There's a booming sound. It's muffled and faint, but I can hear it. It sounds like thunder. I wonder if there's a storm coming. No matter, I can just stay in bed. I'm safe and warm in my house. Then I remember that my mother will be coming for me if I don't get up soon. I've got to put fresh loaves in the oven. If I don't . . . the consequences will be dire.
Slowly, I force my eyes open and have to squint at the bright light. Light? That doesn't make any sense. It's storming. I try to blink my eyes into focus and see a blurry tangle of tree boughs above me. But...that can't be right. I'm supposed to be-
Suddenly the breath is sucked right out of my lungs. I'm not at home. I'm in...
Oh, crap. The arena. The thunder must've been a cannon. Suddenly the memories of all that's happened come flooding back into my mind, hitting me with the force of a freight train, and I don't even consider who it was that just died. I can still hear the sound of Cato's sword tearing through my leg and I think I'm going to vomit.
What am I going to do? I feel paralyzed, too scared to try to move for fear of what it'll do to my leg. I can feel the sticky wetness of the blood drenching my thigh. None of it's dry either. Oh, no, I think, my heart rate speeding up. It's still bleeding.
Panic seizes my chest and I can't breathe. What am I going to do? I close my eyes and try to take deep breaths in through my nose and out my mouth. I force my mind to calm down so I can think clearly.
First I need to assess the damage. And to do that, I'll have to sit up. Slowly, carefully, I lift my torso off the ground. Not too much pain yet. Other than being sore and achy from the burns and stings, my upper body is in okay shape. I get up onto my elbows.
Then my eyes land on my thigh.
My stomach drops and the blood drains from my face. I gag, but somehow I manage not to throw up. I really have no idea how.
My left leg is completely covered in blood. I can't even see my pants underneath it all. Looking at it makes me feel dizzy and nauseous. I'm scared to death to try to move it. How am I ever going to get up?
I clench my jaw. I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I do know I can't just lie here. If I want to survive, I have to move. I've got to find food and water, especially now that I've lost so much blood. Maybe I can get to a tree and pull myself up that way. I take a deep, calming breath. I have to move. I have to move.
Mustering all the courage and strength I can find, I plant my hands in the earth and push myself backwards. The next instant I'm screaming again. Horrific, searing pain shoots through my leg like burning fire and quickly consumes the rest of my body. My mind goes blank. The only thing that registers is this terrible monster of pain that's trying to eat me alive. My leg. It hurts. It hurts. The edges of my vision are tinged with red, even though I think my eyes are clamped shut. For a moment I'm afraid I'm going to pass out, but thankfully I don't.
When the pain subsides enough for me to think straight again, I am filled with despair. How will I ever get anywhere like this? I can't just sit here, but it hurts too much to move. I quickly consider my options. One, I can just stay here and hope for help to come before death does (which seems very unlikely). Two, I suck it up and move. It doesn't take long to decide on the second option, even though I am dreading it.
I think of Katniss again. I have to find her now, to warn her that the Careers are after her.
I slowly remove my belt from the loops of my pants. Then I fold it up and put it in my mouth. I'm already grimacing from the pain I know is sure to come as I get ready to drag myself again. I pick out the nearest tree and set my sights on it. That's my goal. If I can just get that far, I'll be able to make it. I take another deep breath, brace myself for the pain, and scoot backwards.
My teeth sink hard into the belt and I howl in pain. I'm able to make it a couple feet before it gets so bad that I have to stop. I've never been in this much pain before. But I can't stop for too long. I have to make it to that tree. I groan again as I shift back.
Six more feet to cross. I can do this. I get three more feet before my vision starts swimming. So much pain . . . I bite down into my belt as hard as I can to distract myself and move again. Almost there. Two more feet. Just a little further . . . One more foot.
Giving it my last effort, I shove myself towards the tree, loud cries of pain escaping through my clenched teeth. Then I stop and rest my head against the trunk. I made it.
I give myself a few minutes to catch my breath and will the pain down before trying to haul myself up. I can't stop now. Gotta find Katniss . . . When I take the belt out of my mouth, I find deep depressions from my teeth in the leather. I can't stop. I put it back in and reach up to grab a low branch on the tree. This will be the hardest part. The good news is that I think my leg is starting to go numb.
Then I hear something odd. Another booming sound, but this time it's not a cannon. It's a loud, distant rumbling that sounds a lot like thunder. A series of blasts follow, and I can feel the reverberations shake the ground. Immediately I think of the mines the boy from Three rigged around the Careers' pile of supplies. I can't help smiling. I hope that's what it is.
It takes an enormous amount of willpower to pull myself up. My arms feel weak and tremble as I try to get my good foot underneath me. It's a draining effort that leaves me gasping for air and clinging desperately to the branch so I won't fall.
My leg . . . it's killing me. Probably in the literal sense. Finding water is going to be a real trick. I look around. Now what? I don't have the strength to hop around on one leg. I'll have to find some sort of crutch. My eyes scan the forest floor, searching for a stick tall and thick enough to support me. Then I spot one a few yards away that might work. I'll have to hop from tree to tree to get to it, but I think I can make it.
Holding firmly to the branch, I take a hop forward. I'm so weak that it's not an easy thing to do, like it normally would be. I keep my eyes on the stick and try to ignore the pain in my leg. It's not that far, I try to convince myself. I hop a few more times, biting down on the belt. Katniss. Katniss. Katniss. I repeat her name over and over in my mind as I slowly move forward. She is the reason I must get there. She is the reason I have to ignore this horrendous pain. She is the reason I cannot collapse right here in the dead leaves, like I so desperately want to. I have to find her. Moving in that way, I manage to get to another tree trunk. Then another.
Another cannon blast rings through the sky. Who could that be? I can't help thinking of Katniss. Oh, please, don't let it be her. I guess I'll find out tonight.
I take another hop, and suddenly the stick is right there, on the ground before me. Despite the pain, I smile at this small victory. Holding tightly to a branch, I bend down and pick it up. Thank goodness, it will do for a crutch. I lodge it firmly under my arm and let go of the tree. Hopefully I'll be able to move around more freely.
I hobble forward, leaning heavily on the stick. But my balance is all off. I pitch forward, and before I realize what I'm doing, I've stepped down on my bad leg. A horrible, bone-chilling sound fills my ears. It's a moment before I realize that it's me. I've no idea how, but I'm able to grab hold of another nearby branch before I crumple to the ground.
Pain. It's all I know. It's wrapping itself snuggly around me like a blanket, filling every part of me. I feel it consume every nerve in my body. I am sure that it is literally ripping me apart. How is it possible to hurt this much and still be alive? Through the cloudiness of my mind, I feel myself vomiting. Then I collapse into the dead leaves.
Before I lose consciousness, I'm vaguely aware of the sound of rushing water nearby.