I do not own 'The Hunger Games' or anything related.


The rain had stopped. The boy, although better, still had a clearly bad leg, and that was making noise that was likely chasing away game. The girl seemed annoyed at him for doing so, even though it wasn't his fault. Asking him to walk more quietly, however, he was still making noise. She asked him to take his boots off.

"Here?" He asked in disbelief.

Clearly the girl had overlooked the fact that he wasn't used to being in the woods as she was. She took off her boots as well so they were both quiet, even though she wasn't making any noise. When they made it back to her and Rue's old camp, however, she still hadn't shot anything. The boy, realising that he was a liability, suggested they split up, offering to gather anything of use. So she taught him how to gather roots and a two note whistle so that they could remain in contact. And so they split up, for the first time in five days, minus the one time when the girl had left him to get the medicine. With him gone, the game had returned, and the girl was able to kill some things, while the boy gathered roots and berries. Finding a stream, he put his pack aside and laid a plastic sheet with some of the food on where he placed his gatherings. There was something familiar about the purple berries he had been collecting. He went back to the stream to pick some more from the nearby bushes. When he was out of sight, the 5 emerged. Had she been tailing them? Noticing the gatherings, she decided to help herself to some of the food, tearing off a piece of cheese and grabbing some of the berries, just enough so that no one would suspect anything was missing, or at least wouldn't suspect that anyone else had been picking at the food. I don't know why, but a warning bell was ringing in my head when she took the berries.

For some reason, the boy wasn't returning the girl's call. Perhaps the stream was too loud for him to hear. When his two note didn't reach back, she began to panic, looking for him, found the sheet of gatherings with no sign of the boy, having no idea where he was, nor that he was on his way back.

"Peeta? PEETA!" She cried, looking for him.

He had returned, but hearing the rustle by instinct loaded her bow but pulled away just in time so that she didn't shoot him. The girl demanded to know why he didn't signal back, saying she thought the 2 had killed him. The boy explained that he didn't hear it, and tried to comfort her by hugging her.

"Katniss?"

She pushed him away, saying that the last time she didn't hear a signal was when Rue died. Noticing the food, she accused the boy of eating without her, which he protested, saying that he was just collecting berries, and offered her some. The girl picked them up, examining them. I suddenly realised what they were. I could still remember them being smacked out of my hand. Nightlocke. Away the 5 was eating the berries, then she collapsed. The canon fired. The girl spun around, as if thinking the boy was about to drop dead, but they saw the 5's body being carried away. The boy, thinking it was the 2, tries to get them to run, but she explained it was actually the boy who killed her, giving the perplexed boy the berries. The girl explained to the boy how the 5 had taken enough food from the careers without it being noticed, and how she tried the same now. The boy blamed himself, thinking that he must have alerted her to them, but then thinking how if she hadn't taken the berries they would both be dead, before realising that they wouldn't be because the girl recognised them. The boy was about to throw them away, before the girl took Marvel's pouch and filled it with a couple of them, reasoning that they could trick the 2 into taking it and eating them. They also realised that the 2 will know where they are now. After having their meal, the boy suggested that they go back to the cave as it's easily defended, but the girl sighed, before giving him a kiss.

Oh, suddenly remembered that you're supposed to be a loving pair, did you sweetheart?

I know she had more pressing concerns – no, you know what, this was the pressing concern! I couldn't help but be annoyed with her. Still, she somewhat made up for it now, and before when she got worried about the boy. Even if she gave the wrong reaction when he hugged her.

Once again, I started thinking about what would happen after the games. I was so fixated on doing everything to keep these kids alive, I didn't really consider the consequences of my actions afterwards. What was going to happen when he tried to hug her when the cameras go down, and he didn't get the reaction he was expecting?

"Sure, let's go back to the gave," Said the Girl.

Back in the control room, the team for District 5 left, leaving just mine and Brutus', District 12 vs District 2.

Returning to the cave, they had dinner and the boy slept in the sleeping bag. The girl kissed him on the forehead, though I had a feeling it wasn't for the audience.

