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Odds are they'll walk past our cave without even realizing we are there. But I gasp in horror as I notice the fireplace, the one that brought us comfort and cooked food during the storm and is now a dead giveaway. The rule number one had always been not to make a fire, to never give away your position, and I had fragrantly broken it.
"How close?" Danny whispers and I shut him up with a hand movement, unfortunately my ear doesn't seem to have recovered because I don't hear a thing. Not even the lazy raindrops dropping from the trees to the ground.
"We gotta go, Danny, now. Grab your stuff and let's go. Leave the fire." I instruct, immediately turning around and getting started with my own stuff. He doesn't need to be told twice, smart kid.
My hand trembles as I push away the vines I've been covering the cave with, from what I see the sun is dying and soon enough my fireplace will be too noticeable for them to miss if they walk nearby. They are nowhere to be seen so I take a hesitant step outside, arrow on string, ready to shoot at the minor sign of movement. But there's none. "Come on out."
Danny is terrified, and every single part of me wants to reassure him, to take him into my arms and let him know it's fine. But I can't risk being distracted, and I can't risk letting that side of me be seen in front of District 2. Not like they don't know about my weakness for the kid, but it would do me no good for them to see me all mushy. I swallow hard and I stand next to him.
"Alright, now walk on that direction… quietly. I've got your back." He nods once before getting started, and like that begins the longest walk of my life. Even though it only lasts about fifteen minutes.
At the slightest movement we both jump and my arrow points at stupid forest animals or leaves that dare fall from their branches beside us. Every single noise startles us and my fingers begin to tremble from the tension of holding the arrow on its place. It's exhausting. I'm beginning to think that I've over reacted and that they aren't really that close, but then I hear them.
"I told you it was a trap, Cato! There they are!"
My blood freezes and I waste a very valuable moment before grabbing Danny's arm and starting to run. "I don't care if you leave me behind. You run and don't stop, alright? I'll stall them." As we run, he turns around to glare at me and I know he is about to protest but I don't give him the chance. "Run," I tell him turning around to make sure none of them are watching before I forcibly push him into the bushes, making him disappear from my sight.
I feel much more confident now that I'm running on my own. I'm faster and quieter. But that also worries me, what if they pick up his track? Against every single thing Gale thought me I start breaking branches and stepping on the mud as I run, slowing down the pace. Maybe if I let them catch up with me I'll have the chance to take out one of them. Or both. Maybe this is how I get rid of them.
But even though they thought it was me setting a trap for them with my forgotten fireplace, it's me who runs into their trap (literally) as I bump straight into Cato's torso. Somehow they've rounded me up.
I quickly take three steps backwards, lifting my bow to point straight at his chest. Cato grins and plays with his sword. "Where's the kid, huh ally?"
Clove giggles from behind me and I try hard not to shiver. But I fail. I hope they didn't notice.
"Let me guess, 'somewhere safe'?" She snickers, and I turn around slightly so that I can take a few steps backwards without walking into her. We form a messy triangle, with me pointing an arrow to Cato's chest and Clove toying with one of her knives. I've seen her throw enough times to know she won't fail if she aims for my throat. If she decides to shoot I'm dead, and I'll only manage to take Cato with me, hopefully.
"You didn't honestly think that two tributes of District 12 would get the pride of being the first pair getting out of here alive, did you?" Cato mocks, taking half a step towards me. I tense my grip on the arrow and he takes it back. I grin, even though inside I'm panicking.
"Why don't you just drop that, Twelve?" Clove speaks and I seize her from the corner of my eye. "We have you cornered. If you try to run my knife will bury into you so deep you won't be able to blink an eye before it reaches your heart. So why don't you spare us the bother and surrender?"
"I'm not running anywhere," I say, and my chest rises in pride at the steadiness of my voice. "Let go of that knife and Cato dies on the spot. And then none of us gets to be the first pair to get out alive." I know I'm relying too much on their alliance, for all I know Clove might just kill me and make sure it's me who kills Cato. She gets all the glory without getting her hands dirty.
But the second of hesitation when they lock their eyes together is all I need to know she won't do that.
I measure the distance between us and take a deep breath. It seems like both of them are searching for something to say that would make them look great in front of the camera. I know no one in Panem is batting an eye right now, and whoever gets away from this triangle of doom alive will get a significant amount of sponsors.
So now I just have make sure it's me.
My lips press together tightly and as Cato opens his mouth to speak I shoot his leg, he cries out waking up Clove from her momentary shock and causing her to hold up to her promise. She sends the knife my way but I manage to duck in time, even though my arm gets a cut that bleeds profusely, but it doesn't hurt just yet. Unfortunately, I was too busy avoiding her knife, and I forgot to take into account Cato's movements.
A sharp pain in my leg makes me cry out, it's a kind of pain I've never felt before. It burns.
I look around to see him removing his sword from the flesh in my leg, the blood that stains it is so bright it makes my stomach turn. He raises it again as if to finish me off, but the adrenaline kicks in and I sprint forward. My leg protests with every step I take but I keep running, quickly leaving their discussion behind me.
Danny stops me from my running. I know I should probably scold him for calling out my name so loudly, he probably gave away our position. But I honestly don't care. The blood loss has made my head spin and my leg can't take another step. So I make my way up the tree where he has been hiding and pull him into my arms. He's shivering. Or maybe it's me.
"W-what happened to you?" He stammered, eying the cuts and I wave him off.
"They don't like being outsmarted." Danny lets out a nervous laugh and I rest against the bark of the tree. My leg throbs and yet I refuse to look at it. I know he is doing the same. It has to be cleaned down as soon as possible, but I can't find in me the strength to move a finger. As an answer to my unspoken prayers a silver parachute falls from the sky.
Danny expertly climbs a few branches higher to retrieve it.
"It's for you! A first aid kit!" He exclaims and I shush him quietly, even though I'm smiling. I can almost hear him.
Well done, sweetheart.
"I hope there are aspirins," I half joke as he makes his way back to me. Danny sits down in front of me very seriously and I know he wants to heal me himself, so I offer him my arm and try not to wince too much when he cleans it down with some rubbing alcohol.
Gratefully, there are aspirins and I down a couple with some water as he finishes up bandaging my arm. The pain is bearable now that it's clean and cotton-covered. But I can't say the same thing about my leg.
"You don't have t-" I start, but he cuts me off.
I try to remember if Danny ever saw my mom or Prim working on a patient. I'd like to think he hadn't. But it seems impossible as he expertly rips my already messed up pants to expose the wound. I close my eyes as I wait for the analgesics to kick in when his horrified gasp causes me to sit straight.
And I see exactly what has scared him. The wound is not only pouring blood and pus, but it's almost completely black. And the veins in my leg resemble a terrifying spider web. I'm brought back to the moment he cut me, the burning feeling as the blade touched my skin.
"It's poison."
After a moment, Danny quietly repeats the operation he did on my arm, though I can feel him rubbing a bit harder on my leg, as if trying to remove all poison from my calf. After a while he gives up and bandages it.
"Thanks boss," I whisper, my eyelids too heavy to open them now. I am vaguely aware of the way he slides next to me and wraps the sleeping bag around us, he ties us tightly onto the tree and I fall asleep safely with my head nested on his shoulder.
I don't get the chance to think that it's just a bad dream. The second I wake up I'm painfully reminded of the wound in my leg, but I try to put a strong face for Danny. He looks at me funny before pressing his hand to my forehead.
"Katniss, you are burning." Are the last words I hear before I fall back into unconsciousness.