stumbling toward our camp. The girl, Lena, is supporting the boy, Rex, as they walk. Spotting Rex, I stand and allow Lena to pass him to me. Distracted, I forget about Nia and turn my focus to Rex's injuries. His shirt is already in tatters in the back, and I rip it open to reveal his back.
Rex's back is completely singed and is one open wound covered in blood and pus. I wince at the sight.
"How'd this happen?"I ask Lena.
"There was a forest fire," she tells us. "The flames were green and spread extremely quickly. Rex was hit in the back with a fireball."
"Glutton Flames," Lacie says with a nod. "They spread three times faster than normal fire and can light anything on fire, even water."
I shudder, turning back to Rex. "I don't know how much we can do here," I say quietly to Lacie.
"You're right, he looks pretty far gone," she says with a sigh.
I can tell Lacie is hesitant to help Rex, being a tribute outside our alliance, but he hasn't done anything wrong. Both Lena and Rex were nice to me in Training, and I even considered asking to include them in the alliance. I think Rex deserves for us to at least try to save him.
"I'll try dressing it with some bandages," I tell Lacie. "What are we going to do about the girl?"
We both look back to see Lena sitting down next to Soren. She looks exhausted and depressed, her eyes flicking back and forth from our fire to Rex's body.
"She can stay with us for now," Lacie says. "Maybe she has some supplies or information useful to us."
Lacie turns to face Lena. "Hey, have you guys run into any bushes of large yellow flowers?" She asks. "They're called lion lilies."
Lena shakes her head, confused at the random question, and our group sighs. It's going to be a long couple of days.