She let him sleep longer than she should have, and then he let her sleep until that afternoon. I had a feeling that today would be the last day in the arena. Leaving the cave, likely for the last time, they found that the stream had dried up. The ponds had also dried up. The game makers were attempting to drive them all to the lake, where there was no coverage, to have their final battle. Passing where she set off the tracker jacker nest, they reached the cornucopia, checking that the 2 wasn't already there and filling their container with water from the lake. Night was falling. The mockingjays were about. The girl sang Rue's four note song and they took it up.

"Just like your father," The boy remarked.

Yes. Just like her father indeed.

Whenever not much was happening with the boy and the girl, the main monitor would change to look at what other tributes were up to, and at this point that left the 2. Despite their fears, he was too far from them to be a threat, but was now being drawn to the cornucopia with the sources of water drying up. By nightfall the monitor switched to Templesmith.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, it seems that the final battle between District 12 and 2 is coming soon, but the gamemakers have decided to throw in a wild card."

The words' 'wild card' flashed on the screen. I groaned. I hated these. A 'wild card' was when the gamemakers threw in some unexpected twist near the end, not because there was promise of little action, but because they wanted to make the finale that more interesting. The screen going right back to the arena, at one part the ground opened up and a couple of dozen, large multi coloured wolves galloped out. An image of the arena was shown, and it showed that they were near the 2's location. Stopping in mid tracks, the wolves stood on their hind legs. Not in a way that a dog might try to balance itself briefly and temporarily before coming back down on all fours, but remained standing like human beings. It seemed that they had mixed some human dna with the wolf. Although I couldn't understand the purpose. Usually wild card mutts tend to be huge and intimidating, or unnerving. Sometimes both. But I couldn't work out the need to resemble humans. Sniffing the air, catching someone's scent (likely the 2 as he was closest), they ran in his direction. The 2 was preparing himself for battle when he realised that he was being watched. He turned around. The pack had surrounded him, snarling, standing upright on their hind legs. They wouldn't kill him, no. Not yet, anyway. The fight needed to be between the districts. Like the fire on day 4, they would only send him into the direction of the kids, doing some damage along the way. My kids were in more danger than the 2, though once they've had their fight then maybe they would be allowed to kill anyone who was knocked in their way. At first, the 2 stood his ground, slashing a couple of the wolves (They let out that pitiful yelp any canine made whenever hurt no matter how ferocious they were!), when he suddenly stopped. His eyes went wide and his skin went pale.

"No!" He shakily held up his sword as he backed away, "Stay back! STAY BACK!"

What was going on? Why was the boy suddenly so terrified? He never struck me as someone who was scared easily, and he wasn't before so what had happened? It was as if he had realised something, something about the wolf mutts that terrified him. That made sense, as wild card mutts had a tendency of being a psychological as well as a physical attack, but what was it? Once again, I thought about the human traits that were in these wolves, and wondering why the gamemakers had done this? Why make this pack of wolves of varying size and colour, their coats of different -fur style? Hair style wouldn't be exactly accurate-

Now that I thought of it, there was something eerily familiar about this pack. But where could I have seen them before-

Then I noticed that each mutt had a collar, and on each a number. I only needed to see that the mutt with silky waves of blond fur and green eyes's collar had the number '1' on it to realise why they seemed familiar, and why the 2 was terrified of them. I should have known, at this point in the games. Why else have human resemblance?

Revenant. That was the name given to this type of mutt. I heard it comes from an old word meaning 'returned'. And that's the impression they're supposed to give, that they're the dead tributes returned in monstrous form to exact vengeance on the ones who killed them, usually mixing in something reminiscent of the victim. From appearance, even personality traits. They were usually released near the end of the games. I could imagine what it was like for this boy, to see faces that resembled those he killed, or those that were his allies. But they were likely created before the start of the games, and releasing only those whose tribute they resembled had been killed. I'm pretty sure that in some lab, in some cage, there were a few they hadn't released. One that was small and skinny with black fur and gray eyes, and another of short, stocky build with blond fur and blue eyes – the thought of it made me sick, both physically and mentally. Revenants were my most hated type of mutt, and the ones I feared the most, too, cos whenever the gamemakers did use them, my tributes were always used, and they joined my nightmares, where instead of attacking the remaining tributes they're attacking me instead.

