I don't hear the firebombs, but horrible noises of explosions penetrate my dreams. My district is on fire. Nothing remains, only a hostile, black, and deadly sight of the charred, crumbling Seam and Merchant's Village. Peeta's family slowly burns alive before my eyes. It's my fault. Maybe they could've been saved if he didn't care so much about me.
It's the fourth morning of our travels. My eyes slit open, the early sunlight burning my gaze. Nobody woke me, so I'm assuming I didn't scream in my sleep, but I'm still anxious that I made some kind of disturbance. Peeta lies next to me, his hand resting on my forearm. When I finally fell asleep after my watch, he was lying far across from me, near a stray willow tree.
Embarrassment floods me. He must have noticed I was having some sort of nightmare. Did everyone else notice? Did Gale see Peeta coming over here to comfort me? I try to shrug it off and sit up. Haymitch is slouched over near us, his eyes half-open with exhaustion. I walk over and nudge him.
"Haymitch, its morning now. You're okay to rest a bit before we have to get going," I tell him. He jolts forward upon hearing my words. Wiping his dirty hair out of his face, he squints up at me.
"Okay... does Gale still have that map?" He asks, struggling to stand up. I nod.
"We're close now. In about four days, I'll notify Thirteen," he informs me.
Half-way through the day, we clean ourselves in a small pond near a clearing. I finally untangle my hideous mess of a braid, soak my hair, and pull it up in a bun around my head. It's fairly cold, but the younger ones peel off their outer clothes and splash in the water, ignoring their chattering teeth and visible goose bumps. I grin as I watch Prim teach Vick and Posy how to tread water and swim a basic stroke, similar to how my father once taught us in the lake at home.
The sun peeks out from behind the gray clouds, and I lay on the mossy grass, soaking up the brief warm light. My mind retraces our days on the run. We must be at least twenty eight miles from Twelve, averaging roughly six miles a day of walking. I know the kids must be tired. I remember the other day Vick's legs shook violently with fatigue that we had to momentarily take turns carrying him.
While everyone bathes, Mrs. Hawthorne and my mother graciously scrub our filthy clothes in the water and hang them over some low tree branches. After I slip on my clean shirt and pants, I travel across the clearing into another patch of the forest to shoot down some game. We feed on the remainder of Peeta's bread and rabbit meat for lunch.
As we say farewell to the pond, a slight rain begins. It's been on and off for the past few days, but this time it becomes increasingly worse. It pours on us, completely soaking our newly warm and sun dried clothes. Not only do I feel annoyed about becoming drenched again, but I also feel bad for Hazel and my mother, who worked so tirelessly on our laundry.
In the late afternoon, when it finally subsides, everyone is chilled to the bone. I worry about Posy and Vick, in particular, whose eyes seem strangely glazed over and their cheeks splotchy. By the next morning, my mother confirms they've both developed a fever.
"What can you do?" Gale asks my mother with concern. She is currently ripping up some patches of moss to soak in cool water for the kids' foreheads.
"They need rest. We need to keep them warm, but direct the fever away from their heads and down to the feet," she explains assertively, yet calmly. Her and Hazel have already begun to slip off the children's shoes and rub their freezing feet. Posy and Vick both lay limp on their sleeping bags, moaning softly.
"We can't move them, not at least for a day," My mother reluctantly informs me. I bite at my lip, giving her a nod. This isn't safe. We need shelter if we're going to wait out their fevers. I take Peeta out with me to find some sort of tree or rock formation that can offer us protection. I search anxiously for something, anything that may work.
"Katniss, look what I found," Peeta calls, sounding pleased. I look over my shoulder. Peeta stands between two large trees, their roots intertwined over what seems to be a cave. A cave!
I can't help but laugh in triumph. We take a look inside. It's small, smaller than our own cave during the games. It will be pretty uncomfortable for everyone to fit, but the two trees also offer some shelter around it. If I can find some large branches, we could drape them over the roots.
"Seems cozy," Peeta murmurs, and I can practically hear his grin. "Katniss, remember when we-"
"Oh, shut up," I reply softly with a smile before he can finish, for I know exactly what he's going to try and bring up.