His courage failing him, the boy made a run for it, running for the cornucopia, being chased by the revenants. Spotting the 2, the girl chased after him. The girl had just reached the tail of the cornucopia when she suddenly stopped and looked back, as if she had just remembered that she was part of a team. The boy was hobbling after her, 15 metres away. She shot an arrow at one of the revenants, but the boy yelled at her to go on, knowing that she can't save either of them on the ground. She climbed the cornucopia, and was about to kill the 2 when she turned her attention to the boy. He tried to climb, but was hampered by his bad leg and the knife in his hand. She shot another wolf, sending it crashing down into its pack. The 2 was more concerned with the mutts than his opponents. The wolves, clawing at the cornucopia, then yip to each other, as if communicating. The Glimmer mutt takes a step back more backing a running jump, and landed a mere three metres below. The Girl, loading her bow, then screamed, realizing who the mutt was supposed to represent. Even as it slid down she shot an arrow down its throat.

"Katniss?"

The boy grabbed her arm.

"It's her!"

"Who?"

The girl looked around at the pack, taking in their appearance, wondering who represented who. The mutts split into two groups, and another landed on top, dragging Peeta down with him. Peeta managed to stab the mutt to let go of him. Katniss attempted to shoot the 2 but ended up using an arrow to shoot at the Thresh mutt instead. At that point the 2 grabbed the – Peeta in a headlock. I could see one of the mutts had torn at the calf of his bad leg. Peeta was torn between trying to break free of the grip the 2 had over his neck or clutch at the wound on his leg. The girl aimed one of the two last arrows she had at the 2's head. The 2 laughed.

"Go ahead," He goaded, "Go ahead and shoot and we'll both go down."

The two had reached a stalemate, the 2 using Peeta as a bargaining chip and the girl being unable to shoot him unless he took down Peeta with him.

The 2 stopped laughing, and – what was that expression he was giving? What was that in his eyes? Despair? It was then that I realised that the careers were just as much victims of the games as any of the other tributes. Sure they volunteered, and were trained to kill the other tributes, but that was just it. They were trained to kill, to show no mercy, perhaps even take pleasure in the kill. Expected to volunteer for the games, to kill all the other tributes, to risk their lives, even those of their allies. However, any brief moment of pity I had for Cato vanished when the 2 put on a triumphant smile, satisfied that he has put the two of them into a stalemate. Peeta's lips were turning blue. If Katniss didn't end up killing him by shooting the 2 then he would likely die of asphyxiation soon and the 2 would use his body as a shield. Then, Peeta dipped his finger in the blood coming from his leg and drew an x on the 2's hand. The 2's smile vanished, but he realised a second too late before Katniss as she shot the arrow into the x. The 2 let go and Peeta pushed him off the edge. He almost went over as well but Katniss grabbed a hold of him, the 2 slipping on the blood from Peeta's leg and he fell off the cornucopia. The wolf mutt pack attacked him. They couldn't kill him quickly thanks to the body armour he wore, and he had a weapon to use against them, but it was over for him. He tried climbing back up the cornucopia, but they pull him off and eventually drag him into the cornucopia.

Is it wrong that I felt pity for the boy at that point, more than the entire games, his last moments being torn apart by monstrous versions of his victims as well as allies? Not that he deserved my pity. It probably is because one of my recurring nightmares has me being confronted by my own revenants, those I cared about, my fellow tributes in my games and the ones that were under my care, those I felt guilty for regarding their deaths. Except in the boy's case this nightmare was his reality.

Night fell, but the broadcast showed no death. Effie didn't remind me to go get some rest, and I didn't feel like any either. By the next morning, it would be all over, and I needed to be here until the end.