We announce to the others that we've found shelter and carry Posy and Vick into the cave first. My mother, Prim, and Hazel can slide in easily after that, but the rest of us have to create additional protection with tree branches and damp brush. We complete a sort of square-like entry way around the cave and huddle underneath it. It's not ideal, but it will have to do.
We take turns gathering natural herbs around the woods for the invalids, and I shoot a duck down for dinner. It's tedious work to pluck out the feathers, but soon enough the meat is bare and ready to be cooked over the handmade fire. Posy looks slightly better and eats some strips of duck. Vick doesn't eat, but is sleeping peacefully now. I have some hope that maybe we'll be able to start moving by tomorrow afternoon.
My aspirations unfortunately disappear the next morning when Prim comes down with the sickness, and I can tell by Gale's face that he's going to be a victim of it, too. Crestfallen, I sink to the ground, watching the two mothers now tend to four sick people. I can't help but feel worried... there's still a possibility that the Capitol will find us. I can't guarantee our safety until we reach Thirteen.
I get the map from Gale and smooth it out, trying to determine how far we are. I'm fortunate to discover that the map depicts the small pond we stopped at. I'd say we're roughly four miles north from there. Yes, we are getting closer to the outskirts of Thirteen.
"Haymitch, can't we notify Thirteen now?" I ask him. He presses his lips together, shaking his head.
"They won't risk picking us up until we are a couple miles out from the base. The Capitol tracks anything airborne within a 40 mile radius from the districts," he explains sadly. I stare hard at the map, thinking...
"What if I just kept going? I could signal Thirteen with that device you have and tell them that the rest of you are here. I could direct some of the rebels to pick you guys up on foot," I suddenly suggest. I'm fast by myself. Surely, I could make it within two days.
"I'll go with you," Peeta says, hearing my idea. I immediately protest.
"No, I'll be faster on my own."
Gale must have heard me from the cave, for he calls out.
"That's not safe... don't go, Catnip..."
Catnip. I haven't heard him call me that in forever. The fever must have made him forget our recent quarrels.
I shake my head.
"No, I should. If I go, then I can quickly reach Thirteen and tell them you guys are here. If I stay, who knows how long it will be before we get moving again," I explain. My mother emerges from the cave.
"Katniss, I don't object to the idea, but I think you should take someone with you... Gale's right, it wouldn't be smart if you ventured out alone," she says softly. I gaze at her, appreciating her support. I glance at Peeta, contemplating taking him with me.
"If Peeta and I go, will you all be okay? I'm sure once Gale is well enough he can take care of food, and Haymitch-" I turn to him. "You'll help take care of them?"
Haymitch nods. Sighing, he hands over some of his drinks from his bag.
"Take these sweetheart, so I won't get distracted. I can survive with this," he says, patting his flask in his pocket. He then presses the black device into my palm.
"Now, don't press the button until you're close enough... Don't worry, I'll help protect them," Haymitch tells me with a small smile, patting my shoulder.
"Thank you," I reply gratefully.
"Katniss," I hear Gale from inside the cave. I squeeze my way inside, weaving myself between Prim and Vick, who are luckily dozing off. Gale stares at me with a worried expression, his forehead sweating profusely. His fever seems overly high.
"Hey, you should rest," I take his hot hand. He attempts to squeeze it with all of his strength.
"Don't go. I'll be better by tomorrow and we can carry the kids if we have to," he insists. I sigh, shaking my head.
"Gale, you won't be better by tomorrow. It's best if I go now," I tell him. He shuts his eyes, taking in a deep breath.
"Please, be safe... for me," he mumbles. I swallow, slowly nodding.
"Okay. Try and go to sleep now." I carefully release his hand.
After breakfast, Peeta and I load up our gear. I count my arrows, orderly arrange everything in our bag, and ration out the rest of the food. Even though I'm positive my mother already knows how to find edible plants and set up a basic trap if needed, I still remind her what to do. I give a goodbye to Prim, hugging her tightly despite the fact that she's half-asleep.
"Stay alive, you two," Haymitch gives Peeta and I a smirk.
"You too, Haymitch," Peeta smiles. We leave them all by the cave, venturing deeper into the forest. I try to tell myself that this isn't our last goodbyes, and I will see them within a few days if all goes well.
A/N: Stay tuned for major Everlark moments to come ;)